Fastest part of the circuit to view from?

[Ali*]

I'm just wondering after looking at some of excellent photos of test day, wheres the best place general spectators can get to seeing the cars at their fastest, without dodging officials or jumping fences?

[C_g]

The restaurant along Mulsanne, right before the first chicane. I forget the name. The cars come through there around 200mph.

[Mal]

Its not easy to get to view even at the restaurant during the race, you stand a better chance during practice and qualifying though.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by Mal
Its not easy to get to view even at the restaurant during the race, you stand a better chance during practice and qualifying though.

Yes. Last year they barricaded off the "viewing areas" (i.e. by the fences/gates at the restaurants) so you couldn't get near them. If its the same this year (probably will be), your best bet is to book a table for a meal!

[Javi]

Th may not be the fastest part, but my favourite parts are the Porsche curves and Tetre Rouge...

[rdjones]

Originally posted by Javi
Th may not be the fastest part, but my favourite parts are the Porsche curves and Tetre Rouge...

I was going to suggest those two places myself, bit well worth a visit...

[Fab]

The end of the starting straight (270 kph), the far end of Mulsanne area (quite fast, and full flat out acceleration). Good place to record the sounds as well !

[kdr]

i think the run up to the porsche curves is the fastest place you can watch without gendarme dodging.

[Mal]

Originally posted by Javi
Th may not be the fastest part, but my favourite parts are the Porsche curves and Tetre Rouge...

The path inside the trees on the short run up to tetre rouge is one on the best spots and you get a great impression of speed as you are only a few yards from the cars. At night, in particular it is stunning at this point and the noise is awesome

[Aysedasi]

The most important thing (IMHO) is to get out and about as much as you can during the night. This is when the sights and sounds of Le Mans are at their most intense. As Mal says, get yourself right down as far as you can go to Tertre Rouge and take the underpass inside the circuit and watch the cars round the corner from the viewing area on the inside. Also, walk back from there (still on the inside) to what used to be the hillock at the bottom of the drop from the Dunlop Bridge.

Having finally found the Porsche Curves viewing area at the Classic last year, that looked to me like a darned good place to watch from - again, especially during the night.

[Javi]

There is a good viewing area OUTSIDE the circuit fence. I discovered (among many others) last year, when, having a Parking bleu entry, we were redirected to a parking that was far away, much closer to the porsche curves than to the main entrance (we had to get the shuttle). But, in this parking, otside the fence, there was a little hill that gave good view to the first corner of the porsche curves. very fast and very spectacualr at night, becasue you saw the cars going directly to you and then cornering hard to the right

[Aysedasi]

Yes, Javi, that's the area I was referring to at the end of my last post. I never managed to get there until towards the end of the Classic races last September.

[Javi]

Well, Aysedasi, you´ve been for many years at LM and didn´t notice that spot ´til now. Then I shouldn´t be worried because in my two years I haven´t visited mulsanne´s straight... (I promise to go this year)

[Aysedasi]

Yep, still plenty for everyone to see - and learn, Javi. I don't think the enclosure at the Porsche Curves has been there all that long - someone will tell us when it was created, I'm sure.

As far as the Mulsanne is concerned, you need to go with someone (preferably in a car) who knows the route. There are no official viewing areas there of course (I'm not talking about Mulsanne Corner), but even if you can get to the restaurants, perferably in the darkness, and peer through the "unofficial" gaps in the hedge - the sensation is absolutely awesome. Enjoy.

[kdr]

when i first went in 1998 i'm pretty sure the spectator enclosure at the porsche curves was a hospitatlity area.

did anyone see the large pull out advert for marque park in autosport this week? its the arena near the start of the mulsanne straight.

[Ali*]

Thanks for the reply's, I will remember these places, unfortunately cant make it this year due to A level exams,but 2004 should be a good year for going with the new regulations!

[rdjones]

Originally posted by kdr
did anyone see the large pull out advert for marque park in autosport this week? its the arena near the start of the mulsanne straight.

Yes, I saw that looks very expensive, but might be worth a look, when I have more money

[Nick M]

We had a meal at the restaurant last year - bleedin' loud but also quite surreal to see cars whistling past at 200mph plus !!

The spectator area at Mulsanne Corner is great too - wander down alongside the track in the direction of Indianapolis and the cars are accelerating hard all the way down there. I think this is now the quickest bit of the circuit following the introduction of the chicanes.

Secondly, don't forget to make the trip down to Arnage / Indianapolis at night. It's actually one of the slowest bits of the circuit but the view as the cars brake for Arnage and then nail it down the straight to the Porsche curves is brilliant - glowing brake discs, flaming exhausts, pops, bangs, drivers hanging the back end out !! Top stuff !!

But all of the other spots mentioned above have their advantages - you need to get out and about and savour the sights and sounds.

[Aysedasi]

Absolutely right Nick - and welcome to the forum!

[Nick M]

Thanks

[Javi]

If you can find a good place, and with good lens for your camera (my 300 mm worked superb last year there), Arnage is one of the best photographic points. You can picture the cars while accelerating out of the corner...
Discs glow red at dusk as they brake on the approach to tetre rouge as well. I specially remember the pescarolo courages in 2001 with the front discs "on fire"....

[Aysedasi]

True, but the fencing is still a damned nuisance to the photographer there. (Like pretty well everywhere else).

[pirenzo]

Fencing.

I ignore it. I take it as being a sad fact of racing that i can't do anything about.

I don't really mind if there's catch fencing in my photos.
I suppose that's because although i've finally got my own camera, it's nothing like anything a professional would have, or even anything Ayse or Javi would have. Still, it's a vast improvement on a disposable.

Funny also you say 300mm javi. I don't know enough about cameras to know whether what it says on my camera in mm, is the same as what you refer to, but mine says 38-76mm... I think really everything's so damn small on my camera that catch fencing doesn't really show up anyway

[Javi]

Last year I used to shoot through the fence sometimes, but I guess there´s a place at Arnage where you can shoot over it. I placed myself on the very left of the viewing area, beside a tree, where the terrain is a little bit higher than tha fence, and managed to shoot over it.
To Pirenzo: Your camera probably is small not to catch the fences, but I promise you than it be more comfortable (will weigh much much less) than my old Canon Ftb (Year 75) with to "oh so heavy" 300 mm lens. I usually have to rest the lens somewhere to shoot because is difficult to keep in the hands!!. anyway I love it... (I must be mad not to change for a newer camera, but...)

[pirenzo]

I will get a better camera one day, but at the moment i have to look completely happy with what i've got or my parents will be disappointed. I only got it this Christmas... Actually it does the job well enough.