Heat Three of the 2024 Ligier European Series will be the curtain raiser for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The JS P4s and JS2 Rs will be first in action at the legendary circuit. Thirty-two cars are entered for edition three of the Le Mans Heat, to be run on the 9 June Test Day.
The Ligier European Series meeting at the Sarthe circuit is now a fixture on the calendar. It is the most eagerly-awaited event of the season for teams and drivers, who have the opportunity to race on one of the world’s most famous circuits.
JS P4 category: Team Virage, in quest of a fourth victory
A dozen teams have entered 14 Ligier JS P4s for this third round.
Team Virage, the championship leader with its three JS P4s entered this season is targeting its fourth victory with the #1 of Haydn Chance and Theo Micours ( 90 points). Only the #32 crew has been changed, with Umberto and Jacopo D’Amato behind the wheel. Both drivers have already had a taste of the series, at the 2023 Le Mans Heat for Jacopo and in May 2024 at Le Castellet for Umberto.
With 58 points in the provisional classification, ANS Motorsport and driver Iko Segret are in second place after two runner-up finishes at Le Castellet (#6 JS P4). RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera are third on 49 points thanks to their consistency, with four top-five finishes since the start of the season (#75 JS P4).
In addition to its two Ligier JS2 R entered for the season, Les Deux Arbres is fielding a third car, the #58 JS P4, which Jacques Nicolet will drive.
P4 Racing and LR Motorsport will also be present. British driver Andrew Fergusson, who is no stranger to the series and also races a Ligier JS P320 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, will be in the #27 from P4 Racing, while the #81 LR Motorsport car will be in the hands of Pierre Kaffer and Michael Doppelmayr, who will make their Ligier European Series debut.
Three JS P4s will compete in the AM category: the #16 of Pegasus Racing, the #27 from P4 Racing, and finally, the #58 of Les Deux Arbres, while the #81 from LR Motorsport will race in the PRO-AM category.
JS2 R category: The French turn out in force for their home race
The GT field will be substantial, with 18 JS2 Rs entered by ten teams.
With 76 points, championship leader Pegasus Racing aims for its second win with the #18 JS2 R, driven by Louis Stern and Paul Lanchère, after winning race 2 in Barcelona.
Winner of the two Le Castellet races, Clément Moreno, in the #31 of ANS Motorsport, is currently second in the provisional classification (68 points), but can he keep the momentum going? The team is stepping up its efforts for this Le Mans Heat with two additional cars, the #37, to be driven by Jérôme France and the #73 for Didier Balcaen.
The #87 of Les Deux Arbres, driven by Jacques Nicolet at Le Castellet, will have Gil Maillet and Pierre-Olivier Calendini sharing the driving duties in their first outing in the championship.
The 2022 Le Mans Heat winner, Zosh Compétition, returns to try to win again on the Sarthe circuit. The Le Mans-based team has entered a JS2 R for Anthony Perrin and Léo Pinquier. The drivers will have to contend with last year’s winner, Natan Bihel, who will be in the #69 M Racing Ligier JS2 R. The 2020 JS2 R runner-up, JS2 R Champion in 2021 and JS P4 runner-up in 2022, Natan Bihel is not a driver to be trifled with.
Lastly, four other French teams have entered especially for this Le Mans Heat: Loire Valley Racing with the #9 (Edouard Hery), No Limit Racing with the #46 (Sébastien Margot), LADC Motorsport with the #49 (Hervé Tremblaye), the #61 (Léo Payen and Steven Palette), and the #90 (Clément Loeul) and AGS Event with the #89 (Clément Mateu).
In the AM category, seven cars will be vying for honours, including championship leaders Pegasus Racing’s #18, which will also be competing in the PRO-AM category with its #29 JS2 R.
The format will differ from the traditional format, with running condensed into a single day and one race instead of two for this special Heat as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans test day. Competitors will start with a free practice session from 8 to 8:45 am, followed by a qualifying session from 9:15 to 9:35 am. Finally, the one-hour race will start at 2 pm on the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. Don’t miss a second of the action from Heat Three of the 2024 Ligier European Series season via the championship’s social networks.
For the complete entry list, CLICK HERE.
For the Le Mans Heat programme, CLICK HERE.
