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Industry | Auto racing |
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Founded | 2012 |
Founder | Jacques Nicolet |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nicolas Clémençon |
Parent | Everspeed |
Website | ligierautomotive |
Ligier Automotive, formerly Onroak 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 sales divisions of his OAK Racing team into an independent company. [1] Onroak has since formed an agreement with Philippe Ligier to develop new cars under the Ligier title. On 31 December 2018, it was announced that Onroak Automotive would be rebranded to Ligier Automotive as part of a rebranding and reorganization of Everspeed's automotive assets. [2]
Onroak's roots can be traced to December 2009 when OAK Racing reached an agreement with Pescarolo Sport to take over their manufacturing arm, specifically the continued construction and co-development of the Pescarolo 01 Le Mans Prototype that had been designed in 2007. OAK, while under their previous title of Saulnier Racing, had been a Pescarolo customer since 2008, campaigning two cars in the European Le Mans Series. [3] OAK eventually became the sole developer of the 01 design when Pescarolo went into receivership, and campaigned and sold the cars under the OAK-Pescarolo moniker.
In 2012 new regulations for Le Mans Prototypes required teams to replace existing cars with new designs or alter them to meet the regulations. Onroak was created to develop a new design for the existing Pescarolo chassis as well as to pursue sales of the car to other teams seeking cars meeting the new regulations. [1] Onroak then formed a partnership with Morgan Motor Company to brand the LMP2 class variant of their new design as the Morgan LMP2, [4] while the LMP1 version retained the OAK-Pescarolo title.
During 2013 Onroak formed a partnership with Guy Ligier to assist in the development and sales of an evolutionary version of the Ligier JS 53 Group CN prototype before designing a closed-cockpit variant known as the JS 55 in 2014. [5] [6] This agreement extended to naming rights for a new LMP2 car designed and constructed entirely by Onroak in early 2014, the Ligier JS P2. [5] Onroak and Ligier followed the JS P2 with the JS P3 intended for the LMP3 class which debuted in 2015. [7]
In October 2016, Onroak bought the motorsports arm of American manufacturer Crawford Composites.[ citation needed ]
Onroak was selected as one of the four LMP2 manufacturers for the 2017 regulations. The Ligier JS P217 has competed in the LMP2 class in European Le Mans Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Its chassis was also used by the Nissan Onroak DPi which competed in the DPi class of the IMSA sportscar championship. [8]
In September 2017 Onroak Automotive acquired Tork Engineering. Tork Engineering had many years of experience building racing cars. The French company was responsible for the closed cockpit Bioracing Series sportscar. In 2007 Tork was contracted by Mitjet Series to build the Yamaha powered Mitjet 1300. [9] In 2012 the Renault powered 2.0L version was launched. The car was available with four body types resembling BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Bugatti. [10] In 2015 Tork Engineering also built the tube framed racecar for the relaunched French Supertouring Championship. The car is powered by a 3.5L V6 engine made by Nissan. [11]
Legend | |
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Green | built by Tork Engineering |
Blank | built by Onroak Automotive |
The European Le Mans Series 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 former American Le Mans Series (ALMS) based in the United States and Canada that was running with ACO and IMSA between 1999 and 2013. ELMS team champions and runners-up receive an automatic entry to the following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally titled the Le Mans Endurance Series before becoming simply the Le Mans Series in 2006, the series was renamed once more in 2012, reusing a name previously utilized by IMSA in 2001.
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including 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 created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car. As of 2023, there are two classes within Le Mans Prototypes, designated LMP2 and LMP3.
OAK Racing is an endurance racing team specialising in sports prototypes based in Le Mans, France. In 2013 it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 class and the 2013 FIA WEC World Champion drivers and teams on LMP2 class.
Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) was an American auto racing team based out of Riviera Beach, Florida. Founded by Scott Sharp and Patrón CEO Ed Brown, the team competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Tudor United SportsCar Championship, and American Le Mans Series since 2010 until 2018 when the team sold its equipment and race cars and shut down following an exhaustive sponsor search after the withdrawal of Patrón.
The Ligier JS P2 is a racing car designed and built by French manufacturer Onroak Automotive and named in partnership with French former racing driver Guy Ligier. Designed for the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) regulations, it is intended as a second option to Onroak's Morgan LMP2 that has been competing since 2012. As well as being the first closed-cockpit car offered by Onroak, it is also the first car they designed entirely in-house. The JS P2 debuted at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, and has been campaigned in the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Ligier JS P217 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Onroak Automotive and named in a partnership with French racing driver Guy Ligier. The Ligier JS P217 was built to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO regulations for 2017 for the LMP2 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The car also meets the regulations for the International Motor Sports Association’s (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the Prototype class. It was active in both of these championship series as well as the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. The prototype made its racing debut at the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona and its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at the 2017 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
The 2018 European Le Mans Series was the fifteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 15 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 28 October. The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes, divided into the LMP2 and LMP3 classes, and grand tourer-style racing cars in the LMGTE class.
Everspeed is a French holding company for motorsport related companies. The company was founded by Jacques Nicolet as JN Holding. The company was renamed as Everspeed in 2016.
The Riley-Multimatic MkXXX, also known as the Riley-Multimatic Mk.30, or simply the Riley Mk.30, is a Le Mans Prototype 2 built to the 2017 FIA/ACO regulations. This car can be raced globally in the European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the IMSA sanctioned WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. It made its racing debut at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, scoring a podium finish, with Spirit of Daytona Racing.
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 as the European Le Mans Series, IMSA Prototype Challenge, and the Asian Le Mans Series. The car has proven to be immensely popular in the category, with over 100 cars being produced since 2015. It has also proved to be one of the most successful prototypes in the class, with a total of 103 overall wins and class victories from 132 races entered by the car. It is set to be succeeded in 2020, by the Ligier JS P320, when new LMP3 regulations are set to come into place.
The 2019 24 Hours of Daytona was an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned endurance sports car race held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 26–27, 2019. It was the 57th running of the race, and the first of 12 races in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, and the first of four rounds of the 2019 Michelin Endurance Cup.
The Ligier JS P320 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 Generation II LMP3 standards, and can be built through an update kit for its predecessor, the Ligier JS P3. The car is set to be eligible in a series of Championships worldwide, such as the Michelin Le Mans Cup, Prototype Cup Germany, Asian Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series, IMSA Prototype Challenge and IMSA SportsCar Championship. The car was launched on 4 June 2019, and was the first Gen II LMP3 to be revealed.
The 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 50th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). This was also the seventh United SportsCar Championship season and fifth under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The series began on January 25 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 14 with the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The Ligier Nissan DPi, also known as the Onroak Nissan DPi is a Daytona Prototype car built by Ligier Automotive. The car is based on the Ligier JS P217, which was built to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO regulations for 2017 for the LMP2 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The prototype made its racing debut at the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona, with the Tequila Patrón ESM team, finishing 4th on its debut.
The Duqueine D-08 is a Le Mans Prototype LMP3 built to ACO 2020 2nd Generation Le Mans Prototype LMP3 regulations. It was designed, and built by Duqueine Engineering, which bought out Norma Auto Concept. The car is the successor to the Norma M30. The car can be built from its predecessor, and is set to be eligible in a series of Championships worldwide, such as the European Le Mans Series, and the IMSA Prototype Challenge. While the car was launched on the weekend of the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was not physically seen until September 2019, with the car at Le Mans being a repainted M30.
The 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 51st racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. This was also the eighth United SportsCar Championship season and sixth under the IMSA SportsCar Championship name. The series began on January 30 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 13 with the Petit Le Mans after 12 races.
The 2021 SportsCar Challenge at Mid-Ohio, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 Acura SportsCar Challenge, was a sports car race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio on May 16, 2021. The race is the third round of the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the first round of the 2021 WeatherTech GT Daytona Sprint Cup.
The 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 52nd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. This was also the ninth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the seventh under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The series began on January 27 for the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on October 1 with the Petit Le Mans after 12 races.
The Ligier JS P4 is an entry-level sports prototype race car, designed, developed, and produced by French manufacturer Onroak Automotive, and named in partnership with former French driver Guy Ligier, and used for the top class of the Ligier European Series.
The Ligier JS55 is a sports prototype race car, designed, developed, and built by Ligier, in collaboration with Onroak Automotive, conforming to FIA Group CN regulations, to compete in sports car racing, since 2014.