The curtain comes down on OAK Racing’s 2016 ELMS season

Gentlemen drivers often find it difficult to juggle their professional lives and participation in a top-level sport. The European Le Mans Series calendar gives them the opportunity to visit six of the most beautiful circuits in Europe, all within a few hours’ travel, and the choice of the Ligier JS P3 offers the pleasures and the sensations of a real sports prototype while ensuring driving comfort and mastery of costs. Thus, it was quite natural that at the beginning of the year Erik Maris-Jean-Marc Merlin and Jacques and Pierre Nicolet opted for this programme at OAK Racing.

This weekend at Estoril the drivers in the no. 4 Ligier JS P3 in the Ingenico colours put on one of their best performances of the season despite difficult conditions.
“It’s a lovely circuit and I really enjoyed myself, but I found the weekend difficult as I wasn’t able to take part in Friday’s practice. It wasn’t easy to adapt because of the changeable weather. I’m delighted that we brought the season to a close by finishing all the events,” smiled Jean-Marc Merlin at the end of the race.

In fact, the no. 4 Ligier JS P3 finished all six four-hour rounds of the 2016 season, and this weekend they saw the chequered flag in 12th place in LM P3 in front of their team-mates, Jacques and Pierre Nicolet.
Erik Maris summed things up as the weekend drew to a close. “We’ve had a marvellous season thanks to the quality of the team that’s always prepared a super car for us. This weekend was a real challenge because although it’s a fantastic circuit, the track was often greasy and wet and our result proves the progress we’ve made throughout the year.”

The no. 24 Ligier JS P3 in the Marcassus Sport colours driven by father- and-son duo Jacques and Pierre Nicolet also completed all six races finishing in the top 10 in LM P3 on three occasions with, as the cherry on the cake, a great fifth place at the Red Bull Ring.
Pierre Nicolet has gained a great deal of experience this year: “Sharing the Ligier JS P3 with my dad this season has been a really great experience. I come from the CN category and my father drove LM P2s and LM P1s in the past and we’ve both enjoyed ourselves very much at the wheel of the car.”

Jacques Nicolet too has only positive things to say the day after the final round. “Each of the six rounds shared with my son and my friends Erik and Jean-Marc was a real pleasure. In addition, we’ve very much enjoyed driving the Ligier JS P3 even if the tough opposition prevented us from being on the podium! I’d like to thank our partners and all members of the team without whom none of this would have been possible.”