The Ligier European Series field at Circuit Paul Ricard had an early wake-up call this morning for the day’s first race. After an hour of action-packed racing with several lead changes, Romain Favre, behind the wheel of the #7 from Inter Europol Competition, was victorious in the JS P4 category. The JS2 R category saw an equally tough battle, with Clément Moreno in ANS Motorsport’s #31, the first to see the chequered flag to score his maiden Ligier European Series win.
JS P4 category: Huge victory for Inter Europol Competition and Romain Favre
The battle raged from the very first laps in the JS P4 category. Theo Micouris, in the #1 of Team Virage, put in a solid start from pole position to maintain the lead, followed by teammate Jeronimo Berrio aboard the #66. Ian Auguilera in the RLR M Sport #77 and James Winslow in the Monza Garage #71 waged a fierce scrap for third place. The two Team Virage entries continued to battle for the lead. However, Theo Micouris collided with Jeronimo Berrio, earning him a 10-second penalty during his mandatory pitstop.
After the #86 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R driven by Sita Vanmeert stopped on track, the race was neutralised with a safety car period. Jeronimo Berrio in the #66 (Team Virage) took advantage to head to the pits for the necessary repairs following its contact with the #1. Team Virage’s #1 was still in the lead at the restart, followed by the ANS Motorsport #6 driven by Iko Segret and the Inter Europol Competition #7. As Pedro Moreno (#66 Team Virage) worked through the field, the battle for third place raged among the #77 RLR M Sport, the #71 Monza Garage and the #7 Inter Europol Competition. The #77 went off, allowing Iko Segret in the #6 from ANS Motorsport car to move into second place, followed by Romain Favre in the #7 JS P4.
Team Virage’s #1 and Monza Garage’s #71 were forced to make longer stops during the mandatory pit-stop window to serve the penalties they had incurred in the first part of the race.
Romain Favre, with the #7 of the Inter Europol Competition crew, was the quickest to service their car. Romain Favre returned to the track in the lead ahead of the #6 of Iko Segret (ANS Motorsport) and the #71 of Monza Garage, now driven by Chun-Ting Chou.
Behind them, the two Team Virage JS P4s, the #1 and the #66, moved up the order as they battled for fourth place. But the #66 received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with the #4 of Nielsen Racing (Ben Caisley).
After an hour of racing, Romain Favre triumphed in the #7 from Inter Europol Competition, followed by Iko Segret in the #6 of ANS Motorsport and the #71 Monza Garage JS P4 (James Winslow/ Chun-Ting Chou). However, after the race, the #71 was again penalised for not complying with the minimum mandatory pitstop time, and the Team Virage #1, driven by Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance, inherited third place.
Umberto d’Amato and Paschalis Paris Stavrakidis in the #32 of Team Virage finished top of the PRO-AM category, as did Yuki Tanaka in the #16 from Pegasus Racing in the AM category.
Romain Favre, Inter Europol Competition, Ligier JS P4 #7, winner race 1 : « For sure it was a great weekend, we showed our pace and we won the first race this morning. The battle with the other drivers were great and it was quite fun to be honest and I’m looking forward to being in Le Mans for the next race.
JS2 R category: ANS Motorsport and Clément Moreno victorious on home soil
The start of the JS2 R category was also eventful! The M Racing’s #69, driven by Gianfranco Barbara, lost its bonnet early on following contact with the #50 of Les Deux Arbres, driven by Antoine Lepesqueux. The #50 returned to the pits and rejoined the action, unlike the #69, which did not, as the damage was too extensive.
At the sharp end of the order, Paul Lanchère in the Pegasus Racing #18 took the lead from the start, followed by teammate Julien Schell in the #29. The two Frenchmen were in command for most of the race. Pole-sitter Gregorio Bertocco, in the #60 from Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, lost ground at the start but then managed to stay with the leading pack. However, he was penalised five seconds during his pitstop for failing to comply with the start procedure.
The #86 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R driven by Sita Vanmeert stopped on the Mistral straight, and the race was neutralised to secure the car. At the restart, the #18 Pegasus Racing still led, followed by its sister car, the #29 and Clément Moreno in the #31 from ANS Motorsport.
After the mandatory pitstops and driver changes, the Pegasus Racing #18, now driven by Louis Stern, was still in the lead. But Clément Moreno in the #31 was rapidly narrowing the gap. David Caussanel in the #29 was third.
Clément Moreno took the lead with ten minutes to go in the #31 of ANS Motorsport, which he held onto until the chequered flag. He also finished first in the AM category. The Pegasus Racing #18, driven by Louis Stern and Paul Lanchère, finished second, followed by the #29, driven by Julien Schell and David Caussanel, who also won the PRO-AM category.
Race 2 of the Castellet Heat will run from 1:30 to 2:30 pm this afternoon and will be streamed live on the series’ YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for the results
