24 Hours of Le Mans 2022

Le Mans 24 Hours, Saturday 11 June 2022: The pre-race grid is packed with enthusiastic race goers

Race day dawned with a blanket of morning mist covering the area. It was a crisp morning as I departed my accommodation to the east of Le Mans at around 07h15, and making my way towards the circuit, the pockets of mist became more sporadic. Approaching the airfield which lies just to the west of the track, road traffic was still light for that time of the day. Intrepid motorsport followers were making their way back to the campsite with the obligatory French loaves tucked under their arms, while wives and friends back at the campsite were no doubt busy making the coffee and the scrambled eggs. This is Le Mans, the character of this race is like no other, as visitors to the 24 Heures du Mans, from right around the world, will go to great lengths just to attend this great endurance event. But they say you haven’t experienced Le Mans until you have camped there, and this writer can bear testament to that.

The race morning program consisted of the Ligier European Series Cup, the official Le Mans warm up (15 minutes) for the race proper, and race 2 of the Road to Le Mans cup. There were plenty of other distractions to entertain and keep the crowds busy, but in the minds of everyone there, the focus was most certainly on the race which started at 16h00.