ELF and the Ligier European Series

In joining forces with the Ligier European Series through its ELF brand, TotalEnergies has reaffirmed its commitment to and support of Endurance racing in an entry-level class, resuming ties with one of its longstanding partners.

ELF and Ligier: a shared history that continues in Endurance racing

TotalEnergies has long been associated with Endurance racing. With its extreme constraints (long races in both duration and distance), it provides perfect open air conditions to test and develop increasingly efficient fuels and lubricants, which will in due course be used by motorists away from the track. Which is why TotalEnergies is official supplier of biofuel for the FIA WEC and the ELMS and the Asian Le Mans Series. And which is why it is equally important to associate its image, through the ELF brand – already a partner to several Endurance teams – with the Ligier European Series, which represents the first rung on the ladder leading all the way to the top of Endurance racing.

Together, the two brands’ partnership reflects a shared passion for racing and a desire to strive for sporting and technological performance, which for ELF, is also a means of promoting its products, the qualities of which have been proven time and time again. Involved in motor sports since 1968, ELF has forged a strong reputation as a lubricants brand throughout the world, largely due to 46 years spent in Formula 1 and its commitment to MotoGP. This partnership also provides an opportunity to write a new chapter in the shared history of ELF and Ligier, begun in the heyday of Ligier’s participation in F1 in the 1980s and 1990s. The two brands worked together when the French manufacturer’s team, led by Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi, secured Ligier’s best result in F1, “les Bleus” finishing as runners-up in the 1980 Constructors’ championship.

Ligier European Series regulations

Begun in 2020, the Ligier European Series is based on a tried and tested formula. One that has also proven successful and popular – close to forty cars competed in the races held as a curtain-raiser to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022.

Like the FIA WEC or the ELMS, the line-up of the Ligier European Series features sport-prototypes, the Ligier JS P4 (carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, 920kg, 385hp Ford V6 engine), and GTs, the Ligier JS2 R (FIA-homologated tubular chassis, 1055kg, 350hp Ford V6 engine). Both vehicles designed by Ligier are reliable and fast, yet enable running costs to be kept under control. Michelin is the tyre provider of the Ligier European Series.

Above all, the series has a five-star calendar as the races are contested as part of the European Le Mans Series, and are therefore held on some of Europe’s finest race tracks such as Le Castellet, Spa-Francorchamps and this year, Silverstone.

To top it off, the Ligier European Series is also set to feature during this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as the series takes to the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe (13.626km) as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day.

The series has many assets, not least a professional and serious sporting organisation, a condensed format over two days and close to four hours of track time, with two drivers per car from the bronze, silver or gold classes, according to the following combinations: Bronze, Bronze-Bronze, Bronze-Gold, Bronze-Silver, Silver, Silver-Silver. In 2024, the youngest driver in the field was just 16 years old!

Above all, the Ligier European Series is an ideal springboard for drivers looking to move up the Endurance pyramid. At the end of the season, the champion in the JS2 R class is awarded a 100,000 euro grant to move up to the Ligier JS P4 class the following year, whilst the JS P4 class champion earns a cheque for 150,000 euros to switch the level above and drive a Ligier JS P325 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Cold hard cash that certainly persuades many drivers of the merit of the series and contributes to its ongoing success.