After a hotly-contested 6-hour race run in sunny weather at Silverstone, two Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlops filled the first two places on the first LM P2 podium of the 2016 FIA WEC season. This double was scored by the RGR Sport by Morand and Tequila Patron ESM Ligier JS P2s, which finished in fifth and sixth places overall.
The new team created by Mexican Ricardo Gonzalez, backed up by Swiss squad run by Benoit Morand, took the chequered flag at Silverstone in first place to score a stunning maiden victory in the LM P2 category. After qualifying the no. 43 Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop in third place in LM P2 the team drove a flawless race to clinch their first win.
After six-hours racing and seven pit stops, the no. 31 Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop entered by Tequila Patron ESM crossed the finishing line only 32 seconds behind the victors.
The American team, winner of the recent Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours with the Ligier JSP2-Honda-Continental, continued the good work this weekend with second place and the fastest lap in the race in LM P2 set by Pipo Derani at the wheel of the no. 31 Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop in 1m48.909sec. This is a very encouraging result for the team in the opening round of the FIA WEC as it is starting its second season on the world stage with much greater ambitions. The outfit’s second car, the no. 30 Ligier JS P2, came home in ninth place in LM P2.
The first race of the 2016 FIA WEC confirmed what was expected when the entry list was announced, namely: a particularly rich LM P2 field consisting of all the current LM P2 chassis constructors and a level of competition that promises a very closely-fought season. At Silverstone the RGR Sport by Morand and Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlops took the flag in front of the G-Drive Racing Oreca 05-Nissan-Dunlop, the Signatech Alpine Alpine A460-Nissan-Dunlop and the Strakka Racing Gibson 015S-Nissan-Dunlop.
This double ended a very busy and successful weekend for the French constructor in a blaze of glory. Onroak Automotive was present at Silverstone in strength as the opening round of the European Le Mans Series took place there on Saturday. The customer backup service arrived with two trucks packed with spare parts and equipment to meet the needs of the teams running 6 Ligier JS P2s, 2 Morgan LM P2s and 18 Ligier JS P3s out of the 44 cars entered in the ELMS! Fledgling Le Mans-based squad SO24! by Lombard Racing scored its first top-3 finish with the no. 22 Ligier JS P2-Judd-Dunlop just in front
of the no. 40 Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Michelin run by American outfit, Krohn Racing, which came home in an excellent fourth place. In the LM P3 category the Anglo-American squad, United Autosports, clinched a superb double with their nos 2 and 3 Ligier JS P3-Nissan-Michelins followed by the no. 9 car entered by Graff.
This weekend on the other side of the Atlantic, the no. 60 Ligier JS P2-Honda-Continental run by Michael Shank Racing was in action on the streets of Long Beach. While the French car won the first two rounds of the WeatherTech Championship at Daytona and Sebring, the Chevrolet Corvette DPs got back on top in this 100-minute sprint filling the first three places in front of two Mazda Prototypes. Michael Shank’s team fought valiantly but had to make do with seventh position at the flag.
Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive: “We couldn’t have dreamed of a better start to the season! After the victories at Daytona and Sebring in United States the Ligiers JS P2’ double in LM P2 in the opening round of the World Endurance Championship firmly establishes this car’s performance and that of our teams.
As a constructor our aim is to satisfy our clients and, obviously, to attract new ones. Thus, RGR Sport by Morand’s win in their first race is a really striking example of the backup that Onroak Automotive supplies to its teams in their quest for victory. It’s a great reward for our involvement alongside our teams.
At the moment we’re working flat out on the design of the new Ligier JS P217, which should have its first shakedown by the end of the summer. So it’s very important that our existing cars shine on the track against all the current chassis as the results highlight our know-how, our passion and the work of all our teams.”