24h Le Mans
Algarve Pro Racing, Inter Europol Competition and Panis Racing have chosen the Ligier JS P228 for their LMP2 programmes from 2028. Three race-winning teams with deep roots in endurance racing will therefore join forces with Ligier Automotive as a new generation of prototypes takes to the track.
From 2028, the LMP2 category will open a new chapter in its history. Selected by the ACO and the FIA as one of the two chassis suppliers for the next generation of LMP2 cars, Ligier Automotive is developing its Ligier JS P228 with a clear ambition: to return to the highest level of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with teams capable of fighting for victory. Algarve Pro Racing, Inter Europol Competition and Panis Racing have already chosen to put their trust in the French manufacturer.
The decision by these three teams is no coincidence. All three have already built part of their history in LMP2, all know what it takes to compete at the highest level of endurance racing and all have won major races in the discipline.
For Ligier Automotive, their commitment represents an initial validation of the work undertaken since its selection in June 2025. Since then, the French manufacturer's teams, together with its US subsidiary Ligier Automotive North America, have been working on the development of the JS P228. The challenge is a major one: to make its new LMP2 a benchmark from the moment it enters competition.
Algarve Pro Racing already knows the way. Founded by Stewart and Samantha Cox, the team entered LMP2 with Ligier in 2015. Since then, it has won two European Le Mans Series titles, six Asian Le Mans Series titles and an IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title. It has also claimed several LMP2 Pro-Am victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2026, the team notably won the 24 Hours of Daytona and took victory in its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The return to Ligier therefore carries particular significance. For Algarve Pro Racing, the JS P228 represents both a return to its roots and the beginning of a new adventure. The team does not simply want to be on the grid in 2028. It is targeting titles and victories in the world's biggest endurance races.
Inter Europol Competition brings a more recent, but already impressive, history. Founded in 2010 by Wojciech and Jakub Śmiechowski, the Polish team has scored three LMP2 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over the past four editions, including a one-two finish in 2026. IMSA LMP2 champions in 2024 and FIA WEC runners-up, the team has established itself as one of the leading forces in the category.
Its decision to choose the Ligier JS P228 reflects a desire to continue that progress. For Inter Europol Competition, this new generation of LMP2 cars represents an opportunity to bring fresh momentum to the category. One chapter is coming to an end, but the objective remains the same: to continue fighting at the front.
Panis Racing completes the trio. Founded in 2016 by Olivier Panis and Fabien Barthez, the French team has secured four podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and won the ELMS LMP2 title in 2025. It is also fighting at the sharp end of the championship this season.
For Olivier Panis, the decision to join forces with Ligier has a particular resonance. His 1996 Monaco Grand Prix victory came at the wheel of a Ligier. Almost three decades later, this chapter of French motorsport history is being extended with the JS P228. Panis Racing will rely on VPS Racing, the organisation notably led by Aurélien Panis, to carry the project forward from 2028.
With these three teams, Ligier Automotive is not simply preparing a new race car. The French manufacturer is preparing its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a generation of prototypes set to shape the LMP2 category from 2028 to 2032.
The Ligier JS P228 will continue a story that began in 2014 with the Ligier JS P2, which marked Ligier Automotive's return to the international motorsport scene. Since then, the manufacturer has developed its expertise in sport prototypes, as well as single-seaters and GT cars. More than a decade of accumulated experience is now converging towards a new challenge.
The JS P228 will make its competitive debut in 2028 in the European Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will then enter the Asian Le Mans Series for the 2028/2029 season before joining the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2029.
For spectators at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2028 is already shaping up to be a special occasion. New regulations, a new generation of LMP2 cars and new prototypes will transform the face of the category. But the essential remains unchanged: for 24 hours, these prototypes will have to endure and push their limits.
And behind the technology, there will be stories to follow. Algarve Pro Racing returning to Ligier. Inter Europol Competition looking to continue its rise. Panis Racing writing a new chapter in a French motorsport story closely linked to the manufacturer.
Three teams. One new prototype. A new LMP2 era. In 2028, the Ligier JS P228 will meet the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And with it, three teams that will not be arriving simply to watch the race unfold, but to try to write its history.
