Unluckiest Le Mans ...
Discussion
I'll start the bidding on the unluckiest Le Mans ...
Wednesday
Arrive in Dover, and at the ferry terminal roundabout I have a coach pull into the passenger side of the Griffith... Great start !! (Only just got new engine back in in time to go in the first place)
Torrential rain, causes MIL light to come on and Griffith overfuelling like crazy - shite run to Le Mans at 8 mpg with an engine that doesn't want to run, idle or behave on a part throttle .... Guys in convoy behind had rain and my fuel on their screens to contend with as well !
Run out of fuel on A28, new section, and have to rely on convoy to go and get fuel, 4kms further down the road and return to retrieve me.
Thursday
A fairly quiet day this one, with no mishaps ..
Friday
My parents have come down on Thursday after waiting 30yrs to come to Le Mans, work commitments have prevented it. Dad goes to the toilet in the middle of the night and leaves Tent undone. Mum still asleep inside, when some pikey comes in, rifles around and does a bunk with her handbag. Containing everything, jewellery, passports, race tickets, shades, contact lenses, cash, purse etc etc etc (bear in mind this pair spend at least 3 weeks a year in some of the most outlandish places around the world in all sorts of conditions, it's Le Mans where they get stung !!)
Saturday morning
Handbag tunrs up over by Team Langoustine guys and they call me. Everything retrieved except, cash, jewellery and race tickets.
Spend 3 hours hiking all over Le Mans from pillar to post to sort out replacment tickets for my mum, at her 1st Le Mans, she'd have had mine if the ACO hadn't been so good ..
Therefore, get giant blister on left foot, hurts like hell for rest of trip, and clutch foot in a TVR reminds me all the way home !
Try to go to Arnage on Saturday night, special for the folks in particular, queue for bloody hours and then get turned away ... 1st time in 4yrs we haven't been on a saturday night. Went to Tetre Rouge instead, which was good though ...
Sunday
Retire to the grandstand for the last 4 hrs, when pissed danish knobs decide to stand in front of folks, Dad being the quiet reserved guy he is leads the charge to get 'em to move, looks like it's all going to go off when they finally sit down out of the way .... why do people do this kind of crap, spoilt it a bit for my folks .. there I was thinking that if they start on my 62yr old dad it's going to get messy involving me and all the Peach Melba Team.
Monday
We're in Rouen, having come up on Sunday afternoon, only the run home from here now !!
Get 5 miles out of Dover on A2, when bloke in Jeep Cheroke decides not to indicate on the roundabout and pull into the passenger side of the Griffith ... Yes, the same side as the coach, but this time he really does a proper job on it ...
A couple of thanks ...
Team Langoustine guys for phoning number on passports to get hold of me as this went a long way to recover the crap feeling in our camp on Saturday morning.
ACO for being understanding and sorting out replacent Grand stand ticket for mum, as she will probably only come the once, and although she would have had mine, she'd have felt shit about...
Andy from London TVR, good to see you again mate ! For finally curing what the problem is when it rains with the Griffith, now sorted permanently.
Tiger drivers for stopping on A28 to make sure we were OK .... That's the spirit.
Team Peach Melba, it's been several years we have travelled down as a Team and the lads this year rallied round for every issue and helped out with all of them when they came up ... I look forward to the coming years ..
Barretti - or Scooter Hooter to those that know !
Dingo - has he woken up yet ?
Ballistic Banana - always chilled out, maintains camp harmony
Lambo - the worlds unluckiest passenger - 2 collisions in 5 days
Billy no Brakes - Top entertainment every year !
Spud - welcome, see you next year
Dickie Bow - the most genial host and welcoming bloke in camp
My folks - For being the type of people who in their 60's just love doing this kind of thing and maintaining a smile during
the shit bits.
Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic Le Mans and can't wait to get back, it was just really really hard work keeping a smile on my face at times and to have another accident on the way home was a real kick in the nuts !!
Wednesday
Arrive in Dover, and at the ferry terminal roundabout I have a coach pull into the passenger side of the Griffith... Great start !! (Only just got new engine back in in time to go in the first place)
Torrential rain, causes MIL light to come on and Griffith overfuelling like crazy - shite run to Le Mans at 8 mpg with an engine that doesn't want to run, idle or behave on a part throttle .... Guys in convoy behind had rain and my fuel on their screens to contend with as well !
Run out of fuel on A28, new section, and have to rely on convoy to go and get fuel, 4kms further down the road and return to retrieve me.
Thursday
A fairly quiet day this one, with no mishaps ..
Friday
My parents have come down on Thursday after waiting 30yrs to come to Le Mans, work commitments have prevented it. Dad goes to the toilet in the middle of the night and leaves Tent undone. Mum still asleep inside, when some pikey comes in, rifles around and does a bunk with her handbag. Containing everything, jewellery, passports, race tickets, shades, contact lenses, cash, purse etc etc etc (bear in mind this pair spend at least 3 weeks a year in some of the most outlandish places around the world in all sorts of conditions, it's Le Mans where they get stung !!)
Saturday morning
Handbag tunrs up over by Team Langoustine guys and they call me. Everything retrieved except, cash, jewellery and race tickets.
Spend 3 hours hiking all over Le Mans from pillar to post to sort out replacment tickets for my mum, at her 1st Le Mans, she'd have had mine if the ACO hadn't been so good ..
Therefore, get giant blister on left foot, hurts like hell for rest of trip, and clutch foot in a TVR reminds me all the way home !
Try to go to Arnage on Saturday night, special for the folks in particular, queue for bloody hours and then get turned away ... 1st time in 4yrs we haven't been on a saturday night. Went to Tetre Rouge instead, which was good though ...
Sunday
Retire to the grandstand for the last 4 hrs, when pissed danish knobs decide to stand in front of folks, Dad being the quiet reserved guy he is leads the charge to get 'em to move, looks like it's all going to go off when they finally sit down out of the way .... why do people do this kind of crap, spoilt it a bit for my folks .. there I was thinking that if they start on my 62yr old dad it's going to get messy involving me and all the Peach Melba Team.
Monday
We're in Rouen, having come up on Sunday afternoon, only the run home from here now !!
Get 5 miles out of Dover on A2, when bloke in Jeep Cheroke decides not to indicate on the roundabout and pull into the passenger side of the Griffith ... Yes, the same side as the coach, but this time he really does a proper job on it ...
A couple of thanks ...
Team Langoustine guys for phoning number on passports to get hold of me as this went a long way to recover the crap feeling in our camp on Saturday morning.
ACO for being understanding and sorting out replacent Grand stand ticket for mum, as she will probably only come the once, and although she would have had mine, she'd have felt shit about...
Andy from London TVR, good to see you again mate ! For finally curing what the problem is when it rains with the Griffith, now sorted permanently.
Tiger drivers for stopping on A28 to make sure we were OK .... That's the spirit.
Team Peach Melba, it's been several years we have travelled down as a Team and the lads this year rallied round for every issue and helped out with all of them when they came up ... I look forward to the coming years ..
Barretti - or Scooter Hooter to those that know !
Dingo - has he woken up yet ?
Ballistic Banana - always chilled out, maintains camp harmony
Lambo - the worlds unluckiest passenger - 2 collisions in 5 days
Billy no Brakes - Top entertainment every year !
Spud - welcome, see you next year
Dickie Bow - the most genial host and welcoming bloke in camp
My folks - For being the type of people who in their 60's just love doing this kind of thing and maintaining a smile during
the shit bits.
Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic Le Mans and can't wait to get back, it was just really really hard work keeping a smile on my face at times and to have another accident on the way home was a real kick in the nuts !!
I'm speechless chap. There is nothing more to add to
that one. Bad luck all round.
I suspect that Mr Pescarola may be equally gutted but not much more.
We were feeling sorry for Ed Morris(?), youngest Brit driver at Le Mans.
Car failed on him after all the hype. Then to cap it all we found him and his dad
walking along the hard shoulder picking up their belongings after there motor home
broke a stub axle and hit the armco. Stopped to help but there was nothing we could do
but offer sympathy, and isolate the leaking Lpg tank.
Sorry we kept missing you spent most of saturday night at Terte Rouge and the Essses too.
Atb
Stu
that one. Bad luck all round.
I suspect that Mr Pescarola may be equally gutted but not much more.
We were feeling sorry for Ed Morris(?), youngest Brit driver at Le Mans.
Car failed on him after all the hype. Then to cap it all we found him and his dad
walking along the hard shoulder picking up their belongings after there motor home
broke a stub axle and hit the armco. Stopped to help but there was nothing we could do
but offer sympathy, and isolate the leaking Lpg tank.
Sorry we kept missing you spent most of saturday night at Terte Rouge and the Essses too.
Atb
Stu
At least you made it there and back in one peice though despite the rest of it. 
Yeah shit happens man and I really Felt for you, Especially at the first collision as I Could see it comming was Beeping and Shout NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
Oh And you forgot to mention the Nice lady who rang me on your Phone from the Hotel In Rouen that you Lost
All the best Mate and catch up soon
BB
Oh And you forgot to mention the Nice lady who rang me on your Phone from the Hotel In Rouen that you Lost
All the best Mate and catch up soon
BB
Hey John, that sounds like it could have been better, but at least people were so helpful and bear in mind it could always be worse.
One year my mate had some little uninsured sh*t drive into his Cerbie on the motorway destroying the back end before even getting into France. His brother lent him his Scooby... which he reversed into the front of my Cerb a few days later, AND THEN when leaving Le Mans this happened:
He was ok, but it was certainly one of those cr*ppy, nightmare trips!
Also you'll be pleased to note he's never had such bad luck since - so start looking forward to an incident free Le Mans 2007!!
One year my mate had some little uninsured sh*t drive into his Cerbie on the motorway destroying the back end before even getting into France. His brother lent him his Scooby... which he reversed into the front of my Cerb a few days later, AND THEN when leaving Le Mans this happened:
He was ok, but it was certainly one of those cr*ppy, nightmare trips!
Also you'll be pleased to note he's never had such bad luck since - so start looking forward to an incident free Le Mans 2007!!
lazyitus said:
pikey said:
He was ok.
A light scuff.
Bit of T-Cut and it will buff out.
And we though the member of out team managed to change his name from "Simon 5-engines" to "Simon 6-engines" (with around 4000 miles driven across all 5 engines) about 5 miles North of Portsmouth en-route to the Tuesday night crossing.
Edited by //j17 on Tuesday 27th June 16:16
Mark,
sorry i'm a bit late to this one, Very bad luck chap, gutted for you. I left you a phone message just before Le Mans wishing you a pleasant and uneventful trip, spoke too soon
I trust Mr Jeep's insurance will cover the damage to the Griff?
Chin up mate, and see you sometime soon eh.
sorry i'm a bit late to this one, Very bad luck chap, gutted for you. I left you a phone message just before Le Mans wishing you a pleasant and uneventful trip, spoke too soon
I trust Mr Jeep's insurance will cover the damage to the Griff?
Chin up mate, and see you sometime soon eh.
Edited by M@H on Thursday 29th June 14:14
I think our group suffered the following......
One broken clutch
One broken knee & cruciate ligament for good measure
One broken foot
One broken hand
One dislocated elbow
A pulled shoulder (piggy back rides for 16 stone blokes probably not the best idea)
errrr think that's it.
Oh and one the group lost control of his bowels whist vomiting.
Can't wait 'till next year
One broken clutch
One broken knee & cruciate ligament for good measure
One broken foot
One broken hand
One dislocated elbow
A pulled shoulder (piggy back rides for 16 stone blokes probably not the best idea)
errrr think that's it.
Oh and one the group lost control of his bowels whist vomiting.
Can't wait 'till next year
Ha ha, Yes, the broken knee was a fractured tibial plateau, now held together with six screws and a metal plate, after an operation. Staples came out yesterday. Won't be able to walk for at least three months. Cruciate ligaments will be re-assessed in four weeks for possible op as there was too much trauma to the knee with the fracture surgery. Oh there was some other bone in the leg broken as well, but thats nothing really.
Thanks to all who helped me out.
Thanks to all who helped me out.
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