Given all the, er, hiccups that we’ve come to expect in the wake of Brexit, not to mention a pandemic that’s still making travel somewhat of a chore, catching the 8am train from Folkstone to Calais ahead of the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans was as simple as it used to be in the good ol’ days.
With our Friday Service wrapped up by midday, it was back to the circuit for the pit walk. It's open to everyone so expect a bit of shoulder barging, but there aren’t many top tier motorsport events that allow just about anybody to get up close to the cars a day before the race kicks off. After missing the morning’s Ligier Euro Series , the track was open to spectators to wonder around the 8.5-mile course – a great way to warm up for the PH pub quiz.
As expected, at race start the two hybrid Toyota GR010 Hypercars run off into the distance, leaving the two Glickenhaus cars to fight it out with Signatech Alpine for the non-hybrid honours. Unfortunately, that battle would be short lived with Alpine spending a fair chunk of the race in the pits with mechanical issues. Behind the Hypercar field were a sea of LMP2 cars, many of which were running nose to tail hours into the race while other classes were spread across the circuit.