[LM24] Le Mans Circuit : Works and upgrades (merged threads)

[Fab]

On Le Mans Racing today :
- 9 new pits instead of the 4 provisionnal ones
- press and lounges above, but no grandstands : VIP facilities instead
- new Welcome Center on three levels
- Restaurant in this Welcome, with a 180° windows (!!!), next to the track (!!!)
- plus grandstands/facilities VIP on the top (!!!)
- enlargement of the Paddock at 55 places
- Village pushed by the new Paddock, closer from the Dunlop passerelle
- Village : no more concrete houses : provisionnal barnums (tents) instead
- MODIFICATION OF THE TERTRE ROUGE CURVE (!!!), to let place to a wider gravel trap (starting after 2004' race)
- pedestrian tunnel to cross the track and give an access to the Village
- NEW TESTS TRACKS (!!!)
- Maison Blanche grandstands refurbished
- Laigné road moved (what !!!???) nearby the airplane runway
- a real way for cars and pedestrians INSIDE the track (what ???!!!)

More to come...

Read all about it !!!

[Pilgrimage]

Wow... We await with baited breath ...

[Aysedasi]

There's an awful lot in there Fab, I'm as out of breath as you obviously are....

One thing which I did notice though

-a real way for cars and pedestrians INSIDE the track

The last thing we need is more cars inside the track. Those that drive around, particularly in the Village and behind the grandstands, are a blooming nuisance already!

[AllonFS]

I agree, but the plus side could be more and better viewing to different parts of the circuit. Would inside the circuit at the Mulsanne or Indianopolis just be very wishful thinking?

[Aysedasi]

Yes.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by Fab
- new Welcome Center on three levels
- Restaurant in this Welcome, with a 180° windows (!!!), next to the track (!!!)

And what are the chances of ordinary punters (or even ACO members) getting a look in here? (Without having to re-mortgage their tents to buy a ticket?)

[Adam43]

A lot of information.

Originally posted by Fab
On Le Mans Racing today :
- 9 new pits instead of the 4 provisionnal ones
- enlargement of the Paddock at 55 places

Excellent, more cars in the race!

Originally posted by Fab
- MODIFICATION OF THE TERTRE ROUGE CURVE (!!!), to let place to a wider gravel trap (starting after 2004' race)

I'm scared.

Although the idea of a tunnel there is a good idea.

[Aysedasi]

Frankly, I'm just getting fed up with circuit changes. If its for safety and the gravel trap at TR does really need to be enlarged, I guess we have to accept that, but will it stop there?

Where are they going to put these "test tracks"?

[AllonFS]

It is good to see the ACO doing some more development work at the circuit. Even through the rose-tinted glasses that most of us have about Le Mans, it really is a bit shabby away from the ACO stand and pits complex. Part of the charm I know, but this year it did seem as if the Village wasn't as good as previous years and there were certainly fewer stalls underneath the grandstands.

I think the fall in numbers attending F1 has probably been a bit of a wake up call across motorsport. I know there are particular issues with F1 (yawn) but you have to keep actively attracting people to (and back to) events or numbers will drop. More investment in the circuit should hopefully be good news, as long as it doesn't detract from the spectator's experience or lead to a price hike.

[cybersdorf]

While they are at it, how about a multiplex.

[Fab]

Here is more to come, with some precisions :
- FOUR pedestrian tunnels : Dunlop, Technoparc south, Garage vert/La Chapelle, Antares ; they want to SPLIT pedestrian's trafic from car's trafic
- the whole Laigné road will be pushed nearer the airport, to give place to the inner public areas, and allow more pedestrian trafic, in more comfort...
- LOOS !!! They want to give more comfort in that too
- 55 cars confirm
- planning : 2004/2005 : Tertre Rouge (important modification of the track here to give place to the gravel trap : take pics, mates, it's gonna change after 2004' race !), pedestrian tunnels, Ford curve grandstands, Village, anb facilitiers for VIP (Ayse, forget the Welcome area, or start to save !) ; 2006/2007 : new Welcome center, nine new pits (back to the great grid !!! Yahaha !)
- cost : 15 M €

They want to :
- save the historical track
- set off the place to have the best...

[Fab]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
Where are they going to put these "test tracks"?

Inside the actual track area, between the Bugatti and the Karting area, to have a greater permanent track for other races (longer than the sole Bugatti track)...

[Fab]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
And what are the chances of ordinary punters (or even ACO members) getting a look in here? (Without having to re-mortgage their tents to buy a ticket?)

You'll have to re-mortgage your HOUSE to have a meal here... I sold my oldest daughter yesterday to start a special financial plan...

[Tim Northcutt]

These changes in many ways parallel various changes that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has made over the years....and many of the purists (myself included) cringed at the thoughts of those changes....

But once they occurred, and we say WHY they made those changes and saw them in reality in relation to the events, we understood and accepted them...the changes made at IMS were DEFINITELY for the better...for the teams, for the races, for the venue, and for the fans.

I hope that we will be able to say the same when these changes to Le Mans come about....

[kdr]

lets hope so. looking at the various race calenders and circuits it struck me...le mans is the greatest race track on the planet. imho of course!

[paul-collins]

Fab, aside from the TR changes, are there timelines for the other bits or are they all just "by 2007?" Specifically, when will they have room for 55?

[Fab]

Originally posted by paul-collins
Fab, aside from the TR changes, are there timelines for the other bits or are they all just "by 2007?" Specifically, when will they have room for 55?

They say "55 cars (or more precisely 9 extra pits) for 2007"...

[Adam43]

55 that is what is was when I first went

[kdr]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
55 that is what is was when I first went

the year or the amount of cars taking part?

[rdjones]

All sounds very interesting - just one part I want to pick up the changes at Terte Rouge, can we conclude from this that the Mulsanne Stright is safe.

I can not wait to see 55 cars in 2007.

[PascaLM]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt

I hope that we will be able to say the same when these changes to Le Mans come about....

Olivier N'Guyen (one of the local organization directors) says "this will respond to what the public is waiting for".

To me, i hope the new Tertre Rouge turn will not push the spectators too far like at Indianapolis curves.

[kdr]

i would guess they'll make the turn onto the mulsanne a little earlier and enlarge the gravel trap on the outside of the corner.

[PascaLM]

As it's said, i'm afraid they will have to move the turn because of the gravel trap which will be larger between the turn and the Route Nationale 138 going downto the city.

[C_g]

Originally posted by Fab

- MODIFICATION OF THE TERTRE ROUGE CURVE (!!!), to let place to a wider gravel trap (starting after 2004' race)

I have no problems with modifying the curve, as they did this back when they put the roundabout there. But they better not knock down any of those poplar trees on driver's left at the exit of the turn.

[PascaLM]

I do hope they will not such a crime !

There are houses just behind them...