24h Le Mans
Every year, the Le Mans round is the culmination of the Ligier European Series. This year’s 33-car, two-class grid was the perfect appetizer before the 24 Hours of Le Mans next week. Romain Boeckler dominated much of the race, but a five-second penalty cost him the crown today.
The Le Mans heat is an hour long, with a mandatory pit stop between the 25th and 35th minute. Teams are under no obligation to change drivers. Some cars only have one. Pianezzola (#60) and Papin (#18) started at the front in their respective classes, JS P4 (prototypes) and JS2 R (Grand Tourings).
Boeckler got the best start at the green flag but by the top of the Mulsanne Straight the Italian polesitter was in the lead, only to relinquish it going into Mulsanne Corner at the bottom of the Straight. Maxwell Dodds (JS P4 #6) had a better braking strategy and slipped ahead. In JS2 R, polesitter Lukas Papin lay in third place, hot on the heels of Noé Da Cunha (#50) and Ethan Pharamond (#74). A three-way tussle!
Boeckler made the move for the lead at the start of the second lap and had put the #6 1.33 seconds behind by the end of the lap. The end of lap 3 saw a group of prototypes break away from the pack: Boeckler, Dodds, Pianezzola, Peters and Steed in that order. A safety car intervention wiped that the gap away. Racing resumed in the 24th minute. Pianezzola nudged ahead before the pit stop to-ing and fro-ing.
At the end of lap 7, with everyone refuelled, Boeckler tried to leapfrog Iko Segret who had taken over the #6, and was followed by Vic Stevens (#27). Segret attacked at Mulsanne Corner and edged past Boeckler with three minutes to go. Despite his 5-second penalty, Boeckler was out to prove a point and reached the chequered flag first. Local driver Mathis Poulet of three-time Le Mans winner Benoît Tréluyer’s Trajectus Motorsport team took fourth place. Simone Riccitelli (#7) won the JS2 R class.
1. #6 Ans Motorsport, Iko Segret/Maxwell Dodds, 14 laps
2. #22 Loire Valley Racing, Romain Boeckler, 3.730 gap
3. #27 Team Virage, Vic Stevens/Jude Peters, 23.692 gap
4. #19 Trajectus Motorsport, Mathis Poulet/Vincent Bouteiller, 36.982 gap
5. #4 Nielsen Racing, Ben Caisley/Josh Steed, 40.045 gap
1. #7 LR Motorsport, Simone Riccitelli, 14 laps
2. #57 23Events Racing, August Therbo, 0.296 gap
3. #50 Les Deux Arbres, Antoine Lepesqueux/Noé Da Cunha, 32.576 behind the #57
4. #83 Trajectus Motorsport, Mathis Poulet/Vincent Bouteiller, 36.982 behind the #50
5. #68 MRacing, Cindy Gudet, 2.383 behind the #83
