Some great advice there, KC. I would emphasise a couple of things:-
1. I agree you should take as many shots as you can. You may have to have to take dozens (or more) to get one gem. I've been taking pictures at Le Mans for 16 years and I
still haven't taken what I consider to be a great shot at night (even though I never sleep!).
2. If you've no experience of panning, don't expect to get superb Autosport style shots straight away, particularly at night. It took me a couple of years to get the hang of it and I still get it wrong more often than not.
Perhaps my best piece of advice is to look out for those places where you can get good shots. Although I adore the place, Le Mans has become much more difficult to photograph at over the last 5 years or so because of all the debris fencing. You can find gaps here and there though, such as at the Ford Chicane, up high at the Esses, on the inside of Tertre Rouge on the exit of the corner, Mulsanne Corner and so on.
I always take a tripod as I like the long exposure night shots of the cars streaming past the pits in particular, and the "Welcome Building" gives you the perfect opportunity for those. (I think I must have taken exactly the same shot from there in each of the last 4 years!).
Just one other thing, KC refers to predictive autofocus. I use a nearly 10 year old EOS 100 with a 4.5-5.6 100-300 zoom. Not fast at all, but I find the autofocus very good for oncoming shots (in daylight, that is!). I never use it when panning. For someone whose eyesight is as poor as mine, autofocus is quite a boon.
You don't say whether you've been yet, Gavin? If you haven't and you're going next year, all I can say is - enjoy! (If you have been, you won't need me to tell you what an experience it is!).
