As is tradition, Portimão’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is the venue for the final round of the Ligier European Series season, with the 2026 season finale taking place on 8th and 9th October.
24 entries will contest the final two races of the campaign, made up of 16 Ligier JS P4s and eight Ligier JS2 Rs.
While VSF Sports has already secured the Ligier JS2 R title, the Ligier JS P4 crown remains up for grabs, with Team Virage, ANS Motorsport and M Racing set to battle it out and just six points separating the top two.
Leading the standings on 149 points, Alex Gardner and Simon Schranz of Team Virage’s #14 Ligier head into the finale with a slender advantage, but Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams are ready to pounce.
On 143 points, the drivers of ANS Motorsport’s #6 JS P4 remain within striking distance, knowing that a double victory this weekend would guarantee them the crown.
A clean sweep will be a challenge, however, with it yet to be achieved in JS P4 this season. In fact, only three times has a race winner finished on the podium in the other race of a meeting this year, meaning that the rest of the JS P4 field is likely to play a key role in the destination of the 2026 title as the two crews compete for every point.
Both efforts have claimed three victories so far this season, although with an additional runner-up finish the #14 Ligier would provisional triumph in a potential tie-breaker.
M Racing’s August Therbo is also a mathematical contender, with the Dane 39 points behind aboard the #57 Ligier with 50 still available. Therbo is yet to win this year, but in a consistent run has finished in the top four in each of the past seven races.
The finale will also see the return of ASM Motorsport’s #44 and Les Deux Arbres’ #50 Ligier JS P4s, after both cars were absent at Silverstone. Pascal Tichit will make his series debut in the #50 Ligier alongside Jérémy Loisel.
The Pro-Am and Am titles in JS P4 have already been secured. Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien in Bretton Racing’s #69 are out of reach in Pro-Am on 150 points. In Am, Les Deux Arbres’ #50 is also beyond reach with 100 points.
In JS2 R, the focus will be on the fight for the runner-up spot behind the dominant #41 VSF Sports Ligier of Daniel Dallakyan and Antonin Bernard, which has already secured the championship with six victories in nine races.
Maxime Aparicio and Anthony Ghibaudo currently hold second place on 94 points in VSF Sports’ #18 JS2 R, but their advantage is slim, with just 19 points covering seven crews.
Marcus Terkildsen’s #88 23Events Racing Ligier is third on 91 points, with the Dane having finished on the podium every time he’s reached the chequered flag this season, but having lost ground due to four costly retirements.
Noah Rosser is also on 91 points aboard #3 LR Motorsport Ligier, ahead of the sister #81 LR Motorsport effort of Simone Bianco and the #69 M Racing JS2 R of Lawrence Herbots, which trail Aparicio/Ghibaudo by six and 10 points respectively.
Trajectus Motorsports’ two cars complete the contenders for the final places on the end-of-season rostrum, with the #84 Ligier of Martin and Jack Tabery on 83 points, and Le Mans heat winner Charles Lambert on 75 points aboard the #83 Ligier.
The JS2 R Pro-Am title fight will pit the #84 Trajectus Motorsport and #18 VSF Sports Ligiers against one another. The father-and-son Tabery duo lead on 183 points, with Aparicio and Ghibaudo just fifteen points behind.
Track action will begin on Thursday 8th October at 9:00 WEST with the first free practice session. The second session will start at 12:40 WEST, followed by two back-to-back 15-minute qualifying sessions from 15:20 WEST.
The final two races of the 2026 season will take place on Friday 9th October, starting at 9:00 WEST and 14:00 WEST respectively. Both will be broadcast live on the championship’s digital platforms.
Image courtesy of Ligier European Series
