LMC - Thoughts on the event
Discussion
Like others here it was my first time and i have mixed feelings but would go again i also camped with speed Chills and they where fantastic but also the group that stayed there where all fantastic no silly stuff and just wonderful people that love there cars and the people that own them.
The Event compared to Goodwood Revival or Siverstone Classic there is no contest our UK event organisers really do know how to make a good event.
The area around the track was scruffy and that tunnel was a disgrace two men and a spray paint machine for a few hours and the walls would be clean.
The Track is not very spectator friendly and the parade laps an overpriced joke i di one at Silverstone and that was free but for what some paid you would have a track day or the fun of getting two speeding tickets.
I think if you converted the cost into euros and took the chance of getting a ticket on the way down you would have more fun
not that i am encouraging speeding on public roads and i must say the standard of driving of cars up and down was a credit to all.
But hey it was fun and its as much about the people you go with and the people you meet that makes the weekend and if you can get an invitation to one of the hospitality areas then grab it as i had that Saturday night and pricless.
Tired but Happy
The Event compared to Goodwood Revival or Siverstone Classic there is no contest our UK event organisers really do know how to make a good event.
The area around the track was scruffy and that tunnel was a disgrace two men and a spray paint machine for a few hours and the walls would be clean.
The Track is not very spectator friendly and the parade laps an overpriced joke i di one at Silverstone and that was free but for what some paid you would have a track day or the fun of getting two speeding tickets.
I think if you converted the cost into euros and took the chance of getting a ticket on the way down you would have more fun
not that i am encouraging speeding on public roads and i must say the standard of driving of cars up and down was a credit to all.But hey it was fun and its as much about the people you go with and the people you meet that makes the weekend and if you can get an invitation to one of the hospitality areas then grab it as i had that Saturday night and pricless.
Tired but Happy
Another first-timer here, and I enjoyed it. I've done Goodwood Revivial a few times and this was not dissimilar, but felt like it was more about the racing - as in, there were fewer of the side-shows that GR does so brilliantly well. I guess that made it a more car-focussed event, but also a bit less interesting.
The paddock access was great and probably the highlight for me. It was great to be able to see the machinery up-close and to talk to the owners, who were, almost without exception, friendly and helpful. Speaking decent french helped with some of them, but all were very happy to talk and show us around their cars.
The racing itself was a bit disappointing. Given the very long track and the huge variety of machinery on each grid (Grid 5 had everything from a 900cc Panhard to a 7-litre GT40), the cars ended up straggled out with a big distance between them, so there was very little close action to watch. A long track also means you see each car infrequently, which didn't help.
I also found it hard to follow the timetable and to understand what was happening when. There seemed to be a lot going on that wasn't mentioned in the timetable - lots of occasions when there were a bunch of modern cars, or a huge mix of Porsches or Ferraris going around with no mention of what was happening. Several times it felt as if we were paying to watch someone else's trackday - which wasn't good.
Little Big Mans? Big focus on the kids. Yes, it was tedious but everyone seems to love kids so they have to be centre-stage. (I don't like kids and would have happily shot them all.) Just a bunch of rich daddies showing off? Yes, but you could say that the racing was just a bunch of rich people showing off in a different way.
Will I go back? Yes, but I'll look forward to GR more. If you take away the joys of the fact that it's a road trip to France, it's nothing special. And you can organise a road trip yourself any time you like for a whole lot less money.
Oli.
ETA: Two more that occur to me - It was far too busy, with too many tickets sold. Saturday in particular was unpleasant with the size of the crowds. There was also a massive delay in getting to the circuit on Saturday morning (2 1/2 hours to do a 3-mile journey) with no obvious explanation. There were Gendarmes out at one junction who took us for fools and said "It's normal for a Saturday".
The paddock access was great and probably the highlight for me. It was great to be able to see the machinery up-close and to talk to the owners, who were, almost without exception, friendly and helpful. Speaking decent french helped with some of them, but all were very happy to talk and show us around their cars.
The racing itself was a bit disappointing. Given the very long track and the huge variety of machinery on each grid (Grid 5 had everything from a 900cc Panhard to a 7-litre GT40), the cars ended up straggled out with a big distance between them, so there was very little close action to watch. A long track also means you see each car infrequently, which didn't help.
I also found it hard to follow the timetable and to understand what was happening when. There seemed to be a lot going on that wasn't mentioned in the timetable - lots of occasions when there were a bunch of modern cars, or a huge mix of Porsches or Ferraris going around with no mention of what was happening. Several times it felt as if we were paying to watch someone else's trackday - which wasn't good.
Little Big Mans? Big focus on the kids. Yes, it was tedious but everyone seems to love kids so they have to be centre-stage. (I don't like kids and would have happily shot them all.) Just a bunch of rich daddies showing off? Yes, but you could say that the racing was just a bunch of rich people showing off in a different way.
Will I go back? Yes, but I'll look forward to GR more. If you take away the joys of the fact that it's a road trip to France, it's nothing special. And you can organise a road trip yourself any time you like for a whole lot less money.
Oli.
ETA: Two more that occur to me - It was far too busy, with too many tickets sold. Saturday in particular was unpleasant with the size of the crowds. There was also a massive delay in getting to the circuit on Saturday morning (2 1/2 hours to do a 3-mile journey) with no obvious explanation. There were Gendarmes out at one junction who took us for fools and said "It's normal for a Saturday".
Edited by zcacogp on Wednesday 9th July 09:36
My two pennies worth - I have been to all the Classics and this is the first time I have come away from the circuit disappointed!!
Unlike previous years we decided to do the whole night thing so we stayed away during the day and arrived at the circuit about 11pm just in time to see the Group 5 cars start. They run for about 15-20 mins before the Safety Cars were deployed and then the race was Red Flagged. No idea why as there were no Screens to see what was happening and very little info (English) over the PA.(The French guy on the PA system does get on my tits!) End of that race.
The Group 6 cars start and within 10-mins 5 or 6 cars end up in the gravel trap just before Dunlop. No major damage and all but one car re-joins. The last one is dragged to safety and the Marshalls do a great job to clean the circuit. About 6-8 mins to sort the situation. Then the whole remaining time is done behind the Safety Cars??? It is not like that at the Revival.
We stayed for the Group 1 cars and called it a night. Three races seen. 2 spoilt by Safety Cars and the other very enjoyable. By then we had seen enough of cars circulating behind a BMW 1-Series or what ever it was and headed away.
Will we be back? Probably but only for the Road Trip and the whole camping with mates having a good time part. Not sure we'll be too worried about going in and watching the 'Parade Lap' racing. Or maybe we were just unlucky.
Unlike previous years we decided to do the whole night thing so we stayed away during the day and arrived at the circuit about 11pm just in time to see the Group 5 cars start. They run for about 15-20 mins before the Safety Cars were deployed and then the race was Red Flagged. No idea why as there were no Screens to see what was happening and very little info (English) over the PA.(The French guy on the PA system does get on my tits!) End of that race.
The Group 6 cars start and within 10-mins 5 or 6 cars end up in the gravel trap just before Dunlop. No major damage and all but one car re-joins. The last one is dragged to safety and the Marshalls do a great job to clean the circuit. About 6-8 mins to sort the situation. Then the whole remaining time is done behind the Safety Cars??? It is not like that at the Revival.
We stayed for the Group 1 cars and called it a night. Three races seen. 2 spoilt by Safety Cars and the other very enjoyable. By then we had seen enough of cars circulating behind a BMW 1-Series or what ever it was and headed away.
Will we be back? Probably but only for the Road Trip and the whole camping with mates having a good time part. Not sure we'll be too worried about going in and watching the 'Parade Lap' racing. Or maybe we were just unlucky.
Edited by Paul.B on Wednesday 9th July 11:11
I've only been to the 2012 and 14 and have to agree the entry list was near the same (even the winners in each group were close to last years). We camped at Brian's 1st Tickets VIP area and if we hadn't have had that we'd have had a very hungry wet boring weekend (marquee, breakfast and dinner supplied, hot showers (cleaned) big screens and bar). The beer at the circuit was stupidly priced and if you wanted any coffee or a snack from 2.00 to 8.00 am that's wasn't optional as everything began to shut up.
Being rained on having to pack up and come home again for the second year in succession sort of sums it up.
Sutts
Being rained on having to pack up and come home again for the second year in succession sort of sums it up.
Sutts
Cost me a fortune this year, took the OH and stayed in off site hotels with the Viper Passion Car club. Hotel was a Very Very long way from the track (best part of 48km) almost an hours drive with it being a major lorry route!
I am an ACO member but ended up getting my tickets through the French Viper club under a group booking so sadly lost out on any discounts
Upon arriving and parking on the Club stand in the Bugatti circuit we stayed for a few hours walking around the Village and hoped to see some cars out practicing, sadly I did not hear much but the mulsanne straight public road had been closed so something must have been going on?
Food and Drink prices are a Joke also the rip off of 1 euro for a plastic cup deposit and then heavy beer prices on top of that. Hard also to just find a reasonable bottle of wine.
Now being as I said earlier with a host car club, dinner for all was in a local hall near the Hotel an hours drive away, this meant leaving the circuit, driving back then having to be shuttled back and forth from the Hotel because of the drink driving laws. Dinner started at around 8pm and did not finish until gone 11:30! So the chance of getting back to the circuit was non existent!
To make it worse, our parade laps were at 08.35 the following day! This meant getting up at 5.30 getting breakfast (if you could face it) and then driving for over an hour sitting behind some bloody lorries with no spots to safely overtake and then having to queue by the MM arena as everyone was trying to get in at the same time.
Now my real Gripe.....Parade Laps, honestly what a cluster f
k Driving down the bugatti circuit to get in the queue I must have had my ticket checked at least 5 times with marshals checking date and time.
Then sat in a queue for what seemed a very long time before finally being able to drive out on circuit
The Viper club was told we would be on track with Corvette, Cobras and GT40S, well yes some were on track along with cars from the 1930s and small MGs! There were so many cars it was a Joke, with many just wanting to plod around. Not what I signed up for 
We ended up pulling over at the Michelin chicane to try and let the M25 traffic thin out
2 years ago I got on track with the TVR Guys, I did not know what to expect first time around but soon realised that a blast here and there was acceptable as you are on track. We got 3 laps. This year because of the amount of cars and slow speed we only got 2 So sorry to say Im not happy.
I then did a search on You tube to find a video of another Viper out on track later on the Saturday evening, according to the owner of the Video they did not even have a parade lap ticket but just got in the queue of supercars and hit the track! Now fair play to them, but it makes a mockery of us having to pay for track tickets and being bunched in with a lot of old cars that would struggle to reach 70 mph
Will I be spending my cash again buying Track tickets, honestly very much doubt it and I will also be writing to the organisers about the ridiculous prices.
The cars in the Classic are OK But for me I want to see the cars from the mid 60s to the late 90s racing and sadly I did not see any of those cars giving it the beans
I am an ACO member but ended up getting my tickets through the French Viper club under a group booking so sadly lost out on any discounts
Upon arriving and parking on the Club stand in the Bugatti circuit we stayed for a few hours walking around the Village and hoped to see some cars out practicing, sadly I did not hear much but the mulsanne straight public road had been closed so something must have been going on?
Food and Drink prices are a Joke also the rip off of 1 euro for a plastic cup deposit and then heavy beer prices on top of that. Hard also to just find a reasonable bottle of wine.
Now being as I said earlier with a host car club, dinner for all was in a local hall near the Hotel an hours drive away, this meant leaving the circuit, driving back then having to be shuttled back and forth from the Hotel because of the drink driving laws. Dinner started at around 8pm and did not finish until gone 11:30! So the chance of getting back to the circuit was non existent!
To make it worse, our parade laps were at 08.35 the following day! This meant getting up at 5.30 getting breakfast (if you could face it) and then driving for over an hour sitting behind some bloody lorries with no spots to safely overtake and then having to queue by the MM arena as everyone was trying to get in at the same time.
Now my real Gripe.....Parade Laps, honestly what a cluster f
k Driving down the bugatti circuit to get in the queue I must have had my ticket checked at least 5 times with marshals checking date and time.Then sat in a queue for what seemed a very long time before finally being able to drive out on circuit
The Viper club was told we would be on track with Corvette, Cobras and GT40S, well yes some were on track along with cars from the 1930s and small MGs! There were so many cars it was a Joke, with many just wanting to plod around.
Not what I signed up for We ended up pulling over at the Michelin chicane to try and let the M25 traffic thin out 2 years ago I got on track with the TVR Guys, I did not know what to expect first time around but soon realised that a blast here and there was acceptable as you are on track. We got 3 laps. This year because of the amount of cars and slow speed we only got 2
So sorry to say Im not happy.I then did a search on You tube to find a video of another Viper out on track later on the Saturday evening, according to the owner of the Video they did not even have a parade lap ticket but just got in the queue of supercars and hit the track! Now fair play to them, but it makes a mockery of us having to pay for track tickets and being bunched in with a lot of old cars that would struggle to reach 70 mph
Will I be spending my cash again buying Track tickets, honestly very much doubt it and I will also be writing to the organisers about the ridiculous prices.
The cars in the Classic are OK But for me I want to see the cars from the mid 60s to the late 90s racing and sadly I did not see any of those cars giving it the beans
This was my third visit to the Classic and I persuaded two of my fellow Lotus Anoraks to come this year as my previous experience was a positive one. I am now undecided as to whether I'll bother again, compared to previous visits the cost of the beer and the second rate food has now really put me off. The owners car displays were as good as I have ever seen and lets face it where else will you see 20+ Facel Vega's and De Tamaso's of every variety in the world.
The paddock area has always been my favourite place to get up close to your dream cars and certainly didn't disappoint this visit. At the 2012 event my Alpine A610 was eligible for the parade laps and I was fortunate to be about last in the queue so had a whale of a time and managed to go down the Mulsanne flat out on three occasions but this year it looked way to crowded and rather pedestrian.
I really enjoyed the qualifying on Friday more than the actual race on Saturday, the commentary was too loud but fortunately drowned out by the cars. I thought there was way too much pomp and crap rather than actual racing on Saturday and as usual the weather didn't help matters.
This year we stayed at the Travel Destinations luxury tents at the Porsche Curves and the viewing from the bank was good and didn't bother with the trek to the main site on Sunday. Compared to the Karting Nord site we stayed in last time the toilets and showers were acceptable and clean compared to being a no-go area I had to endure in 2012.
Up to my visit to the Classic this year I was of the opinion that the Goodwood Revival was a posers event with 5 minutes of decent racing now I'm looking to see what other events like this are held as both are in my opinion sadly lacking in value for money.
The paddock area has always been my favourite place to get up close to your dream cars and certainly didn't disappoint this visit. At the 2012 event my Alpine A610 was eligible for the parade laps and I was fortunate to be about last in the queue so had a whale of a time and managed to go down the Mulsanne flat out on three occasions but this year it looked way to crowded and rather pedestrian.
I really enjoyed the qualifying on Friday more than the actual race on Saturday, the commentary was too loud but fortunately drowned out by the cars. I thought there was way too much pomp and crap rather than actual racing on Saturday and as usual the weather didn't help matters.
This year we stayed at the Travel Destinations luxury tents at the Porsche Curves and the viewing from the bank was good and didn't bother with the trek to the main site on Sunday. Compared to the Karting Nord site we stayed in last time the toilets and showers were acceptable and clean compared to being a no-go area I had to endure in 2012.
Up to my visit to the Classic this year I was of the opinion that the Goodwood Revival was a posers event with 5 minutes of decent racing now I'm looking to see what other events like this are held as both are in my opinion sadly lacking in value for money.
Edited by BIRMA on Wednesday 9th July 12:23
This was my 4th visit. I agree with everything the last few posts said. The cost of beer in the village is a joke, i'm sure the price of grub had also been ramped up from 12 euros last time to 15 euros this time for a burger and chips.
we had a grandstand ticket (19, halfway up the start/finish line) but was not allowed into any other grandstand even though they were nearly empty, which i'm sure has never been an issue before ?
Yes - plateau 5 or 6 ? race ran completely on yellows Saturday night !!! WTF. if i wanted boring s### like that to watch i'd have stayed in UK and watched an F1 race.
We tried to get to Arnage corner but were turned away because we didnt have a pass ! is this something new or yet another money making scam to rip off us brits ?
We stayed on Maison Blance, still not enough good toilets and it appeared the hot water was turned off in the showers immediately after the last race on Sunday - again WTF !!!
I believe the organisers should re-assess their costings otherwise people like me will think twice about re-attending in two years time (i reckon there will be fewer people attending next time with even more higher prices before they realise that they have ripped the arse out of the profit margins they make and it will be too late, the bubble will burst and the event will peeter out - i hope im wrong TBH)
we had a grandstand ticket (19, halfway up the start/finish line) but was not allowed into any other grandstand even though they were nearly empty, which i'm sure has never been an issue before ?
Yes - plateau 5 or 6 ? race ran completely on yellows Saturday night !!! WTF. if i wanted boring s### like that to watch i'd have stayed in UK and watched an F1 race.
We tried to get to Arnage corner but were turned away because we didnt have a pass ! is this something new or yet another money making scam to rip off us brits ?
We stayed on Maison Blance, still not enough good toilets and it appeared the hot water was turned off in the showers immediately after the last race on Sunday - again WTF !!!
I believe the organisers should re-assess their costings otherwise people like me will think twice about re-attending in two years time (i reckon there will be fewer people attending next time with even more higher prices before they realise that they have ripped the arse out of the profit margins they make and it will be too late, the bubble will burst and the event will peeter out - i hope im wrong TBH)
The false Le Mans starts were annoying, the drivers knew they would be formed back into qualifying order, once out of view of the spectators, so half of them just strolled over to their cars. They got in at a leisurely pace and made no effort to add to the spectacle, full credit to those that had a go though. Of course, with the later classes there's the whole issue of belting up too. I appreciate it makes a good photo so why don't the organiser just do it for the first class and start the rest normally, it would certainly save time between races.
Little Big Mans is not what the spectators have come to see, I can't think that anyone other than the parents of the kids involved has any interest in it, move it.
Food within the circuit was ridiculously expensive and the queues were horrendous, we paid 19 euros for a cheeseburger and chips. This was self-defeating, the following day we took sandwiches, if the queues and prices hadn't been so bad we would have eaten at the circuit again. Bring back tartaflette!
Agree that an 80s class would be a great addition if the organisers could squeeze it in. Also that the TV coverage was rubbish.
Why don't they add two or three euros to the ticket price and make the parking free? That way they could just direct traffic to the nearest car park and use both sides of the road to do so, like they do at Goodwood. Most of the congestion seems to be caused by traffic from the South trying to get to the North car parks and vice versa.
I also felt it was a bit samey as 2012 but that's the nature of the event, only cars of a type that have competed are eligible. There have been rumours of this becoming an annual event and maybe the answer lies there; make each class span only 5 years but only run half the classes each year, so one year you get 1960-64, next year you get 1965-1969. This would also make the racing a bit more competitive.
This all sounds a bit whingey but these are minor gripes about a great event, I'll be back.
IMHO it's difficult to compare LMC with the Revival, they are so different. For me, LMC is about the whole weekend, not just the racing, the drive down, the Friday meets, the holiday element. Can't believe somebody has indicated only 5 minutes of decent racing at GR, the racing is far closer than LMC, it's bound to be, it's a short circuit and the cars in each class are far more closely matched. Yes, there's a showy element to Goodwood but that's what makes it special, and because it's special, it attracts machinery that you just don't see elsewhere. There are a number of other UK classic race meets that are just about the racing, they're great events but Goodwood has carved out a niche all of it's own, albeit a Marmite one. So, I'll just have to keep going to both LMC and GR
Little Big Mans is not what the spectators have come to see, I can't think that anyone other than the parents of the kids involved has any interest in it, move it.
Food within the circuit was ridiculously expensive and the queues were horrendous, we paid 19 euros for a cheeseburger and chips. This was self-defeating, the following day we took sandwiches, if the queues and prices hadn't been so bad we would have eaten at the circuit again. Bring back tartaflette!
Agree that an 80s class would be a great addition if the organisers could squeeze it in. Also that the TV coverage was rubbish.
Why don't they add two or three euros to the ticket price and make the parking free? That way they could just direct traffic to the nearest car park and use both sides of the road to do so, like they do at Goodwood. Most of the congestion seems to be caused by traffic from the South trying to get to the North car parks and vice versa.
I also felt it was a bit samey as 2012 but that's the nature of the event, only cars of a type that have competed are eligible. There have been rumours of this becoming an annual event and maybe the answer lies there; make each class span only 5 years but only run half the classes each year, so one year you get 1960-64, next year you get 1965-1969. This would also make the racing a bit more competitive.
This all sounds a bit whingey but these are minor gripes about a great event, I'll be back.
IMHO it's difficult to compare LMC with the Revival, they are so different. For me, LMC is about the whole weekend, not just the racing, the drive down, the Friday meets, the holiday element. Can't believe somebody has indicated only 5 minutes of decent racing at GR, the racing is far closer than LMC, it's bound to be, it's a short circuit and the cars in each class are far more closely matched. Yes, there's a showy element to Goodwood but that's what makes it special, and because it's special, it attracts machinery that you just don't see elsewhere. There are a number of other UK classic race meets that are just about the racing, they're great events but Goodwood has carved out a niche all of it's own, albeit a Marmite one. So, I'll just have to keep going to both LMC and GR
Not wishing to get into a dispute with fellow car enthusiasts but as an organiser of a club who has attended every CLM, the track laps are never advertised by the organisers as anything more than a parade. Yes, I and many others have enjoyed some very spirited drives on the track laps but they are only ever advertised as a parade. Those people expecting track day like activity will always be disappointed and if the clubs they attend with have advertised anything more, it is them that should be spoken to not the ACO or Peters Auto.
In addition, the track laps are sold on a 2 lap basis, occasionally this has lead to 3 laps, usually when people ignore the marshall's and drive by the entry back onto the Bugatti circuit and the marshalls have to step away to avoid major problems. In the past, track laps have dropped to 1 lap when muppets drive off the circuit in the P&J! Ultimately it is €140 to drive the circuit and most do this to experience the full LM circuit with a spirited drive. Obviously some people have driven very quickly, I see this as the fortunate ones rather than the expected.
Having said all this, I stopped doing track laps 6 years ago as I felt it was dangerous and although no one has been seriously injured, many cars have been. I had to take avoiding action to the grass at Tertre Rouge when a guy in a vintage car took the racing line at his 30mph and it was enough for me not to get involved and enjoy the lie in instead
In addition, the track laps are sold on a 2 lap basis, occasionally this has lead to 3 laps, usually when people ignore the marshall's and drive by the entry back onto the Bugatti circuit and the marshalls have to step away to avoid major problems. In the past, track laps have dropped to 1 lap when muppets drive off the circuit in the P&J! Ultimately it is €140 to drive the circuit and most do this to experience the full LM circuit with a spirited drive. Obviously some people have driven very quickly, I see this as the fortunate ones rather than the expected.
Having said all this, I stopped doing track laps 6 years ago as I felt it was dangerous and although no one has been seriously injured, many cars have been. I had to take avoiding action to the grass at Tertre Rouge when a guy in a vintage car took the racing line at his 30mph and it was enough for me not to get involved and enjoy the lie in instead
furtive said:
It's the Silverstone Classic in a couple of weeks - anyone know how that compares?
It's a great event in many different ways. Cars are different with sports, grand prix and touring cars being included. Racing is closer due to the circuit being better known and shorter, but in my opinion not as good overall.paddock passes get you up close and involved
bloody campsite didn't open until Thursday, we got there Wednesday - luckily we found a nice little campsite 10km away
Luckily i go with a big group of guys, so the race is only a small part of the weekend
We have decided to alternate between the classic and normal le mans each year
One thing i did notice is that there was NO bad behavior at all.
Sadly our camp (Maison Blanche) was I'd say 80ish % British, i always get on well with the Dutch and Germans, wonder where they all were
bloody campsite didn't open until Thursday, we got there Wednesday - luckily we found a nice little campsite 10km away
Luckily i go with a big group of guys, so the race is only a small part of the weekend
We have decided to alternate between the classic and normal le mans each year
One thing i did notice is that there was NO bad behavior at all.
Sadly our camp (Maison Blanche) was I'd say 80ish % British, i always get on well with the Dutch and Germans, wonder where they all were
Spare tyre said:
Sadly our camp (Maison Blanche) was I'd say 80ish % British, i always get on well with the Dutch and Germans, wonder where they all were
They were all in Beausejour with me, along with loads of French. My first time at that site and it was great - loads of room, some good banter with people from other nations, no idiotsIf you want the view of someone who lives here and has seen every event from 2002 it has gone the same way as the Revival and Festival. it is somewhere to be "seen", irrespective of what is going on; corporate hospitality is taking over, security is now rising to a ridiculous level (for example my passes are level 7; I was refused entry to one place since as press the number isn't marked on the badge, but a friend with a level 5 pass was admitted since that was the level the man on the gate had been told), the cost of beer, coffee and food has become astronomical, and the general tone of the event has deteriorated substantially. I miss the old bar at the entrance to the old paddock, I miss the old village with people actually selling things I might want or need, I miss the band that used to play and above all I miss the carefree spirit of "the right crowd and no crowding". And as a comparison to the main event three weeks before, the traffic was horrendous, only because so many people had the right to inside parking, which the main event doesn't have. Two hours to cover 6 miles on Saturday was way over the top, roads were turned into one way streets for no apparent reason (outside the Tertre Rouge bar for example) and getting around was so hard. It is similar to the way that Angouleme has gone too. Perhaps I shall concentrate on Spa or suchlike in future.
2014 was my third LMC in a row. It wasn't as good as the first in 2010 but it was better than the second in 2012 when the mate that had introduced me to the event in 2010 was taken seriously ill and subsequently died.
So, 2014 helped to expunge some awful memories from 2012 but in the cold light of day I think that, looking at the event itself (as opposed to the drive down, the camping and the team camaraderie) there are clearly some issues that are staring to show themselves.
For me, by far the most significant is that for an event that costs a lot of money to get to and attend it is ridiculously weather dependent. All the races I watched during which it rained were either red flagged or became tedious processions behind the safety car. I'm sure there were very good reasons for this but from a sheer value for money perspective I think it is a massive problem. This is an issue that would be significantly lessened by decent English language commentary (as opposed to the token effort we have at the moment) or by the return of Radio Le Mans to the event as this would at least explain what is going on at the time. This is based on an assumption that a significant proportion of the attendees are British but I have no idea of the actual %. If the proportion is actually quite low then English language commentary is perhaps not such a reasonable request.
Less importantly I would echo the comments of others about the village. It is very close now to having nothing to do with motorsport at all and everything to do with selling utter, utter tat to people whom the stallholders have seen coming...
As for Little Big Mans, having had my calves clouted by the first cars in the field (which appeared on the Bugatti circuit with no warning at all while it was still covered in punters) and then watching as they proceeded to collide with other punters, marshals, the barriers and each other all in the space of about two minutes, it stuck me as one of the most up-itself performances I have ever seen.
Having said all that, it remains a great weekend away for a lot of reasons that have little to do with the event itself. I arranged our weekend for a group of thirteen. Most of them had never been before and they had an absolute blast which overcame the slight jadedness that I had started to experience myself.
So, 2014 helped to expunge some awful memories from 2012 but in the cold light of day I think that, looking at the event itself (as opposed to the drive down, the camping and the team camaraderie) there are clearly some issues that are staring to show themselves.
For me, by far the most significant is that for an event that costs a lot of money to get to and attend it is ridiculously weather dependent. All the races I watched during which it rained were either red flagged or became tedious processions behind the safety car. I'm sure there were very good reasons for this but from a sheer value for money perspective I think it is a massive problem. This is an issue that would be significantly lessened by decent English language commentary (as opposed to the token effort we have at the moment) or by the return of Radio Le Mans to the event as this would at least explain what is going on at the time. This is based on an assumption that a significant proportion of the attendees are British but I have no idea of the actual %. If the proportion is actually quite low then English language commentary is perhaps not such a reasonable request.
Less importantly I would echo the comments of others about the village. It is very close now to having nothing to do with motorsport at all and everything to do with selling utter, utter tat to people whom the stallholders have seen coming...
As for Little Big Mans, having had my calves clouted by the first cars in the field (which appeared on the Bugatti circuit with no warning at all while it was still covered in punters) and then watching as they proceeded to collide with other punters, marshals, the barriers and each other all in the space of about two minutes, it stuck me as one of the most up-itself performances I have ever seen.
Having said all that, it remains a great weekend away for a lot of reasons that have little to do with the event itself. I arranged our weekend for a group of thirteen. Most of them had never been before and they had an absolute blast which overcame the slight jadedness that I had started to experience myself.
Edited by probably chalk on Wednesday 9th July 18:29
Think I'm Going to give Le mans a miss next year and do Spa, Hate the corporate village, miss the old multi level ACO shop leading to the champagne bar and the nice bit of grass to sit on outside. Miss the spectator banking that used to run down the hill from the Dunlop Bridge (on the infield) and the straight down hill section before the esses.
Silly prices for beer and food,
Marshals only opening one side of a large gate to get back into the Bugatti circuit after the Parade laps added to the longer waits between each section of parade laps.
Bar code scanners that seem to take an eternity to read the tickets and cause long queues in the traffic which was backing up everywhere with people trying to gain entrance to the Bugatti circuit.
And please don't mention bloody Rouen
Silly prices for beer and food,
Marshals only opening one side of a large gate to get back into the Bugatti circuit after the Parade laps added to the longer waits between each section of parade laps.
Bar code scanners that seem to take an eternity to read the tickets and cause long queues in the traffic which was backing up everywhere with people trying to gain entrance to the Bugatti circuit.
And please don't mention bloody Rouen
My first LMC, and my personal highlights were:
- the drive down from Roscoff in the sun
- parking up outside Carrefour in Le Mans and filling the boot of an E30 M3 up with wine & cheese
- getting to know the neighbours in Bleu Nord, involving some French and lots of (friendly) hand gestures
- bartering with said neighbours, swapping a glass of wine for a slice of cake, etc
- the Luxembourg 964 RS that arrived beside my tent on Saturday
- car spotting, everywhere, all the time. Not all were supercars, but there were so many cars that were super around. An Integrale would get as much attention as a Daytona
- the bar owner in town who gave us all a lift back to the track on Saturday night, including a detour to show us Sebastien Bourdais' house
- 300SLs coming out of the Porsche Curves sideways at 3am
- a back-firing 917 scaring the c**p out of my mate just as he was nodding off in the grandstand
- big steak dinner on Sunday night in Arnage, watching all the nice metal drive up and down
Roll on 2016, but need to decide what will take its place for our trip next year
- the drive down from Roscoff in the sun
- parking up outside Carrefour in Le Mans and filling the boot of an E30 M3 up with wine & cheese
- getting to know the neighbours in Bleu Nord, involving some French and lots of (friendly) hand gestures
- bartering with said neighbours, swapping a glass of wine for a slice of cake, etc
- the Luxembourg 964 RS that arrived beside my tent on Saturday
- car spotting, everywhere, all the time. Not all were supercars, but there were so many cars that were super around. An Integrale would get as much attention as a Daytona
- the bar owner in town who gave us all a lift back to the track on Saturday night, including a detour to show us Sebastien Bourdais' house
- 300SLs coming out of the Porsche Curves sideways at 3am
- a back-firing 917 scaring the c**p out of my mate just as he was nodding off in the grandstand
- big steak dinner on Sunday night in Arnage, watching all the nice metal drive up and down
Roll on 2016, but need to decide what will take its place for our trip next year
And at the same bar, with many other drivers, having a great laugh with Whizzo.
That just doesn't happen now. It's money - big money. While on said subject, I had an email today from a well-known collector; they had to pay for their fuel in advance, and he arrived with two cars. They paid 3 - yes - euros a litre. He didn't do the night run himself since it was absolutely terrifying in the rain, so gave it a miss. His second car, very famous, broke down. Refund on the petrol not used? You're 'avin' a laugh mister!
That just doesn't happen now. It's money - big money. While on said subject, I had an email today from a well-known collector; they had to pay for their fuel in advance, and he arrived with two cars. They paid 3 - yes - euros a litre. He didn't do the night run himself since it was absolutely terrifying in the rain, so gave it a miss. His second car, very famous, broke down. Refund on the petrol not used? You're 'avin' a laugh mister!
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