My Le Mans days over?

[Dickster]

This is gunna be a long one but please bear with me as it's my most bestest rant which you could help me with!

4th year this year and everything planned to perfection. We always try and do it on the cheaper side and try to cut the time up a little as the drive from Leeds is a long one.

Everything perfect, just as planned, until we got to Camping Bleu at 5pm Friday. Full they said. Just like last year at Maison Blanche. MRI not willing to help. Not best pleased so I just didn't move until they let us put our tent up in parking Bleu (just like last year). So Friday it all came together in the end.

Saturday morning 3 big fat French controle came up and told us to move to another campsite. We said no and they got a little arsey and told us we had 1 hour. Did a quick survey and other people said no too, so we all went into the circuit and kinda hid, all day. The tent stayed up and cars just parked around it, no probs, but all out food had almost gone to waste as it was soo hot and we were almost dead as it was so hot. Saturday pants.

Sunday, so hot, couldn't seem to get going.

Now after all this for 2 years running I am at the end of my tether with it. I love the whole event, the cars, the atmos etc but it seems to me every year it is getting more policed and strict. The French almost don't want us there and the ACO is becoming more like a money grabbing F1.

Unless I can change the way I do it I think it will be sometime before I go again. It's not right that I book a ticket 6 months in advance but get nothing but sheet when I get there. MRI are a waste of space (even though they have nice toilets), and I will be tellng them too.

How can I make it better? Do I just have to spend more really or get there on the Monday or something. Is there a campsite better with better toilets and guaranteed pitch etc?

Not a very happy chappy and am sulking a bit.

Big up though to the convoy I saw yesterday with the blue Cerb with reg Bad Sh1t with the stripes. I was the shiny Octvia vRS D13CKY which you most likely didn't notice.

Oh I am in a sulk.....

[raceboy]

Dickster said:

Is there a campsite better with better toilets and guaranteed pitch etc?

In a word Yes
You want to book a pitch in Houx campsite, this is the only 'real' campsite at Le Mans each pitch is numbered and marked out in equal size squares (easily big enough for a car and a tent) There is a toilet and shower block, cafe/bar, water and electricity hook-ups, you can arrive on Wednesday or Saturady morning and you'll have the same size pitch to camp on, it's a little more expensive (this year it was £60 via the TVRCC) but worth every penny
Don't let a this time put you off

[cazzer]

Houx has designated pitches.
We didnt get there till 9pm on thursday and both our pitches were empty and waiting for us.
Was much better than the usual bunfight.
And even though it was sodding hot, at least houx has trees.

[Balmoral Green]

Houx is reckoned to be the best, and it's an absolute shithole I would hate to see the others!!!

And loud music until 2am, fine, I can handle that, but at 4.30am? I was getting mightily pissed off!

But, the pitches are good, and it is a fairly short walk to trackside.

Anyway, who gives a damn, five days of being dirty, hot and unshaven, without sleep, its all part of the experience.

Nothing like getting home to a hot bath and your own toilet seat eh?

[vetteheadracer]

I was soooo pissed off this year at Le Mans with the trafic. It look nearly 3 hours to drive from Arnage to Karting on Saturday morning and then nearly 2 hours to get back from Karting to Arnage on Saturday night at about midnight.

Having spent 1 hour in Rouen in traffic Thursday lunchtime, then another 40 minutes in Gace and 40 minutes gettin thru Sees I was already fed up with the traffic.

Final straw yesterday spent an hour queuing to get of the Alencon end of the toll road......


Not sure I can be bothered with it all

[pete]

Dickster said:

Big up though to the convoy I saw yesterday with the blue Cerb with reg Bad Sh1t with the stripes. I was the shiny Octvia vRS D13CKY which you most likely didn't notice.

Hard luck Dickster - next time try Camping Houx; it's got reserved pitches, a permanent toilet/shower block, and a cafe on site.

As for your Octavia, I was driving the silver Tuscan with black stripes in the BAD541T convoy. Great registration you have there - I thought "that'll be Dicky then" as I passed!

Pete

>> Edited by pete on Tuesday 21st June 11:02

[TwistedBMW]

Balmoral Green said:

And loud music until 2am, fine, I can handle that, but at 4.30am? I was getting mightily pissed off!

You must not have drunk enough! was on same pitch as you and did not hear a thing :-)

[maxf]

We'll be staying at a Hotel or private campsite next year.

Houx was a nightmare - some pikey ers camped opposite to us (who didn't leave their caravan once to see ANY racing). They decided to have some fireworks and let some of their 10 children (I kid you not) organise the display. It was like Bagdad on new years eve! A mortar tipped over and went into our camp at about head height and exploded (two or three times). Car got burnt, tent is full of holes and Claire got her back burned by the explosion.

Of course I went over to politely ask that they attempt to point their fireworks skwards and got told in no uncertain terms that they didn't care! Same fireworks also tool out an Audi TT headlamp and various other tents. Full revenge was planned for when we left - but they simply didn't leave their camp!

My dads advice was that if they were pikeys I should find where their horse is tied up and poison it!!!

[Davey S1]

First trip this year so I dont have much to judge it against but we stayed in a place called Spey just outside Le Mans on a private campsite. It was really nice with decent toilets and showers and was full of brits over for the race so the atmosphere was good.

Getting to and from the track was fine. We had a great local taxi driver who we could call and he would be there in 5 minutes and pick us up later from the track when we wanted to go back for a bit of sleep.

I didnt make it to Houx but walked through Maison Blanche and while it looked a bloody good laugh I wouldnt have wanted to stay there for a few days. There have been a few other threads about cars being damaged by fireworks, people doing donuts on gravel pathes etc so it seems a bit more hastle than its worth.

Same place for us next year.

[Balmoral Green]

maxf said:

We'll be staying at a Hotel or private campsite next year.

In previous years I have been on the Bentley Drivers Club organised trips, we stayed in a really nice hotel in Saumur, it was about an hours drive from the circuit, but we had some great drives each day. It cost a four figure sum, but was well worth it. As for camping, most campsites are lovely, and there are loads not far from the circuit, getting in and out of the circuit is the only big hassle, with the BDC we had private parking courtesy of Bentley Motors and the use of their shuttle bus.

I reckon the best option would be a good campsite outside of Le Mans, with your own neat clean pitch, your own water/waste/electric point, good clean shower blocks and some sort of organised minibus with a hired driver as a taxi.

[Balmoral Green]

Davey S1 said:

You are welcome to come with us next time BG

[Davey S1]

Balmoral Green said:

Davey S1 said: You are welcome to come with us next time BG

After the palatial space of the mobile drawing room from Crewe I think you might find the confines of my Exige a little bit tight mate

I can thoroughly recomend the campsite though. Camping De Housay in Spay if anyone wants to have a look at it for next year.

[zebedee]

[quote=Balmoral Green]

And loud music until 2am, fine, I can handle that, but at 4.30am? I was getting mightily pissed off!

quote]

I bet those pesky race cars didn't turn their exhausts down either?

[MarkBarton]

We nearly couldn't camp at all in Technoparc when we arrived Friday early evening. Unfortunately it's down to lack of management in the first place. If people we're allocated space on arrival (as we have been in the past at places like Chappelle, or Musée Interieure as it was called then), then everyone who bought tickets for the campsite would be able to fit in it.

Sadly there seems to be no management of the campsites at all other than checking tickets, and those who arrive early clearly have no sense of proportion about the amount of space they need. Seven of us with two cars and four tents took up less space then some people took up with one tent, a swimming pool, gazebo, and about an acre of land. I'm all for having a bit of room, but it's getting silly. Spay sounds like a very good idea!

Still had a cracking weekend though, and will be back next year unless the temperatures are going to be the same

Davey, how much did camping at Houssay cost?

>> Edited by MarkBarton on Tuesday 21st June 12:26

[minimax]

Balmoral Green said:

Nothing like getting home to a hot bath and your own toilet seat eh?

houx was good, there was some shade and the cafe and bogs were handy to avoid having to take a dump in the shrubbery

to be fair though the showers were an smelly shambles and the cafe was poor...I'd hate to have been in any of the other sites we saw!

so anyway it was still a fantastic time

[bluesatin]

Ultima club has used a lovely Chateau for the last few years. Great camping, clean toilets and hot showers with a fine bar and resturant. Total car nuts that own the place and even have a concours display of the best cars at the site on Friday night!

Finally the US Miracle team stayed in the Chateau!

[rsvmilly]

vetteheadracer said:

I was soooo pissed off this year at Le Mans with the trafic. It look nearly 3 hours to drive from Arnage to Karting on Saturday morning and then nearly 2 hours to get back from Karting to Arnage on Saturday night at about midnight.

I thought the traffic seemed much better than previous years. We watched the start from Mulsanne corner and the road out of the campsites, next to Beasejour, was clear - it used to queue under the track.

vetteheadracer said:

Having spent 1 hour in Rouen in traffic Thursday lunchtime, then another 40 minutes in Gace and 40 minutes gettin thru Sees I was already fed up with the traffic. Final straw yesterday spent an hour queuing to get of the Alencon end of the toll road......

Wasn't really a good day to work on that road was it? I was so glad I was on my bike - I must have filtered through around 5 miles or more of traffic.

[DanH]

Any one got any tips for chateaus and hotels to stay at in the area?

I did a chateau last year which was a Porsche club derived thing, but it was mighty pricey (800 quid excluding ferry, entry tickets etc). This year we stayed at the marmott in alencon, but it was a 35 min drive from lemans which was a bit too far and the hotel was pretty vile (sub travel lodge).

May well miss out next year, but want to do something nice in 07.

>> Edited by DanH on Tuesday 21st June 12:38

[jodypress]

i missed out this year, but my friends and i usually stay in Le Mans town centre in a hotel. (last year we bumped into a load of Japanese and one of them turned out to be a driver )
cost was about 40euros a night. we then take a cab at night, or drive and park a 30min walk away.

best way to do it TBH, fresh ebds, fresh showers, all the petrol fumes you need at the track, oh and press passes help too

[raceboy]

Balmoral Green said:

And loud music until 2am, fine, I can handle that, but at 4.30am? I was getting mightily pissed off!

Sorry
I retreated at about 2am when we ran out of beer, but the hunter gathers in our group tracked down more supplies which kept them going a little longer luckily they didn't find any more fireworks Pool number 1 '0' Ariel Mortor '1'

If there was a prize for the most photographed car at Le Mans you'd be up for up, every time I ventured of the pitch someone was waving a Nikon in the Bentleys direction