Race 2 of the Spa Heat took place on Sunday morning, 24 August. Mild conditions at Circuit Spa-Francorchamps greeted the 24-car field for the start as the spectators were to bear witness to a thrilling race full of twists and turns.
After an hour of racing, local driver Vic Stevens and teammate Jude Peters were victorious in the #27 Team Virage Ligier JS P4. In the Ligier JS2 R category, August Therbo in the #57 from 23Events Racing claimed their second win of the 2025 season and now leads the provisional JS2 R classification.
Ligier JS P4: Home victory for Vic Stevens, with Jude Peters and Team Virage
At the start, an incident involving several cars caused the first safety car period. At the first corner, the #12 ASM Motorsport Ligier JS P4 made contact with the #6 of ANS Motorsport, which spun and took out the #19 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS P4 in the process.
The latter, driven by Mathis Poulet, was forced to retire. The race resumed after a 13-minute neutralisation period to clear the cars that had stopped on the track.
Pole winner, Romain Boeckler, in the #22 Loire Valley Racing Ligier JS P4, run by Trajectus Motorsport, kept the lead, whilst Ruben Hage, behind the wheel of the #12 ASM Motorsport Ligier JS P4, made contact with him at La Source after missing his braking point. The British driver received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.
A few minutes later, it was the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, driven by Maxwell Dodds, that went off the circuit and beached in a gravel trap, causing another safety car intervention.
When the race restarted, a flurry of pit stops began, and the competitors rushed to the pit lane. The #3 Ligier LR Motorsport JS P4, driven by Michael Bulzacchelli, emerged from the pits with the lead, closely followed by the #27 of Team Virage, now driven by Vic Stevens, and the #22 of Romain Boeckler. Vic Stevens made a great manoeuvre at the Bus Stop chicane to take the lead, while Romain Boeckler in the #22 of Loire Valley Racing lost power and received a 10-second time penalty for a pitstop infringement.
Vic Stevens, behind the wheel of the #27 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, held off the attacks of Michael Bulzacchelli in the #3 of LR Motorsport to take the win in a photo-finish, with his teammate Jude Peters. The #3 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4, driven by Pietro Ferri and Michael Bulzacchelli, finished second, followed by the #44 from ASM Motorsport and André Vieira.
In the PRO-AM category, the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS P4 (Julien Schell and Christophe Weber) finished first. David Caussanel and Yuki Tanaka won the AM class in Pegasus Racing’s #16.
Jude Peters, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #27, Winner of Race 2:
“It was quite tricky because turn one was a little bit of a mess. Everyone was on very cold tires this morning. Because second qualifying got cancelled, no one really got any laps in on the tires. So they were pretty much brand new. Into turn 1, I was on the right side and there was some mess on the left as well. Lots of people locked up and I just managed to wave my way through, stay away from any damage and then came out in third from seventh, which is great. There were loads of safety cars. We were able to keep up with the leader and on the lead pace. I brought it in and handed it over to Vic who did a mega job. It was a really nice way to bounce back from yesterday when we were all the way up to P2. I hit a little damp patch and spun the car and from there we didn’t manage to get back. We ended the weekend on a high with our first win of the season.”
Vic Stevens, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #27, Winner of Race 2:
“It’s an amazing feeling to win at home. Jude did an amazing job in his first stint and handed me the car in P3. When I came out of the pit we were in the lead and I was a bit struggling in the first laps with the tyre pressure, they were still cold. So we dropped back to P3 but I fought my way back to first place. Then it was most of the time focusing and trying to stay away from P2. Then in the last lap I came across a back marker in the second to last corner, I was overtaken but I found a way back to the lead. I’m very happy.”
JS2 R: Second victory of the season for 23Events Racing and August Therbo
The order was reshuffled in the Ligier JS2 R category after the first safety car period at the start of the race, with Noé Da Cunha in the lead in the Les Deux Arbres #50. Steven Palette, in the #18 from VSF Sports, soon overtook the French youngster.
The race was neutralised again to remove the #6 Ligier JS P4 from a gravel trap.
When the race resumed, the competitors made their pit stops, while Noé Da Cunha in the #50 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS2 R received a ten-second penalty added to their pit stop for an infringement at the start.
The #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R, now driven by Lukas Papin, retook the lead after the pit stops, but quickly lost its advantage to the #57 car driven by August Therbo and 23Events Racing. The two Ligier JS2 Rs were neck and neck until the chequered flag, with August Therbo ultimately taking the win. Luka Papin and Steven Palette finished runner-up in the #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R. Simone Riccitelli, in the #7 LR Motorsport car, completed the podium.
Jordan and Alain Meyer (#94 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R) won the PRO-AM category, whilst the #41 Ligier JS2 R from VSF Sports, driven by Florian Teillais and Tristan Clay, finished first in AM class.
August Therbo, 23Events Racing, Ligier JS2 R #57, Winner of Race 2 in JS2 R:
“It was quite a difficult weekend. We struggled a bit with the car. I want to thank the team for the amazing job they did, setting the car for me and working as they do. The race was difficult. Many safety cars in the first part but I managed to keep the tires. In the second part we had a good pace. I managed to keep the other guys behind me so I’m really happy.”
The Ligier European Series will next head to Silverstone, a new venue for the series, which the competitors will discover on 12 and 13 September.
CLICK HERE for the results
Photo credit: DPPI
