BE Motorsport had an encouraging start to the Michelin Le Mans Cup, the series bringing together LMP3 and GT3 machineries, at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for the first of six rounds. The Spanish-based team made their best to be competitive battling with extremely professional outfits. Spaniard Javier Ibrán and Dutchman Mathijs Bakker shared the BE Motorsport-entered Ligier-Nissan JSP3 LMP3 and the pairing made substantial improvements to their lap times throughout the weekend to deliver a strong performance.
On Friday, Ibrán and Bakker worked on the setup of their Ligier-Nissan for Italy’s Temple of Speed, which features the highest top speed of the season. The duo of BE Motorsport set times in the 1:50’s in both free practice sessions. On Saturday, they made a remarkable step forward in qualifying by posting a lap time of 1:48.494 right behind of teams such as DKR Engineering, Nielsen Racing or Graff and beating others such as United Autosports or Spirit of Race, the latter a banner of AF Corse. The 120-minute race saw a trouble-free race for BE Motorsport but Ibrán and Bakker were forced to serve a drive-through penalty and dropped out of the race’s top five to finish 8th.
“It was a rewarding weekend for us and we are pleased with our performance. It’s a top-tier series but we feel confident to achieve success throughout the season. Everyone at BE Motorsport is extremely optimistic for the remaining events of the season and we all are already looking forward to competing at the Road to Le Mans event, which takes place on the same weekend as the 24 hours of Le Mans”, Ibrán, driver and Team Principal of BE Motorsport, explained.
The Road to Le Mans at La Sarthe is scheduled for June 17.
