A First Look At Ligier & Duqueine’s 2020 LMP3s On Track

DSC was on hand this past Monday for the first day of the three-day United Autosports-organised post-ELMS season test at Portimao. During the track action two of the four new-for-2020 LMP3 chassis were turning laps in public for the first time.

While Adess showcased its new 03 EVO throughout the ELMS weekend in the paddock, and Ginetta spent time testing its G61-LT-P3 back in the UK, Ligier and Duqueine went head-to-head. At this point, it’s reasonable to expect their cars to be the top sellers, as they have sizeable customer bases currently racing around the world with their respective outgoing models, while Ginetta and Adess are starting from scratch.

This comparison was therefore an eagerly awaited one for those trackside.

DSC will have more in-depth analysis of the state of all four LMP3 chassis in the coming days. For now though, here’s some pictures and video of the Duqueiene D08 and Ligier JS P320s captured from the test.

First up, here’s the JS P320. Two were on site in Portugal, one a brand new chassis, the second an first generation JS P3 chassis upgraded to 2020 spec. Ligier told DSC that across the three days it completed 2400km of trouble-free running with 21 drivers sampling the new car.

And here’s a drive-by of the car from the pit straight:

Next is the Duqueiene D08. Only one complete car so far exists and it was tested on Monday and part of Tuesday before the crew on site packed up and headed to Paul Ricard for the Ultimate Cup finale this weekend. A spokesperson from Duqueine told DSC that the car turned 150 or so laps during its running.

And here are two pieces of video of the D08. One a start up in pit lane, the other a drive by.

It is notable that both cars were running with the new Nissan VK56 engine.

More on the 2020 LMP3s very soon on DSC…