24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2022. The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 takes place this weekend. The departure will take place on Saturday June 11 in the afternoon but at a later time than usual. Here is the TV program and all the info.
[Updated on June 11, 2022 at 8:10 a.m.] Time for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans! The famous Endurance race takes place this weekend of Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12 on the famous Le Mans circuit, open once a year since it combines portions of the permanent layout (including part of the Bugatti circuit used in MotoGP for example) and sections of national roads where motorists travel all year round! While the departure traditionally takes place in the afternoon, the exact time is often changed.
This year, the start will be given at 4 p.m. French time, a way to allow motorsport enthusiasts to follow the F1 Azerbaijan GP and then continue with the 24 Hours of Le Mans! The checkered flag signifying the finish will therefore be lowered at 4 p.m. on Sunday 12 June. 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., it all depends on the year and other sporting events. Several times, the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans had thus been postponed due to the concomitance with football, World Cup or Euro matches in particular. This will not be the case this year because if the start has been postponed to 4 p.m., it is because of another motor sport event, the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the start of which has also been brought forward to 1 p.m. so that the race could be finished before the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Motorsport enthusiasts will therefore be able to follow the two events in a row!
This year, two TV channels will broadcast the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Eurosport, broadcaster for many years, will broadcast in full via the Eurosport channels 1 and 2. The broadcast is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday June 11 for broadcast until 4.30 p.m. on Sunday. Eurosport is accessible by subscription.
The L’Equipe channel will provide a free broadcast. Available on TNT (channel 21) or via the internet (connected TV or internet box), La Chaîne L’Equipe will broadcast the pre-race and the start at 4 p.m. then continuous monitoring until 8:30 p.m. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be back from 10:45 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Sunday then from 7 a.m. until the finish.
At the end of qualifying and the Hyperpole contested on Thursday evening, Toyota took pole position with the GR 010 n°7 ahead of the n°7. New Zealander Brendon Hartley, already winner in 2017 and 2020 with Toyota, took pole position. The n°36 Alpine A480 set the third fastest time ahead of the two Glickenhaus. In LMP2, it was the No. 31 WRT Oreca that took pole position. The #64 and #63 Corvettes dominated the GTE Pro category, like the #61 Ferrari AF Corse in GTE Am. You can find the full qualifying results (PDF document) by clicking here.
The ranking of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is based on the number of laps covered between Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. There is a general classification but also a classification by categories. 4 categories coexist: the Hypercars bring together the favorites Alpine, Toyota and Glickenhaus, the LMP2 prototypes a little less powerful, the GTE Pro and the GTE AM with amateur drivers.
Hypercar category at the 24 hours of Le Mans
LM P2 category in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans
LM GTE PRO category in the 24 hours of Le Mans 2021
LM GTE AM category in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans
60 crews of three drivers each are entered in the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here is the complete list of entries. Defending champion, Toyota will once again be the huge favorite while waiting for an already enticing 2023 edition. For the centenary of the first edition in 1923, Peugeot is particularly expected like Porsche, Ferrari or Cadillac.
