For the upcoming European Le Mans Series season and the Le Mans 24 Hours (subject to ACO approval), the Ligier JS P217 # 23 line-up is now officially fully staffed. Julien Canal, with an impressive track record (3 wins at 24H of Le Mans , GTE AM and LMP2 World Champion in WEC…) joins his last year’s teammate, the Englishman Will Stevens, and the Austrian newcomer Rene Binder.
Team Principal Olivier Panis and his associates, team managers Sarah and Simon Abadie, are now expected to announce in due course the identity of the sister car’s three drivers.
Olivier Panis – Team Principal :“Keeping Julien Canal among us is very good news for the whole team. His maturity and his experience are well proven, and last year it united us around new strong goals. His close relation with Will Stevens is now strengthened by the determination of Rene Binder. All together, they are going to do wonderful things on track. That’s clearly a high-powered line-up, ready to fight at the top of the LMP2 category.”
Julien Canal – Ligier JS P217 # 23 driver : “After a two-month winter break, I was in touch with some endurance actors in order to find the most suitable sporting program in parallel with my professional activities. But looking at what we achieved last year with the team of Olivier Panis and Simon Abadie, taking into account the progress we made through the end, it was obvious that carrying on with PBC was the best option. So I’m very happy to be back with the Panis-Barthez Competition. My motivation and my desire to give my best for the guys, for my teammates and for the brand are very strong. With Will and Rene we have only one goal: winning.”
