At the end of a lively and closely fought Race 1 at Circuit Paul Ricard, the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4 driven by Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams claimed victory in JS P4, while the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R of Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan secured the win in JS2 R.
Held under sunny skies, Race 1 delivered a spectacular show with battles throughout the field for nearly an hour around the 5.821 km circuit. Unfortunately, it ended under Safety Car conditions following a mechanical issue for the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R, which had been leading its category comfortably.
Ligier JS P4: Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams take victory.
Starting from pole position, Ethan Pharamond was caught out at the first corner by August Therbo in the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4, and then by Brandon McCaughan in the #1 Team Virage entry. In the pack, Alex Gardner ran wide in the #14 Team Virage car, while Henrique Oliveira locked up heavily in the #44 ASM Motorsport Ligier. For Petrogold, the opening ten minutes were difficult: the #93 returned to the pits while the #33 slowed on track, bringing out the Safety Car.
At the restart, the #57 retained the lead, while behind, Gabriel Doyle-Parfait in the #20 Trajectus Motorsport car, Sacha Van’t Pad Bosch in the #12 ASM Motorsport car, and Alex Gardner in the #14 battled intensely within the top five. The #20 spun, while the #12 received a ten-second penalty for an infringement at the restart. Ethan Pharamond, in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, regained the lead from August Therbo before the mandatory pit stops.
After the pit stops, Simone Riccitelli, now at the wheel of the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4, overtook Martin Lacquemanne in the #57 M Racing car to move into second place behind leader Mika Abrahams. Simon Schranz, in the #14, passed his Team Virage teammate Sébastien Kawpeng in the #1 in an internal battle, while Tomas Pompidou in the #19 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS P4 climbed back up to sixth.
With less than ten minutes remaining, the top five was still closely contested. Simone Riccitelli set the fastest lap of the race (2:08.261) and rapidly closed in on Mika Abrahams, who had slight contact with the #69 Bretton Racing car. Martin Lacquemanne (#57) moved into third place ahead of Simon Schranz (#14). An exciting finish seemed inevitable, but with just two minutes remaining, the Safety Car was deployed again, freezing the positions.
The #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4 took victory by just 0.576 seconds. Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams claimed their first win in the championship, and the first for their team in 2026. The #7 LR Motorsport entry of Simone Riccitelli and Pietro Ferri finished second, while the #57 M Racing Ligier of August Therbo and Martin Lacquemanne completed the podium.
The #14 and #1 Team Virage Ligiers rounded out the top five ahead of the two Trajectus Motorsport entries, the #19 and #20. Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien won the PRO-AM classification in the #69 Bretton Racing Ligier.
Ligier JS P4 overall podium : Pietro Ferri / Simone Ricitelli (#7 LR Motorsport) (left), Ethan Pharamond / Mika Abrahams (#6 ANS Motorsport) (middle), Martin Lacquemanne / August Therbo (#57 M Racing) (right)
Ligier JS P4 PRO-AM winners : Marius Kristiansen / Dominique Bastien (#69 Bretton Racing)
Ethan Pharamond, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #6, winner:
“After taking pole position, we had to get down to work to aim for our first win. I didn’t make the best start, but I managed to stay focused and gradually fight my way back, overtaking August Therbo in the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4 shortly before the driver change. I’m really pleased. And then we went on to win the race, so it was great.”
Mika Abrahams, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #6, winner:
“Ethan drove a great first stint and he put me in a great position. It was good to keep the pole position and staying first. We had the pace and then traffic was really unlucky. Simone [Riccitelli in the #7 LR Motorsport] was catching us really really fast. We managed to have enough pace to hold him out. In the end we stayed calm, composed and we knew our pace and we managed to win.”
Ligier JS2 R: Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan rewarded after a dramatic twist.
In JS2 R, the race was decided less than three minutes from the chequered flag when a large plume of smoke emerged from the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R, which had led from the start. At the wheel, pole-sitter Marcus Terkildsen had quickly built a gap to his rivals, setting several fastest laps in class (2:14.717) and holding around a 15-second lead before a mechanical issue struck with just two laps remaining.
This twist of fate benefited the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R shared by Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan, who were rewarded for their persistence throughout the race. Antonin Bernard was involved in multiple battles early on, defending second place from Charles Lambert in the #83 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier, before holding onto a provisional podium spot under pressure from Simone Bianco in the #81 LR Motorsport car and Lawrence Herbots in the #68 M Racing entry.
Shortly before handing over to his teammate, Antonin Bernard reclaimed second place from Charles Lambert. In the second half of the race, Daniel Dallakyan stayed within striking distance of the untouchable Marcus Terkildsen, before the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R inherited the lead when the Safety Car was deployed, sealing the outcome of Race 1.
The #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R took victory ahead of the #3 LR Motorsport car driven by Noah Rosser and Andrea Frizza, which had started from the back of the grid. The #83 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier dropped to tenth after receiving a stop-and-go penalty for completing its pit stop outside the designated window. Third place went to the second LR Motorsport entry, the #81 driven by Simone Bianco. Fourth overall, the #18 VSF Sports Ligier of Maxime Aparicio and Anthony Ghibaudo won the PRO-AM classification.
Ligier JS2 R overall podium : Andrea Frizza / Noah Rosser (#3 LR Motorsport) (left), Antonin Bernard / Daniel Dallakyan (#18 VSF Sports) (middle), Simone Bianco (#81 LR Motorsport) (right)
Ligier JS2 PRO-AM winners : Maxime Aparicio / Anthony Ghibaudo (#41 VSF Sports)
Antonin Bernard, VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R #41, winner in Ligier JS2 R:
“It was a very difficult start of the race. First I was fighting with Marcus [Terkildsen in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R], quite close. Then he put a gap between us, but there was a Safety Car, so I came closer. At the restart, I had difficulties with the car and fought with two cars. We had great and I think fair fights, close sometimes. Then I felt more comfortable with the car. I put more rhythm and arrived to create a gap with the two cars behind me before handing the car to Daniel.”
Daniel Dallakyan, VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R #41, winner in Ligier JS2 R:
“I knew that Marcus was really far away. I was just trying to save the tires and finish the race. Unfortunately, he had to retire. This is not the way we want to win the race. But a win is still a win. We got good points for the championships so we will fight for that.”
Race 2 is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm (local time). Don’t miss it live on the series’ YouTube channel.
To view the results of Race 1, CLICK HERE.
Photo credit: DPPI
