Thanks from the Classic British Welcome - St Sat. - Le Mans

[daveinlemans]

A note to thank all the PH guys for coming to St Saturnin in Le Mans last Friday for their Friday Service.
A great turn out and some incredible cars.
We hope you will come back next year and we will work with James and the PH team to try to improve access, parking and departure. Thanks for baring with us when the weather turned a bit wet after lunch and all of our team hope to see you in 2016.
We formally announce our our 2016 theme in France in January, but as usual I will be giving the UK a early note of the plans for next year before Xmas.
Thanks again and look forward to talking to James in the near future about the PH plans for 2016.
Dave Williams
Vice President
Classic British Welcome

[Jmracing66]

Excellent event as always Dave, very well organised and no trouble getting in for us which is amazing given the amount of cars you have turn up.

It was a shame about the weather this year but that can't be helped. Only grumble from me is the time it took to get out of the event. I don't think the whole traffic situation in Le Mans helped !

[purple haze]

As someone who has attended every one of the GBW (including the first alongside the N138 when my orange Elise was the first car to arrive!) they just keep getting better every year. I guess the event must be nearing its limit for size on the current site but it's now an essential part of the whole Le Mans experience as far as I'm concerned. We got in easily enough about 11ish but getting out was much more difficult this year, not due to the rain but more about the ability of the access roads to handle the sheer volume of traffic. Still an event not to be missed - so thanks for all the hard work of you and your colleagues, it was much appreciated

[The Wolf]

I arrived quite late but wasn't directed to the PH section despite having the display and a heap of PH logo's. Didn't want to make a fuss since traffic was mad, it was a bit tough for the volunteers around + it was raining.
Looks like a great venue though, fantastic array of cars around so will attend again next year.
Hopefully without a wash-out in 2016

[B.J.W]

A super event this year - and a shining example of what Le Mans Friday should be about.
We went into town for the drivers parade and then stopped until 12am in the square. Apart from one very drunk Frenchman, the atmosphere was excellent. It's easy to avoid the idiots as they are now concentrated in a couple of areas.

[rwstokes]

Fantastic event with some great cars. I left my focus a long way away so as not to lower the tone.
Thanks to the organisers for making it so good, and for everyone who brought such a lovely selection of cars out. Can't believe an event that big with that many cars is free awesome stuff.
Walking back to the car in the hammering rain wasnt ideal, though did serve as a good substitute for the BSJ campsite showers so cant complain.

Lots of pictures from me:

Classic British Welcome by Robert Stokes, on Flickr

Classic British Welcome by Robert Stokes, on Flickr

Classic British Welcome by Robert Stokes, on Flickr

Classic British Welcome by Robert Stokes, on Flickr

Classic British Welcome by Robert Stokes, on Flickr

and a full gallery of about 130 pictures here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwsmotorsport/sets/7...

[moribund]

That's my tatty filthy Elise! To make it look even worse it had unfortunately spent the previous night parked under a tree in the monsoon rain. I felt slightly embarrassed to park next to my mates perfect VX220 so I'm well happy to see you thought it was worth a picture

[tony_666]

Yep, a great event and a regular Friday excursion for our group ....ditto the comments about the big queues to leave the surrounding area"

[TFatC]

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

[LB14]

First time attending for us, thoroughly enjoyed it. We arrived 10ish to avoid the queues, no traffic on the way in.

Stayed for a couple of hours, fantastic range of cars, enjoyed the band, we left after a couple of hours and no traffic on the way out. We were back in the car before the rain started, and had no traffic issues leaving the venue.

Thanks to the organisers, an enjoyable way to spend Friday morning at Le Mans.

[TOV!E]

TFatC said:

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

Get a life

[TOV!E]

TFatC said:

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

Get a life

[TOV!E]

TFatC said:

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

Get a life

[TFatC]

TOV!E said:

TFatC said:

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

Get a life

Always a keyboard warrior! Dear oh dear, you explain why you have a different view, no complaints but just my experience. A warrior comes on and posts three times (so obviously cannot be bothered to check what he has said) and adds nothing but vitriol. I have a life thank you, a fking good one at that. I have attended the CBW for 10 years, this year they asked me to take part in a parade but the racing clutch meant I had to say no. The organisers of the CBW have always done a good job, this year was no exception. I feel the combining of the PH meet added to the problems but added very little to the CBW. I have always attended the PH meet as well, and feel that separate events worked better. The OP has hinted that the combination will be repeated, so I have said I will no longer be a part and will find something else next time. Others will feel differently.

Quite what part of my post warranted a response like that I do not know.

Edited by TFatC on Wednesday 17th June 17:15

[Robscim]

Did anyone visit the gathering at the end of the Mulsanne? I saw it last year, and again this, and wondered if anyone had any experience? I guess its an extension of the gathering we had a few years ago in Mulsanne Village? I was going to drop in but we were out of time by the time we got back to the area.

I need to find a replacement - the queueing for GBW was way too much this year.

Cheers

Rob

[richardgcs]

It would appear I too need to "get a life", the queues to get in and out at CBW were ridiculous,especially the exit. The CBW has become a victim of its own success. The opening of the gates to all cars and not classics has made it too large. There was another event,at Teloche,where the Porsche team used to garage their cars,a low key event but some nice cars. This maybe a regular event.

[struttob]

We were directed into the event rather than the general parking (nice old 911 Carrera) and proceeded to sit static in a traffic jam, in the rain for over an hour with cars coming from all directions while lots of tabarded gents seemed more interested in talking amongst themselves than trying to organise anything. To call it organised chaos would be flattering I have to say.

Wont bother again I am afraid !

PS I await my Get A Life instruction with baited breath

Edited by struttob on Thursday 18th June 16:12

[BJG1]

TOV!E said:

TFatC said:

Sorry, but it was my last CBW, a shame as I have done it every year for the last 10 years. Very, very busy this year but the 45 minute queue to get in paled with the hour and a half to get out. In a 7 litre car with a race clutch, this was not my idea of a good time. The fact it was open top and it rained did not bother me, but the wear on my leg, the clutch and the car coupled with the fact I used over half a tank of fuel getting from Le Bounty to the CBW and back means for me a tradition is over. I will find somewhere else to go next year.

Get a life

Seems unnecessarily rude... I won't be going next year either for exactly the same reasons. It's a fantastic event but it wasn't worth the horrendous queue to get out and the toll that takes on the car unfortunately. Not saying that's the fault of anyone but I'm sure the organisers would prefer to know it's stopping people going than not.

[OvalOwl]

BJG1 said:

I won't be going next year either... It's a fantastic event but it wasn't worth the horrendous queue to get out and the toll that takes on the car unfortunately.

The trick to getting out is to not go the same way as everybody else. Trying to send everybody back to the D338 by a single back road is a recipe for chaos. This year I went right where the "Le Mans" sign pointed left and had a play on the back roads to the west of Le Mans.

[School boy]

We got stuck in the mud in the car park and the CBW staff were quick to get a tractor down there which was much appreciated. Unfortunately just as it arrived we had been pulled out by the massive GMC pickup and our language barrier prevented us from cancelling the tractor, they might still be looking for us! Sorry about that. Thanks for a great event.