CLX Motorsport Dominates in Road to Le Mans Race 1
Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX — CLX Motorsport secured another decisive victory in the first round of the Road to Le Mans series, with the #37 Ligier JS P325 – Toyota driven by Theodor Jensen and Adrien Closmenil clinching the win.
Starting from ninth position, Jensen quickly advanced to sixth on the opening lap, later converting a restart opportunity into fifth. Effective pit strategy by the Swiss team positioned Closmenil in second place post-pit stops, trailing only Hadrien David in the pole-sitting #85 R-Ace GP Duqueine D09.
On lap eight, Closmenil overtook David after a strategic battle, pulling away to build a comfortable lead. Behind him, David Droux in the sister #97 CLX Ligier was charging, but a stop-and-go penalty for surpassing the minimum pit time dashed his hopes of victory, allowing Closmenil to finish 8.461 seconds ahead of David.
The #16 Team Virage Ligier, driven by Theo Micouris and Sacha Lehmann, completed the podium, followed by the pair of Ligiers from Forestier Racing by VPS.
In LMP3 Pro-Am, the #71 Rinaldi Racing Ligier of Stefan Aust and Felipe Fernandez-Laser claimed victory, marking the first podium for the 2025-spec Ginetta in Michelin Le Mans Cup competition, with Antti Rammo and Thomas Laurent finishing second in the #2 Team LNT Ginetta G61-LT-P325-Evo.
The GT3 category saw Steve Jans and Anthony Bartone dominate in the #14 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, overcoming challenges from the #51 AF Corse Ferrari and #59 Aston Martin Vantage, particularly after Bartone’s late-race maneuver to seize the lead from Nick Halstead’s McLaren GT3 Evo.
Race 2 of the Road to Le Mans series is scheduled for 10:05 CEST on Saturday.
