Why The 2022 ELMS Season Could Be The Best Yet

Earlier this month, the 2022 European Le Mans Series got underway at Le Castellet in France.

It was the first of six rounds this year and it got off to an incredibly memorable start for a plethora of reasons.

For both old fans and new, it was a treat to watch on Easter Sunday and the four hours flew by at breakneck speeds.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why Le Castellet was so great and why it sets up an unforgettable 2022 season.

There’s three categories of racing in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) – LMP2, LMP3 and LM GTE. Throughout the four hours of Sunday’s race, there was action in all three that unapologetically kept putting a smile on this reviewer’s face.

In LMP2, PREMA did an outstanding job to take their first win of the year with superb drives from Lorenzo Columbo and Louis Deletraz. Weirdly though, it’s the team that finished in second place in the LMP2 category that are more impressive – mainly because they’re bold strategy almost snatched the win for them, taking it away from PREMA.

Image: WEC Media Centre

APR Racing ran only two drivers at Le Castellet – Bent Viscaal and Sophia Flörsch. This dynamic duo proved that they could go against the odds and beat other more experienced drivers at their own game.

Second place for the team was a monumental result for them to kick of the season with and they are definitely ones to watch as the year progresses. Sophia’s second place also became the best result for a female driver in LMP2 history.

It’s yet more proof that women have what it takes to compete in the highest categories of motorsport and succeed – and should be given the opportunities to accordingly.

Image: WEC Media Centre

Jack Aitken and Reshad de Gerus also put in stellar stints at Le Castellet which perfectly teased their potential for the year. Aitken ended up on the podium while technical issues plagued de Gerus’ team, Duqueine.

The pair sparred each other nicely at times and in a four-hour long endurance race, it’s awesome to see this.

Cool Racing won the battle for first in LMP3 with Maurice Smith, Michael Benham and Malthe Jakobsen demonstrating an ideal blend of youth and experience to achieve this win. This category also features a host of drivers who are on the more mature side of life but are proving that they are more than capable of still competing at the top.

Like Cool Racing’s team, the other drivers are on the younger side of life, painting a nice picture of the changing of the guard in LMP3. It’s unusual to see older competitors in most sports, especially ones such as demanding as motorsport.

So seeing this mix of ages is brilliant and shows all of those watching that it’s never too late to get into motorsport and be competitive.

Talking of feel-good stories, the standout story for me from the LM GTE category comes in the shape of the Proton Competition team and Michael Fassbender.

Image: WEC Media Centre

The Hollywood actor has been racing for a few years now (check out Porsche’s awesome, immerse and addictive YouTube series following his story for more) and this year, you can already see the massive progress that he’s made.

Like the commentary team were saying, you see him as a racing driver first and an actor second now because of his performance out on track. Some close battling in his first stint showed that Fassbender isn’t afraid to get his elbows out and really fight for position.

Sure, a couple of mistakes were made but any professional racing driver can be guilty of this. ELMS is also a team sport, so Proton were able to fight their way back up through the field and ultimately finished in third place by the time the chequered flag was raised.

With Fassbender entering the legendary 24hrs of Le Mans this year, one can only hope that a podium is possible there for him. If he and the team keep this consistent pace and fighting attitude, it’s not that insane an idea.

If it happens, it would really be like watching a Hollywood film unfolding before our eyes.

Who could play Fassbender in the Hollywood adaptation though?

In a four-hour endurance race, there’s always going to be plenty to keep an eye on.

Image: WEC Media Centre

That’s why I’ve only focused on a few elements here – otherwise we’d be here all day. But from PREMA’s win to Flörsch’s fantastic second place and Fassbender’s third in his Porsche, I don’t know what else I can say to convince you that the 2022 ELMS season looks like it’s going to be a cracker.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for more.

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly