Ligier JS29
Encyclopedia
The Ligier JS29 was a Formula One
car designed by Michel Tétu and Michel Beaujon for the Ligier team for use in the 1987 Formula One season
. The JS29 was originally to be powered by a brand new Alfa-Romeo 415T 4cyl engine, however, after pre-season testing lead driver René Arnoux
compared the engine to used food. This gave an excuse for Alfa's parent company Fiat
to pull the plug on the project. It was reported at the time that Fiat did not want Alfa Romeo involved in Formula One as a competitor to Ferrari
.
As a result of losing their engine supply so close to the start of the season, Ligier had to come up with an engine in order to compete. The team managed to get a supply of Megatron Straight 4 turbo
engines for the season. The updated car with the Megatron engine was now called the JS29B. Arnoux was retained for the season and he was joined by Italian
veteran Piercarlo Ghinzani
.
The JS29 should have made its debut at the 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix
using the Alfa Romeo 890T V8 engine
until the 415T was ready. However, following Arnoux's unfavourable comments and Fiat's withdrawal this meant that the team had no engine with which to compete until the second race in San Marino
. It was there that the JS29B with its Megatron engine would make its competition debut. The JS29B was updated following the Detroit Grand Prix
to its final JS29C specifications.
Ligier would only score 1 point in 1987 when Arnoux finished 6th in the Belgian Grand Prix
using the JS29B. The JS29C was the last turbo powered car made by Ligier.
The JS29C was replaced for the season by the Judd CV V8 powered Ligier JS31
.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car designed by Michel Tétu and Michel Beaujon for the Ligier team for use in the 1987 Formula One season
1987 Formula One season
The 1987 Formula One season was the 38th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1987 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers and Constructors which commenced on April 12, 1987 and ended on November 15 after sixteen races...
. The JS29 was originally to be powered by a brand new Alfa-Romeo 415T 4cyl engine, however, after pre-season testing lead driver René Arnoux
René Arnoux
René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...
compared the engine to used food. This gave an excuse for Alfa's parent company Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
to pull the plug on the project. It was reported at the time that Fiat did not want Alfa Romeo involved in Formula One as a competitor to Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
.
As a result of losing their engine supply so close to the start of the season, Ligier had to come up with an engine in order to compete. The team managed to get a supply of Megatron Straight 4 turbo
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
engines for the season. The updated car with the Megatron engine was now called the JS29B. Arnoux was retained for the season and he was joined by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
veteran Piercarlo Ghinzani
Piercarlo Ghinzani
Piercarlo Ghinzani is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships....
.
The JS29 should have made its debut at the 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix
1987 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 12, 1987 at the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, Rio de Janeiro. It was the first race of the 1987 Formula One season.- Race summary :...
using the Alfa Romeo 890T V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
until the 415T was ready. However, following Arnoux's unfavourable comments and Fiat's withdrawal this meant that the team had no engine with which to compete until the second race in San Marino
1987 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1987 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 3, 1987 at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola. It was the second race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:...
. It was there that the JS29B with its Megatron engine would make its competition debut. The JS29B was updated following the Detroit Grand Prix
1987 Detroit Grand Prix
The 1987 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 21, 1987 in Detroit, Michigan.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Ayrton Senna repeated his 1986 win in Detroit and won his second 1987 race in a row, the first wins for a car with active suspension...
to its final JS29C specifications.
Ligier would only score 1 point in 1987 when Arnoux finished 6th in the Belgian Grand Prix
1987 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1987 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 17, 1987 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. It was the third race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:...
using the JS29B. The JS29C was the last turbo powered car made by Ligier.
The JS29C was replaced for the season by the Judd CV V8 powered Ligier JS31
Ligier JS31
The Ligier JS31 was a Formula One car designed by Michel Tétu and Michel Beaujon for the Ligier team for use in the 1988 Formula One season. It was powered by the new Judd CV, atmospheric V8 engine and ran on Goodyear tyres...
.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligier Loto | Megatron S4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... tc Turbocharger A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance... |
BRA 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 12, 1987 at the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, Rio de Janeiro. It was the first race of the 1987 Formula One season.- Race summary :... |
SMR 1987 San Marino Grand Prix The 1987 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 3, 1987 at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola. It was the second race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:... |
BEL 1987 Belgian Grand Prix The 1987 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 17, 1987 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. It was the third race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:... |
MON 1987 Monaco Grand Prix The 1987 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 31, 1987 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. It was the fourth race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:... |
DET 1987 Detroit Grand Prix The 1987 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 21, 1987 in Detroit, Michigan.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Ayrton Senna repeated his 1986 win in Detroit and won his second 1987 race in a row, the first wins for a car with active suspension... |
FRA 1987 French Grand Prix The 1987 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 5, 1987 at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet. It was the sixth race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:... |
GBR 1987 British Grand Prix The 1987 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 12 July 1987 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the seventh race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:... |
GER 1987 German Grand Prix The 1987 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hockenheimring on July 26, 1987.- Classification :*Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy.-Standings after the race:... |
HUN 1987 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1987 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Hungaroring on August 9, 1987.- Classification :- Notes :*Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy.-Standings after the race:... |
AUT 1987 Austrian Grand Prix The 1987 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Österreichring on August 16, 1987.- Classification :- Notes :*Martin Brundle was disqualified from 14th place for a bodywork infringement after he crashed his Zakspeed on the first start and used the spare.*Nelson Piquet's average speed... |
ITA 1987 Italian Grand Prix The 1987 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 6, 1987.- Classification :- Notes :*Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy.-Standings after the race:... |
POR 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Estoril on September 20, 1987.- Classification :- Notes :*Alain Prost eclipsed the previous record for most F1 World Championship victories at this race, and it was a record Prost held for 14 years until surpassed by Michael Schumacher... |
ESP 1987 Spanish Grand Prix The 1987 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jerez on September 27, 1987.- Summary :The 1987 Spanish Grand Prix was won fairly comfortably by Nigel Mansell who took pole sitter Nelson Piquet at the end of the first lap and was never headed... |
MEX 1987 Mexican Grand Prix The 1987 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mexico City on October 18, 1987.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
JPN 1987 Japanese Grand Prix The 1987 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Suzuka on November 1, 1987.- Race :The 1987 Japanese Grand Prix was the first race to be held in Japan since James Hunt won in his McLaren at Fuji, in 1977. This time, the Grand Prix circus utilised the Honda owned Suzuka circuit... |
AUS 1987 Australian Grand Prix The 1987 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 15, 1987.- Race :The third Australian Grand Prix to be held at Adelaide and the final round of the 1987 Formula One season proved to be another eventful race. Gerhard Berger started from his third pole position... |
1 | 11th | |||
| JS29B | René Arnoux René Arnoux René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons... |
DNS | 6 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| JS29C | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||
| JS29B | Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships.... |
Ret | 7 | 12 | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| JS29C | Ret | DSQ | Ret | 12 | 8 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret |