24 Hours of Le Mans 2022: 'Wow!' - Helicopter dive stuns fans in amazing pre-race show at famous event

Updated 11/06/2022 at 16:22 GMT

"Wow! That is a lovely flight. Viva la race!" That was the reaction from Eurosport expert Tom Kristensen as the 90th edition of the world’s most famous endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, got off to a spectacular start on Saturday afternoon with a helicopter taking centre stage in the pre-race ceremony. Stream Le Mans 2022 live and on-demand on discovery+

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

A jaw-dropping helicopter dive stunned 24 Hours of Le Mans fans in what was a truly amazing pre-race show at the famous event.

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 on Saturday afternoon.

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.

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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.

Eurosport's Tom Kristensen was left as amazed as everyone else by the staggering spectacle.

"Wow!" Kristensen exclaimed.

"That is a lovely flight. Viva la race!"

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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.