18 Ligiers on track for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Road to Le Mans 2020 15.09.2020: The 24 Hours of Le Mans and Road to Le Mans 2020 are on the horizon. 18 Ligier sports prototypes will be in action: 3 Ligier JS P217S in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans and 15 Ligier JS P320s in the support race. For the constructor’s latest generation

The 24 Hours of Le Mans and Road to Le Mans 2020 are on the horizon. 18 Ligier sports prototypes will be in action: 3 Ligier JS P217S in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans and 15 Ligier JS P320s in the support race. For the constructor’s latest generation LMP3, which made its competition debut this year, this is a first on the Sarthe circuit.

 


The long-awaited week has finally arrived. Just a few more days before the 88th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Road to Le Mans support race. 2020 will be a very special edition marked by the health crisis. On track, 18 Ligier sport-protypes will be present. Three Ligier JS P217s entered by three different teams will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.



2019 European Le Mans Series champions in the LMP3 category, the American Eurointernational team with its #11 Ligier JS P217 will compete, for the first time, in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category. This will also be their first race with the Ligier JS P217.


However, the team is no stranger to Ligier sports prototypes and will count on the experience gained over the last few years with the Ligier JS P2, Ligier JS P3 and Ligier JS P4.


For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Eurointernational will have a drive line-up composed of 24 Hours of Le Mans rookie, Adrien Tambay, who drove the #34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P217 in two races in 2019, Erik Maris, a gentleman driver who participated in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ligier JS P217, and Christophe d’Ansembourg, who is a regular in historic races and who will make his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in a Ligier JS P217.
 


The Polish Inter Europol Competition team, which made its Le Mans debut in 2019, returns with a Ligier JS P217, the #34 car that is participating in the European Le Mans Series, for a second consecutive season. It will be driven by its ELMS crew, René Binder, Jakub Smiechowski and Matevos Isaakyan.



While Binder and Smiechowski both have prior 24 Hours of Le Mans experience with a Ligier JS P217 (Binder with Panis Barthez Compétition and Smiechowski with Inter Europol Competition), this will be the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 and behind the wheel of a Ligier for Isaakyan, who raced in 2018 in the LMP1 category.
 


The third Ligier JS P217 is entered by the Philippine Eurasia Motorsport team and returns for its fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans. After a fine season in the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series, Nicholas Foster and Roberto Merhi will be back in the #35 car. They will be joined by gentleman driver Nobuya Yamanaka. While Merhi and Foster already took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this will be the first time for Yamanaka.
 


Among the 23 LMP3s, 15 Ligier JS P320s are entered by 10 different teams for the Road to Le Mans support race. Making its competition debut in Europe this year, the constructor’s latest generation LMP3 chassis will, for the first time, test the legendary tarmac of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit.



With an already impressive track record in the European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup and Ultimate Cup Series (in 7 races run in these three championships, the Ligier JS P320 has taken 6 pole positions, 6 victories and 16 podium finishes), the Ligier JS P320 is ready for this new challenge.
 




Among the 15 Ligier JS P320s, eight are entered this season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup:



- The CD Sport #5 (Nicholas Adcock and Michael Jensen) and #6 (Jacques Wolff and Kévin Bole Besançon)

- The United Autosports #23 (John Schauerman and Wayne Boyd) and #24 (Daniel Schneider and Andrew Meyrick) that finished on the podium in the Castellet 120

- The Graff #26 (Matthias Kaiser and Rory Penttinen) that took two podium results at Le Castellet

- The MV2S Racing #27 (Christophe Cresp and Bruce Jouanny)


- The Cool Racing #37 (Nicolas Maulini and Edouard Cauhaupe) and #69 (Maurice Smith and Matt Bell) who have each scored victory at Spa-Francorchamps and in the Castellet 120





And seven Ligier JS P320s join the ranks of the Michelin Le Mans Cup field:


- The Realteam Racing #4 (Esteban Garcia and David Droux)

- The Team Virage #12 (James Winslow and Tom Cloet)

- The Eurointernational #14 (Niko Kari and François Heriau)

- The RLR Msport #15 (James Dayson and Malthe Jakobsen)

- The United Autosports #22 (James Mcguire and Duncan Tappy) and #25 (Shaun Lynn and Joe Macari)

- The IDEC Sport #75 (Patrice Lafargue and Stéphane Adler)
 





Race 1 of the Road to Le Mans starts Friday September 18 at 2:15 pm and race 2 gets underway Saturday September 19 at 11:15 am. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will start on Saturday at 2:30 pm.
 



    


Elsa Nicolet -  photos DPPI