The Ligier European Series competitors confirmed the Mugello circuit’s demanding nature during the two qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon (September 27). RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera aboard the #77 Ligier JS P4 took pole position for tomorrow’s two races. In the JS2 R category, Antoine Lepesqueux, in the #50 of Les Deux Arbres, gave the French team its second pole of the season. Cindy Gudet, in the #53 from M Racing, claimed the pole position for race 2, her first ever in the Ligier European Series.
Red flags neutralised the two 15-minute sessions. The first followed Jacopo Mazza’s off-track excursion in the #81 LR Motorsport JS P4. The second concluded less than a minute before the chequered flag after the #18 Pegasus Racing JS2 R went off track.
Ligier JS P4: Double pole position for RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera
After claiming his maiden pole position at Spa-Francorchamps last month, there was no stopping Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport, who secured both pole positions at the Mugello Heat with the #77 Ligier JS P4.
The Mexican driver dominated the first session from start to finish, setting a best lap of 2m15.097s. Behind him, the battle raged for second and third place. When the dust settled, it was James Winslow, in the #71 Monza Garage JS P4, in second place, followed by Iko Segret in the #6 from ANS Motorsport.
It was a repeat performance in the second qualifying session, with Ian Aguilera again leading in the #77 of RLR MSport with a best time of 2m14.817s. Iko Segret, in ANS Motorsport’s #6, improved on his time from the first session to finish second with a lap of 2m15.334s. Theo Micouris (Team Virage #1) will start third after a fierce battle with his #66 teammate, Pedro Moreno.
Jacques Nicolet and the #58 M Racing JS P4 finished the sessions at the top of the AM classification.
Ian Aguilera, RLR M Sport, Ligier JS P4 #77, pole position, race 1 and 2:
The conditions were really tricky: raining and then starting to drying off as the session went on. I think we managed the group levels very well, we managed to get really good lap in in both sessions. I’m very happy with how it went and how the car was set up for the wet. Really happy for the team and for myself. This is my second time round here, so I had a bit of experience before. It’s a really good track, definitely a driver’s track with a lot of corners, lot of high speed and slow speed corners. I’m a very big fan of it.”
Ligier JS2 R: Les Deux Arbres and M Racing ahead
The first 15-minute qualifying session featured a fine battle among the JS2 R competitors. Cindy Gudet, in the #53 M Racing Ligier JS2 R, dominated early on, but Antoine Lepesqueux, in the #50 of Les Deux Arbres, claimed the race 1 pole position with his lap of 2m21.454s.
Making his Ligier European Series debut, Gwenaël Delomier battled at the pointy end and finished second in the #18 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R. He also finished first in the AM Category.
After dominating free practice, the #60 Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, driven by Gregorio Bertocco, will start P3 in race 1.
In the second session, Cindy Gudet secured her first pole position of the season with the #53 M Racing Ligier JS2 R. Her time of 2m22.408s was good enough to hold off Matteo Pianezzola in the #60 from Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, who will line up ahead of David Caussanel in the #29 of Pegasus Racing in race 2 The French driver also topped the PRO/AM classification, while Clément Moreno (ANS Motorsport #31) topped the AM category.
Antoine Lepesqueux, Les Deux Arbres, Ligier JS2 R #50, Pole position in JS2 R, Race 1:
“It was a unique session because there was a lot of rain before we set off, which changed things a little. I hadn’t driven in wet conditions for about ten years. I realised it would be complicated and tried not to make too many mistakes. It turned out quite well. I drove prudently. I started carefully, warmed up the tyres and found the grip points to avoid any scares at the beginning. That allowed me to increase the pace and come out on top on the last lap. I’m thrilled for my first time at Mugello. It’s a fantastic circuit.”
Cindy Gudet, M Racing, Ligier JS2 R #53, Pole position en JS2 R, Race 2 :
“It’s terrific to be back racing again [following an incident in another championship; Cindy was recovering for several months and missed the Spa Heat]. It’s the first qualifying we’ve done in the rain and the first time we’ve driven in the rain all season. It was important to be able to adapt. It was a super session, getting to know the car again in the rain. The circuit lends itself well to this, with some 15 corners and a lot of banking. Occasionally, we had to look for a slightly different trajectory. And then the conditions changed because it was drying. It was interesting to have to adjust to all these parameters. It’s a great result also for the team.”
Race 1 will start tomorrow at 8:30 am and will last one hour. Race 2 will run from 1 to 2 pm. Both races will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Ligier European Series.
CLICK HERE for Q1 results
CLICK HERE for Q2 results
