The final two qualifying sessions of the 2024 Ligier European Series season were hard-fought at the highly technical Portimão circuit in the Algarve. Behind the wheel of the #77 RLR MSport JS P4, Ian Aguilera secured his fourth pole of the season. Championship leader Theo Micouris in Team Virage #1 set the pace in the second session to claim his third pole of the season. In the JS2 R category, Matteo Pianezzola took his maiden pole position of 2024, the second for the #60 of Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport. Paul Trojani, in ANS Motorsport’s #31, won the pole for race 2.
The first qualifying session went off without incident, but this was not the case in session two, which was red-flagged after just seven minutes when the #16 Pegasus Racing JS P4 went off the track. The session resumed a few minutes later.
JS P4 category: Pole position for Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport, with championship leader Team Virage #1 on pole for race 2 with Theo Micouris
The various category contenders hotly contested the first qualifying session. Jeronimo Berrio took the advantage on the opening lap in the #66 Team Virage JS P4 but was soon overtaken by teammate Brandon McCaughan in the #32. Ian Aguilera was not to be outdone, improving his pace and eventually topping the timing screens up to the chequered flag in the #77 RLR MSport Ligier JS P4. With a lap of 1m45.624s, the Mexican driver secured his fourth pole position and third in a row. Brandon McCaughan (Team Virage #32) and Jeronimo Berrio (Team Virage #66) completed the top three.
As in the first session, there was a succession of leaders at the sharp end of the order. Championship leader Team Virage’s JS P4 #1, driven by Theo Micouris, initially took the lead, only to give way to Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen at the controls of the #32 sister car. Ian Aguilera in the #77 RLR MSport JS P4 then occupied the provisional pole before seeing it slip away on the final lap when Theo Micouris (Team Virage #1) posted a 1m44.980s lap to claim his third pole position of the season. On his debut in the Ligier European Series, Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen (Team Virage #32) qualified second, followed by Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77).
Ian Aguilera, RLR MSport, Ligier JS P4 #77, pole position, race 1:
“It was a really good qualifying. We needed it to be able to fight for the championship tomorrow. I think being on pole for the first race and third for the second is going to help us in trying to get as many points as we can to close the gap to car #1 and hopefully win the championship. I’m excited and nervous about tomorrow’s races. I’m just going to go out there and give it my best. We’ll see what we can do, and hopefully, we can bring it home.”
Theo Micouris, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1, pole position race 2:
“It was a bit stressful, especially with the red flag very early on in the session. I managed to put in a good couple of bankable laps. I had a couple of problems at first, but I managed to sort them out by the end. I hooked up a good lap at the dying stage of the session. It was a lovely feeling to take pole position again. I’ve missed it. It’s been a while. It’s good to start the final race from pole position. I’m very excited about tomorrow’s races. I’m not too nervous, to be fair. I’m really looking forward to the battle. I think it’s tightened up a lot this weekend. There are about 5 or 6 cars fighting for the front, so it should be a lot of fun. Hopefully, we end up on top.”
JS2 R category: Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport and ANS Motorsport on pole position
Qualifying in the JS2 R category was no exception, with the two pole positions contested just until the waning minutes of the session.
In the opening session, the battle raged between August Therbo in the #86 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R and Matteo Pianezzola in Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport’s#60. After a ten-minute battle, Italian Matteo Pianezzola finally emerged on top with a lap of 1m52.180s, giving Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport its second pole position of the season. August Therbo in the #86 of Les Deux Arbres was second, followed by Marta Garcia in the #85 from Iron Dames by M Racing.
The neutralisation of the second session interrupted the JS2 R competitors on their first lap. When they got going, they were able to set the fastest lap times. The battle was fierce among ANS Motorsport’s #31, driven by Paul Trojani, Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport’s #60, driven by Gregorio Bertocco and Iron Dames by M Racing’s #85 in the hands of young Spaniard Marta Garcia. At the session’s end, Paul Trojani in the #31 ANS Motorsport JS2 R took the pole with a lap of 1m52.155s, followed by Gregorio Bertocco and Marta Garcia.
The current championship leaders, the #29 and #18 from Pegasus Racing, driven by Julien Schell/David Caussanel and Louis Stern, respectively, will start at the tail end of the field for the two races.
Matteo Pianezzola, Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, Ligier JS2 R #60, pole position race 1:
“The qualifying went well. We took pole position after several good qualifying sessions. I’m very satisfied. It’s my first time driving here. It’s a great track, but tricky with a lot of ups and downs. I like it because it’s very technical. Let’s hope for a good race tomorrow.”
Paul Trojani, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS2 R #31, pole position race 2:
“I am delighted. Our objective was to learn the circuit. It’s a bonus for us to drive a Ligier JS2 R, as our objective was to prepare for the Michelin Le Mans Cup. I liked the car right away. Switching from the Ligier JS P320 to the Ligier JS2 R went well. ANS Motorsport immediately found the right set-up. The first qualifying session was somewhat complicated because I don’t have experience in this series. But in qualifying 2, I lined everything up. So, I’m super happy. We’ll see how the races go tomorrow!”
The one-hour race 1 starts tomorrow at 9:00 am local time. Race 2 will run from 1:30 to 2:30 in the afternoon. Both races will be streamed live on the Ligier European Series YouTube channel to determine the 2024 Ligier European Series Champions.
CLICK HERE for qualifying 1 results.
CLICK HERE for qualifying 2 results.
