I had a great time at Le Mans Classic 2016 thread
Discussion
For me the journey started at home on the Wednesday when I needed to gather allt he equipment and stuff I would need for 6 days and 5 nights away from home camping in the wilds of France.
20160706_100017 by WCA!, on Flickr
Once that was sorted I loaded the car ready for the drive to Folkestone where I was staying overnight so I could catch an early train to ensure a relaxed drive across France the next day. The sun was shining, the roof was down and the journey started for real.
20160706_153635 by WCA!, on Flickr
I arrived at the rather impressive looking Grand Burstin Hotel.
20160706_192537 by WCA!, on Flickr
It certainly appeared to be good value for just £43 including breakfast, right up until the moment I got to my room. This redefined the terms small and basic to a whole new level but it was a bed and I slept there.
20160706_191857 by WCA!, on Flickr
I woke early and in anticipation of a quick rail trip and a day cruising to Le Mans looking at the pretty cars. Little did I know...
I joined all the right queues, checking in as normal, cleared customers and was just being loaded onto the train when...
the engine suddenly sounded strange, wouldn't rev and then died completely.
20160707_103652 by WCA!, on Flickr
The man in the van could offer a screwdriver and an 8mm or 10mm socket from his extensive tool kit. As he explained he only normally dealt with flat batteries. I swore to myself a bit as I watched the next train leave with lots of people giving my the thumbs up. Well I am glad they were happy.
20160707_111927 by WCA!, on Flickr
Eventually the man in the van returned and said I couldn't remain where I was and he would tow me away. unfortunately because I had removed the front crash structure from the car when fitting the SWB nose there was nowhere to attach a rope so I got a nice ride on the back of a truck.
20160707_114548 by WCA!, on Flickr
Did they take me to a workshop? No. Did they take me to a local garage? No. They took me to the petrol station just outside of the terminal and dumped me in the layby. They did say that if I got it fixed I could call them and they would escort me back through customs etc.
At least I was now able to work on the car without the applause from the quese of people going onto the train. I got out my extensive tool kit and rang the RAC.
20160707_133423 by WCA!, on Flickr
The RAC man actually seemed to look forward to the challenge of fixing my car as he said it would be a 'challenge'. I am not sure that was the words he used nearly 4 hours later when he had fixed it.
20160707_133737 by WCA!, on Flickr
And the cause of the breakdown?
A broken zip tie!
When I fitted the revised air intake system I discovered during the first test drive that at full throttle the throttle cable caught against a bit of the plumbing and locked open. I pulled over and used a zip tie to pull the plumbing away from the throttle. This was just a 'get me home' fix obviously. I also didn't bother to do anything about it once it had got me home and so it chose this moment to snap causing the air inlet plumbing come loose and the engine to die.
20160707_140325 by WCA!, on Flickr
Finally fixed and on the 4:30pm train!!!
20160707_144513 by WCA!, on Flickr
Now I arrived in France about 7 hours behind schedule. I would need to make up some time. If only I could find a few cars to tag along with.
As luck would have it there were four friends leaving the petrol station as I drove past and they welcomed me into their convoy. It is safe to say that with these guys I was making good progress.
20160707_173117 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160707_173126 by WCA!, on Flickr
Riught up to the point we hit a 25km tailback caused by a truck crossing the central reservation and closing the A28 in both directions for the afternoon. By the time we had joined the queue the worse of it was over. I 'only' spent 1 hour with the ignition turned off and 1 hour crawling along passed a road sweeper cleaning the glass and diesel off the road. I arrived at the campsite tired and relieved at 11:30pm.
20160707_180803 by WCA!, on Flickr
I woke up in a mood of eagar anticipation for the three days of the event now lay ahead. To be honest the three days kind of blurred together so I may get the order of events wrong but it really doen't matter too much.
20160709_121120 by WCA!, on Flickr
So rather than text here are photos in no particular order. Slightly lax security gives good access to the pits and paddocks, kids racing 100cc cars, marching bands, owners clubs by the mile, view along the start finish straight, classic Le Mans start, cars grouped by age rather than type gave interest to the races...
20160710_162054 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_154004 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_154539 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_141737 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_154028 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_160003 by WCA!, on Flickr
mixedrace by WCA!, on Flickr
A full set of the photos are here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/albums/...
Sometimes I have the ability to make doors fall open and give me access to privileged areas with really close up views of the track side pits
20160709_174054 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_165206 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_171041 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160709_173702 by WCA!, on Flickr
The Masterati qualified 3rd but needed help to get it off the line
20160709_173748 by WCA!, on Flickr
Finally it was time to pack up and go home leaving the campsite for a comfortable bed seemed a nice idea. I even managed to get everything back into the car nice and neatly. Well almost...
20160711_085144 by WCA!, on Flickr
If you were wondering what the silver thing in the passenger seat is, it is memorabelia. Each team in the pits was given a branded oil drip tray. There was only one per team and these were not available for love nor money to the general public so I cannot reveal exactly how it ended up in my possession.
20160712_103043 by WCA!, on Flickr
20160706_100017 by WCA!, on FlickrOnce that was sorted I loaded the car ready for the drive to Folkestone where I was staying overnight so I could catch an early train to ensure a relaxed drive across France the next day. The sun was shining, the roof was down and the journey started for real.
20160706_153635 by WCA!, on FlickrI arrived at the rather impressive looking Grand Burstin Hotel.
20160706_192537 by WCA!, on FlickrIt certainly appeared to be good value for just £43 including breakfast, right up until the moment I got to my room. This redefined the terms small and basic to a whole new level but it was a bed and I slept there.
20160706_191857 by WCA!, on FlickrI woke early and in anticipation of a quick rail trip and a day cruising to Le Mans looking at the pretty cars. Little did I know...
I joined all the right queues, checking in as normal, cleared customers and was just being loaded onto the train when...
the engine suddenly sounded strange, wouldn't rev and then died completely.
20160707_103652 by WCA!, on FlickrThe man in the van could offer a screwdriver and an 8mm or 10mm socket from his extensive tool kit. As he explained he only normally dealt with flat batteries. I swore to myself a bit as I watched the next train leave with lots of people giving my the thumbs up. Well I am glad they were happy.
20160707_111927 by WCA!, on FlickrEventually the man in the van returned and said I couldn't remain where I was and he would tow me away. unfortunately because I had removed the front crash structure from the car when fitting the SWB nose there was nowhere to attach a rope so I got a nice ride on the back of a truck.
20160707_114548 by WCA!, on FlickrDid they take me to a workshop? No. Did they take me to a local garage? No. They took me to the petrol station just outside of the terminal and dumped me in the layby. They did say that if I got it fixed I could call them and they would escort me back through customs etc.
At least I was now able to work on the car without the applause from the quese of people going onto the train. I got out my extensive tool kit and rang the RAC.
20160707_133423 by WCA!, on FlickrThe RAC man actually seemed to look forward to the challenge of fixing my car as he said it would be a 'challenge'. I am not sure that was the words he used nearly 4 hours later when he had fixed it.
20160707_133737 by WCA!, on FlickrAnd the cause of the breakdown?
A broken zip tie!
When I fitted the revised air intake system I discovered during the first test drive that at full throttle the throttle cable caught against a bit of the plumbing and locked open. I pulled over and used a zip tie to pull the plumbing away from the throttle. This was just a 'get me home' fix obviously. I also didn't bother to do anything about it once it had got me home and so it chose this moment to snap causing the air inlet plumbing come loose and the engine to die.
20160707_140325 by WCA!, on FlickrFinally fixed and on the 4:30pm train!!!
20160707_144513 by WCA!, on FlickrNow I arrived in France about 7 hours behind schedule. I would need to make up some time. If only I could find a few cars to tag along with.
As luck would have it there were four friends leaving the petrol station as I drove past and they welcomed me into their convoy. It is safe to say that with these guys I was making good progress.
20160707_173117 by WCA!, on Flickr20160707_173126 by WCA!, on FlickrRiught up to the point we hit a 25km tailback caused by a truck crossing the central reservation and closing the A28 in both directions for the afternoon. By the time we had joined the queue the worse of it was over. I 'only' spent 1 hour with the ignition turned off and 1 hour crawling along passed a road sweeper cleaning the glass and diesel off the road. I arrived at the campsite tired and relieved at 11:30pm.
20160707_180803 by WCA!, on FlickrI woke up in a mood of eagar anticipation for the three days of the event now lay ahead. To be honest the three days kind of blurred together so I may get the order of events wrong but it really doen't matter too much.
20160709_121120 by WCA!, on FlickrSo rather than text here are photos in no particular order. Slightly lax security gives good access to the pits and paddocks, kids racing 100cc cars, marching bands, owners clubs by the mile, view along the start finish straight, classic Le Mans start, cars grouped by age rather than type gave interest to the races...
20160710_162054 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_154004 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_154539 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_141737 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_154028 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_160003 by WCA!, on Flickrmixedrace by WCA!, on FlickrA full set of the photos are here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/albums/...
Sometimes I have the ability to make doors fall open and give me access to privileged areas with really close up views of the track side pits
20160709_174054 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_165206 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_171041 by WCA!, on Flickr20160709_173702 by WCA!, on FlickrThe Masterati qualified 3rd but needed help to get it off the line
20160709_173748 by WCA!, on FlickrFinally it was time to pack up and go home leaving the campsite for a comfortable bed seemed a nice idea. I even managed to get everything back into the car nice and neatly. Well almost...
20160711_085144 by WCA!, on FlickrIf you were wondering what the silver thing in the passenger seat is, it is memorabelia. Each team in the pits was given a branded oil drip tray. There was only one per team and these were not available for love nor money to the general public so I cannot reveal exactly how it ended up in my possession.
20160712_103043 by WCA!, on FlickrAnd the surveyor doesn't know what a Mazda screen really looks like...
...but is right it is a bespoke rebody done to my own design.
You can probably google my user name and find out but if you want to play guessing here is your first hints to guess the donor
For 5 points - Straight six engine
...but is right it is a bespoke rebody done to my own design.
You can probably google my user name and find out but if you want to play guessing here is your first hints to guess the donor
For 5 points - Straight six engine
Bang on.
I was only teasing with the Mazda comment. Lots of people go for the default "It is a dolled up MX5" so it is nice to correct them occassionally.
Equally, it is not a kit car. It was designed by me and the body work was bespoke hand crafted. It is the only car I have ever designed so I am pleased with the reaction I tend to get.
There is even a thriving replica business doing kit versions on my car now, but mine is the original.
http://www.tributeautomotive.co.uk/z300s.html
I was only teasing with the Mazda comment. Lots of people go for the default "It is a dolled up MX5" so it is nice to correct them occassionally.
Equally, it is not a kit car. It was designed by me and the body work was bespoke hand crafted. It is the only car I have ever designed so I am pleased with the reaction I tend to get.
There is even a thriving replica business doing kit versions on my car now, but mine is the original.
http://www.tributeautomotive.co.uk/z300s.html
If you zoom in on the picture of the RAC man working under the bonnet you can see the BMW engine and everything. Great fun weekend.
I couldn't believe that I could mix it with the big boys (Aston, Ferrari etc) and actually stay in contention. I was even more surprised that when we stopped for fuel / coffee the crowd formed around my car instead of theirs. I was trying to drool over their motors and they were busy taking photos of a Z3 in a pretty frock!
I couldn't believe that I could mix it with the big boys (Aston, Ferrari etc) and actually stay in contention. I was even more surprised that when we stopped for fuel / coffee the crowd formed around my car instead of theirs. I was trying to drool over their motors and they were busy taking photos of a Z3 in a pretty frock!
I arrived at the campsite an hour after the guys who took the 11:30 train as they were also stuck in the infamous A28 truck crash.
Just found a couple more pictures that failed to upload the first time.
I considerably reduced the number of insects in France
20160708_085701 by WCA!, on Flickr
Properly up close in the pits
20160708_150102 by WCA!, on Flickr
I almost walked through there to the actual track but decided against it
20160708_144522 by WCA!, on Flickr
Dinner Chez Moi
20160708_203102 by WCA!, on Flickr
And this guy REALLY likes titties and even lists all the great things they do for you
20160708_213855 by WCA!, on Flickr
Just found a couple more pictures that failed to upload the first time.
I considerably reduced the number of insects in France
20160708_085701 by WCA!, on FlickrProperly up close in the pits
20160708_150102 by WCA!, on FlickrI almost walked through there to the actual track but decided against it
20160708_144522 by WCA!, on FlickrDinner Chez Moi
20160708_203102 by WCA!, on FlickrAnd this guy REALLY likes titties and even lists all the great things they do for you
20160708_213855 by WCA!, on FlickrGassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff