This weekend, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has a meeting with endurance, excitement and prototypes. The European Le Mans Series kicks off the second half of its 2022 season, although it will not be alone, as it will have up to three supporting championships and between them they will hold a total of eleven races in two days.
The event’s sporting programme promises to cater for all tastes and preferences. For fans of prototypes and endurance, the European Le Mans Series will certainly be the championship to watch up close. In particular, Prema Racing (Lorenzo Colombo, Ferdinand Habsburg, Louis Deletraz) and Cool Racing (Malthe Jakobsen, Michael Benham, Maurice Smith) lead the LMP2 and LMP3 categories respectively. In the GT division, this honour goes to the Proton Competition squad of Christian Ried, Lorenzo Ferrari and Gianmaria Bruni.
The ELMS will hold free practice on Saturday at 11:10 a.m. They will also do qualifying from 3:45 p.m., divided into the three existing categories. They will finish this session at 4:25 p.m. On Sunday, they will compete in the 4H of Barcelona, a very demanding race which will start at 11:45 a.m. Before that, at the starting grid, the fans will have the chance to walk along the main straight of the Circuit and watch all the cars in formation up close. Sunday will host some other very interesting activities for the fans, such as the Pit Walk at 10:05 a.m. and the autograph session at the same location until 10:35 a.m.
The Mitjet France arrives in Barcelona with three races already run and a lot of equality between two of its participants. Romain Favre leads the points table, but is closely followed by Benoit Castagne, just 15 points behind. The event will feature some of the shortest races of the event, sprint races of just 20 minutes each. The first race will take place at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the second at 1:30 p.m. and the third at 4:55 p.m. As if all this wasn’t enough, on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., the single-make cup will face a final round. With so many points at stake, everything could change after the race at the Circuit.
As its name suggests, the Sprint Cup by Funyo is another championship that brings together a group of identical cars under the umbrella of the same brand, in this case prototypes, which also carry out sprint races. The French championship has a provisional leader who is currently a long way off the rest of the field. Xavier Fouineau is the clear leader with a gap of more than 100 points, followed by Jesse Bouhet and Edouard Hery. The Sprint Cup by Funyo will also have a total of four races, two on Saturday (2:10 p.m. and 5:35 p.mm) and two on Sunday (9:35 a.m. and 4:25 p.m.).
Last but not least, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux is going to show its magic on Catalan soil. Lovers of the one-make cup will be able to see up close if leader Harry King manages to maintain his lead over Genn Van Parijs and Christian Cordeel. Both races will take place on Saturday. One will take place at 9.40 a.m. and the other at 2.55 p.m. Both races will last 30 minutes, enough time to see the usual overtaking in one of the most closely contested races on the European continent.
Activities and proposals
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will have an area dedicated to fans during the whole weekend, which will host different activities and experiences, called Rookyland. There will be simulators, augmented reality experiences, a shop with official merchandising, games with prizes and rewards, a bouncy castle and a giant screen to keep an eye on the sporting activity, among others. There will also be constant entertainment to the rhythm of batucadas and even an exhibition of urban trial. In addition, with the general admission ticket, fans can participate in the Pit Walk and Grid Walk (limited capacity) and have access to the paddock.
Tickets and discounts
The general admission ticket consists of a two-day pass (Saturday and Sunday) and costs 15 €. As usual, children up to five years old will have free access to the Circuit. The Junior rate (from 6 to 15 years old) has a 50% discount, as well as the Senior rate (for over 65 years old).
Access to the Circuit
Access will be through gate 3 from 8:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The available car park will be IN6. The grandstands open to follow the activity will be the Main Grandstand and Grandstands C, B, G and F.