LM24 Fitting in Le Mans around exams or work...

Gingers4Justice · 23 Aug 2010, 16:22 (Ref:2749033)

Having missed Le Mans for the first time in 12 years this year with my school exams, having further exams in June for the next 2 years and then having to endure University for 3 years after that, Le Mans is getting increasingly difficult for me to attend.

I was wondering how other people have fitted Le Mans in around work or exams, and what's the best way of getting there if I just went to watch the race?

**Aysedasi** · 23 Aug 2010, 17:00 (Ref:2749056)

I fit work in around Le Mans...........

Down F0rce · 23 Aug 2010, 18:33 (Ref:2749118)

Le Mans has never clashed with my Uni exams. They tend to take place in late May and early June.

MartinSmith · 23 Aug 2010, 18:36 (Ref:2749121)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I fit work in around Le Mans...........

Seconded...Le Mans comes first!

Le Vieux · 24 Aug 2010, 05:43 (Ref:2749310)

Being retired has its benefits.......

m1fcf · 24 Aug 2010, 06:13 (Ref:2749315)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClaireSmith

Seconded...Le Mans comes first!

Thirded??

Le Mans is a week I always leave as holiday after all what could be more relaxing than a week of late nights, a few beers, loud noise and some petrol fumes!!

Gingers4Justice · 24 Aug 2010, 17:01 (Ref:2749554)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I fit work in around Le Mans...........

It's a lot harder with A levels though Ayse, I only get one shot at those.

Gingers4Justice · 24 Aug 2010, 17:02 (Ref:2749555)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Down F0rce

Le Mans has never clashed with my Uni exams. They tend to take place in late May and early June.

Thats a relief! I was having nightmares of missing Le Mans 5 years in a row.

**Aysedasi** · 24 Aug 2010, 17:24 (Ref:2749567)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

It's a lot harder with A levels though Ayse, I only get one shot at those.

That's true of course - I didn't get to Le Mans until I was 29 and (largely) past the exam stuff!

isynge · 24 Aug 2010, 18:32 (Ref:2749620)

I'm usually pretty good about getting my Le Mans holiday booked pretty early on, but work has at times intruded; 2009 in particular saw me having to be overseas in Warsaw until the Tuesday night with us heading off on Wednesday morning, which cut it all pretty fine.

A combination of thinking around it in terms of packing, and taking leaving things behind (passport, wallet, tickets excepted) in your stride and you can handle most things.

Obviously this is more complicated if you've got exams/work last thing Friday or first thing Monday, but as I've whinged about in the Silverstone 1000km thread, even that's sort of workable, so long as you're willing to accept a couple of compromises. Having lived for ages with no real prospect of seeing live sportscars I've come round to the idea that something is a whole lot better than nothing.

**Aysedasi** · 24 Aug 2010, 18:53 (Ref:2749634)

Trouble is for me Ian, that seeing a whole lot more this year for the first time means that I want that every year now!

isynge · 24 Aug 2010, 19:12 (Ref:2749644)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Trouble is for me Ian, that seeing a whole lot more this year for the first time means that I want that every year now!

Oh absolutely - I'd really struggle going back to the quick in and out now, but given the choice I'd do it.

You didn't hear the level of moaning that went on when I had to be in Norway on 13 Sept so missing the last bits of Silverstone (I have a very long suffering PA who had to give opinions on Aston Martin engine notes and whether they did constitute the last great sound ever), but being rational, and optimistic in thinking that there'll be something genuinely new next year, I get on with it. If I was in the horrific situation - like Rob was this year - of having to miss the whole event, I like to think I'd cope, and if all that was possible was a late Friday Eurostar and a sprint home to be at work on Monday, well, I'd take it, and I suspect, deep down, you would too...

**Adam43** · 24 Aug 2010, 19:12 (Ref:2749645)

University always finished before Le Mans. I used to miss the odd end of year bash because of it. However I made up for that throughout the rest of the year.

isynge · 24 Aug 2010, 19:30 (Ref:2749654)

Thinking about it, I can probably contextualise this a bit more.

I started following sportscars as a slightly obsessive 10 year old in 1982. There were ups and downs, but they were always there.

In 1999 I had other things on my mind. I'd started a new job and I was trying to write up my PhD thesis - which was an exclusively weekend job - and my now mother-in-law was brilliant about locking me in a small room with a laptop and only allowing me periodic deliveries of basic provisions, just to make me complete the damned thing.

When the now Mrs isynge came in late on Saturday, knowing me as "a car racing fan" and mentioned things about somersaulting Mercedes at Le Mans and this being shown on satellite television (a distinct novelty to me), this was approaching a wild horses moment, and I negotiated an early release to watch what ended up being an utterly compelling race.

That didn't alter the fact that for that period sportscars did take a back seat, there were cost implications, and time implications, and something had to give, so for the period between 1995 and probably 2002, sportscars were something that just bubbled in the background, read about in Autosport, watched when I could, but not a priority. Then come 2004, LMES on the TV (distinctly remember seeing the Monza round and thinking this was something impressive) and then seeing the Nasamax doing a run at the Farnborough air show, and it was all right back. Cue seeking out races wherever I could, and a subscription to the great Le Mans Racing - which still appears, challenging my French.

To cut what has been a long story short, for almost a decade I missed out, doing exams and working, but I kept in touch with the sport, and what I did in that decade has meant I can enjoy Le Mans every year, and have been lucky enough to see sportscars in the UK and across Europe - even if I've contrived to just miss certain races (many years working in the US and never been to an ALMS race? Bad management clearly).

So - at risk of sounding like some dreadful old stager (which I desperately don't want to be) - even if you can't make a race here or there - you're putting in place the groundwork to keep going year upon year to come. It's what I did, and while I now look back on the footage of the years before I went (finally made it, way too late, in 2007) and wish I'd been there, I don't regret what I did that makes the way we do Le Mans now possible.

Hope that helps.

**Tim Falce** · 24 Aug 2010, 19:59 (Ref:2749670)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Having further exams in June for the next 2 years and then having to endure University for 3 years after that, Le Mans is getting increasingly difficult for me to attend.

I was wondering how other people have fitted Le Mans in around work or exams, and what's the best way of getting there if I just went to watch the race?

If you have to endure uni why bother going? As for fitting Le Mans or any other race around work, what happens in grown up world is we use annual leave.
I'm not sure what courses you or others on here are doing or have done but my daughter's exams have always clashed with the first few weekends in June so she always misses Download at Donington.

GT6 · 26 Aug 2010, 20:45 (Ref:2750786)

Never been a problem for me just book thhe days, not that many people in work want to take the same week so it is easy

Piglet · 27 Aug 2010, 05:43 (Ref:2750908)

My uni exams clashed one year and I spent a miserable weekend at home missing both Le Mans and 2CV's 24 at Snetterton whilst everyone else was at one or the other!

I spent quite a lot of my degree revising at race circuits though!

**Aysedasi** · 27 Aug 2010, 08:40 (Ref:2750957)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GT6

Never been a problem for me just book thhe days, not that many people in work want to take the same week so it is easy

That's the advantage of early to mid-June isn't it. I did have a scare about 4 years ago when a new colleague arrived in the office and said, 'But I always have that week off!'. My answer was, 'Well, yeah you used to......'. In the end, our manager let us both have the week off!

MartinSmith · 27 Aug 2010, 10:37 (Ref:2750999)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

That's the advantage of early to mid-June isn't it. I did have a scare about 4 years ago when a new colleague arrived in the office and said, 'But I always have that week off!'. My answer was, 'Well, yeah you used to......'. In the end, our manager let us both have the week off!

Good for you, Im lucky cause no one in my office is interested in real motorsport, they prefer to follow ....dare I say it....F1! and of course the younger guys love BTCC (prob cause it reminds em of the dodgems!)

Ayse you gonna come to our endurance race next April at Snett? get you in the mood for La Sarthe!

**Aysedasi** · 27 Aug 2010, 16:38 (Ref:2751119)

Sounds a nice idea Claire......

MartinSmith · 27 Aug 2010, 20:22 (Ref:2751210)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Sounds a nice idea Claire......

Well, if you do come and see me in Race Control. Radio Le Mans are gonna be there, Mr Hindhaugh was at the last one.

check out the thread below

Would be great to meet you

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124323

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