The team from Cesena (I) rings in the countdown to 2022 in a short video.

For the past three years, Rahel Frey has been a member of the Italian motorsport organization Iron Lynx, which sees itself as a racing team as well as a racing academy and much more. In the process, the Iron Dames (Iron Women) form their own team, which in 2022 is to show more than ever what it can do.

As in the previous year, the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo is scheduled for the complete FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the European Le Mans Series with six races each, plus participation in the five Endurance Cup rounds of the GT World Challenge Europe with the somewhat tamer GT3 model.

The individual schedules allow for that, currently no dates overlap. So it fits perfectly.

Advancement to FIA Gold Driver
The Swiss driver's teammates are Michelle Gatting from Denmark and Sarah Bovy from Belgium. The Dane was the first woman to win the Ferrari Challenge Europe in the Pro category in 2021, while the Belgian is one of the biggest female talents of the future.

As a fast bronze medalist, Bovy is just as important to Iron Dames as Gatting and Frey. The experienced former DTM driver is the spearhead of Iron Dames. For 2022, the 35-year-old Swiss will be classified as a gold driver for the first time, which only compatriot Simona de Silvestro and Canadian Katherine Legge are besides her.

Small question that she is looking forward to the upcoming racing season.

Rahel Frey: "This will be a challenge for all of us! An opportunity like this is unique. I've really arrived in GT racing now and get to take on a lot of responsibility at Iron Lynx. That's also very much appreciated."

Team boss is FIA Commission President
The team is owned by the dedicated entrepreneur and Ferrari enthusiast Deborah Mayer from France. She has recently been appointed as the new President of the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport, succeeding former rally driver Michèle Mouton.

Since Mayer races herself, she knows what she's talking about, what to ask for and what realistic goals to set.

Rahel Frey: "There are a few projects in the pipeline for the next few years. Iron Lynx is also planning to move into race cars and will take the step to sports prototypes. For me, this one is out of the question, as I haven't driven aero cars like this for a long time and I take on important tasks in GT racing."

First victories in sight
Over the next month and a half, the three female racers will be preparing intensively for the season with test drives at various European race tracks. Their expectations are therefore correspondingly high.

Rahel Frey: "Our goal must be to be the first women to win races in the GT category of the ELMS, having already clinched several podium places. In the WEC, a ranking in the top five would be good. And in the GT World Challenge, we're competing for the newly announced Gold Cup, for which teams with a maximum of one Gold driver are allowed to compete. Unfortunately, that's why I get the least driving time in the ELMS and WEC according to the regulations. So it's important that we harmonize well and that everyone performs as expected."

Farewell to Audi and temp in Aedermannsdorf
The fact that Frey will no longer be in the service of Audi since 2022, which was previously possible as an instructor and customer sports driver at the Audi Driving Experience, is not inconvenient for her.

Rahel Frey: "It was nice with Audi. But now I no longer have time for it. I really enjoy my work at Iron lynx and also have more and more responsibility."

And when she still has time in between, as in the past winter weeks, she helps out "as the girl for everything" in her parents' garage in Aedermannsdorf, where her brother Enzo and sister Jenny are also involved.

No, Rahel Frey and her two team partners will certainly not be bored in 2022.

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Despite Philip Ellis' change of scene, Switzerland will certainly be represented by three strong drivers in the top-class 2022 DTM field. Like ABT newcomer Ricardo Feller, Nico Müller will also compete in an Audi R8 LMS evo - in the hope that Team Rosberg will make some changes.

Hope for improvement in the team
After a podium at the first DTM Weekend 2021 in Monza (P2 in Race 2), the 29-year-old from Berne in fact experienced one disappointment after another. In contrast to Team ABT, with which he had clinched the runner-up title in each of the previous two years with the turbo touring cars, Rosberg made no progress with the GT3 sports cars.

Nico Müller: "There will be some structural changes in the team in 2022, so I'm confident. We should be able to test more before and between races to draw conclusions about the direction we should take. We've also been able to prepare more specifically because we already have a season with the GT3 car behind us.We now have to do everything we can to move forward, because the championship will be contested again. Rosberg also has to prove itself as a team and they want to show that they can do better than last year."

Müller's teammate will be the American Dev Gore, as in 2021. While the Swiss wants to fight for the DTM title, Gore, who has significantly less experience in motorsport, plans to further reduce his gap to the top.

WEC racing and development work for Audi
At the same time, Müller is also racing in the World Endurance Championship in the new Vector Racing team in the LMP2 class. The season starts in mid-March with the prologue - the official test drives - and the subsequent 1000-mile race at Sebring.

The archaic U.S. race track in the heart of Florida is new territory for him. The LMP2 races are good practice for 2023 when Audi returns to the scene. The Swiss has long been busy with development work.

A courageous step by Rolf Ineichen
Rolf Ineichen (center gallery) takes another step up the career ladder. The fast Lucerne gentleman driver pilots one of the four Lamborghini Huracan GT3s from Grasser Racing. The 43-year-old is very familiar with the team and the car, but as a silver driver among the many professionals with platinum and gold ratings, he will have a tough time.

Having and mastering a racing sports car just for himself is a major new challenge for the multiple winner in races for the ADAC GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe, where he shared it with mostly professional partners. However, factory driver Mirko Bortolotti, who is one of his three DTM teammates, will certainly continue to provide him with advice and support as an opponent.

Rolf Ineichen: ""DTM has fascinated me for many years. At Grasser Racing, I've learned a lot in recent years and feel ready to tackle a new, exciting adventure in the DTM."

Ellis focuses on the U.S.
As already reported, Philip Ellis (gallery, right) is no longer entered in the DTM. Last season's shooting star (one victory and two further podium finishes) is now contesting the American sports car championship in the GTD class as a GT works driver for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. His team, Winward Racing, is based in the USA.

However, it is planned that the car from Zug will be used at one or two endurance races in Europe to support customer teams. For example, at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and Spa. Ellis is currently in Florida, where he will compete in the traditional 12 Hours of Sebring in the Winward Audi R8 on March 19. Last year's winning team finished sixth at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

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As part of the ADAC GT Masters, the racing team from Unterentfelden will compete on seven race weekends in Germany and Austria and take part in a total of 14 ADAC TCR Germany rounds.

A veteran and a newcomer
An Opel Astra TCR is driven by Vincent Radermecker (gallery left). The 54-year-old Belgian was able to put the championship crown on his head in the 2006 season in the Chevrolet Lacetti from Maurer Motorsport in the ADAC Procar Series. The former Belgian champion can boast numerous podium finishes and countless experiences from various racing events.

The experienced driver will support the second Astra driver, 29-year-old Michael Maurer (gallery right), in his first racing season. Beat Maurer's son is also a member of the management of maurer motorsport GmbH.

German ADAC event series as an ideal platform
After careful analysis and the desire to build on past successes, the decision was made to participate in current touring car racing again. The ADAC TCR Germany as part of the ADAC GT Masters is an excellent platform for this.

Beat Maurer, Managing Director of maurer motorsport GmbH: "After Chevrolet's withdrawal from the European market, we thought long and hard about how, where and with what we wanted to continue. We then decided at the end of the 2012 season to take a break with our active motorsport projects. Now it is definitely time to compete again."

Partnership with German team
Maurer's racing team has been able to celebrate many successes in the past, including various podium finishes and winning the ADAC Procar and DPM championships. At that time with factory support from MG Rover and Chevrolet.

This new project is now being carried out on our own initiative, without the support of the manufacturer.

Beat Maurer: "I am delighted that we have many familiar faces and partners back in the team and in our new challenge. We are also very pleased about the newly won partnership with the Lubner company from Georgenthal, the support partner for the Astra TCR. We want to build on our past successes. I am convinced that we have the right tools to do so with our program."

Swiss main sponsor
The team from Aargau was able to win over the company Starliner motorhomes & trailers as its main partner. The Swiss manufacturer of luxury motorhomes, special vehicles and race trailers will provide Maurer Motorsport with logistical support, among other things. Further partners are to be announced by the start of the season in Oschersleben at the end of April.

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The highlights of the third round of the 2022 World Championship in Mexico, which was again a huge crowd-pleaser and ended with the first Porsche victory.

With the first pole position for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team this season, Pascal Wehrlein put an exclamation mark on the Mexico City E-Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez already in qualifying. After initially taking the lead on the 2.6-kilometer track, which runs through the famous Foto Sol baseball stadium with its unique stadium atmosphere, he was third after half the distance.

His teammate André Lotterer, who started the race from third on the grid, followed in fourth. The leading group was close together. But in the final phase, the German team's perfect race strategy and optimum energy management had an impact.

Fruits of Porsche's efforts
The former Sauber GP driver first advanced to second place and shortly afterwards took the lead - followed by Marcel Fässler's long-time Audi teammate, who had started the race from third on the grid. At the finish, the two Porsche 99X Electric cars were almost ten seconds ahead of their pursuers.

Florian Modlinger, Overall Project Manager Formula E: "A memorable day for Porsche. The entire team was once again very focused and successfully implemented the good preparation at home in Weissach together with the drivers at the race track. They made no mistakes and showed the performance we expect from them. Even when they fell behind at the beginning, everyone in the team stayed calm. In the final phase they were then able to fight their way back to the front via the energy advantage they had built up and clinch this one-two with a very big lead."

In the team standings of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team improved to third place with its double victory in Mexico. In the drivers' standings, Pascal Wehrlein is third and André Lotterer is tied for fourth.

Mortara remains at the top in economy mode
Edoardo Mortara and the ROKiT Venturi Racing Team from Monaco remain at the top of the standings. In his qualifying group A, the Geneva native first defeated Robin Frijns in the quarterfinals and then André Lotterer in the semifinals. As a result, Mortara's Mercedes-powered Venturi was on row 1 of the grid, as it was last time in Saudi Arabia, this time alongside pole-sitter Wehrlein.

Initially, Edo kept behind the German before overtaking him in the eighth lap when the attack mode was activated and taking the lead. The Swiss stayed in front for 19 laps before the two Porsche drivers overtook him.

Mortara remains at the top of the table in economy mode
Because the third race of the season lasted one lap longer as a result of the high pace, Mortara had to pace the energy of his electric racer and cut back slightly. He improved from sixth place in the final phase back to fifth behind the two Porsches and the two DS Techeetahs of Vergne and Da Costa.

Defending champion Nyck de Vries in the identical works Mercedes finished immediately behind him after 40 laps. Mortara was thus able to extend his lead in the standings by one point. His team also remains ahead of the German in the championship standings.

First points for Sébastien Buemi
The second Swiss had to settle for 18th place on the grid in the 22-strong field and bobbed around in midfield until shortly before the end of the race.

Thanks to good energy management and a time penalty for Mortara's teammate Lucas di Grassi, Sébastien Buemi finished the race in eighth position, just ahead of his new teammate Maximilian Günther. This resulted in the first WRC points in 2022 for the two Nissan drivers.

Sébastien Buemi: "The jump from 18th on the grid to eighth in the race shows that we had good pace. Unfortunately, qualifying went less well. We have to work on that. All the more reason for me to look forward to the next race in Rome in April."

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The top-class line-up of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport for 2022 thus comprises a total of 17 drivers who will support the international customer and performance teams in selected racing events. A mix of experienced veterans and promising talents will be relied upon.

The first win of the season in the bag
Thus, the Germans Maximilian Buhk, Maro Engel, the reigning DTM champion Maximilian Götz, Thomas Jäger and Luca Stolz, the Frenchman Jules Gounon, the Spaniard Dani Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello from Ticino (gallery left) will once again compete as performance drivers in the world's most demanding GT series, as before, driving the sophisticated Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Marciello, who will no longer race under the Italian flag in 2022 and was born in Switzerland, won the 9 Hours of Kyalami in South Africa a week ago with Gounon and a Bulgarian customer.

Reward for outstanding performance
The Mercedes squad is supplemented by Philip Ellis (gallery, right). The 29-year-old from Zug was still active as a junior in Mercedes-AMG's Customer Racing program last year and is now moving up to become a performance driver.

Ellis recommended himself for this career leap last year with his DTM victory at the Lausitzring and, before that, with his triumph at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Philip Ellis: "I am enormously happy that I was able to sign a two-year contract. Having driven with Mercedes since 2019 and shared successes have been possible, I feel right at home with this brand. I thank everyone who has been part of this journey so far."

Ellis' last year's DTM teammate at Winward Racing Lucas Auer now also joins the circle of performance drivers. While Auer (still) and newcomer Maxi Götz will form the German-Texan team's DTM duo, Ellis will compete in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with his U.S. partner Russell Ward (son of the Winward team owner).

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After two double rounds at the 2021 finale in London and at the end of January as the 2022 season opener in Saudi Arabia, the FIA Formula E World Championship returns to a one-day event in Mexico.

Mexicans create the mood
After the electric racing series stopped off in Puebla last year, the Mexican Formula E race will once again take place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues.

The GP circuit, which has been shortened to 2.6 kilometers with 16 turns, is the only permanent race track on the current Formula E calendar and runs through the famous Foro Sol baseball stadium - so the atmosphere in the gigantic grandstands is guaranteed.

Mortara and the love of Mexico
As the world championship leader, Edoardo Mortara competes in the Venturi with a Mercedes powertrain. Two years ago, the Geneva native finished third at this circuit. And last year, Edo won the second race in Puebla.

Edoardo Mortara: "Things have usually gone well for me in Mexico in the past, and after the competitive weekend in Diriyah the momentum should be on our side. The unique atmosphere in this stadium makes every lap an experience and releases additional energy. If we can maintain the level of our performance, we should be strong again. But the goal is always the same - to score good points and keep the ball rolling in the World Championship."

With a maximum of 29 points awarded, Mortara's lead over defending champion Nyck de Vries is slim at four points, as is that of his Mercedes team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne and the nearest pursuers.

Buemi hopes for progress at Nissan
14 of the 22 drivers in the eleven teams have already scored points - but not Sébastien Buemi. The 33-year-old from the canton of Vaud is convinced that the Nissan team has improved its performance over the weekend in Saudi Arabia and can now turn this into a tangible result.

Buemi has been chasing his 14th Formula E triumph since the summer of 2019 in New York, when he took second place in the championship at the then finale of the year-long season.

Live on TV and Internet
The E-Prix Mexico City will be broadcast live on MySports CH and on Saturday evening, February 12, from 22:25 to 00:10. A livestream is also available at ran.de.

Even those who think nothing or not much of Formula E - the races in Mexico are always turbulent. It is certainly a change from the Winter Olympics, and the two Swiss drivers also deserve to have their fingers crossed on the hot asphalt instead of in the cold snow.

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The ABT Cupra Team celebrates its first podium at the Island X Prix in Sardinia in October 2021. Jutta Kleinschmidt and her new partner want to build on this success.

The multiple FIA Rally Raid World Cup winner from Qatar replaces Sweden's Mattias Ekström. The 51-year-old won the famous rally in 2011, 2015 and 2019 in South America and for the first time in Saudi Arabia last January.

Nasser Al-Attiyah: "I am proud to join the Cupra team for this adventure. With the experience of ABT Cupra XE and Jutta by my side, we are determined to race for victories. I can't wait to sit in the car and have fun."

Motivation injection for the only female Dakar winner
Kleinschmidt is the only woman so far to have won the legendary desert rally in Africa in 2001. The 59-year-old Cologne-born driver was initially nominated as an official substitute driver for all participating teams in the inaugural season of Extreme E, but then replaced Claudia Hürtgen in the ABT Cupra team as a permanent driver following the latter's withdrawal.

Jutta Kleinschmidt: "The fact that I can share my passion for off-road racing with such a great team and now also a Dakar star like Nasser is a fantastic motivation. Last year we created a solid basis, now the challenge is to be even more consistent and take victories - we're ready for it."

Race car gives foretaste of new production model
For the new season and the high goals, a new vehicle is also ready. The Cupra Tavascan XE immediately replaces the e-Cupra ABT XE1 of the first season.

With its spectacular exterior and striking LED lights, the off-road race car gives a first hint of the design language of the future Cupra Tavascan production vehicle. This is being designed and developed in Barcelona as the brand's second all-electric vehicle and is scheduled for market launch in Europe and overseas in 2024.

Sustainability is a top priority
The off-road racing series for all-electric buggies is the brainchild of Formula E creator Alejandro Agag. Here, motorsport is to be practiced under the sign of sustainability. He also wants to draw attention to climate change and endangered nature. During the individual races, the driver takes turns behind the wheel.

The season kicks off on February 18 in Neom (Saudi Arabia). At the beginning of May it's off to Sardinia (Italy), in June to Senegal or Scotland, in September to Chile and for the finale in October to the coast of Uruguay.

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The highlights of the 9 Hours of Kyalami. Although only twelve teams competed, it offered plenty of variety.

After the pandemic forced a postponement of the IGTC final race from December 4, 2021 to February 5, 2022, it went off absolutely smoothly on Saturday at the Kyalami Circuit near Johannesburg in thoroughly ideal external conditions. However, the starting field consisted of only a dozen teams.

Right from the start, AKKA ASP's Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Raffaele Marciello from Ticino, Frenchman Jules Gounon and Bulgarian Timur Boguslavskiy dominated the action (center and right gallery). Only thanks to a different strategy during the pit stops did the opponents from AF Corse Ferrari and Audi Sport briefly manage leading laps.

Runner-up title for Niederhauser
Local hero Kelvin van der Linde, Patric Niederhauser from Bern and Germany's Markus Winkelhock (left gallery) clinched third place in the R8 LMS from Audi Sport Team Saintéloc. In the battle for the IGTC drivers' title, "Nidi" and "Winki" were beaten by only one position and five points respectively.

The crown went to the Ferrari driver duo Côme Ledogar and Alessandro Pier Guidi, who finished second in the 9-hour race, and who received support from the Portuguese Miguel Molina at Kyalami.

With a second place of its best factory-supported customer team at the Spa 24 Hours in the summer of 2021, victory at the Indianapolis 8Hours in October (with Niederhauser, Haase and Winkelhock) and the final podium in South Africa Audi secured the win of the manufacturers' championship in the only worldwide GT3 series.

Patric Niederhauser: "We would have liked to fight for victory and the title, but we had blunt weapons against the Mercedes and the Ferraris with the Audi from the classification. I've never experienced it like this before despite a flawless race. From that point of view, we have to be satisfied with the result because we were the best Audi team in the end and at least finished on the podium. The Indy win and the runner-up title now remain a highlight of my career."

Solo class win for Lucas Légeret
The best driver pairing outside the professional category, which was only represented by five teams from Ferrari and Audi in South Africa, were Nicolas Baert, Simon Gachet and Lucas Légeret.

The Belgian-French-Swiss Audi junior team of Saintéloc Racing finished fifth, ten laps behind the top 4 who finished within 48 seconds of each other. Baert and Légeret thus won the Silver Cup classification without any competition after having missed this success by only 24 seconds at the Indianapolis 8H earlier.

9H Kyalami results

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The endurance race called Kyalami 9 Hour first took place in 1961. On Saturday, the 60th anniversary will be celebrated after it had to be postponed from December to February.

Nine weeks after the originally scheduled date, the finale of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) will take place in South Africa on Saturday, February 5. The latest Corona virus variant had forced a postponement of the 9 Hours of Kyalami at short notice in December. The tradition-steeped race track is around half an hour's drive from the city of Johannesburg.

Audi or Ferrari
Audi Sport leads the manufacturers' standings in the only worldwide race series for GT3 sports cars with a 36-point advantage after winning the last IGTC race in 2021 at Indianapolis. A manufacturer can collect a maximum of 43 points at the finale. In addition to championship leader Audi, only pursuer Ferrari still has a mathematical chance of winning the title.

Indy winner Niederhauser on the lookout
By contrast, the situation in the drivers' standings is completely open. The Indy winners Christopher Haase, Patric Niederhauser and Markus Winkelhock in second place are only two points behind the leading Ferrari driver trio Côme Ledogar, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Gallery right). Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, who are third in the standings, are the second-best Audi team and nine points off the top.

In order to spread the odds for an Audi Sport driver's crown, Haase will be driving another Audi at Kyalami. In his place, local hero Kelvin van der Linde, who last proved his speed in the 2021 DTM, will partner "Nidi" and "Winki" in the number #25 Audi R8 LMS (gallery left).

Threat of rain as in qualifying
In practice and pre-qualifying, the competition from Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari was still ahead with both cars. For the Bernese, however, this is not yet a cause for concern, as he reported from South Africa.

Patric Niederhauser: "It doesn't look as rosy as we had imagined. We're having a bit of a hard time against the two Mercedes. But nothing is lost yet and a podium is certainly possible. Nine hours is a long time, and the weather can also be a big factor, as it was last time in December 2020, because thunderstorms are forecast for race day - and if it rains here, then it really does. The important thing for us is simply not to make any mistakes and to beat both Ferraris."

Due to heavy rainfall and standing water on the track, qualifying had to be cancelled without replacement on Friday afternoon. The Super Pole Qualifying of the Top 8 from Pre-Qualifying also fell victim to the wet.

Two more podium contenders
With Raffaele Marciello and Lucas Légeret, Switzerland has two more hot irons in the fire in South Africa. Unlike a week ago in Daytona, the Ticino driver will be flying the Swiss flag. Marciello has held an ASS license since 2020.

While he is competing for his first win of the season in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 (center gallery), the Frenchman's primary objective in another Audi R8 LMS is the Pro-Am classification in which he already finished on the podium at Indianapolis.

However, following the withdrawal of several teams still named for the December race, only twelve cars will start, of which the four slowest are from the domestic GT series.

Live on the Internet
A livestream of the complete race, which starts at 1 p.m. local time (12 p.m. CET) on Saturday and ends after nine hours in darkness, is available at this Link on the homepage of the series, as well as a livetiming, or under this Link on the GTWorld YouTube channel. The broadcast starts at 11:30 a.m. Swiss time.

The four rings appear in a strong line-up as the preview written by Audi Sport shows.

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With a mix of talent and experience, the team from Sattel SZ wants to attack the top. Lorcan Hanafin (left gallery) took second place in the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. With this performance, the 19-year-old Briton also caught the attention of Porsche officials. In the selection process for the new Porsche Junior, Hanafin was one of a select few who were given the chance to prove themselves.

Alex Fach: "Even though it was just not enough for Lorcan in the shootout, he showed there that he is on the same level as the best. Together we can certainly achieve strong results."

Wish comes true
The team boss is also hoping for this from his son Alexander Fach (center gallery). As a two-time champion in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse, the Schwyz native of the same age also brings plenty of experience with the nine-eleven.

In the fall of 2020, Fach jr. also had his first taste of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland at Oschersleben and the Lausitzring.

Alexander Fach: "This is really a great opportunity. It was clear to me that I wanted to drive for Fach Auto Tech if at all possible. I know the team very well from the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse and from the Dubai 24 Hours last January. However, the field in the Carrera Cup is so strong that it won't be easy for me. But I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Season start in the context of the WEC
The trio is completed by Christof Langer (gallery, right). The German has been racing in this one-make cup for many years and will again be competing in the ProAm classification in 2022. Last season, Langer was able to improve step by step, and that's how it should continue.

The 2022 calendar comprises a total of eight race weekends and 16 rounds. The first showdown of the season is scheduled for May 5-7 as part of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

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