The Ligier European Series gets the second half of its 2026 campaign underway at Spa-Francorchamps, as it returns from its post-Le Mans summer break with a strong 29-car grid.
16 JS P4s and 13 JS 2Rs are set to contest a pair of 60-minute races at the famed Belgian venue, which has been ever-present on the Ligier European Series calendar since the series debuted in 2020.
The JS P4 category is more competitive than ever this season, with the top two teams currently tied on 84 points. ANS Motorsport’s #6 entry, driven by Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abraham, currently leads the standings and will arrive at Spa full of confidence after its victory at Le Mans in June.
But Simone Riccitelli and Pietro Ferri, at the wheel of #7 LR Motorsport JS P4, will be equally determined, with one clear objective: leave Belgium at the top of the championship by scoring as many points as possible.
In third place, Team Virage remains firmly in contention with 79 points for the #14 JS P4. Alex Gardner and Simon Schranz will be highly motivated to claim their second victory of the season after winning in Barcelona.
In the Pro-Am standings, Bretton Racing once again enters the #69 for Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien. The Czech team has already scored 50 points this season. In the AM standings, Jeremy Loisel leads the way in the #50 Les Deux Arbres entry with 50 points following two victories, in Race 1 at Barcelona and at Le Mans.
Swedish team Allay Racing, which made its championship debut at the Le Mans Heat, returns with the #48 JS P4 entered for Swedish brothers Emil and Linus. It will be a first for Linus, as only Emil raced at Le Mans. The brothers will also make their Michelin Le Mans Cup debut this weekend.
Another return to watch at Spa is that of Spain’s Marta García Lopez, who will rejoin the Ligier European Series at the wheel of the #33 Petrogold Ligier JS P4 alongside Scott Marsh, in place of Daniel Nogales.
Champion of the inaugural F1 Academy season in 2023, García Lopez will make her Ligier JS P4 debut on this occasion. She first competed in the series at Spa in 2024 with Iron Dames by M Racing, driving a Ligier JS2 R in what was also her first-ever GT race. It proved to be a successful debut, as she claimed victory in Race 2 of the Spa Heat. She later returned to the series for the 2024 season finale at Portimão, once again at the wheel of an Iron Dames by M Racing Ligier JS2 R.
13 Ligier JS2 Rs will battle it out on the famous Ardennes roller coaster, led by VSF Sports’ #41 entry, which has already scored 80 championship points thanks to two victories, in Race 2 at Barcelona and Race 1 at Le Castellet. Daniel Dallakyan and Antonin Bernard will therefore be looking to return to winning ways this weekend, alongside protecting their championship lead.
With 62 points, #81 LR Motorsport, driven by Simone Bianco, sits second in the provisional standings. The Italian will be eager to claim the second win of his rookie campaign, following his victory at Le Castellet in May.
Just behind, the #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R is only two points shy of second place and 20 points off the championship lead. Everything remains possible for Maxime Aparicio and Anthony Ghibaudo, who also lead the Pro-Am standings with 100 points and four class victories to their name: Race 1 at Barcelona, both races at Le Castellet, and Le Mans.
Pegasus Racing will field three JS2 Rs for this round. Alongside the #29 of Jordan Meyer and Kasparas Vingilis, entered since the start of the season, the #94 will be driven by Alain Meyer, 2025 Gentleman of the Year, and Julien Schell, 2024 JS2 R champion. The #28 will be driven by Christophe Weber, who previously raced at Le Mans.
The Spa-Francorchamps Heat once again promises two action-packed races, with drivers needing to keep a cool head on this circuit that is as legendary as it is technical.
Track action will begin on Friday 21st August, with two free practice sessions. On Saturday, the teams will take part in two 15-minute qualifying sessions from 10:40 CEST, before Race 1 gets underway at 14:10 CEST.
Race 2 of the Spa-Francorchamps Heat will then take place at 9:07 CEST on Sunday.
Images courtesy of Ligier European Series/DPPI
