After securing the two pole positions up for grabs, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 wins both races of the Belgian round and extends its lead in the general classification. In the GT category, the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R won race one in the morning and increases its advantage in the championship over its principal rival, the #24 Orhès Racing entry. But the latter bounced back to score the category win in the afternoon race after a breath-taking conclusion. The #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R had a successful weekend with two podium results.
Race 1: Victory for HP Racing and MRacing and maiden podium for CTF Performance
Race one for the Ligier European Series took place mid-morning on Saturday, 18 September 2021. In the Ligier JS P4 category, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage car wins a close duel with the #34 Les Deux Arbres car. It was followed by the #33 Les Deux Arbres sister car. In the GT category, the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R scores its sixth win of the season ahead of the #4 COOL Racing entry. After four rounds, the #95 CTF Performance car claims its first podium result!
Race one of the weekend started at 10:55 am on Saturday, 18 September. In the Ligier JS P4 category, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage car driven by Jacopo Faccioni started from pole position and quickly opened up a gap to its rivals. It was followed by the two Les Deux Arbres cars, the #33 with Jacques Nicolet at the controls and the #34 driven by Nelson. Fifteen minutes into the race, the Ligier JS P4s were all at the front of the field.
The pit stop window opened at the twenty-seven-minute mark. The #23 and #33 Ligier JS P4s were the last to make their mandatory stops. Jacopo Faccioni handed over to Alessandro Cicognani while Jacques Nicolet made way for Pierre Fillon, who was competing in the European championship for the first time.
Back on track, the #34 Ligier JS P4 driven by Nelson, then in third place, reeled in the #33 car, moved into second place in the category. The #34 driver didn’t stop there as he then attacked the race leader, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage. Five seconds, four seconds, three seconds. The more the race went on, the smaller the gap became. With one minute to go, 0.149 seconds separated the #23 from the #34. But the latter received several warnings from the race stewards for disrespecting the track limits. Alessandro Cicognani in the #23 again opened up a gap and went on to win the race by one and a half seconds. He set the fastest lap of the race in 2:32.486s.
So far, it has been a weekend best forgotten for Orhès Racing and its two Ligier JS2 Rs. While the #25 car had to withdraw from the two Spa Heat races (after crashing yesterday morning during free practice), the #24 car driven by Mathieu Martins and Olivier Pernaut was the victim of an incident on the opening lap. Contact with the #27 24.7 Motorsport Ligier JS P4 resulted in a right-rear tyre puncture, forcing Mathieu Martins to pit. Despite their efforts, the team was unable to make up the lost ground.
MRacing’s #53 Ligier JS2 R and driver Natan Bihel jumped into the lead ahead of the #95 CTF Performance car driven by Nicolas Beraud and the #4 COOL Racing Liger JS2 R driven by Cédric Oltramare. But the mandatory pitstop at mid-race spiced things up among the leading trio.
The #95 CTF Performance Ligier JS2 R, now driven by Fabien Delaplace, took the category lead ahead of the #4 COOL Racing and the #53 MRacing. True to form, Natan Bihel soon attacked Cédric Oltramare, who was defending second place. But in the last corner of the circuit, the COOL Racing driver lost the advantage to the leader of the JS2 R championship. The latter continued to push, and with 20 minutes remaining in the race, he retook the lead despite a tenacious Fabien Delaplace. The #53 won for the sixth time of the season and clocked the fastest lap of the race in its category in 2:35.624s.
In a last-ditch effort, the #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R finished runner-up for the second time this season. After four rounds, CTF Performance finally scores a podium result. A well-deserved achievement for the team, which has made steady progress since the beginning of the Ligier European Series season.
Race 2: HP Racing doubles up and Orhès Racing wins a thriller
Race two of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps took place on Saturday, 18 September in the early afternoon. After victory in race 1 earlier in the day, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 made it a sweep in Belgium. The #24 Orhès Racing Ligier JS2 R won in the GT category, which was of great reward for the team after their difficult start to the weekend.
The start of race 2 was delayed thirty minutes. The initial 60-minute plus one lap format was reduced to just 60 minutes.
The #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 driven by Alessandro Cicognani got off to a good start, but the gap to its Les Deux Arbres rivals soon narrowed. Jacques Nicolet in the #33 car came dangerously close to his Italian rival after making a daring overtake on the #34 driven by Nelson. Twenty minutes after the start, the competitors were running in an extremely tight formation.
Following the mandatory pitstop at the half-distance, the #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 caught up to its sister car, the #33, now driven by Pierre Fillon. It moved up to second place and began to chase down the #23 car, with Jacopo Faccioni at the controls. Despite the threat, the HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 maintained the upper hand. A one-second stop and go imposed on the #34 for disrespecting track limits sealed the outcome of the race. The #23 took the win hands down with a lead of over 39 seconds on its rival. It was another double victory for the team, which had already won both races at Le Castellet. Jacques Nicolet in the #33 Les Deux Arbres car finished third and posted the fastest lap of the race in 2:32.086s.
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit did not spare the Ligier JS2 Rs. Shortly after the start of race two, the #95 CTF Performance car of Fabien Delaplace had to return to the pits. The cause: contact with the #69 MRacing entry driven by Laurent Millara, which bent one of the rear wheels. After their debut podium result this morning, the team with the orange car was forced to retire from race two.
Starting from pole position, the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R with Natan Bihel was in the lead with an almost 10-second advantage over the #24 Orhès Racing entry and driver, Olivier Pernaut. Next in line was the #69, MRacing’s second car, and then the #4 from COOL Racing with Cédric Oltramare behind the wheel. The young driver of the Swiss team, who is always in good form, overtook the #69 shortly before the mandatory pit stop.
After maintaining a gap of close to ten seconds with the #53 Ligier JS2 R, the #24 Orhès Racing car driven by Mathieu Martins managed to take the lead. The duel was very close, and Natan Bihel did not allow his opponent a moment’s rest. He continued to attack, but Mathieu Martins didn’t buckle to the pressure. Behind them, the #4 COOL Racing and driver Cédric Oltramare was waiting for the right moment to take his first win of the season. With ten minutes remaining, the three GTs were running nose-to-tail-to-nose.
The #24 Orhès Racing Ligier JS2 R held on until the chequered flag. Despite the onslaught from the MRacing’s #53, it took its fourth victory of the season. A fitting end to a weekend that had not gotten off to the best of starts for the team. While Natan Bihel had to settle for second place, he did set the fastest lap of the race in 2:34907s. After a second-place result this morning, the #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R completes the podium in the afternoon race.
Jacopo Faccioni: “Race one went well, especially as there was no fog or rain! In race two, Alessandro handed over to me with a good lead so I could finish the race without any problems. I am now looking forward to the season finale in Portimao. It will be my first time on that track.”
Alessandro Cicognani: “Race one wasn’t easy for me. I took the second stint after Jacopo, and I felt uncomfortable in the car. Maybe it was due to the problems at the end of the second qualifying session when we were hit by a Ligier JS P4. It wasn’t easy at all. I still crossed the finish line in the lead. We had already won the two pole positions and both races at Circuit Paul Ricard. But it was more difficult this time!”
Natan Bihel: “Race one was good. I didn’t meet much resistance early on. My principal rival, the #24 Orhès Racing, was far behind due to a puncture. I was in third place after the pit stops, and within a few laps, I managed to overtake my two opponents, and I was back in the lead of the category. I am leaving Spa still in the lead of the JS2 R championship, and I would like to keep it that way! I now have a comfortable advantage. It’s not over, but I’m confident heading to the end of the season.”
Mathieu Martins: “I am very disappointed with the first race. I got hit by a Ligier JS P4 on the opening lap, which caused a puncture. It was tough. Fortunately, the second race went very well even though it was difficult to manage the tyres. It was hard to stay in the lead, but I did a good job of taking care of my tyres well and push my rivals to use theirs. And we won the race!”
Olivier Pernaut: “I am very pleased to have won this race. The goal was to stay close to Natan Bihel. Mathieu drove an excellent stint, especially given that we were in trouble with the tyres. They were severely worn at the end of the race. Yesterday was a hard day for the team. We lost our second car [the #25 Ligier JS2 R driven by Alain Bucher and Ayla Agren]. As Team Manager, I am extremely disappointed. We started the weekend with two cars, and one of them is in the garage. We will fix the car and come back stronger for the final in Portimao. I don’t know what the exact gap is between Natan and our crew in the championship. But I think it is a lot. We will have to win the last two races while Natan will have to finish far down the order for us to win the championship. We’ll see how it goes in Portimao.”
The end of the season is fast approaching. With another two victories, HP Racing by Monza Garage increases its lead in the Ligier JS P4 Championship. The team has 223 points to Les Deux Arbres’ 186 with the #34 Ligier JS P4. In the Ligier JS2 R category, MRacing maintains its advantage in the general classification with the #53 car on 216 points. Orhès Racing is second with its #24 Ligier JS2 R on 189 points.
