[LM24] Le Mans - what do you go for?

[Mal]

There are many here who go to Le Mans every year and due to the nature of the forum I suspect it is principally for the racing but the event is a lot of different things to different people so lets discuss what you do before during and after the race and what it all means to you.

For me it is a bit of everything as I love the racing and the event but I also like the party, the trip down and back with my friends in our sportscars where we pick some great roads and stay in nice hotels.

Some you will scold me for this but I love a good drink (mainly wine these days!) with my group and the many people we have met in the campsites over the years.

As much as anything it is my chance once a year to escape from the responsibilities of my everyday life and my family for a few days - I love them all but to have those few days of freedom is important to me.

[racerkeke]

1. Going to Carrefour and choosing wine by which one has the prettiest label (since I don't know any of the vineyards). Haven't had a bad one yet, and we've only worked our way down one row so far!

2. Getting my hair cut at a nice salon on Mad Friday.

3. Enjoying "translating" between French, English, Canadian, American, Dutch and Danish on post.

I'm sure there are more but we're on our way to the ALMS race at Mid-Ohio and I can't think of any right now!

keke

[GT6]

Originally Posted by Mal

There are many here who go to Le Mans every year and due to the nature of the forum I suspect it is principally for the racing but the event is a lot of different things to different people so lets discuss what you do before during and after the race and what it all means to you.

For me it is a bit of everything as I love the racing and the event but I also like the party, the trip down and back with my friends in our sportscars where we pick some great roads and stay in nice hotels.

Some you will scold me for this but I love a good drink (mainly wine these days!) with my group and the many people we have met in the campsites over the years.

As much as anything it is my chance once a year to escape from the responsibilities of my everyday life and my family for a few days - I love them all but to have those few days of freedom is important to me.

As already mentioned in another post The race to be is the focus but the event is much more the people we meet each year and the places we visit while down there, yes i also like a little drink or sometimes a large one and the campsite food. The chance to be a twenty year old on my first visit again rather than a 50 year old is also good and yes I enjoy the drive down and back, it is all part of "My Le Mans"

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Mal

As much as anything it is my chance once a year to escape from the responsibilities of my everyday life and my family for a few days - I love them all but to have those few days of freedom is important to me.

Nail on head!

[Le Vieux]

Originally Posted by Mal

As much as anything it is my chance once a year to escape from the responsibilities of my everyday life and my family for a few days - I love them all but to have those few days of freedom is important to me.

I have to disagree. For 26 years, I've been trying to persuade my wife to join us, so far without success - but there's a glimmer that I might succeed next year.

The rest of my family (son-in-law and daughter-in-law included) have all attended at various times. As a retired old man, going to LM and trying to "organise" twenty or so people means that in the weeks leading up to mid-June I actually take on "responsibilities", such as they are - but, let's face it, it's a labour of love!

[Mal]

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

I have to disagree. For 26 years, I've been trying to persuade my wife to join us, so far without success - but there's a glimmer that I might succeed next year.

The rest of my family (son-in-law and daughter-in-law included) have all attended at various times. As a retired old man, going to LM and trying to "organise" twenty or so people means that in the weeks leading up to mid-June I actually take on "responsibilities", such as they are - but, let's face it, it's a labour of love!

Well I also organise a group of twenty people or so but having done it for 15 years it is no problem really and is, to a point, part of it. Also this helps my weekend as whilst I lead the drive down and back and plan the routes - once on site I am allowed to sit back and enjoy whilst the others run the camp - that is my privilege for getting them all there

There is not point me trying to persuade my wife to come as she would hate it and therefore it would spoil it for me too. I took my son to the Classic this year and really enjoyed the experience but it was different and whilst I will take him in June in the future I doubt it will be before he has left school and his largely responsible for himself.

[Tim the Grey]

I shall be there, again, on Saturday night, staying in the Formula 1 in Arnage! Taking family round the museum...

It's en-route to Brittany, and our rented gite.

And I just want to see the place, again...

[Aysedasi]

Interesting one for me, having done Le Mans in essentially the same way for 24 years, I broke with that tradition this year, courtesy of Bentley03!

For those 24 years, Le Mans consisted of a dash over on Friday morning, or more latterly Thursday evening, a meal somewhere around Le Mans on Friday, Le Grand Luce on Saturday and another dash away from the circuit on Sunday. It was all that 'dashing' that made me look to do something different this year.

We never seemed to have much time in Le Mans to look around although we visited some nice places on the way back to the coast on Monday.

What do I go for? I now go for exactly what we did this year. Talking of perfection is always risky, but IMO we got darned close this year. I went this year to spend as much time as possible at the circuit - to see the Le Mans cars whenever they were out on track. Having watched 6 hours on Wednesday, 4 hours on Thursday plus Saturday's warm-up and 23 hours (or thereabouts) of the race, I reckon I saw more of the Le Mans cars this year than I did in 3 years of my previous trips.

But having such a long trip meant that we could relax in between. The pastries and baguettes by the river at Arnage; the visit to the museum; the relaxed and friendly (if occasionally rather cramped) atmosphere at scrutineering; and the chance to talk sportscars with enthusiasts and experts alike. You just can't beat it.

[Down F0rce]

Pretty amazing that you can still discover new things after 24 visits! That's a quality unique to Le Mans. I can't think of any other race where you haven't seen it all after one or two trips.

[GT6]

We always try to do 1 thing new each trip, and the comments about a Tank Museum in Samur have sort out the thursday trip for 2011

[GTfour]

Contrary to most visitors,I did manage to convince my lady to join us after my first visit in '96. Allthough enjoying it on another level(not the all out sportscar fanatic way),she enjoys the party with good friends,the laughter,the good foods and the spectacle of the race.
We've never been with out each other since.

To me,as with many of you,Le Mans week is an escape from the ratrace at home. Being on a different planet all together(I mean,let's face it,the french are a type of aliens!),far from home, seeing these magnificent UFO-like projectiles scream and thunder around this hallowed track is the best medicin for all the build up strain and stress from our modern sociëty lives.

One thing I learned this year though is that the drivers parade is not for me. Waiting long hours to see flashes of cars and waving drivers for a few seconds just didn't fuel my enthousiasm.
I'd rather stroll around the city of Le Mans during pre-race scrutineering or enjoy the pittwalk.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by GTfour

Contrary to most visitors,I did manage to convince my lady to join us after my first visit in '96. Allthough enjoying it on another level(not the all out sportscar fanatic way),she enjoys the party with good friends,the laughter,the good foods and the spectacle of the race.
We've never been with out each other since.

To me,as with many of you,Le Mans week is an escape from the ratrace at home. Being on a different planet all together(I mean,let's face it,the french are a type of aliens!),far from home, seeing these magnificent UFO-like projectiles scream and thunder around this hallowed track is the best medicin for all the build up strain and stress from our modern sociëty lives.

One thing I learned this year though is that the drivers parade is not for me. Waiting long hours to see flashes of cars and waving drivers for a few seconds just didn't fuel my enthousiasm.
I'd rather stroll around the city of Le Mans during pre-race scrutineering or enjoy the pittwalk.

While doing the opposite to you in always going with Mrs Isynge to LM I absolutely agree with you re the driver's parade. Doesn't appeal at all, Friday night should be about a long relaxed evening by the barbecue with a glass or two of something nice and convivial company in the campsite. The idea of schlepping into the centre and peering at folk in race suits being trundled around in vintage cars doesn't quite do it for me.

More fundamentally why do I go? It's an excuse for a fantastic long weekend in France, it's a departure from work etc, it's an opportunity to travel for pleasure rather than for business, all of these are good valid reasons. At the heart of the matter though, it's cars that look fantastic travelling incredibly quickly, the drama of going late into the night, and the substories that emerge over the course of Sunday morning, when a long good coffee and RLM all help me unpick what went on overnight and what's really worth looking out for.

[Aysedasi]

Interesting the driver parade thing. Until about 5 years ago, I'd never seen it, but then we went to it 4 years in a row. By the time of the last one, I'd actually got quite bored with it. I never used to hang around on the side of the road though - I stayed back where the drivers were collecting before they all set off. There I could get some quite good photos and could also hear some of the banter between them. This year, although we could have gone I suppose, none of our select little group had any particular desire to do so.....

[GT6]

I have only done tghe drivers parade twice in 26 years, the first was spent by the town hall were it starts and finishes, talked to drivers and vintage car people and had a good time, the next was on the actual route it was a complete waste of time and have not bothered since. I keep meaning to try and get back to the square again but the event is so popular now that I prefer to sit around the campsite have a good BBQ, drink and talk to all the usual campers, Friday night is always a good night in the campsites.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by GT6

I have only done tghe drivers parade twice in 26 years, the first was spent by the town hall were it starts and finishes, talked to drivers and vintage car people and had a good time, the next was on the actual route it was a complete waste of time and have not bothered since. I keep meaning to try and get back to the square again but the event is so popular now that I prefer to sit around the campsite have a good BBQ, drink and talk to all the usual campers, Friday night is always a good night in the campsites.

...What he said..... I think I went to it twice in the '80's and back then there were no barriers and you could get right up to the drivers and talk and get autographs etc. There were places on the route that were hardly populated.

I went back last year for the first time in 15 years and I wont be going back in the foreseeable future ... much happier having a good time at the campsite