Toyota Gazoo Racing have won a fifth consecutive Le Mans victory and a third 1-2 finish at the world’s greatest endurance race.
Sebastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley in the No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR101 Hybrid Hypercar celebrated a convincing win ensuring that Buemi claimed his fourth La Sarthe win, Hartley’s third and a maiden victory for Ryo Hirakawa.
Reflecting on his Le Mans win Hartley said: “ taking the car over the line today was a very special feeling. I’m a small piece of the puzzle; all of my teammates are part of this victory. I broke down in tears after the race as my wife and six-month old daughter are here and, not that she’ll probably remember it, but I have promised that this Rolex is for her.”
The race between the two Toyotas raged for 16 hours of the race with each car leading at stages. However an issue with the front hybrid system of the No.7 ensured the No.8 would take the win.
Toyota’s win also marks the first time a factory manufacturer team has won five straight victories at Le Mans since the works Ferrari team achieved the feat between 1960 and 1964. It also sees Ryo Hirakawa become the fifth Japanese driver to win Le Mans overall, as the Hypercar rookie joins Masanori Sekiya (1995), Seiji Ara (2004) Kazuki Nakajima (2018, 2019 and 2020) and Kamui Kobayashi (2021).
Glickenhaus Racing go one better than its 2021 fourth place by sealing a 3-4 finish. Ryan Briscoe, Frank Mailleux and Richard Westbrook took the third spot on the podium in the No.709 Glickenhaus 007LMH after fighting back from an early unscheduled pit stop for a sensor change.
The sister No.708 Glickenhaus Racing entry driven by Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla and Romain Dumas took the flag in fourth after recovering well from damage and time lost from an off track excursion by Pla at Tetre Rouge just before midnight.
Alpine ELF Team was fifth after a difficult weekend suffering a clutch issue, an accident and other smaller problems and finished 24th overall.
JOTA joy at 1-3 finish in LMP2
JOTA celebrated a hat trick of Le Mans LMP2 victories after Antonio Felix de Costa, Roberto Gonzalez and Will Stevens dominated the class early on in a flawless performance.
Adding to the British team’s previous wins in 2014 and 2017, the No.38 JOTA controlled the field and led home the Prema Orlen Team trio of Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz and Lorenzo Colombo.
Stevens took the chequered flag to set off wild scenes of jubilation in the JOTA pit as they also celebrated a double podium success as the No.28 took third with Ed Jones, Oliver Rasmussen and Jonathan Aberdein.
With the win, Stevens also becomes a double class winning Le Mans driver after tasting success with the JMW Ferrari team in the LM GTE Am class in 2017. Roberto Gonzalez joins his brother Ricardo, who won in 2013, as an LMP2 champion.
Reigning champions and the pole car for LMP2, the No.31 WRT car dropped back after a 60-second penalty for a first corner contact with the No.22 United Autosports USA entry. They put in a heroic fightback and might well have secured a podium position until Robin Frijns crash on the exit of Indianapolis Corner around Sunday lunchtime.
Both TDS Racing x Vaillante Oreca-Gibson had to replace its chassis and a driver ahead ahead of the race. Nick de Vries made a last minute cameo appearance and achieved fourth in class alongside Mathias Beche and Tijmen van der Helm.
Team Penske were fifth with Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron and Emmanuel Collard in their final WEC appearance of 2022 together. The yellow and blue Oreca-Gibson lost time early on due to body work repairs.
United Autosports achieved sixth following a comeback race after first hour issues with the No.23 car of Alex Lynn, Oliver Jarvis and Joshua Pierson. Pierson is the youngest driver ever to start at Le Mans, at the age of 16 years, three months and 25 days.
The Pro/Am division was taken by the No.45 Algarve Pro Racing entry of Steven Thomas, James Allen and Rene Binder as they led home the Nielson Racing car of Ben Hanley, Rodrigo Sales and Matt Bell.
Porsche GT Team victorious in LM GTE Pro
Porsche claimed their first LE Mans LM GTE Pro win since 2018 with Frederic Makowiecki, Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz taking a hard fought win in the No.91 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR-19.
The win by Porsche GT Team was its 20th victory in the WEC and overtakes Aston Martin’s haul of 19 wins.
Makowiecki too the chequered flag ahead of the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari driven by James Calado, Daniel Serra and Alessandro Pier Guidi. It was a very close tactical Porsche v Ferrari battle to the very end.
The LMP GTE Pro category saw each of the three manufacturers; Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette leading the very competitive category over the course of the 24 hours. Many stories of misfortune played out over the course of the race with Corvette appearing to have the advantage.
The No.63 and No.64 Chevrolet Corvettes spent time in the lead but a suspension issue for the Nicky Catsburg, Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia crewed No.63 car, and then an early morning accident for the No.64 Alexander Sims driven C8.R meant an early end to the team’s hopes.
Sims, who partnered with Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner, was the innocent party in a three car incident on Mulsanne Straight after he was swiped into the barriers by the No.83 AF Corse LMP2.
The incident came just over two hours after the No.92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor exited from the class lead with a puncture before fighting back to fourth.
The Miguel Molina, Davide Rigo and ntonio Fuoco driven No.52 AF Corse Ferrari was third having suffered a puncture in the early stages of the race.
The final finisher in class was the fifth placed Riley Motorsports Ferrari of Felipe Fraga, Sam Bird and Shane van Gisbergen.
TF Sport take second Le Mans win
Taking a fantastic win at Le Mans, TF Sport in the LM GTE Am class sealed victory in the No.23 car with Ben Keating, Marco Sorensen and Henrique Chaves to secure their second win, the first coming in 2020.
The Aston Martin Vantage took the lead of the class from the WeatherTech Porsche 911 RSR-19 in the early morning and never looked back, extending the lead way beyond the reach of the US ebtered car.
Keating took a much coveted first win at his eighth attempt, banishing into a distant memory the loss of victory in 2019 due to disqualification. Sorensen adds his Le Mans to his other triumphs in 2016, 2019 and 2020 FIA WEC title success.
WeatherTech Racing lost their chance for victory due to an off track excursion in the early morning. However Aston Martin took third with the No.98 Northwest AMR line up of Paul Dalla Lana, Nicki Thim and David Pittard.
GR Racing have achieved their best ever Le Mans result with Ben Barker, Mike Wainwright and Riccardo Pera taking fourth, ahead of the No.88 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19 with drivers Jan Heylen, Fred Poddard and Maxwell Root.
All five ladies competing in Le Mans cross the finish line
The Iron Dames completed the 24 hours of Le Mans after a storming comeback in the N0.85 Ferrari with drivers Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey. After starting the race sixth in class they team suffered a rear puncture and dropped to last place, but a hard fought battle, the all lady team crossed the line in seventh in LM GTE Am (40th overall).
Iron Lynx Team Principle, Andrea Piccini said: “The Iron Dames fought back after the early puncture, and we’re very proud of Sarah, Michelle and Rahel for overcoming the setback and for racing on with a never give up attitude. Once again they’ve shown that together they’re very fast and can achieve great results, and we’ll keep fighting for podiums and wins in the future after this experience.”
Lilou Wadoux drove her Richard Mille No.1 Oreca to finish ninth in LMP2 (13th overall) with teammates Sebastien Ogier and Charles Milesi.
Sophia Floersch in the No.47 Oreca Algarve Pro Racing with teammates John Falb and Jack Aitken suffered a sensor failure in the gearbox at the start of the race. Despite losing six laps the team crossed the line 20th in the LMP2 class (25th overall).
Final results 24 hours of Le Mans 2022
1 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing S. BUEMI / B. HARTLEY / R. HIRAKAWA Toyota GR010 HYBRID HYPERCAR H M 380 24:02:07.996 31 56 3:27.906 235.9
2 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 HYBRID M 380 24:04:09.2182:01.2222:01.222 32 371 3:27.749 236.1 M. CONWAY / K. KOBAYASHI / J. LOPEZ HYPERCAR H
3 709 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007 LMH M 375 24:02:09.625 5 Laps 5 Laps 31 353 3:28.227 235.6 R. BRISCOE / R. WESTBROOK / F. MAILLEUX HYPERCAR
4 708 Glickenhaus Racing O. PLA / R. DUMAS / L. DERANI Glickenhaus 007 LMH HYPERCAR M 370 24:04:07.641 10 Laps 5 Laps 33 348 3:27.765 236.1
5 38 JOTA Oreca 07 – Gibson G 369 24:02:12.363 11 Laps 1 Lap 41 295 3:31.721 231.7 R. GONZALEZ / A. DA COSTA / W. STEVENS LMP2
6 9 Prema Orlen Team Oreca 07 – Gibson G 369 24:04:34.283 11 Laps2:21.920 42 137 3:32.335 231.0 R. KUBICA / L. DELETRAZ / L. COLOMBO LMP2
7 28 JOTA Oreca 07 – Gibson G 368 24:02:12.423 12 Laps 1 Lap 42 173 3:32.750 230.6 O. RASMUSSEN / E. JONES / J. ABERDEIN LMP2
8 13 TDS Racing x Vaillante Oreca 07 – Gibson G 368 24:03:06.649 12 Laps 54.226 42 274 3:31.728 231.7 N. DE VRIES / M. BECHE / T. VAN DER HELM LMP2
9 5 Team Penske D. CAMERON / E. COLLARD / F. NASR Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 368 24:03:31.822 12 Laps 25.173 41 299 3:31.910 231.5
10 23 United Autosports USA A. LYNN / O. JARVIS / J. PIERSON Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 368 24:04:42.738 12 Laps1:10.916 49 299 3:32.436 230.9
11 37 COOL Racing Y. YE / R. TAYLOR / N. KRUETTEN Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 367 24:04:55.347 13 Laps 1 Lap 44 286 3:31.421 232.0
12 48 IDEC Sport P. LAFARGUE / P. CHATIN / P. PILET Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 366 24:02:31.743 14 Laps 1 Lap 43 292 3:31.601 231.8
13 1 Richard Mille Racing Team L. WADOUX / S. OGIER / C. MILESI Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 366 24:04:14.706 14 Laps1:42.963 42 353 3:33.513 229.7
14 22 United Autosports USA Oreca 07 – Gibson G 366 24:04:25.531 14 Laps 10.825 43 254 3:32.628 230.7 P. HANSON / F. ALBUQUERQUE / W. OWEN LMP2
15 32 Team WRT Oreca 07 – Gibson G 366 24:04:27.465 14 Laps 1.934 43 218 3:30.946 232.5 R. INEICHEN / M. BORTOLOTTI / D. VANTHOOR LMP2
16 65 Panis Racing J. CANAL / N. JAMIN / J. VAN UITERT Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 366 24:05:17.854 14 Laps 50.389 43 281 3:31.097 232.4
17 34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 – Gibson G 365 24:05:17.662 15 Laps 1 Lap 41 326 3:33.663 229.6 J. SMIECHOWSKI / A. BRUNDLE / E. GUTIERREZ LMP2
18 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 – Gibson G 364 24:03:21.865 16 Laps 1 Lap 43 363 3:33.137 230.2 D. HEINEMEIER-HANSSON / F. SCHERER / P. FITTIPALDI LMP2
19 45 Algarve Pro Racing S. THOMAS / J. ALLEN / R. BINDER Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 363 24:02:19.197 17 Laps 1 Lap 42 7 3:32.629 230.7
20 24 Nielsen Racing R. SALES / M. BELL / B. HANLEY Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 362 24:04:08.004 18 Laps 1 Lap 44 288 3:33.562 229.7
21 41 Realteam by WRT R. ANDRADE / F. HABSBURG / N. NATO Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 362 24:04:28.719 18 Laps 20.715 43 312 3:30.918 232.6
22 3 DKR Engineering Oreca 07 – Gibson G 362 24:04:32.884 18 Laps 4.165 41 288 3:33.601 229.7 L. HORR / J. GLORIEUX / A. COUGNAUD LMP2 P/A
23 36 Alpine ELF Team Alpine A480 – Gibson M 362 24:04:37.074 18 Laps 4.190 34 351 3:30.030 233.6 A. NEGRÃO / N. LAPIERRE / M. VAXIVIERE HYPERCAR
24 83 AF Corse F. PERRODO / N. NIELSEN / A. ROVERA Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 361 24:02:25.963 19 Laps 1 Lap 43 143 3:32.949 230.4
25 47 Algarve Pro Racing S. FLOERSCH / J. FALB / J. AITKEN Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 361 24:04:43.281 19 Laps2:17.318 42 305 3:31.652 231.8
26 44 ARC Bratislava Oreca 07 – Gibson G 360 24:03:14.756 20 Laps 1 Lap 44 347 3:32.229 231.1 M. KONOPKA / B. VISCAAL / T. VAUTIER LMP2 P/A
27 10 Vector Sport N. MÜLLER / R. CULLEN / S. BOURDAIS Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 357 24:02:42.505 23 Laps 3 Laps 42 345 3:31.115 232.4
28 91 Porsche GT Team G. BRUNI / R. LIETZ / F. MAKOWIECKI Porsche 911 RSR – 19 LMGTE Pro M 350 24:04:52.108 30 Laps 7 Laps 24 269 3:49.060 214.2
29 51 AF Corse A. PIER GUIDI / J. CALADO / D. SERRA Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Pro M 350 24:05:34.792 30 Laps 42.684 26 279 3:49.109 214.1
30 52 AF Corse M. MOLINA / A. FUOCO / D. RIGON Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Pro M 349 24:05:36.840 31 Laps 1 Lap 24 277 3:49.196 214.0
31 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR – 19 M 348 24:04:02.137 32 Laps 1 Lap 23 276 3:48.356 214.8 M. CHRISTENSEN / K. ESTRE / L. VANTHOOR LMGTE Pro
32 74 Riley Motorsports Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 347 24:04:12.735 33 Laps 1 Lap 26 259 3:49.391 213.8 F. FRAGA / S. BIRD / S. VAN GISBERGEN LMGTE Pro
33 39 Graff Racing E. TROUILLET / S. PAGE / D. DROUX Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 344 24:04:41.286 36 Laps 3 Laps 40 333 3:33.267 230.0
24:03:37.664 277 3:53.266 210.3 Aston Martin VANTAGE AMR 34 33 TF Sport M 343 37 Laps 1 Lap 24 B. KEATING / H. CHAVES / M. SØRENSEN LMGTE Am
35 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR – 19 M 343 24:04:22.110 37 Laps 44.446 24 272 3:50.445 212.9 C. MACNEIL / J. ANDLAUER / T. MERRILL LMGTE Am
24:05:22.088 322 3:52.908 210.6 Northwest AMR Aston Martin VANTAGE AMR 36 98 P. DALLA LANA / D. PITTARD / N. THIIM LMGTE Am M 342 38 Laps 1 Lap 25
37 86 GR Racing M. WAINWRIGHT / R. PERA / B. BARKER Porsche 911 RSR – 19 LMGTE Am M 340 24:04:24.064 40 Laps 2 Laps 26 109 3:50.848 212.5
38 88 Dempsey – Proton Racing F. POORDAD / M. ROOT / J. HEYLEN Porsche 911 RSR – 19 LMGTE Am M 340 24:04:51.138 40 Laps 27.074 25 319 3:51.067 212.3
39 54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 340 24:05:00.725 40 Laps 9.587 25 312 3:52.722 210.8 T. FLOHR / F. CASTELLACCI / N. CASSIDY LMGTE Am
40 85 Iron Dames R. FREY / M. GATTING / S. BOVY Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 339 24:02:10.199 41 Laps 1 Lap 28 303 3:54.044 209.6
41 21 AF Corse S. MANN / C. ULRICH / T. VILANDER Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 339 24:03:17.392 41 Laps1:07.193 25 273 3:53.254 210.3
42 61 AF Corse L. PRETTE / C. GRUNEWALD / V. ABRIL Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 339 24:03:29.454 41 Laps 12.062 28 272 3:52.742 210.8
43 55 Spirit of Race D. CAMERON / M. GRIFFIN / D. PEREL Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 339 24:04:17.500 41 Laps 48.046 26 161 3:53.722 209.9
44 99 Hardpoint Motorsport Porsche 911 RSR – 19 M 338 24:04:54.909 42 Laps 1 Lap 24 334 3:51.332 212.0 A. HARYANTO / A. PICARIELLO / M. RUMP LMGTE Am
45 57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 336 24:02:53.572 44 Laps 2 Laps 26 259 3:53.398 210.2 T. KIMURA / F. SCHANDORFF / M. JENSEN LMGTE Am
46 80 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 336 24:04:38.387 44 Laps1:44.815 28 175 3:53.640 210.0 M. CRESSONI / G. FISICHELLA / R. HEISTAND LMGTE Am
47 77 Dempsey – Proton Racing C. RIED / S. PRIAULX / H. TINCKNELL Porsche 911 RSR – 19 LMGTE Am M 336 24:05:08.645 44 Laps 30.258 25 185 3:51.438 212.0
48 35 Ultimate J. LAHAYE / M. LAHAYE / F. HERIAU Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 335 24:02:31.404 45 Laps 1 Lap 40 173 3:35.842 227.3
49 27 CD Sport C. CRESP / M. JENSEN / S. PALETTE Ligier JSP217 – Gibson LMP2 P/A G 333 24:03:10.353 47 Laps 2 Laps 41 326 3:36.478 226.6
50 66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 331 24:02:42.326 49 Laps 2 Laps 25 140 3:55.041 208.7 R. VAN DER ZANDE / M. KVAMME / J. HART LMGTE Am
51 93 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR – 19 M 329 24:04:51.791 51 Laps 2 Laps 27 49 3:51.745 211.7 M. FASSBENDER / M. CAMPBELL / Z. ROBICHON LMGTE Am
52 30 Duqueine Team R. BRADLEY / G. ROJAS / R. DE GERUS Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 326 24:04:20.481 54 Laps 3 Laps 41 252 3:32.436 230.9
53 75 Iron Lynx P. EHRET / C. HOOK / N. VARRONE Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 324 24:03:56.592 56 Laps 2 Laps 28 269 3:54.093 209.5
Not classified
60 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo M 289 20:49:43.957 22 258 3:53.765 209.8 C. SCHIAVONI / A. BALZAN / R. GIAMMARIA LMGTE Am
Retired
31 WRT S. GELAEL / R. FRIJNS / R. RAST Oreca 07 – Gibson LMP2 G 285 18:39:24.922 35 131 3:32.136 231.2
64 Corvette Racing T. MILNER / N. TANDY / A. SIMS Chevrolet Corvette C8.R LMGTE Pro M 260 17:48:06.898 18 240 3:48.771 214.4
56 Team Project 1 B. IRIBE / O. MILLROY / B. BARNICOAT Porsche 911 RSR – 19 LMGTE Am M 241 16:35:42.822 17 54 3:52.046 211.4
63 Corvette Racing A. GARCIA / J. TAYLOR / N. CATSBURG Chevrolet Corvette C8.R LMGTE Pro M 214 15:53:20.947 16 156 3:49.696 213.6
59 Inception Racing A. WEST / C. LEDOGAR / M. KLEIN Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 190 13:03:15.012 14 130 3:54.379 209.3
71 Spirit of Race F. DEZOTEUX / P. RAGUES / G. AUBRY Ferrari 488 GTE Evo LMGTE Am M 127 9:49:49.725 10 61 3:54.374 209.3
7:52:30.427 45 3:53.977 209.7 D’Station Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE AMR 777 S. HOSHINO / T. FUJII / C. FAGG LMGTE Am M 112 9
46 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR – 19 M 77 5:55:46.174 9 4 3:51.318 212.1 M. CAIROLI / M. PEDERSEN / N. LEUTWILER LMGTE Am By Melissa Warren
