The Ligier European Series took to the track on Saturday, 28 September, for race 1 of the Mugello Heat. Unlike yesterday’s qualifying sessions, the track was dry with autumn-like temperatures, allowing the drivers to show their full potential on this technical layout.
At the end of the one hour-long race, and after a Safety Car period following the #86 JS2 R going off track, Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport (#77 JS P4) took their second win of 2024. In the JS2 R category, Italy’s Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, with the #60 driven by Gregorio Bertocco and Matteo Pianezzola, scored their maiden victory of the campaign on home soil.
JS P4: A narrow victory for Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport
This morning, the 12 JS P4 category entries participated in the first-ever Ligier European Series race at the Mugello circuit. Everything went off without a hitch, and poleman Ian Aguilera, aboard the #77 RLR M Sport JS P4, retained the lead. Jeronimo Berrio, driving the #66 of Team Virage, quickly moved into third place and began to pressure James Winslow in Monza Garage’s #71. On lap four, the Colombian driver made the overtake for second place.
The race proceeded without incident until the mandatory pitstops, which allowed Pedro Moreno, who had taken over from Jeronimo Berrio in the #66 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, to move into the lead. He was followed by Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77) and Chun-Ting Chou (Monza Garage #71). The Taiwanese driver soon had mirrors full of Theo Micouris, in #1 from Team Virage, in their duel for third place.
Thirteen minutes from the chequered flag, the safety car appeared after the #86 JS2 R of Les Deux Arbres (Ryan Shehan) ran off the track and got stuck in the gravel trap. Once the car was cleared, the race resumed with five minutes remaining. That was all the drivers needed to fight it out for the podium. Iko Segret, behind the wheel of the #6 of ANS Motorsport, powered his way to third place. But he had to contend with the attacks from Theo Micouris in his #1 Team Virage JS P4.
Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77) snatched the lead from Pedro Moreno in Team Virage’s #66 on the penultimate lap after a spirited battle. Meanwhile, Iko Segret and Theo Micouris were neck and neck until the chequered flag, when Theo Micouris edged ahead.
Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport (JS P4#77) were first to see the chequered flag for their second win of the season, followed by the #66 of Pedro Moreno and Jeronimo Berrio (Team Virage) and the #1 of teammates Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance.
However, a few minutes after the race, Team Virage’s #66 received a five-second penalty for failing to comply with the Safety Car procedure, demoting it to fourth place and allowing Iko Segret and ANS Motorsport to claim the bottom step of the podium.
JS2 R: Maiden win for Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport
As in the JS P4 category, the JS2 R field made a clean start, and Antoine Lepesqueux, in the #50 from Les Deux Arbres, maintained the lead. Gregorio Bertocco in Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport’s #60 ran second ahead of Julien Schell in the #29 of Pegasus Racing.
Gregorio Bertocco (Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport #60) took the lead on lap three, which he held until the mandatory pit stops. Julien Schell (Pegasus Racing #29) and Antoine Lepesqueux (Les Deux Arbres #50) fought for second place.
After the salvo of pit stops, David Caussanel, in the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R, returned to the action in the lead ahead of Matteo Pianezzola (Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport #60) and Clément Moreno (ANS Motorsport #31).
Matteo Pianezzola in the #60 Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport Ligier JS2 R took the lead with 16 minutes remaining, while Noé Da Cuhna in the #50 of Les Deux Arbres passed Clément Moreno (ANS Motorsport #31) for third place.
At this point, the race was neutralised to clear the #86 of Les Deux Arbres from the gravel trap. On the restart, Matteo Pianezzola, aboard the #60 Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, kept the lead and offered the Italian team and his teammate Gregorio Bertocco their first victory.Julien Schell and David Caussanel, in Pegasus Racing’s #29, finished second and first in the PRO/AM category. In the lead and tied with Clément Moreno and ANS Motorsport before the Mugello Heat, this second place gives them a precious lead in the title race. Noé Da Cuhna and Antoine Lepesqueux finished third in the #50 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R. The #18 Pegasus Racing entry of Louis Stern and Gwenaël Delomier finished first in the AM classification.
Race 2 will start this afternoon at 1 pm and last one hour. You can follow the race live on the series’ YouTube channel.
For Race 1 results, CLICK HERE.
