Discussion
I am not one for most of the changes that have been made since my first visit to La Sarthe in 1980, and believe me I have seen a few, but I have to give credit where credit is due, the new spectator layout at Arnage is nothing short of a revelation !
Well done the ACO !
Bob
(Please excuse me if this thread has already been done)
Well done the ACO !
Bob
(Please excuse me if this thread has already been done)
Hi All
I am so glad to hear the positive views regarding the new setup at Arnage. I was concerned that it may have taken away some of the magic that was. IMHO, it is the best place to watch and captures the real essence of what Le Mans is all about.
I am off to the Classic in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone attending last weekend could help with a couple of questions
1. Do you still reach the Arnage banking from the same small road as before the changes?
2. Before the real track action starts, can you still drive from Indy to Arnage corners, turn right down to the roundabout by Beausjour before turning back and doing track in reverse all the way to Tetre Rouge?
I hope the latter is yes but fear not.
Brian
I am so glad to hear the positive views regarding the new setup at Arnage. I was concerned that it may have taken away some of the magic that was. IMHO, it is the best place to watch and captures the real essence of what Le Mans is all about.
I am off to the Classic in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone attending last weekend could help with a couple of questions
1. Do you still reach the Arnage banking from the same small road as before the changes?
2. Before the real track action starts, can you still drive from Indy to Arnage corners, turn right down to the roundabout by Beausjour before turning back and doing track in reverse all the way to Tetre Rouge?
I hope the latter is yes but fear not.
Brian
We had 2 LM newbies with us so ventured down there about midnight on saturday (by the time we queued for the bus and got stuck in the traffic) and was relieved to see you could still get right to the corner under the lamp post and that there was still good viewing to be had from the banking although the big screen feels a little out of place, but presumably it's always been there. The new banking and screen at Indy was great - spent about 3 hours watching from there, and found the viewing better from the mound directly opposite the screen as the big bank stretching back towards mulsanne was beyond the gravel trap so it made the cars and screen a little further away. There did seem to be a lack of food trucks this year though, just the one outlet at the Indy end.
agreed. i made the long trek up there about midnight on saturday (past a very long queue of stationary cars 
) and it's amazing! Watched for a bit at the old corner and then settled in the chair looking 'up stream' at indianapolis ... big tv to the left and cars coming at me out of the woods from mulsanne ... bottle of red and radio le mans. perfect. 
stayed 'till about 3.30am and then walked home to blue sud. my feet hurt a bit when i got back but was well worth it ... will defo go back next year.
15th straight year at LM for me and by far the best night watching to date. well done ACO.
) and it's amazing! Watched for a bit at the old corner and then settled in the chair looking 'up stream' at indianapolis ... big tv to the left and cars coming at me out of the woods from mulsanne ... bottle of red and radio le mans. perfect. stayed 'till about 3.30am and then walked home to blue sud. my feet hurt a bit when i got back but was well worth it ... will defo go back next year.
15th straight year at LM for me and by far the best night watching to date. well done ACO.
We were lucky my driver has a disabled badge so were were directed through the camping area and past some more gates to park along side the track, easy to get to the banking at arnarge and only grip was that once on the top of the banking the lack of gravel ment it was a little slippery my mate was slipping about as his disabled stick could not get purchase on the ground and a wheelchair person had to be helped several times while i was there, but in general a massive improvement
struttob said:
Andav469 said:
Definitely far superior, though the new 'pay for parking' system took us by surprise!
Pay for parking ?? as usual we parked up the road in the field as we have done for the last 10 years or so, organised parking but no charge ??Bob
It is a superb spot to see the car headlights come round the kink into Indy - see the brakes glow red and the zorst spit flames and then power out to Aranage. You can get really close to the cars through here and evaluate the differing noises. I am utterly gobsmacked that those Audis are so quiet.
V8BJC said:
Hi All
I am so glad to hear the positive views regarding the new setup at Arnage. I was concerned that it may have taken away some of the magic that was. IMHO, it is the best place to watch and captures the real essence of what Le Mans is all about.
I am off to the Classic in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone attending last weekend could help with a couple of questions
1. Do you still reach the Arnage banking from the same small road as before the changes?
2. Before the real track action starts, can you still drive from Indy to Arnage corners, turn right down to the roundabout by Beausjour before turning back and doing track in reverse all the way to Tetre Rouge?
I hope the latter is yes but fear not.
Brian
1. Yes - access is exactly the same, as was the parking from our experience (same field, no charge)I am so glad to hear the positive views regarding the new setup at Arnage. I was concerned that it may have taken away some of the magic that was. IMHO, it is the best place to watch and captures the real essence of what Le Mans is all about.
I am off to the Classic in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone attending last weekend could help with a couple of questions
1. Do you still reach the Arnage banking from the same small road as before the changes?
2. Before the real track action starts, can you still drive from Indy to Arnage corners, turn right down to the roundabout by Beausjour before turning back and doing track in reverse all the way to Tetre Rouge?
I hope the latter is yes but fear not.
Brian
2. Sadly not on Friday. There was a concours of some sort which I initially blamed for the road being closed, but it was still closed several hours later, so I think it may be shut for good. Did anyone else experience this?
SimoN138 said:
agreed. i made the long trek up there about midnight on saturday (past a very long queue of stationary cars ) and it's amazing! Watched for a bit at the old corner and then settled in the chair looking 'up stream' at indianapolis ... big tv to the left and cars coming at me out of the woods from mulsanne ... bottle of red and radio le mans. perfect.
stayed 'till about 3.30am and then walked home to blue sud. my feet hurt a bit when i got back but was well worth it ... will defo go back next year.
15th straight year at LM for me and by far the best night watching to date. well done ACO.
Take the bike. I cycled from Tertre rouge camp site right the way down to Arnage, on to Mulsanne, back again to Arnage, onto Porcshe curves and back to Tertre for a milky coffee watch from there before a good nights sleep!) and it's amazing! Watched for a bit at the old corner and then settled in the chair looking 'up stream' at indianapolis ... big tv to the left and cars coming at me out of the woods from mulsanne ... bottle of red and radio le mans. perfect. stayed 'till about 3.30am and then walked home to blue sud. my feet hurt a bit when i got back but was well worth it ... will defo go back next year.
15th straight year at LM for me and by far the best night watching to date. well done ACO.
Just to add to the above, sadly I don't think you will ever be able to drive the Arnage corner itself again. As you come out of Indy the public road now curves to the left, through a gap cut into the spectator banking, which then arrives at a new roundabout a few yards to the left of Arnage. On the plus side, the changes allow for two way traffic during the race which appeared to have helped with the congestion when we were there over night.
As Dan said, on the Friday, the whole stretch from Mulsanne corner through to Arnage was closed to the public, I think cos Ford had something going on at Mulsanne and some other car show was happening at Arnage. I would guess during the Classic it will be open.
As everyone else has said, the changes overall are great and our usual trip there in the middle of the night was as good as usual
As Dan said, on the Friday, the whole stretch from Mulsanne corner through to Arnage was closed to the public, I think cos Ford had something going on at Mulsanne and some other car show was happening at Arnage. I would guess during the Classic it will be open.
As everyone else has said, the changes overall are great and our usual trip there in the middle of the night was as good as usual
pauljoecoe said:
Take the bike. I cycled from Tertre rouge camp site right the way down to Arnage, on to Mulsanne, back again to Arnage, onto Porcshe curves and back to Tertre for a milky coffee watch from there before a good nights sleep!
I think I spoke to you (or one of your crew) Saturday night in TR camp. I think you'd just got back, I was about to get a few hours kip before driving down at 5am. Yearly tradition for me, manage to persuade two of our lot along with me, most years I'm on my own, the new Indianapolis viewing area was amazing
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