Perfect timing for Ligier Automotive with Lamborghini in LMDh

One of the highlights of the 24 Hours of Le Mans week was the official announcement of the chassis manufacturer for Lamborghini's Hypercar programme (LMDh). The Italian brand is teaming up with Ligier Automotive on a project that will see competition in early 2024 on both sides of the Atlantic. After working with Nissan on the DPi in the United States, the French manufacturer is returning to the top class, which is something that Pierre Nicolet is delighted about. 

"With Lamborghini, we speak the same language," the Ligier Automotive director told Endurance-Info. "Our two entities are still young in motorsport but our experience over the last ten years is quite substantial. I am very happy and proud of this association with Lamborghini." 

Lamborghini and Ligier already collaborate on the Huracan GT3 and Huracan Super Trofeo chassis via HP Composites, a branch of Everspeed of which Ligier Automotive is a part. 

"For Ligier, the timing is perfect, we have a year to prepare and everything is lined up to have a very nice car", says Pierre Nicolet. "Ligier was also selected for its timing, namely to be able to meet the specifications over 16 months. The installation of Ligier Automotive in the United States played a favourable role."

Ligier Automotive will not be new to the Hypercar category as the French brand has worked with Peugeot on the 9X8. 

While Dallara and ORECA are running two LMDh projects at the same time, Ligier could well devote itself solely to Lamborghini in the first instance. "Having a second manufacturer for 2024 seems complicated to me because our performance with Lamborghini is important," Nicolet emphasises. "We also need to work in parallel on the LMP2 chassis. We have started the recruitment process and the resources put into the LMDh will certainly benefit the LMP2."