Do the teams go home straight after the race?

[wsn03]

Wondering if the teams stay behind Sunday night to rest / celebrate? Does anyone know? They must be shattered.

[FredericRobinson]

Some of the staff have to stay on for a day or two, post-race scrutinering doesn’t start until Monday

[Pericoloso]

I heard a commentator say that everyone has to be packed and gone by Monday night.

could be bolx.

[delta0]

When we walked through the circuit in the evening the teams were packing up. They were definitely there Sunday night celebrating. So must be Monday when they leave.

[wsn03]

I thought it might be a bit much to go straight home.
Thanks for confirming.

[Great Dane]

Saw all the special Le Mans regulations some time ago when a good friend of my ran the Lotus team. There is a deadline where you have to be out like Monday 18:00 and a penalty like 500€ for every hour you run over It also showed all the extra charges for services like team tickets, internet including a rather stiff penalty for drilling holes in the walls or the floor of the pit.... plus the non-returnable application charge of around 30k € ( used against charges if you are selected ) and wasted if you don't get selected.. and the price for teams to have film crews etc.... you can't operate without stcker which costs an arm and a leg



and PS all fines are payable in cash on the spot.... no cards no cheques. My friend walked around with about 3k€ on him in person just in case the team had a fine... but you do get a receipt for your accounts :-)

Edited by Great Dane on Friday 5th July 20:06

[Chrisgr31]

Arent there restrictions on trucks driving in France on a Sunday? I suspect some teams will have an exemption but some wont. The latter will have to wait for Monday anyway

[wsn03]

Great Dane said:

Saw all the special Le Mans regulations some time ago when a good friend of my ran the Lotus team. There is a deadline where you have to be out like Monday 18:00 and a penalty like 500€ for every hour you run over It also showed all the extra charges for services like team tickets, internet including a rather stiff penalty for drilling holes in the walls or the floor of the pit.... plus the non-returnable application charge of around 30k € ( used against charges if you are selected ) and wasted if you don't get selected.. and the price for teams to have film crews etc.... you can't operate without stcker which costs an arm and a leg



and PS all fines are payable in cash on the spot.... no cards no cheques. My friend walked around with about 3k€ on him in person just in case the team had a fine... but you do get a receipt for your accounts :-)

Edited by Great Dane on Friday 5th July 20:06

Bloody hell! The ACO really are something else! Thanks for that very interesting insight

[Great Dane]

wsn03 said:

loody hell! The ACO really are something else! Thanks for that very interesting insight

Fuel is only available in 200l barrells at a price of around 6€ a litre.... if a barrell has been opened it can't be returned and tyres are around 2k€ a set or a least was ...

[Great Dane]

Found the document... from 2012 not getting cheaper and the price is per car
Test day participation 10k€ plus vat
Services at test day 2k plus vat

Apllication fee only 4k€ not refundable if you are not selected
Participation fee 23k€ plus vat
Deposit for services ... timing monitors, fuel, internet, team tickets 20k €

Delay after Monday 18PM 2k€ per day and that is just for starters

[chasingracecars]

I know the Corvette team drive the trucks to the uk on the Monday night Ouistreham crossing. From there they go up to Liverpool and sent back to the USA from there.

[VladD]

I remember several years ago travelling back in our double decker on the Monday and chatting to the driver of the lorry that was carrying Colin McRae's Ferrari while we were both queueing form the tolls. They left Monday morning the same as us.

[knight]

In the early 2000s I stayed at one of the hotels around Saint Saturnin and on the sunday night one of the Porsche teams was there with their team truck in the carpark

[eastlmark]

on a similar topic, after the test day do all the teams and personnel hang around for a whole week before srutineering? And guessing cars need rebuilding after test day so is this all done in the paddock?
Paddock looked rammed on test day and think its unlikely anyone could get out of there without major upheaval.
Guessing the days of basing themselves in local garages/dealers are long gone.

[wsn03]

Great Dane said:

Found the document... from 2012 not getting cheaper and the price is per car
Test day participation 10k€ plus vat
Services at test day 2k plus vat

Apllication fee only 4k€ not refundable if you are not selected
Participation fee 23k€ plus vat
Deposit for services ... timing monitors, fuel, internet, team tickets 20k €

Delay after Monday 18PM 2k€ per day and that is just for starters

That is very pricey. I'm amazed the ACO struggles to cover its costs with all the various revenue streams it has. I guess closing off a large section of road for such a massive event is a very costly business. I'm friends with one of the former TT organisers, the bills they have are eye-watering too.

[wsn03]

chasingracecars said:

I know the Corvette team drive the trucks to the uk on the Monday night Ouistreham crossing. From there they go up to Liverpool and sent back to the USA from there.

That is very interesting. So they ship everything home from Liverpool?!? My stepson came to Le Mans this year for the first time, he has now become a Corvette obsessive.

[wsn03]

VladD said:

I remember several years ago travelling back in our double decker on the Monday and chatting to the driver of the lorry that was carrying Colin McRae's Ferrari while we were both queueing form the tolls. They left Monday morning the same as us.

Was Colin McRae driving at Le Mans??? Didn't know that

[wsn03]

eastlmark said:

on a similar topic, after the test day do all the teams and personnel hang around for a whole week before srutineering? And guessing cars need rebuilding after test day so is this all done in the paddock?
Paddock looked rammed on test day and think its unlikely anyone could get out of there without major upheaval.
Guessing the days of basing themselves in local garages/dealers are long gone.

Is test day 1 week before scrutineering then? So the whole event takes 2 weeks up in the race schedule in that case?!? Just like the TT races if so, that's a massive commitment from teams.

I know for the TT races Honda tried to get the organisers to reduce the programme for all sorts of practical and logistical reasons, and as they are the main factory supporters of it I expected they might get some concessions, but they were met with a flat "no".

[Truckosaurus]

eastlmark said:

on a similar topic, after the test day do all the teams and personnel hang around for a whole week before srutineering? ...

That's the plan hence moving the test day to the weekend before scrutineering. I guess the staff may get some days of leisure if everything goes well at the test day.

[Nosynchro]

Colin Macrae in 2004 with Darren Turner. Bottom step of GTS Podium IIRC