The Ligier JS P320 is an LMP3

Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were create ...

. It was created by

Onroak Automotive Ligier Automotive is a French company which designs, manufacturers, and sells racing cars, specifically sports prototypes for various international series. Onroak was founded in 2012 by Jacques Nicolet who split the design, manufacturing, and sal ...

, and named in partnership with former French driver

Guy Ligier Guy Camille Ligier (12 July 1930 – 23 August 2015) was a French racing driver and team owner. He maintained many varied and successful careers over the course of his life, including rugby player, butcher, racing driver and Formula One team owner ...

. It was built to meet ACO Generation II LMP3 standards, and can be built through an update kit for its predecessor, the

Ligier JS P3 The Ligier JS P3 is an LMP3 Le Mans Prototype. It was created by Onroak Automotive, and named in partnership with former French driver Guy Ligier. It was built to meet ACO LMP3 standards, and is active in various LMP3 championships worldwide, such ...

. The car is set to be eligible in a series of Championships worldwide, such as the

Michelin Le Mans Cup The Le Mans Cup, previously the GT3 Le Mans Cup and currently known as the Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, is an international sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club ...

, Prototype Cup Germany,

Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. ...

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

IMSA Prototype Challenge IMSA Prototype Challenge (formerly IMSA Prototype Lites) is a racing series featuring two classes of single-seat prototype cars racing simultaneously. The series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Most races are ...

and

IMSA SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...

. The car was launched on 4 June 2019, and was the first Gen II LMP3 to be revealed.

Developmental history

On 23 May 2018, the Automobile Club de I'Ouest announced a brief outline for the 2020 Generation 2 Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) regulations, alongside chassis models from four manufacturers –

(Ligier), Duqueine Automotive (

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

ADESS AG Advanced Design and Engineering Systems Solutions or ADESS is a racecar constructor based in Munich, Germany. History Sportscar racing Upon completing his engineering study, Stéphane Chosse started at Équipe Ligier in 1996. After Ligier, Cho ...

and

Ginetta Ginetta Cars Limited is a British specialist builder of racing and sports cars based in Garforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire. History 20th century Ginetta was founded in 1958 by four Walklett brothers (Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas) in Woodbridge, ...

being announced as granted homologation for the new ruleset. On 7 February 2019, the ACO announced the new 2nd Generation Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) regulations, with full implementation due by 2021, and to be raced from 2020 to 2024. UA-ELMS-2020-Paul-Ricard-135

Its predecessor, the Ligier JS P3 was released at a time when LMP3 cars were not intended to race on the

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hou ...

, and as such, the car was less focused on Aerodynamic efficiency, leading to its lower top speed relative to later LMP3 cars, most notably the

Norma M30 The Norma M30 is an LMP3-spec sports prototype. The car is built by French constructor Norma Auto Concept and designed by company co-founder Norbert Santos. The Norma M30 won the 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup in its debut year entered by DKR Enginee ...

. As a result, the design department of Ligier Automotive moved to optimise the car's aerodynamics to make the car efficient on all the circuits, in collaboration with

Exa Corporation Exa Corporation was a developer and distributor of computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. Its main product was PowerFLOW, a lattice-boltzmann derived implementation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which can very accurately simulate int ...

. The car features 95% new bodywork, Ohlins dampers and an adapted cooling system. In addition, as per the new Generation 2 Regulations, Traction control has been introduced, while some safety-related changes have been made to the driver's headrest and seat, along with Zylon side panels. A new engine, the Nissan VK56 is also introduced, with an additional 35 hp. The car had its initial shakedown at the

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some from Paris and from Lyon. It staged the Formula One French Grand Prix from 1991 (succeeding Circuit Paul Ricard ...

, ahead of its unveiling.

References

Le Mans Prototypes Ligier racing carsbr>Ligier JS P320 test program car driven by Jos Verstappen
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