Ligier against Mirage

Jean-Louis Lafosse, helmet in hand on the right of the photo, hands over the Ligier JS2 to Guy Chasseuil, during a refuelling, during the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. One can notice the presence of engineer Gérard Ducarouge (sunglasses) behind one of the mechanics.

This edition of the 24 Hours did not attract major manufacturers such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Matra. The reason: very strict regulations regarding fuel allocation and fuel consumption of the cars, and we witnessed a “Le Mans Economy Run.”

The race was won by the Gulf GR-8 (a Mirage-Cosworth) of Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell, who drove a cautious race due to fuel consumption, and finished only one lap ahead of the Ligier JS2-Cosworth of Lafosse and Chasseuil in Gitanes colours.

The two Ligier JS2 racing cars entered in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans had aluminum chassis and were powered by a Cosworth V8 instead of the Maserati seen in the road version. Lafosse and Chasseuil battled hard throughout the race with the Mirages and finished in a splendid second place in the last race appearance for a JS2, as Guy Ligier had planned to move up to Formula 1 soon.