The new Ligier JS P2 is now set for its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut after concluding an extensive development program this week.
The Onroak Automotive-designed LMP2 car completed more than 5,000 miles over a 20-day test period with Olivier Pla and Alex Brundle as the designated development drivers.
Led by technical director Thierry Bouvet, the cost-capped prototype has been declared ready to race after receiving final homologation from the FIA last week.
“It’s a very good car that’s proved quick out of the box,” said Bouvet. “The last few weeks have been devoted to its development on the track, and we’ve worked very hard to stack all the odds in our favor. It’s the successful culmination of the whole team’s work to offer a car that’s fast and reliable.
“The Ligier JS P2’s first outing will be in the Le Mans 24 Hours, one of the most demanding endurance races in the world, and it’s out on the track battling against its rivals that we’ll see the true potential of this car express itself.”
The French-built prototype, which broke cover in February, is the first closed-cockpit design to come out Onroak’s design offices in Le Mans.
“My experience as development driver of the Ligier JS P2 has been a very enriching one,” Pla said. “Alex and I covered thousands of kilometers, did a lot of work and exchanged a great deal of information with the engineers and the Onroak Automotive design office. I enjoyed it very much.
“The JS P2 was quick out of the box, something which we felt from day one, and the outcome of the development work we did together is a very fast racing car. I hope that good results will reward the whole team in the very near future.”
Three Ligiers are expected to take part in next month’s twice-around-the-clock endurance classic.
Brundle and Nissan GT Academy drivers Jann Mardenborough and Mark Shulzhitskiy will share the wheel of OAK Racing’s No. 35 entry, while David Cheng, Ho-Pin Tung and Adderly Fong will make history with the first-ever all-Chinese driver lineup in OAK Racing Team Asia’s Honda-powered Ligier.
There will be an additional Ligier-Nissan on the grid in the hands of Thiriet by TDS Racing, which will see the car continue in the European Le Mans Series following the race.