Wright Brothers memorial

[Great Dane]

Does anyone know precisely where the Wright Brothers memorial is ???( They used the site for the first motorised flight in Europe - hence the street name in town)

[GlennC]

There is one just back from the cathedral at the entrance to the tunnel (Rue Wilbur Wright) that goes under the old town. It's on the town side, not the river side.

Not sure if this is the one you mean, but you can see it on Google maps

[lowdrag]

It is at the "Place des Jacobins" and as you look at the cathedral from in front it is just to the left, as aforesaid at the entrance to the tunnel. In view of the ongoing tram works I would strongly suggest you catch the tram from Antares to the town centre and walk the few hundred yards.

[Great Dane]

It was more the one at the circuit I was thinking about

http://www.charlesgraafdelambert.nl/joomla/index.p...

Edited by Great Dane on Monday 22 April 12:55

[lowdrag]

I never knew that existed! It points to the horse racing circuit which isn't far off opposite the chinese restaurant on the Mulsanne straight. I'll take a look tomorrow when I go to the circuit for the Tour Auto.

ETA:- To cap it all, I've just learned that the statue next to the tunnel was removed when the new tramway works started. No one has a clue where it is now.

Edited by lowdrag on Monday 22 April 13:22

[lowdrag]

Had to nip up to Mulsanne so took the camera. Opposite the chines restaurant is the entrance to the Hippodrome. you enter, keep going down to the main building and in front of that is the parade ring. It's right in the middle.

[gt6]

After 28 years of visiting le mans you still can find out something new, thanks for the photo will take a look in June

[Great Dane]

lowdrag said:

Had to nip up to Mulsanne so took the camera. Opposite the chines restaurant is the entrance to the Hippodrome. you enter, keep going down to the main building and in front of that is the parade ring. It's right in the middle.

thanks great stuff - funnily enough we were up that road last year - so we must have passed closed by it (coming from the back doing a 'reckie for a black opps which failed).

Edited by Great Dane on Monday 22 April 23:44

[samoan attorney]

I wrote a little piece on this ages ago

http://sportscarpros.anamera.com/notes-from-the-ce...

[Great Dane]

samoan attorney said:

I wrote a little piece on this ages ago

http://sportscarpros.anamera.com/notes-from-the-ce...

Great article... and youtube is now our friend. seeing the granite stone in action



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3beVhDiyio

Edited by Great Dane on Tuesday 23 April 17:10

[Great Dane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQg51T2ZpL4


the removal of the statue damaged it slightly ... as far as I understand it, the statue will be back once the tramway works have been completed

Edited by Great Dane on Tuesday 23 April 17:11

[Nosynchro]

wouldnt mind having a look at this piece of history. Is access to the Hippodrome possible during race week, perhaps on Friday when less roads closed down?

[Great Dane]

last year I seem to remember that the rod was closed but that tehre was a backroad we drove up to the hippodome - to do a black opps reckie...

[lowdrag]

It is the road from Mulsanne bend to Arnage that is closed on Friday but the Mulsanne straight is open. Access is therefore simple.

[Great Dane]

I seem to remember that the little side road was closed due to the armco and that we had to go back via the industrail estate and a little very norrow and very bumpy country lane..

[lowdrag]

This is a main road although at times the race track. Even if you park opposite at the Chinese restaurant or even just outside the hippodrome it is only a couple of hundred yards walk to the memorial. This is a well-kept gravel entrance to a horse racing stadium, not an off-road track.

[Nosynchro]

thanks.I will walk there from campsite. was just checking that you can wander in to the racecourse grounds in that it is not locked behind a big fence and gates

[cbrown7]

I have long been led to believe that there is something to mark the spot close to the trotting track in the centre of the circuit. However, a few years back myself and a mate walked slowly (both ways) along the track opposite the cafe on the N138 looking for whatever it is and came up with nothing.

If someone with better information and/or powers of observation can locate and provide pictures this would close of one of my long held Le Mans mysteries.

Oh, just spotted lowdrag's comment, it is in the centre of the parade ring, we might of seen it then but as the (horse) track was in use at the time we couldn't get close.

Edited by cbrown7 on Monday 29th April 17:32

[cbrown7]

Oh yes! And when you are NOT at work you can see the images that have already been kindly provided!