RS2 JIM

iTrader: (5)

As title, if anyone can recommend what the best option ticket-wise for a couple of first timers that would be appreciated.

We're leaving Aberdeen on the Fri night, driving to Rosyth to catch the Superfast over to Zebrugge and then driving to Le Mans. We plan to camp out under the stars so will bet a camping pass and parking pass. Only thing is, where is best to get for watching the race and enjoying the whole Le Mans experience?

Any advise is much appreciated,

Cheers

James

boulevard

iTrader: (1)

I am going to watch the Moto Gp there in may, and have booked through these guys, http://motorsport-tours.com/
It all looks pretty proffessionally run.

Steve

tmo

Loads of places to watch, you will eventually find a favourite place. Mine is on the banking in the breaking area for the Ford Chicane, just as the light is fading, cars come from right to left (down from the porche curves) stand on the brakes (mucho glowing brake discs) and mush down the gearbox (mucho flames on overrun) beer in hand … very very therapeutic.
Another one is at the bottom of the tribunes / Grandstands right up against the mesh fencing as close as you can get to the start of the straight (if you stand looking at the pits you need to be as far to the right as possible) in the early hours of the morning as the cars exit the ford chicane onto the main straight and nail the throttle, the sound is indescribable and you are about 2 – 3 feet from the cars.

Blackscooby

Roll on June Can't wait. Haven't been to Le Mans for 25 years !

Holy Ghost

RS2

i get mine from www.justtickets.co.uk tho not going this year. the last two times, i've had superb tickets on the start/finish line - ask for main grandstand (Tribune) and try to get them on escalier 1 so you can lean over and look into the pits.

get your seats around Tribune 12 & you'll be as close as you can get to the winner's podium (without being on a corporate hospitality junket). a cool place to be when the bentley speed8s won in 2003.

camping: ask for "camping bleu," (aka little britain) 10 mins walk from the Tribune, close to arnage village, most sheltered & will allow you to cat-nap over the noise. good fast food point in the corner. all in, £125/head from the above but book them fast.

good places to watch: arnage, porsche curve, indianapolis, mulsanne at night. most anywhere.

good trick: miss the traffic and spend sunday night in nearby Gace (40 miles) at Castel Morphee (2, rue de lisieux) - a stylish shabby-chic E40/night manor house. contact: dominique.henras@wanadoo.fr or tel: 02.33.35.51.01. it's a real find and very few people know of it.

stock up: carrefour in central le mans; the shops in arnage village.

hope that helps.

cactus jim

me any my crew stay in houx annexe inside the main circuit, and a reasonable place to camp. tickets have already gone on sale and seem to be fetching about £100 on ebay so maybe not worth paying that much and looking for other areas, maison blanche, houx, tetre rouge.

there are loads of websites dedicated to it all, i will see if i can find the links at home tonight.

more than happy to meet up with fellow scoobynetters, we are catching the 8AM Thursday AM seacat this year.

Zeebrugge is belguim, seems a long way to go to get to mid france? obvioulsy enjoy the long drive!!

RS2 JIM

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the responses folks!!

I'll do a bit of searching tonight for tickets and see what's still available.

I'll let you know how i get on.

Thanks again!

James

RS2 JIM

iTrader: (5)

Cactus,

We are from Aberdeen and i've worked out it's easier to drive from Abz to Rosyth, 120miles, and then ferry to Zebrugge where it's only 320 miles to Le Mans. Otherwise it would mean making the 600+ mile treck to Dover.....not up for that.

Oh and it'll all be covered in a Jag XJR 100 so plenty of 'cruising' power!

I'd be up for meeting up too if you wanted? We should be arriving at the circuit around 1600hrs on the Thurs if all goes well.

Cheers

BOB.T

You'll love it!

It doesn't really matter where you go, the race is on for 24 hrs, you can go just about everywhere!

I'd really recomend going to Arnage in the dark, it's totally superb! As above, you see the brakes glowing and stuff, you even see the turbos glowing on the Porsches!

We found the driving there and back was as much fun as being there, the amount of exotic machinery is incredible and it's all making progress!

Have fun!

tuscan57

been twice with my dad in his E-TYPE and as bob says the drive there is awesome....... will take the spec 'c' hopefully one day.......

cactus jim

No worries, corse we can meet, the more the merrier, keep in touch and lets keep this thread running till the event, i am booking my crossing this week.

http://www.larrylemans.co.uk

http://www.beermountain.com

http://www.maisonblanche.co.uk

http://www.racecar.com

Wallop!

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

You'll love Le Mans! There's nothing else like it The experience starts before you get on the ferry.

The drive to and from the circuit is as much of the experience as the race itself. However, the police seem to be getting less tollerent to hundreds of British cars tearing through their country, so procede with a bit of caution. It's best to take the 'back' roads where possible - the surfaces are generally good, and the lack of traffic means making progress shouldn't be difficult.

We tend to go for the cheep option and park/camp in Parking Bleu - buy the tickets when we arrive on the Friday afternoon. The weekend is as much about drinking beer / cooking French sausages on barbies as watching the cars on the race track. If you want to know how the race is going, bring a personal radio so you can listen to Radio Le Mans as you walk around.

It will probably take a few years to find your favourite places - if you go once, you'll be hooked!!

My 2002 experience is here (excuse the lack of pages / dodgy links, I ran outta webspace!)

BOB.T

We tipped up an hour before the race and left straight after if finished, the overnight part didn't really figure in our planning! We had to rough it and we slept on the ground at Arnage, not really ideal!

King RA

I've just booked up

Always wanted to do this but never got around to it, I just thought bo11ox to it and booked up 4 tickets, don't even know if anyone else is up for it yet

tmo

Best bit of advice you can get - "bring a personal radio" it makes soooo much difference believe me.
Also carry a towel with you (in your rucksack) for two reasons,
1 – Helps to insulate the beer (if you can’t take a fridge / generator then a small filled childrens swimming pool works great as a pre-cooler
2- Just in case you pass the shower block and the queue is less than 20 people long !!

GM

Spent a week there marshalling about 10 years ago (poste 61 - infield side of the second chicane on Maulsanne). Absolutely amazing. Particularly as we were able to spend large chunks of the week before wandering round the pits, in and out of garages. Totally different to any other motorsport I've ever done. Manhandling an Esprit with a broken gearbox off a live track in the dark certainly concentrates the mind...

Abdabz

Nope - never ever been - its hard enough watching an entire grand prix zzzzzz

hoskib

iTrader: (1)

GM (or anyone who knows the area as it goes) is there some sort of golf course inside the circuit near the mulsane straight? only asking as i'm pretty positive me and some mates stumbled thru it and came out next to the armco alongside the straight.

probably a couple of hundred yards from the end where it goes into a tight bend (might have been a chicane)

not to sure as i spent about 3 days totally plastered, but would recomend it to anyone. a truely fantastic experience (le mans that is, not being pissed for 3 days)

GM

Yup, the golf club actually belongs to the ACO who run the race. The entrance is immediately after the Maulsanne Corner. Used the showers there when we were camping in a pine wood beside our post (but don't tell anyone, right.....)