Brits secure Ligier European Championship title Motorsport UK

The final two races of the Ligier European Series Championship was a nail biting end to an exciting Championship, with Haydn Chance and Theo Micouris, in his second year of the Motorsport UK Futures Programme, taking the title in their first season, fought at the highly technical Portimão circuit in the Algarve.

Race 1 saw Chance’s title rival take pole position and lead the race from the start. Two safety car periods gave Chance the opportunity to close on his rival as well as the mandatory pit stops. However, this was not enough and Chance had to settle for second place but still maintained his championship lead.

The start of the final race of the season was delayed due to incidents in other races. This meant nerves were high but once the green light went out Chance and his teammate Micouris who was driving the first stint led the chasing pack away. However, their title rival managed to get through and took the lead by the end of lap 1. This was not an issue as Chance and Micouris only had to finish 6th or better to take the title.

At the mandatory pitstop, Chance took over for the final stint but mechanical gremlins had crept in. Chance didn’t take any risks and did what he needed to bring the car home in second place. With his title rival spinning out and finishing fourth, Chance and Micouris took the title and crowned champions.

Haydn Chance, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1 commented on the win,”The pressure was higher than usual especially when it came to the final race. I drove a sensible stint to avoid any mistakes or crashes and was very happy with second, which ensured we were champions!”

Theo Micouris, Team Virage, added, “It was a bit stressful, especially with the red flag very early on in the session. I managed to put in a good couple of bankable laps. It was a lovely feeling to take pole position again. I’ve missed it. It’s been a while. It’s good to start the final race from pole position.”

The two up-and-coming British drivers, Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance, are the 2024 Ligier European Series champions with Team Virage’s #1 JS P4. In doing so, they win the coveted €150,000 prize money to race a Ligier JS P325 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup next season.

The Ligier European Series will take place over six rounds during the European Le Mans Series events with one round on the 24 Hours of Le Mans track for the first time in 2022.