First time Le Mans tips
Discussion
saintpaulie said:
Hi all
It's my first time going to Le Mans this year and wondered if you lot had any tips for first timers? I.e. Must see/do (except watch the race of course!
) Heading down on Thursday so should get to see qualifying and the race.
Thanks in advance!
Quali is worth watching to get your head around the different categories etc.It's my first time going to Le Mans this year and wondered if you lot had any tips for first timers? I.e. Must see/do (except watch the race of course!
) Heading down on Thursday so should get to see qualifying and the race. Thanks in advance!
Friday, lots of meets and stuff going on which you can go along to. Mulsanne for a little while can be interesting. Into town later for the drivers parade.
For the race, just try and see if from different places, however if you do nothing else, make sure you get to Arnage at night.
go to www.clubarnage.com - and download their Le Mans guide.
Everything - I mean everything you need to know is in there.
Make a donation to their chosen charity as a thank you
Everything - I mean everything you need to know is in there.
Make a donation to their chosen charity as a thank you
saintpaulie said:
Hi all
It's my first time going to Le Mans this year and wondered if you lot had any tips for first timers? I.e. Must see/do (except watch the race of course! ) Heading down on Thursday so should get to see qualifying and the race.
Thanks in advance!
As has been said, Arnage at night is a 'must'It's my first time going to Le Mans this year and wondered if you lot had any tips for first timers? I.e. Must see/do (except watch the race of course!
) Heading down on Thursday so should get to see qualifying and the race. Thanks in advance!
Google Le Mans sock story for tales of old for a proper laugh.
This is my 3rd year and though I vowed to SWMBO that I don't/won't camp, strangely I do it once a yr now with the guys for the LM pilgrimage! The 1st year we weren't quite as savvy as we are now, and with some help from friendly PHers on our campsite we've learnt some useful info on where/when....Make a plan of what you want to try and see/do I.e. Great British Welcome, Drivers Parade in LM on Friday, pit walk etc etc and fill your boots on the whole excitement including the buildup to travelling!
This is my 3rd year and though I vowed to SWMBO that I don't/won't camp, strangely I do it once a yr now with the guys for the LM pilgrimage! The 1st year we weren't quite as savvy as we are now, and with some help from friendly PHers on our campsite we've learnt some useful info on where/when....Make a plan of what you want to try and see/do I.e. Great British Welcome, Drivers Parade in LM on Friday, pit walk etc etc and fill your boots on the whole excitement including the buildup to travelling!
Make sure you take a FM radio to listen to the trackside commentary, or you can stream it online if your phone package allows. Listen to the Midweek Motorsport podcasts and previews in the weeks building up (makes ideal listening on the drive down) to get your head around the racing and who's who.
The great British Welcome is what you do on Friday morning/early afternoon, on thursday as you approach le mans you will see signs for it. It is a free cars show held at a primary school just north of le mans, easy to get to and you will see why we all go when you get there. An absolute must do if you like both classic and modern cars.
Grandstands are all open for practice and Qualifying sessions on Wednesday/Thursday so its worth exploring a few different vantage points as they are all reserved for the race itself.
Mulsanne and Arnage are good places to watch from but getting there during the race can be awkward because of traffic. You can take the bus but I'm planning to drive out there on Wed/Thurs when the traffic will (hopefully) be lighter.
On Friday the pits are open all day so its a good chance to pick up a few souvenirs from your favourite teams. It's worth getting in to town nice and early if you want to see the drivers parade as it can be hard to get a good view. The tram is the best way to get in to town for that but it can be uncomfortably busy.
Mulsanne and Arnage are good places to watch from but getting there during the race can be awkward because of traffic. You can take the bus but I'm planning to drive out there on Wed/Thurs when the traffic will (hopefully) be lighter.
On Friday the pits are open all day so its a good chance to pick up a few souvenirs from your favourite teams. It's worth getting in to town nice and early if you want to see the drivers parade as it can be hard to get a good view. The tram is the best way to get in to town for that but it can be uncomfortably busy.
Have an idea of where you are going to watch the start of the race. The first year we camped in BSJ and thought it would be a short walk to Arnage. We only arrived Friday so had no idea of distance. Took about 2 hours to walk there. Year after we camped Houx Annexe and thought Dunlop Bridge until we got there and realised how rammed it was, ended up shuffling into some cramped dirt on Chapelle. So have an idea where you're going and be prepared to get there early, with supplies and potentially comfy enough to doze if necessary.
Vette_1978 said:
Have an idea of where you are going to watch the start of the race. The first year we camped in BSJ and thought it would be a short walk to Arnage. We only arrived Friday so had no idea of distance. Took about 2 hours to walk there. Year after we camped Houx Annexe and thought Dunlop Bridge until we got there and realised how rammed it was, ended up shuffling into some cramped dirt on Chapelle. So have an idea where you're going and be prepared to get there early, with supplies and potentially comfy enough to doze if necessary.
Good point. Use Thursday to get an idea of where you want to be and turn up early and you'll be fine. I have bought grandstand seats before but they are only useful at the start/finish. The rest of the race is spent wandering around seeing the sights!Thanks everyone, your tips are fantastic. I will definitely be looking out for the great british welcome and doing the pitwalk. For the drivers parade, can you park at the circuit and get the tram into town? Is that the best way of getting there?
And has anyone done a helicopter ride? It sounds amazing but thought it may not be worth the price.
Thanks again everyone!
And has anyone done a helicopter ride? It sounds amazing but thought it may not be worth the price.
Thanks again everyone!
E36GUY said:
I think the chances of you doing pitwalk, parade and CBW are virtually nil.
My advice would be not to worry about cramming it all in on your first trip. Play it by ear. You'll enjoy it, you'll be back again and you find something new/different each year.
Agreed. Having done them all now, I think for a first time I'd recommend doing the pitwalk and the parade, and leaving the CBW for another year. Don't get me wrong, the CBW is awesome and is where I'll be going this year again, but the pitwalk is something special as well if you've never seen the cars in bits in the garages before.My advice would be not to worry about cramming it all in on your first trip. Play it by ear. You'll enjoy it, you'll be back again and you find something new/different each year.
The parade is ace, did it last year for the first time and wish I'd done it sooner. I spent just as long in town afterwards getting bladdered and ended up chatting with some random local in broken French/English about the race & qualy with him showing me clips on his phone he'd recorded, then stumbling back to the campsite with some guys who were even more drunk that I was. Stunning memories.
E36GUY said:
I think the chances of you doing pitwalk, parade and CBW are virtually nil.
I guess is depends on how bad the hangover is from Thursday night post final qualifying. The pits open 10am. To be honest, an hour here wandering up and down is enough. Earlier the better I guess. So 11am leave for CBW, thats CBW, Classic British Welcome, couple of hours here, back to camp, jump on tram, find bar, get ready for parade. I've been in the parade twice, never watched, did drag a bit waiting for the marching bands to make their way round. But it really depends on my first comment, if you're hanging then simply standing up might be a struggle.Edited by Vette_1978 on Thursday 16th April 17:26
Certain roads are a nightmare traffic-wise on Friday. Anywhere heading to BSJ/Chemin aux Boeufs is likely to be chokka. The roads leading to the CBW at St-Saturnin whilst very busy were at least moving, albeit slowly last year.
Looking at my GPS track from Friday last year I seem to have done the pit walk, some shopping in Super U at Arnage and the CBW by about 1600. I then headed back to camp to relax rather than go into town for the parade due to the weather being SCORCHIO!
If you do have to drive anywhere near the BSJ/Chemin aux Boeufs roundabout keep your windows and top up.
Looking at my GPS track from Friday last year I seem to have done the pit walk, some shopping in Super U at Arnage and the CBW by about 1600. I then headed back to camp to relax rather than go into town for the parade due to the weather being SCORCHIO!
If you do have to drive anywhere near the BSJ/Chemin aux Boeufs roundabout keep your windows and top up.
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