Ligier has announced its first three customers for its next-generation LMP2 cars, which will make their competitive debut in 2028.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the French brand revealed that Algarve Pro Racing, Inter Europol Competition and Panis Competition will campaign the new Ligier JS P228 when it becomes eligible for competition in two years.
All three squads previously raced the current Ligier JS P217 in LMP2 competition, before Oreca’s dominance forced them to switch to the ubiquitous 07.
“Seeing three teams of this calibre choose the Ligier JS P228 is a tremendous recognition of the work carried out by everyone at Ligier Automotive," said Jacques Nicolet, president of Ligier Automotive. "Algarve Pro Racing, Inter Europol Competition and Panis Racing are three highly experienced, successful teams with a deep commitment to endurance racing.
“We have been able to demonstrate the full extent of our ambition through the resources we have committed to this new set of regulations, and we are very proud to welcome them among the first Ligier LMP2 teams for 2028.”
LMP2 regulations are being overhauled for the first time since 2017, with Ligier and Oreca selected as the designated suppliers for the new chassis.
This marks a departure from the current rules, which allow four manufacturers - Dallara and Multimatic in addition to Ligier and Oreca - to build cars to LMP2 specification,
However, while LMP2 was conceived as an open competition between those four brands, Oreca’s dominance effectively turned it into a one-make category.
While sales of the Oreca 07 soared, Multimatic, Ligier and Dallara instead switched attention to working with mainstream manufacturers on building LMDh cars for both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
It is now four years since a non-Oreca LMP2 car raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with 2022 marking the Ligier JS P217’s final appearance in the French endurance classic.
The return of Ligier, combined with Oreca’s expected customer line-up, should create a genuine multi-car battle in LMP2 when the new regulations take effect.
The new generation of cars will make their debut in the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans itself in 2028, before becoming eligible for competition in IMSA the following year.
Ligier’s new customers Inter Europol, Algarve Pro and Panis Racing were all present in this year’s Le Mans, with the first-named winning in the LMP2 class for the second year running with the Oreca 07.
