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The first and most important being THERE ARE NO BANKING MACHINES ON THE CIRCUIT AT ALL. You will meet up with people who will tell you they are sure there is one somewhere, but treat this as another story akin to the rumours of the Ark of the Covenant being spotted in Bernie's lounge ... there isn't one and you need to get all the money you will want to spend before you get there.
The other thing is there are no signs anywhere and nobody you ask will speak English. This is just a fact of life. Take a very good map and be sure to suss out everywhere you want to or have to see well before it is time to be there. (The grandstands are unmarked, for one thing, and there is no clue where you go in to any grandstand to get to your staircase, section or seat.) This takes patience and good humour and a companion who speaks enough French to say "Where is" and understand the directions if you get them. Don't ask anyone at the stalls. They don't know anything as they are very very busy in the spot where they are working and probably never get to see the race at all.
After writing this I thought of one more thing, and that is to mention the Airtrack VIP Camping site, which is next to the Houx Annex site and shares its general layout (dirt field sloping downhill) but has the best toilets and showers in the entire Le Mans complex, modular trailer units kept clean and supplied with tissue throughout the weekend. The site is also provided with 24 hour security, which kept down the number of shall we say "incidents" that were occurring all around us... the only one I am aware of being Friday night when someone of the male persuasion was observed (and quickly rounded up) parading through the campgrounds naked. Security does not interfere with the normal party atmosphere, but there was a definite aura of adulthood that was missing from Houx Annex (who resented our sanitation facilities and said so). I very much recommend this campsite. On the other hand, their Le Club facility is worth a miss. Join the ACO instead. They have a purely wonderful series of refuges where you can sit trackside in the shade and watch the race, and where you can get food when you want to sit down and be quiet and cooler. One person who joins can bring any number of friends for the Le Mans festivities for 30 ff each for the whole weekend. Join them. YOu will get full value for your money.
Otherwise the circuit guide was my best aid for the weekend and y'all did a standout job. I printed a copy and took it with me and referred to it often.
[Edited by Liz on 19th June 2000]
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