Ligier JS11
Encyclopedia
The Ligier JS11 was a successful ground effect
car designed by Gérard Ducarouge
. It was powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV married to a Ligier in-house built gearbox. It competed in the 1979 and 1980 world championships and proved to be very competitive.
Driven by Jacques Laffite
, the car won the first two races of the 1979 season and scored consistently. It was thought by many to be a championship winner until Ferrari introduced its 312T4
chassis. Even so, the Ligiers stayed in contention throughout the season, with Patrick Depailler
winning a further race in Spain
. The team eventually finished third behind Ferrari and Williams
in the constructors' championship. Depailler was injured halfway through the season in a hang-gliding accident and was replaced by Jacky Ickx
, but he struggled to keep pace with the car and his team mate and left at the end of the season, having scored only a handful of points.
in place of Depailler. Again the car was fast and competitive, but the Brabham BT49
and the Williams FW07
proved to be the cars to beat, with Alan Jones
taking the world championship. Even so, the team still scored two wins, and would surely have taken more but for several suspension and tyre failures in the mid season. The car was producing so much downforce that the suspension and wheelhubs were coming under direct loading and therefore stress fractures developed. This was due to the immense pressure exerted on the suspension arms and the wheels by the ground effect, causing them to fail under hard braking. This effectively cost Ligier the chance to fight with Williams and Brabham for both titles.
The team finished second in the constructors' championship in 1980 ahead of Brabham, and the JS11 evolved into the JS17 for 1981. The JS11 was used as a primary test car for Michelin
to experiment with their tyres.
In all the JS11 took five wins, seven pole positions and scored 127 points in its career.
as the Autobot
Mirage
. To escape possible royalties and most likely dodge regulations in various countries regarding tobacco livery on toys, the Gitanes logo on Laffite's JS11 was changed to "Citanes". In Italy, the logo was changed furthermore to "Ligier".
Ground effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
car designed by Gérard Ducarouge
Gérard Ducarouge
Gérard Ducarouge is a French former Formula One car designer. Like many designers, his background was based in aeronautical engineering...
. It was powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV married to a Ligier in-house built gearbox. It competed in the 1979 and 1980 world championships and proved to be very competitive.
Jacques Laffite
Jacques-Henri Laffite is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six grand prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. He is now a TV commentator on French television TF1....
, the car won the first two races of the 1979 season and scored consistently. It was thought by many to be a championship winner until Ferrari introduced its 312T4
Ferrari 312T
The Ferrari 312T was a Ferrari Formula One car design, based on the 312B3 from 1974. In various versions, it was used from 1975 until 1980. It was designed by Mauro Forghieri for the 1975 season and was an uncomplicated and clean design, that responded to mechanical upgrades.The 312T series won 27...
chassis. Even so, the Ligiers stayed in contention throughout the season, with Patrick Depailler
Patrick Depailler
Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler was a racing driver from France. He participated in 95 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 July 1972. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.Depailler was born in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme. As a child, he...
winning a further race in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The team eventually finished third behind Ferrari and Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
in the constructors' championship. Depailler was injured halfway through the season in a hang-gliding accident and was replaced by Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
, but he struggled to keep pace with the car and his team mate and left at the end of the season, having scored only a handful of points.
JS11/15
For 1980, the JS11 was updated with improved aerodynamics and better ground effects. The team took on Didier PironiDidier Pironi
Didier Joseph Louis Pironi was a racing driver from France. During his career he competed in 72 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, driving for Tyrrell , Ligier and Ferrari...
in place of Depailler. Again the car was fast and competitive, but the Brabham BT49
Brabham BT49
The Brabham BT49 is a Formula One racing car designed by South African Gordon Murray for the British Brabham team. The BT49 competed in the to Formula One World Championships and was used by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet to win his first World Championship in .The car was initially designed in...
and the Williams FW07
Williams FW07
The Williams FW07 was a ground effect Formula One racing car designed by Patrick Head for the 1979 F1 season. It was closely based on the Lotus 79, even being developed in the same wind tunnel at Imperial College London. Some observers, among them Lotus aerodynamicist Peter Wright felt the FW07 was...
proved to be the cars to beat, with Alan Jones
Alan Jones (Formula 1)
Alan Stanley Jones MBE is an Australian former Formula One driver. He was the first driver to win a Formula One World Championship with the Williams team, becoming the 1980 World Drivers' Champion....
taking the world championship. Even so, the team still scored two wins, and would surely have taken more but for several suspension and tyre failures in the mid season. The car was producing so much downforce that the suspension and wheelhubs were coming under direct loading and therefore stress fractures developed. This was due to the immense pressure exerted on the suspension arms and the wheels by the ground effect, causing them to fail under hard braking. This effectively cost Ligier the chance to fight with Williams and Brabham for both titles.
The team finished second in the constructors' championship in 1980 ahead of Brabham, and the JS11 evolved into the JS17 for 1981. The JS11 was used as a primary test car for Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
to experiment with their tyres.
In all the JS11 took five wins, seven pole positions and scored 127 points in its career.
Media
The JS11 was made (more) famous in the toy line and cartoon TransformersTransformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
as the Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
Mirage
Mirage (Transformers)
Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
. To escape possible royalties and most likely dodge regulations in various countries regarding tobacco livery on toys, the Gitanes logo on Laffite's JS11 was changed to "Citanes". In Italy, the logo was changed furthermore to "Ligier".