24 Hours of Le Mans 2022: 'He must have missed that' - Scary moment driver doesn't see rival and spins off

Published 11/06/2022 at 19:03 GMT

On a day of cars sliding off the track and near-misses, there was a particularly alarming moment that could have been much, much worse, but for some fast reactions when one driver did not see another on the inside at a key turn. The 90th edition of the world’s most famous endurance race certainly got off to a memorable start on day one. Stream Le Mans 2022 live and on-demand on discovery+

Watch scary moment Iron Lynx Ferrari does not see fellow driver and spins off

The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 saw a number of incidents within the first hours of daylight action at the iconic endurance race.

After a chaotic start to the race, a few hours later there was another crash that could have been much, much worse, but for some fast reactions.

There was a dramatic moment for Pierre Ehret in his #75 Iron Lynx Ferrari as he spun off at the Porsche Curves.

'A Grand Slam tournament for electric touring cars' - This is ETCR

00:03:00

19/06/2022 at 07:33

Ehret did not appear to see Francois Perrodo zipping through on his inside in his AF Corse LMP2 ORECA. But for some very quick thinking, there could have been a much worse collision.

As Martin Haven, on commentary for Eurosport at the time, explained: "On the inside, he turns in because he needs to make it round the corner, he must have missed that.

"Two gentlemen drivers who have spent a lot of time in the championship and do a lot of racing."

Within moments of the start of the race, there was another notable incident as LMP2 racer, the #22 United Autosport Oreca, flew off into the gravel before the Dunlop Chicane and even one turn.

It was a dramatic moment just seconds after the beginning of the iconic event as dust flew up from the gravel and the cameras attempted to flash back to the crash.

Replays showed that the car was stuck between two other vehicles and ended up having to dive into the gravel. The car had to be craned back onto the track.

'Already someone is off!' - Watch as crash brings drama in wild Le Mans start

The 90th edition of the world’s most famous endurance race certainly got the welcome it deserved minutes before the cars let rip at the start of the race.

The 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade treated the returning fans to the iconic event with a wonderful sight as an army helicopter circled the stands, paused and then dived down in spectacular fashion.

As the helicopter zipped above the start line very low, it proceeded to deliver the French flag via two soldiers on zip lines in the pre-race ceremony.

The moment was greeted with a huge roar of approval from the spectators to mark the start of the race.

'Wow!' - Helicopter dive stuns Le Mans fans in amazing pre-race show

HOW CAN I WATCH 24 HOURS OF LE MANS?

You can watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans across Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+.

Enjoy the action ad-free on the Eurosport app and via eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android. You can sign up for discovery+ for just £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually.

We will also have rolling coverage on the eurosport.co.uk website and our social channels.

Live coverage started on Wednesday afternoon with practice sessions and qualifying for Hyperpole. There was more live action on Thursday evening followed by continuous coverage of the main race, which started at 2pm BST on Saturday, June 11.

Le Mans 2022 - Goodyear and the importance of having the right tyres in endurance racing

00:03:00

13/06/2022 at 12:24

Le Mans 24hr

‘I haven’t slept properly’ – Hirakawa reflects on Le Mans win

12/06/2022 at 20:53

Le Mans 24hr

Watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans podium ceremony as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga presents trophy

00:07:25

12/06/2022 at 16:44

Join 3M+ users on app

Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports

Download

Scan me