Press Release – 15 September 2023
The penultimate round of the 2023 Ligier European Series will take place at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 22 and 23 September. Despite a lacklustre weekend at Aragon, the #48 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 and the #42 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS2 R remain at the top of their categories. But the die is far from being cast for Mihnea Stefan and Julien Lemoine, who must remain wary of the competition.
JS P4 category: the game of musical chairs continues
With a fifth win at Aragon in late August, Team Virage and Mihnea Stefan (#48) maintain their lead in the general classification with 141 points. But nothing is lost yet for the Polish team’s second car, the #60 with George King and Bernardo Pinheiro. Currently, in second place with 87 points, they are ready to take advantage of the slightest weakness of the leader. But with 85 points, the Italian LR Motorsport team and its drivers Simone Riccitelli and Jacopo Mazza (#7) could move up to second place in the classification. Team Virage’s AM car, with Kevin Madsen and Lance Fenton (#1), is fourth with 77 points. Only 1 point separates them from the British RLR MSport team, with Haytham Qarajouli and Ian Aguilera behind the wheel of the #75 (76 points).
In the PRO-AM class, the #50 of Les Deux Arbres, driven by Steve Zacchia and Louis Rossi, leads with 143 points.
Team Virage still has a comfortable advantage in the AM class, thanks to Kevin Madsen and Lance Fenton (#1) and their 161 points. French team Pegasus Racing is second with 97 points, ahead of #4 HPRacing by Monza Garage with 73 points.
JS2 R category: a fierce duel for the leadership
A win and retirement for Julien Lemoine (#42 ANS Motorsport) at Aragon has closed the gap in the title race. While ANS Motorsport and its French driver still lead the general classification with 136 points, LR Motorsport and David Rodorigo (#43) are in hot pursuit with 127 points. Will the Italian be able to tip the balance in his favour at Spa-Francorchamps? In third place, Les Deux Arbres and Jacques Nicolet (#86) are third in the table, with 89 points. RLR MSport is fourth with 73 points, with the #10 driven by Maximus Mayer and Simon Butler, who wasn’t present at Aragon.
While the points and gaps differ slightly between the general classification and the AM class, the top 3 remain unchanged: ANS Motorsport (136 points), LR Motorsport (130 points), and Les Deux Arbres (102 points).
The #10 from RLR MSport leads the PRO-AM class with 100 points. Pegasus Racing’s #29 is close behind on 79 points.
Entry list: series regulars and new faces expected at Spa
The #4 HPRacing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 will be driven by two Italian regulars: Jacopo Faccioni, Ligier JS P4 Champion in 2021, and Ronnie Valori, who competed in the 2022 season. After the Le Castellet round in July, the Romanian team Smart Driving will make its return this season with the #5 Ligier JS P4, driven by Dylan Young and a new Italian driver, Davide Amaduzzi. A second Japanese driver will be making his debut in the series: Takashi Hata in the #16 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS P4 alongside his compatriot Yuki Tanaka. In the GT category, Christophe Weber in the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R will be joined by Frenchman Thierry Colney.
The weekend will begins Friday, 22 September at 9 am with the first 40-minute free practice session. The second session will start at 1:18 pm. The drivers will then participate in two 15-minute qualifying sessions at 3:25 pm and 3:50 pm The two one-hour races will take place on Saturday, 23 September, at 9:05 am and 12:55 pm. Both races will be streamed live on the Ligier European Series YouTube channel and Facebook page.
To view the entry list, CLICK HERE.
To view the complete programme, CLICK HERE.
