For the fourth consecutive year, Ligier European Series competitors will have the honour of racing on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit during the test day of the world’s most famous endurance race.
For this exceptional round, the third of the 2025 season, 33 cars will line up at the start on Sunday, 8 June.
The race promises to be another closely fought contest on the 13.6 km Circuit de la Sarthe, which will put the Ligier European Series teams to the test.
Ligier JS P4: Team Virage, undisputed winner at Le Mans since 2022
The JS P4 category will feature 16 cars for this Le Mans Heat, * including two new entries: the #46 from P4 Racing, to be driven by Briton Andrew Fergusson, in the AM category, and the #81 from LR Motorsport, to be driven by Italy’s Alvise Rodella. Julien Schell will be joined for this round by Japanese driver Takeshi Kimura in the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS P4.
Current championship leaders Iko Segret and Maxwell Dodds in ANS Motorsport’s #6 will target a third victory after wins in Barcelona and Le Castellet. Series newcomers Romain Boeckler and Loire Valley Racing are second in the championship on 50 points with two wins this season in the #22 JS P4.
Expectations are high for Team Virage, third in the championship with the #88 JS P4 driven by Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi, and winner of every Le Mans Heat race since the first edition in 2022. The Al Qubaisi sisters, whose goal is to one day race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will make their long-awaited debut on the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Christopher Preen and Kristian Brookes lead the JS P4 PRO-AM category in the #33 car of 360 Competition. The #58 HP Racing by MRacing leads the AM classification with 86 points, tied with the #16 Pegasus Racing.
* The #33 Ligier JS P4 of 360 Competition driven by Christopher Preen and Kristian Brookes has withdrawn and will not participate in the Le Mans Heat.
Ligier JS2 R: six new entries in the GT category
With six new competitors joining the fray, the JS2 R category will feature 17 cars at the start of the Le Mans Heat.
Les Deux Arbres is doubling its entry for this round with the addition of the #26 Ligier JS2 R, driven by Frenchmen Gil Maillet and Pierre-Olivier Calendini, alongside the #50 car of 2024 championship runners-up Noé Da Cunha and Antoine Lepesqueux.
Pegasus Racing has tripled its chances of victory with the entry of the #28 Ligier JS2 R for Frenchman Christophe Weber, who returns to the championship after two seasons in 2022 and 2023, and the #55 Ligier JS2 R driven by Japanese driver Yusuke Yamasaki, who will join the #94 car entered for the season driven by Jordan and Alain Meyer.
ANS Motorsport, a team competing solely in JS P4 for the whole season, is adding two Ligier JS2 Rs for this round: the #37 Ligier JS2 R for the French duo of Paul Alberto, Junior driver in the Ligier JS Cup France, and Viny Beltramelli and the #71 for Frenchman Ludovic Revol.
Lastly, ZOSH Competition, winner of both races in the 2022 Le Mans Heat, will be on the grid with the #72 driven by the French pairing of Léo Pinquier and Anthony Perrin.
A few driver changes among the teams entered for the season: French driver Ethan Pharamond, a Junior competitor in the Ligier JS Cup France, will make his championship debut in the #74 Loire Valley Racing car, while fellow Frenchman Martin Tabery will take the wheel of the #84 Trajectus Motorsport entry.
In the championship, the #57 car of 23EventsRacing leads with 71 points thanks to a victory in Barcelona and two second-place results at Le Castellet last month. The LR Motoport JS2 R #7 left Le Castellet in second place in the championship table on 65 points after two victories at Circuit Paul Ricard. Simone Riccitelli should, therefore, be a formidable opponent at Le Mans Heat. VSF Sports’ #18, driven by Lukas Papin and Enzo Caldaras, is in third place in the championship with 59 points.
In the PRO-AM class, Pegasus Racing’s #94 leads with 86 points. VSF Sports’ #41 leads the AM class with 100 points.
The Ligier European Series competitors will have a condensed schedule for this exceptional Heat, with all running taking place on Sunday, 8 June, as the curtain-raiser to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They will take to the track at 8 in the morning for 45 minutes of free practice, followed by qualifying from 9:15 to 9:35 am. The 33 entrants in the Le Mans Heat will set off for an hour of racing at 2 in the afternoon.
Will Team Virage, the reigning champion, win this fourth edition after taking victory in 2022? Who will take the honours in the JS2 R category? These questions will be answered on Sunday, 8 June.
For the complete entry list, CLICK HERE and HERE for the weekend programme.
Photo credit: DPPI
