My Le Mans Review

[Liz]

Sarah and Daniel and I had a great time at the race and are already making plans to return next year. It definitely should not be missed.

I joined the ACO to get the ticket discount, and agree with the circuit guide that they present the impression they couldn't organize an orgy in a whorehouse, but if you keep after them they do manage to come through in the end. Their prices on general admission tickets were substantially less than the ones on offer from the booking agencies, and the ACO grandstand was worth the money although I was only in it for about 6 hours of the 24; it's very comfortable and shaded and situated so a breeze blows through it most of the time, and behind the seats there is a bar with televisions that show both the race and race results. I was right across from the Audi, Viper and Corvette pits (and Deborah and the VWs and the WRs too) and with a good pair of field glasses could be a part of everything they were doing.

We took the ferry Friday morning and drove from Calais in about 6 hours, arrived about 5:00 p.m. and found our campsite, got our tent pitched, and went up to the trackside village to poke round the stalls and have dinner and watch people who should not have been on the track racing their cars ... went to sleep around 1:00 a.m. surrounded by fireworks being shot off by the Germans behind us - they finally ran out around 4:00 I am told. Up early the next morning and up to the track for breakfast trackside at the ACO and watching the warmups. This spot is right across from the pit straight but up a ways from the pits, and you can sit on the grass and see very well what they are doing out there. Then a lot of shopping and some time watching the support races, and then I was off to the grandstand for the start. Very hard to find the place, but a very good location and I took most of my first roll of film of the cars gridding and the takeoff - we had a tv screen across and I was able to watch the terrible fire in the 4 car (DAMS Cadillac) and was very thankful the pilote escaped with only minor injuries and the scare of his young life. The car burnt to a cinder and I saw the remains on the back of the truck as it came in. Also saw Dalmas' car being dragged back to retirement.

Thence up to the Dunlop curves to take many pictures of the Panoz and Courage entries and as many others as I could identify - back to the ACO refuge to sdit in the cool for a few hours and watch on the big screen - always attended by Radio Le Mans. (Incidentally, I got a radio with a headset and found it to be by far the better way; I put one earphone over the ear plug in my good ear and left the other ear uncovered, and found that the signal came in clearly everywhere but in the tunnels, as opposed to those who carried handsets and had directional trouble. Besides it keeps both hands free for taking pictures and carrying loot.) As it got dark we moved down to the corners by the Maison Blanche campgrounds as we had a midnight excursion to Mulsanne and Arnage and it was down that way.

The Airtrack excursion was worth it to us as the French police were doing their usual inexplicable (according to everyone we spoke to) job of closing roads arbitrarily so we thought we could not get through on the bus. Directly we had passed by, apparently, and set out to walk, they opened up the roads again! So the bus caught up with us and took us on to the Mulsanne corner. (The police told us it was 200 meters walk, in fact it was a mile and a half.) Some good pictures from there, but the best by far were at Arnage - took a whole roll of pictures of cars storming up to the braking point, standing on the brakes - brake discs lighting up and in the case of the DAMS Cadillacs, sparks shooting off the bottom of the car as well - saw Wendlinger throw the Viper off into the escape road, reverse it and get back on the piste with no problem - and then it was back to the tent at 4:00 a.m. for a few hours sleep lulled by downshifting Corvettes and the very distinctive howl of the Panoz cars.

After breakfast the next morning we trudged down through the fun fair as far down toward the Mulsanne Straight as we could get, for pictures of another angle - then back to watch the finish of the race, me to the grandstand and the others to the area in front of the grandstand. Very good shots of the Audi pits, includng the stupid cameraman who stood INSIDE the No. 7 car's box and was deservedly knocked down when the car came in (not hurt, just sent flying). Also got a ringside view of the car that hit its brakes at the pit out and its hood (bonnet) flew up! The guy just calmly opened his door and raced the car round the track (and the other pilotes confirmed he DID race!) with his head out the door. He got a big round of applause when he brought the car back in to have the hood stuck down, and it was also mentioned that the car had neither side windows nor back windscreen, both having given up some time during the race.

When it got obvious the Audis were going to finish 1-2-3, all the Audi people came down to the pit wall with flags and banners, and the cars were put into formatoin, as were the Vipers and the two remaining Cadillacs, and as each formation swept by, everyone cheered loudly. I took my picturs on the penultimate lap, and sparing a bit of exasperation for the two porsches who took each other off on that lap in their desire to be first past the flag, I shot off to the car to meet the others and we got out ahead of a significant number of the crowd. From there it was a quiet motor up to Calais and the last boat across, to meet up with Hurricane and go flying up the motorway with the racing sounds still ringing in my ears.

I'll write a fuller descriptoin when I get home, but that was the general picture. I had a wonderful time.

[marcus]

certainly sounds like you had a great time Liz..carnt wait to hear more

[yelwoci]

Just to say thanks for that.
Coverage of Le Mans in UK was worse than usual because of the oiks kicking the pigs bladder about!
IanC

[Carrie]

Thanks for telling us all about your trip to Le Mans, Liz Spending the weekend trying to keep up with the race on Radio Le Mans with no TV coverage just ain't quite the same!

[Liz]

Carrie and everybody if you want to go next year, there is already a group forming up. It's not expensive and if you book the time off now so you can plan, it's not difficult! I am doing AirTrack again and would be glad to general a group if anybody wants to join in. Hurricane, Bluebottle and TimD will be in another area and I'm sure they too would be glad to have company!

Which reminds me, I must contact AirTrack and thank them for their very good work. Brownie points are always handy! Besides, it WAS good work - and they even found me insurance when nobody in Canada would sell me any because I bought my trip in the UK. Page & Moy would not do that.