[LM24] Le Mans 2007

[Pilgrimage]

Originally Posted by Lusitano

I have been there only once and I already know how that feels. hehehe

There should be a councilling service!

[broadrun96]

With the new M3 due to have an M5 v10-derived V8 under the hood, do you think we could see a new full GT2 car developed to replace the semi-legal GTR from a few years ago? We have the GT2S car here in the ALMS, but its just not right seein a 4 door racing, just somethin not as good with the lines. But I guess it will help new teams have a cheaper place to enter the series before moving up to real cars.

[rblanshard]

I've been wanting to go Le Mans for the past few years and I really wanted to go this year, but the deals just weren't closing in time. Come hell or high water, I will be there next year.

[Asp]

Well, I only went as a taster this year, but I was bitten by the bug, so providing the finals finish in time (which they should), I'll be there.
I might see about bring my bike down though, make travelling around much quicker and easier.

[Animeishdwarf]

Originally Posted by Steve Tarrant

I know the quote above was written in jest ................

.................. but after having been disabled in motorsport when I lost my leg against a Lotus F1 car at Goodwood in 2000, this year I was able to MARSHAL at the race, flagging from post 106 (on the straight from Arnage to Porsche)!!!!

And will I be back there for next year? You betcha!!!!!!!!!


Steve

Trust me, I would...to get out of my house, and out of Pennsylvania, USA. I'd give a whole lot up.

[Animeishdwarf]

But then again..maybe not...but I would give up like my whole savings account (which is porlly abuot how much it would cost anyway)

[ANT1...]

Hey all, went this year, me and my dad put the motorbike in the back. When we got there, parked up the van, got the bike out and left the van still for a week. Moving about on the bike was alot easier and quicker, I'd advise it to anyone else of they could do it.
Not sure about next year, got exams around the annual pilgrimage, my dad's going to book it anyway and pray that i havent got any exams on the dates that we're away, or i cant go

We stayed about 20 miles down the road from le mans in la chartre sur-le-loir, a legendary hotel, pub and restaurant that is full of racing memorabilia, worth a visit.

Look forward to the Peugeot v Audi next year

[Truckosaurus]

Originally Posted by ANT1...

We stayed about 20 miles down the road from le mans in la chartre sur-le-loir, a legendary hotel, pub and restaurant that is full of racing memorabilia, worth a visit.

Indeed, not too many classic and sportscars in the square this year (around luncheon time) but well worth the pootle through the countryside to have a couple of cold beverages outside the hotel de france.

ps. I've ordered my tickets for 2007 already, just have to wait and see what the ACO lotto spits out. Only a couple of weeks until the Classic, should be going down in my mate's new Roush Mustang and camping in KN (another 1st) - have we got a Classic thread...? ([goes to look...])

[dj choc ice]

well im going to be making my way down to lemans next year since i will have my own car and drivers license i will be camping in one of the many campsites but im hoping im going to end up next to some of the 10-tenths guys or if im lucky i end up camping not too far from the mulsanne straight but look out for either a black lupo or black ford ka with a tall spiky haired lunatic cheering zytek because that'll be me, i cant wait im going to book my holiday with crystal holidays since they do a package for the race were you camp there and all for roughly £180 which i think is not too bad or is there cheaper if so PM me because im getting a passport as well at the moment and ill see you guys there in 2007

ciao

[Truckosaurus]

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

...im going to book my holiday with crystal holidays since they do a package for the race were you camp there and all for roughly £180 which i think is not too bad or is there cheaper ...

Have a look at the list prices of the tickets on the ACO website, you should be able to get camping, entry and grandstand tickets for around £100 a head, so there is plenty to be saved going the DIY route rather than booking with an agency.

[AllonFS]

I'll be there of course, hopefully part of the ever-expanding 10-10ths group again. At this rate we will need to reserve the whole of Arnage camping...

As for things to bring, night-vision goggles and/or walking sticks for those rather inebriated members of our group who are unable to stay out of ditches when returning from Arnage village at 2am. (Hursty is still limping and off to the drs )

On a separate note, great to hear you marshalled this year Steve. Know your story from your website, hope you enjoyed it and thanks to you and all the marshalls who make the race possible.

[GT6]

Originally Posted by Truckosaurus

Indeed, not too many classic and sportscars in the square this year (around luncheon time) but well worth the pootle through the countryside to have a couple of cold beverages outside the hotel de france.

ps. I've ordered my tickets for 2007 already, just have to wait and see what the ACO lotto spits out. Only a couple of weeks until the Classic, should be going down in my mate's new Roush Mustang and camping in KN (another 1st) - have we got a Classic thread...? ([goes to look...])

Until this year we always headed for the village/town on Friday and spent lunchtime looking at the cars and enjoying the Hotel de France, however each year the numbers of old cars appeared to get smaller, we found out why this year.

Just north of Le Mans St Saturin is now hosting a classic car event on the Friday, we arrived in the morning and it was packed with old french cars, including many british built classics, the envent appeared to be sponsered by the Aston martin heritage trust and whole event was well worth the trip.

As the campsite faithful rose from the traditional thursday evening at Le Mans they began to arrive in thier thousands.

The event was extremely well run and free, and if your car did make it into the show area rather than the ordinary car parks, you got a bag full of goodies.

My congratulations to all those both French and British who organised this event and I must urge all those at the 2007 Le Mans to visit St Saturin next year.

[Steve Tarrant]

Originally Posted by AllonFS

On a separate note, great to hear you marshalled this year Steve. Know your story from your website, hope you enjoyed it and thanks to you and all the marshalls who make the race possible.

Did I enjoy it? To get there anyway as a marshal is an honour, to do it as a disabled marshal is all the more special!!!! Thankfully, the ACO aren't hampered with H&S rulings as we seem to be over here, and allowed me the opportunity to show what I could do.

And I was sad enough to watch the highlights programme on MotorsTV and saw myself a number of times, from the new camera position they used on the "straight" from Arnage to Porsche, especially on the Audi's last lap where I rolled forward in my wheelchair to wave the white flag!!!!


Steve

[racerkeke]

Animeishdwarf:
I'm a Canadian marshal who has the Le Mans bug, and I do it on $2000 or less. I could probably do it with having to buy tickets etc for about the same amount, since I spend money on items spectators don't have to, and vice versa. Essentially it's half for airfare and half for food, souvenirs, transport etc. But you can get cheaper airfares by booking as soon as the dates are set, or by being nice to someone with a lot of airline points (which is how I got there this year, thanks, bro). Essentially from North America you have to do a lot of it on faith -- faith that the dates don't change, faith that you'll get in (my acceptace doesn't usually get here until the week I leave), faith that you'll get vacation time, etc. I'm lucky that my top manager is racing-friendly, and makes sure to ask every January if "this is a Le Mans year".

You can do it and you should do it.

Hoping to make it back for the 75th,
keke

[Animeishdwarf]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

Animeishdwarf:
I'm a Canadian marshal who has the Le Mans bug, and I do it on $2000 or less. I could probably do it with having to buy tickets etc for about the same amount, since I spend money on items spectators don't have to, and vice versa. Essentially it's half for airfare and half for food, souvenirs, transport etc. But you can get cheaper airfares by booking as soon as the dates are set, or by being nice to someone with a lot of airline points (which is how I got there this year, thanks, bro). Essentially from North America you have to do a lot of it on faith -- faith that the dates don't change, faith that you'll get in (my acceptace doesn't usually get here until the week I leave), faith that you'll get vacation time, etc. I'm lucky that my top manager is racing-friendly, and makes sure to ask every January if "this is a Le Mans year".

You can do it and you should do it.

Hoping to make it back for the 75th,
keke

I guess it would help to tell you guys that I'm like 45 days from being only 16, and all 4 of my parents work, plus the "richer" side has two other children. so yeah it'd be a feat. ^_^;;

[racerkeke]

Well, maybe you'll make it for the 100th!

keke

[bonedome]

Hello Forum,

First time poster here. So far I've managed two trips to Le Mans in 2003 & 2005, the first time me and three mates just turned up and stood for what seemed the entire race, second time around we were a bit more organised with grandstand seats.
So this is why we are heading back next year. I've read all the comments about being bitten by the bug and I know what you mean.
A question for the forum, is the drive to Le Mans via Paris the better option, as the previous two trips were through the countryside from calais to rouen.
And where is the best place to be, in a grandstand or elsewhere, although a friend and I did manage a walk through the woods and came out just before the first chicane on saturday evening in 2005.

Any help wouid be gratefully appreciated to a newbie

[Pilgrimage]

Welcome to the forum.
I take the Calais Rouen route (unless i get lost) and used to head down the N138 the rest of the way.
Now there is the new Autoroute replacing the N138 (which will be renamed shortly i hear ) this is the fastest route.
Grandstand seats are good value and worth having, but i tend to travel round the circuit using the grandstand as a base.

[GT6]

Originally Posted by bonedome

Hello Forum,

First time poster here. So far I've managed two trips to Le Mans in 2003 & 2005, the first time me and three mates just turned up and stood for what seemed the entire race, second time around we were a bit more organised with grandstand seats.
So this is why we are heading back next year. I've read all the comments about being bitten by the bug and I know what you mean.
A question for the forum, is the drive to Le Mans via Paris the better option, as the previous two trips were through the countryside from calais to rouen.
And where is the best place to be, in a grandstand or elsewhere, although a friend and I did manage a walk through the woods and came out just before the first chicane on saturday evening in 2005.

Any help wouid be gratefully appreciated to a newbie

The Rouen route is I think the best, it is now almost unbroken motorway, however if you use the n138 it is a much nicer run, allowing stops for supermarket and drinks, and no tolls. Due to the fact that you are also driving on the old roman roads, straight between points a and b the old N138 is also shorter than the motorway which winds al over the place, see map.

Once at Le Mans, why walk around, you have a car drive, just follow the signs to Virage Mulsanne, porsche curves and Arnarge, it can take a while but it is well worth it. Just one point designate a driver to remain sober for each trip.

Once you have seen the race from those points you will go back each year, and also do it both in daylight and at night.

[dj choc ice]

well im going to turn up on the wednesday for the qualifying and then on thursday ill get a load of footage on my mini DV and friday ill take a wee walk around lemans itself and so on and go to the parade and meet up with some of the members of the forum and then on saturday up bright and early and stock up on beer for the race and ill be prepared for the greatest show on earth and ill be waving the zytek flag mind you ill be the only one probably cheering for the zytek or the creation

[TheNewBob]

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

well im going to turn up on the wednesday for the qualifying and then on thursday ill get a load of footage on my mini DV and friday ill take a wee walk around lemans itself and so on and go to the parade and meet up with some of the members of the forum and then on saturday up bright and early and stock up on beer for the race and ill be prepared for the greatest show on earth and ill be waving the zytek flag mind you ill be the only one probably cheering for the zytek or the creation

In that case, I might try and find a Morgan flag to wave hehe

I'm saving up already for the '07 race. For the immense amount of beer, I'd like a new camera, some decent new video camera and something original to go in style with (maybe my brother and his friends might bring their Pinzgauer again!). Early days to be saving up, you might think - but I know just how much beer I'll need to buy lol...

[dj choc ice]

hehe hey bob i didnt know the morgan was making a return to lemans ill have to find a morgan flag as well then for definite are you camping at the track bob or are you going to stay in a hotel?

[Pilgrimage]

Originally Posted by TheNewBob

... maybe my brother and his friends might bring their Pinzgauer again...

After a quick Google search you are either going in an army type 4x4 or a cow!!!

[dj choc ice]

wooohoooo! turn up on a cow bob that will get some attention from the gandermes on the way down to lemans

[TheNewBob]

A motorized cow! that would be amusing. Hardly practical, and coming down from Lincoln it might take some time to reach LM (unless the cow got it's skates on), but it's the fun that counts, I guess!

Pilgrimage, to cut your google search short, this is the vehicle they were travelling in...

http://www.themediamongrel.com/Image...eird_thing.JPG

http://www.themediamongrel.com/Image...ux_fun0027.JPG