‘Already someone is off!’ – Crash sees immediate drama in chaotic start to 24 Hours of Le Mans race

The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 did not get off to a quiet start on Saturday afternoon as a near-immediate crash brought sudden drama.

Within moments of the start of the race, there was a 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!” came the roar from the Eurosport commentary box.

“There is a car off before turn one! There are plenty of people taking avoiding action, but we do have one in the gravel trap.

“How did that happen? They were getting in very, very close quarters with each other.

“Oh, that is damage for the #22 – that is terrible luck!”

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.

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!”

HOW CAN I WATCH 24 HOURS OF LE MANS?

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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 starts at 2pm BST on Saturday, June 11.