The two qualifying sessions for the Castellet Heat took place on Friday afternoon, 2 May, at Circuit Paul Ricard, with three different teams securing pole positions in the JS P4 and JS2 R categories, showcasing the competitiveness of the series.
After 15 intense minutes, Iko Segret in the ANS Motorsport JS P4 #6 secured pole position for Race 1, while Team Virage and Dario Cabanelas in the JS P4 #1 will start Race 2 at the head of the field. In the JS2 R category, Simone Riccitelli, in the #7 LR Motorsport entry, claimed the pole position for both races, his third and fourth of the season.
JS P4: ANS Motorsport and Team Virage on pole
The first qualifying session witnessed a thrilling battle between the #6 ANS Motorsport JS P4 driven by Iko Segret, Hamda Al Qubaisi in the #88 of Team Virage and the #60 from Iron Lyn by MRacing in the hands of Gregorio Bertocco. In the end, Iko Segret came out on top, securing his second pole position of the season for ANS Motorsport with a time of 2m07.596s. Team Virage’s #27 JS P4, driven by Vic Stevens, put in a last-minute flyer to finish second in 2m07.990s. Trajectus Motorsport’s #19, driven by Vincent Bouteiller, completed the top three in 2m08.109s.
In the second session, Dario Cabanelas*, driving the #1 Team Virage JS P4, finished at the sharp end ahead of Maxwell Dodds in the #6 from ANS Motorsport. The Polish team’s F4 driver secured his first endurance pole with a lap of 2m06.890s. With a time of 2m07.364s, Maxwell Dodds will start Race 2 from the outside of the front row, followed by Matteo Pianezzola in the #60 of Iron Lynx by MRacing, who clocked a time of 2m07.498s.
In the AM class, the #16 from Pegasus Racing, for drivers David Caussanel and Takeshi Kimura, will start from pole position in both races at Le Castellet thanks to their respective times of 2m09.181s and 2m11.062s. Following an electronic problem, the #33 from 360 Competition, competing in the PRO-AM class, could not participate in either session and will start shotgun on the field.
Iko Segret, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #6, pole position, race 1 :
“Between the free practice sessions and qualifying, we worked hard with the team on the car to adjust the settings. I want to thank them because it paid off. We came away with pole position. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow. Maxwell [Dodds] and I have good speed, so I’m confident.”
Dario Cabanelas, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1, pole position, race 2 :
“I’m thrilled to be on pole. We worked hard with the team. This morning was challenging, but we found the right settings. I hadn’t driven this car on this track before, but felt right at home. I tried to push a little bit harder on every lap. I am looking forward to tomorrow. It will be my first time starting from pole position in an endurance race.”
JS2 R: Double pole position for Simone Riccitelli et LR Motorsport
The JS2 R category was a fierce contest in both qualifying sessions. At the end of the first 15 minutes, Simone Riccitelli** in the #7 of LR Motorsport secured his third pole position with a time of 2m14.428s, followed by Lukas Papin in the #18 from VSF Sports in 2m14.487s and August Therbo in the #57 23Events Racing entry, in 2m15.523s to complete the top three.
The second session had a sense of déjà vu, with the top three remaining unchanged. Simone Riccitelli again dominated the session behind the wheel of the #7 of LR Motorsport and improved his time with a lap of 2m13.510s. The Italian driver ran his streak of consecutive pole positions to four. The #18 VSF Sports JS2 R, driven by Enzo Caldaras, completed the front row for Race 2 with a lap of 2m14.635s. August Therbo, in the #57 from 23Events Racing, was in 2m14.867s.
In the PRO-AM class, the #94 from Pegasus Racing, driven by Jordan Meyer, will start Race 1 from pole position thanks to a lap clocked at 2m18.169s. With a time of 2m18.826s, Adrien Paviot in the #84 Trajectus Motorsport JS2 R will start Race 2 from the pole.
Tristan Clay and Florian Teillais, driving the #41 VSF Sports entry, took the two AM category pole positions with times of 2m17.951s and 2m17.617s, respectively.
Simone Ricittelli, LR Motorsport, Ligier JS2 R #7, pole position, race 1:
“I’m really happy because today all the drivers in JS2 R were really close. I knew it was going to be tough to get the car on pole. I learned that I had clinched pole after qualifying 2. The other drivers did an amazing job.”
Simone Ricittelli, LR Motorsport, Ligier JS2 R #7, pole position, race 2:
“I went into qualifying 2 without knowing that I had taken the pole for race 1. So I pushed even more. It was probably one of the greatest laps I’ve ever done in my career. I’m really happy about that. But what really matters are the races tomorrow. I’m focused on bringing the victory home.”
Race 1 starts on Saturday, 3 May 2025, at 9 am for one hour of action-packed racing. Race 2 will follow from 1:05 to 2:05 pm. Both races will be streamed live on the series’ YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for the complete results of Qualifying 1
CLICK HERE for the complete results of Qualifying 2
CLICK HERE for Race 1 on Saturday 3 May
CLICK HERE for Race 2 on Saturday 3 May
Photo credit: DPPI
*Following post-qualifying inspections, Maxwell Dodds will start from pole position for Race 2.
**Following post-qualifying inspections, Lukas Papin will start from pole position for Race 1 and his teammate Enzo Caldaras in Race 2.
