Positive strides but no silverware for RLR MSport and Aguilera in Le Castellet thriller

RLR MSport and Ian Aguilera were unfortunate to not add podiums to their tallies in the fiercely competitive 2024 Ligier European Series Le Castellet Heat (3-4 May).

The Silverstone-based team made positive gains with the setup of the #77 Ligier JS P4 between the Barcelona season-opener and Round 2 at Circuit Paul Ricard, but contact and a penalty dropped it and driver Aguilera out of podium contention in both races.

RLR MSport started the Le Castellet Heat on a strong footing, as Aguilera took the #77 prototype to third in FP1 and then improved to a 2m01.107s for P5 in the second and final leg of free practice.

The Mexican duly qualified fifth for both Ligier European Series races in the South of France, having registered a 1m59.735s in Qualifying 1, before finding a full second in pace for a 1m58.716s in Q2.

However, Aguilera ascended to third as the #7 Inter Europol Competition locked up through the first sequence of corners in Heat 1, and he initially held on to the coattails of the lead Team Virage duo, the #1 ahead of the #66.

The top two eventually eked out an advantage and Aguilera had the #6 ANS Motorsport and #7 cars hot on his heels, the former manoeuvring its way past before the Safety Car appeared on-track.

Damage forced the #66 to pit and promoted RLR MSport’s sole contender back to P3, and a strong restart preceded a gutsy battle with the #6, until contact sent Aguilera into a spin at the high-speed Signes corner.

Way down in ninth on worn tyres after the compulsory pit stops, he recovered to seventh at the expense of the #3 Smart Driving and #16 Pegasus Racing entries during the second stint, with an increased determination to scale the rostrum in the one remaining race.

In a fighting start to Heat 2, Aguilera muscled past the #66 Team Virage before easing by the third-placed #71 Monza Garage on the initial run along the Mistral Straight and into Signes.

He broke clear of his chasers and was second when the leading #7 faltered, although the recovering #66 and #71 cars soon re-emerged as threats and, despite a feisty defence, it looked as though both were clear and away before the end of lap nine.

However, the #66 span out of the equation and second place continued changing hands, Aguilera getting the better of the #71 machine through Paul Ricard’s twists and turns but consistently losing out on the straights.

The RLR MSport driver held onto P2 until the pit window, but a longer timed stop for sole Silver-graded drivers hurt his position, as he was fourth but still locked in battle with #71.

Unfortunately, the fight ended in contact that resulted in a drive-through penalty for Aguilera, who passed the #4 Nielsen Racing during the latter stages and finished the one-hour race just off the podium in fourth.

“The Ligier European Series Le Castellet Heat was a lot of fun, but we didn’t quite get the results we wanted or deserved,” said Aguilera. “We have definitely improved the car and taken a notable step forward since the opening round in Barcelona, making significant and positive changes to setup that enabled us to close the gap to our main rivals for wins and podiums.

“Qualifying didn’t go as hoped, as I failed to hit the peak of the tyres in Q1 and was compromised on my best lap of Q2,  but I remained confident in our race pace. We sacrificed some top speed in favour of a fast car through the turns, feeling the slipstream would compensate. I believe it was the right way to go and it certainly created some incredible on-track battles with those who went for a contrasting configuration.”

Aguilera continued: “Sadly, I feel we lost two podium opportunities at Circuit Paul Ricard, which is hugely frustrating. The contact that caused me to spin and severely flat-spot my tyres at Signes in race one wasn’t malicious, and I see it as a racing incident. It meant we had to switch to used tyres from FP1 in Barcelona, though, and I had a very different car in that second stint.

“The misfortune in race one gave me even more impetus to reach the rostrum in the second. I knew what had to be done, but door-to-door contact with the #71 was followed by another touch when the driver turned in on me as we went through Turns 1 and 2 side-by-side. I don’t feel I was given enough room, but I was handed a drive-through penalty for the incident and that cost us another top three finish. Nevertheless, positive steps have been taken by RLR MSport and I’m far happier with the car as we head to Le Mans.”