JS P4: Team Virage wins with the #66 JS P4 and clinches the 2024 title with the #1.
The start of the race, which was delayed 90 minutes after an accident during Michelin Le Mans Cup qualifying, that required lengthy repairs to the rails around the track, went without incident. Ian Aguilera, in the #77 of RLR MSport, overtook the poleman Theo Micouris in Team Virage’s #1 at turn two. On lap seven, the trio of Team Virage cars launched an attack on Aguilera that demoted him to fourth place, with Theo Micouris (Team Virage #1) in the lead, followed by Pedro Moreno (Team Virage #66) and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen (Team Virage #32). However, Ian Aguilera kept his head down and remained in the fight and after Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen got caught out, the Mexican driver moved up to third place.
The safety car period allowed for removing the Pegasus Racing JS2 R #18 off the track at turn 3, and most of the field made pit stops and driver changes.
At the restart, Haydn Chance, now behind the wheel of Team Virage’s JS P4 #1, took the lead, followed by Ian Aguilera (RLR MSport #77) and Jeronimo Berrio (Team Virage #66). With 15 minutes to go, Ian Aguilera took the lead, and Jeronimo Berrio moved up to second, ahead of Haydn Chance. Jeronimo Berrio maintained a steady pace and attacked Ian Aguilera, who spun and dropped out of the top 3 with less than ten minutes to go. Jeronimo Berrio took the lead and won ahead of the team’s sister car, the #1 and Haydn Chance. Despite the spin, Ian Aguilera finished third in the #77 of RLR MSport.
Thanks to their runner-up result, the two up-and-coming British drivers, Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance, are the 2024 Ligier European Series champions with Team Virage’s #1 JS P4. In doing so, they win the coveted €150,000 prize money to race a Ligier JS P325 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup next season.
Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport finished runner-up with their #77 Ligier JS P4, ahead of ANS Motorsport #6 driven by Iko Segret.
Pedro Moreno, Team Virage, JS P4 #66, Winner, Race 2:
“It was a difficult one, particularly because I was stuck in the tail, so at the end I overheated the tires, so I kept struggling with that a bit, but I was able to give Jeronimo the car in P3, really relatively close to P1 and P2, and then he ended the race by doing a really, really good job and putting the car in P1. I’m really happy, and what a nicer ending to the season than that.”
Jeronimo Berrio, Team Virage, JS P4 #66, Winner, Race 2:
“It was an amazing race. First I want to congratulate Pedro, because he did an amazing stint. We had a great fight with Ian Aguilera and with also Haydn Chance, and it was quite fun because we were battling all through the race. We had to be careful because the other car of the team [the #1 JS P4] was fighting for the championship. We were also fighting for another sport of the championship, but we had a really close and clean race, and we managed to take the win, so it’s pretty amazing.”
JS2 R: Second victory for Marta Garcia and Iron Dames by M Racing
The JS2 R category put on a world-class show for the final race of the 2024 season!
Paul Trojani, driving the ANS Motorsport’s #31, started from pole position and held on to the lead at the moment of the green flag. Marta Garcia, at the commands of the #85 of Iron Dames by M Racing, quickly moved up to second place, ahead of Noé Da Cunha in the #50 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R. Despite contact between the two drivers and a spin for Marta Garcia, she held onto second place. After a door-handle-to-door-handle battle with Paul Trojani (ANS Motorsport #31), Marta Garcia (Iron Dames by M Racing #85) took the lead on lap ten.
A safety car period was needed to secure the disabled Pegasus Racing’s #18 JS2 R, which was a massive advantage for the leading trio, who, after the pit stops and restart, had a substantial lead over the rest of the category.
Marta Garcia in the #85 and Paul Trojani in the #31 raced neck-and-neck until the chequered flag, with the Spaniard taking the win for the second Ligier European Series victory for Iron Dames by M Racing and Marta Garcia. Ligier European Series newcomer Paul Trojani finished runner-up in ANS Motorsport’s #31. Noé Da Cuhna and Antoine Lepesqueux, in the #50 from Les Deux Arbres, finished third to score their second podium of the meeting.
JS2 R 2024 champions Julien Schell and David Caussanel (Pegasus Racing #29), who took the title in the first race of the day, finished seventh. They also finished first of the PRO-AM rankings. They win a €100,000 prize to compete in the Ligier European Series next season in a Ligier JS P4.
Noé da Cunha and Antoine Lepesqueux finished second in the championship with Les Deux Arbres’ #50 Ligier JS2 R.
Louis Stern and Pegasus Racing took the AM class title with the #18 Ligier JS2 R.
Marta Garcia, Iron Dames by M Racing, JS2 R #85, Winner, Race 2:
“It was quite an eventful race, to be honest. I started P3 and then I overtook to grab P2 and was fighting for P1 with the other driver. We had some good fights. I even had a spin and it was a bit messy. But then I tried to create a gap. But then there was a safety car. Luckily after we were still P1 and I again tried to create a gap from the car in P2 that was quite close. Finally, we won the race, which I’m really happy about because the last time was in Spa, about two months ago. I think that the Ligier European Series has been a good experience for me because it was the first time I drove a GT car. So I think to start in GTs the series is a good opportunity, a good championship to start with. And, obviously I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think the car is fun to drive. I enjoyed racing along with the Iron Dames and the M Racing team.”
For race 2 results, CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE for the final classifications in both categories.
The Ligier European Series competitors can now take a well-deserved winter break. Season six of the championship will resume in April 2025 at Barcelona.
