On the morning of Friday, 18 October, the Portimão circuit was the venue for the penultimate race of the 2024 Ligier European Series season. The nineteen competitors took to the track for a one-hour race in dry conditions and under clear blue skies.
This first race of the Portimão Heat was another action-packed affair, with Ian Aguilera in the #77 RLR MSport winning in the JS P4 category. The #50 of Les Deux Arbres, in the hands of Antoine Lepesqueux and Noé Da Cunha, took the honours in the JS2 R category.
JS P4: Third win of the season for RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera
Ian Aguilera made an excellent start from pole position in the #77 JS P4 to hold on to the lead. Just behind him, Jeronimo Berrio in the #66 Team Virage took second place but went off the racing line and sailed wide. Fortunately, he rejoined the race, but as he tried to make up lost ground, the Colombian driver collided with the #16 Pegasus Racing car driven by Yuki Tanaka, forcing the Japanese driver to stop at the side of the track. The safety car was called into service to secure Pegasus Racing, and Jeronimo Berrio received a drive-through penalty.
At the restart, Ian Aguilera’s #77 kept the lead, followed by Brandon McCaughan in the #32 of Team Virage and Iko Segret in the ANS Motorsport’s #6. The three cars put in a string of laps, but another safety car period was needed when Marta Garcia’s #85 JS2 R (Iron Dames by M Racing) went off the circuit. The competitors took advantage of the neutralisation to make their mandatory pit stops.
Once the race had restarted and the pit stops had been completed, the hierarchy was turned on its head, and it was the #66 of Team Virage, now driven by Pedro Moreno, who came out on top, followed by Simone Vullo Jody and the #81 of LR Motorsport. The latter made a mistake and lost second place to Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77). Iko Segret in the ANS Motorsport #6 was third and neck and neck with championship leader Theo Micouris in the Team Virage #1. The British driver quickly took third place and made up ground on the lead cars. Like Theo Micouris, Ian Aguilera maintained a blistering pace in the #77 of RLR MSport and closed the gap on the race leader, the #66 Team Virage JS P4 driven by Pedro Moreno.
Two minutes from the chequered flag, Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77) put the pressure on Pedro Moreno, who spun and lost the lead of the race. After two victories in the first races of the Spa Heat and the Mugello Heat, RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera won the first race of the Portimão Heat. The championship leader, Team Virage’s #1, driven by Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance, maintained its position at the top of the championship thanks to second place. Iko Segret, driving the ANS Motorsport #6, finished third.
Jacques Nicolet finished first in the AM category in his #58 M Racing JS P4.
All the JS P4 category titles are still up for grabs, and race two of this afternoon’s Portimão Heat promises to be a thriller.
Ligier JS2 R: Les Deux Arbres and Noé Da Cuhna and Antoine Lepesqueux win
The JS2 R category race started just as eventful as that of the JS P4s, and poleman Matteo Pianezzola in the #60 from Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport quickly lost ground following contact with another competitor. As a result, August Therbo, in the #86 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R, moved into the lead.
Following the first safety car period, August Therbo held on to the lead but had his mirrors full of Paul Trojani in the #31 of ANS Motorsport. They raced wheel-to-wheel whilst Marta Garcia (#85 Iron Dames by M Racing) and Matteo Pianezzola (#60 Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport) battled for third place. Contact between the two JS2 Rs sent the Spanish driver into the gravel trap, prompting a second safety car period. The #60 of Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport received a drive-through penalty a few minutes later for causing the collision.
The teams used the neutralisation to make their mandatory pit stops and driver changes. At the restart, Noé Da Cuhna, at the controls of the #50 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R, took the lead, followed by Cindy Gudet in M Racing’s #53 and Louis Stern in the #18 from Pegasus Racing.
Louis Stern spun a few laps later, went off the track and lost valuable places. He returned to the pits and retired from the race.
Noé Da Cuhna, in the #50 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R, saw the chequered flag first to score his and teammate Antoine Lepesqueux their second win of the season. Cindy Gudet finished runner-up in the #50 M Racing JS2 R to claim her first podium of the season, as did Sita Vanmeert and August Therbo in the #86 Les Deux Arbres. Two female drivers finished on the podium for the first time in the series history.
The championship leader, the #29 of Pegasus Racing, driven by Julien Schell and David Caussanel, finished sixth and collected 8 points. That was enough for them to clinch the 2024 JS2 R title ahead of the final race. Thanks to their victory, Noé Da Cuhna and Antoine Lepesqueux (#50 Les Deux Arbres) pocketed 25 points and are now second in the JS2 R classification with 142 points.
Race 2 gets underway this afternoon at 1:30 local time for a duration of one hour. Who will be the 2024 Ligier European Series champions? Follow the race live on the series’ YouTube channel to find out.
CLICK HERE for the results of Race 1.
