Seven weeks after the Tequila Patron ESM Ligier JS P2-Honda’s historic victory in the Daytona 24 Hours, the Onroak Automotive-built car put on another stunning performance in the second round of the WeatherTech Championship. Thanks to Tequila Patron ESM and Michael Shank Racing the Ligier JS P2-Hondas came out on top locking out the first two places on the grid, clinching victory and setting the fastest lap in what was a particularly hard-fought race.
On the legendary Florida circuit, Michael Shank Racing and Tequila Patron ESM set the two fastest times in the 15-minute qualifying session giving Onroak Automotive and Honda a 100% Ligier JS P2-Honda front row on the grid for the 64th Sebring 12 Hours. With times of 1m 51.217sec and 1m 51.391sec Olivier Pla and Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani in their nos 60 and 2 Ligier JS P2-Hondas beat the two Chevrolet Corvette DPs entered by Action Express Racing, which lapped in 1m 51.943sec and 1m 52.205sec respectively.
For the second year on the trot Olivier Pla set pole for the Sebring 12 Hours in a Ligier JS P2 with two different engines: for Krohn Racing in 2015 and for Michael Shank Racing this year.
The next day, after a particularly tough race interrupted by the rain for more than three hours, another line was added to the results of Onroak Automotive. By winning the Sebring 12 Hours Tequila Patron ESM scored an historic second consecutive victory in the hotly-contested WeatherTech Championship. Thus, Tequila Patron ESM became the first team to win the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours with the same car in the same year since the MOMO/Doran Racing Ferrari 333SP in 1998.
Young Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani again put on an incredible charge at the end of the race passing three direct rivals to take the chequered flag in first place in front of the two Action Express Chevrolet Corvette DPs. Less than four seconds covered the three cars!
While Michael Shank Racing finally had to be content with seventh place after fighting at the front, the team also left its mark on this year’s Sebring 12 Hours. They were locked in the battle for victory until the last 15 minutes when a suspension problem, due to contact with another car, forced them to pit on the last lap dashing their hopes of clinching a potential top-3 finish.
By setting pole position and the fastest lap in the race the team’s Ligier JS P2-Honda stood out as the quickest car on the track.