24h Le Mans
The French-designed Ligier JS P2, built by Onroak Automotive in Le Mans, won the Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend. The Daytona victory is another feather in the Ligier's cap, after its World Endurance Championship triumph last year.
A spot on Victory Lane is always a source of pride and emotions ran high at Extreme Speed Motorsport (ESM) on Sunday when the car took its place as overall winner of the 54th Rolex 24 at Daytona. The win is a first for Ligier, and for a Honda engine in the Florida race, and much cause for celebration for drivers Pipo Derani, Johannes van Overbeek, Ed Brown and Scott Sharp.
Daytona Speedway comprises a high-speed banked track and twisting infield on which the Ligier clocked up 736 laps in 24 hours. A sign that this was no easy win: the wheel of the Ligier changed hands 76 times in 24 hours. Katherine Legge, in the Panoz DeltaWing, a model derived from the Nissan DeltaWing that raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012, led for 27 laps – the first woman ever to lead the 24 Hours of Daytona. As the race went on, ESM fended off some stiff competition including Wayne Taylor Racing with the Corvette DP, who finished just 30 seconds behind. The Ligier JS P2 spent more time in the pit than its rival, but had the advantage when it came to speed. The car banked the fastest lap in the race, with 01:39.192 on the clock, the only lap under 01:40.
Having come second in LM P2 at Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with Thiriet by TDS Racing and third in 2015 with G-Drive Racing, the Ligier JS P2 can now boast an overall victory in a 24-hour race. Is this a sign of things to come? ESM, Michael Shank Racing and Krohn Racing remain faithful to the Ligier JS P2 and several other teams, such as Panis-Barthez Compétition and Greaves Motorsport, have expressed a desire to field the car in the future.
The LM P2 class at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans promises a spectacular tussle. ESM have already announced their intention to enter two Ligier JS P2 for the 2016 World Endurance Championship and for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, pending selection.
The full list of competitors for the next edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be announced this Friday.
Geoffroy Barre — Translated from French by Emma Paulay
Photo: DAYTONA BEACH (FLORIDA, UNITED STATES), DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA, 31 JANUARY 2016, RACE. Extreme Speed Motorsport’s Ligier JS P2 wins the 54th Rolex 24 at Daytona.
