The Classic - Was there any racing?!
Discussion
Hi
First year at the classic this year and really enjoyed it, however i was a bit confused by the actual racing. We watched the start from Mulsanne enclosure which was nice, but after that, not much seemed to happen. The track was very very quiet at times, with what seemed like hour gaps inbetween the racing instead of the scheduled 10 mins.
Went to watch a bit more of it midday sunday, and they looked like they were out for a sunday drive. A number of people commented on the fact that the cars were far from even going fast!
Maybe ive got a lot to learn from the classic, but i was very confused by the "racing"
Anyone care to enlighten me?!!
First year at the classic this year and really enjoyed it, however i was a bit confused by the actual racing. We watched the start from Mulsanne enclosure which was nice, but after that, not much seemed to happen. The track was very very quiet at times, with what seemed like hour gaps inbetween the racing instead of the scheduled 10 mins.
Went to watch a bit more of it midday sunday, and they looked like they were out for a sunday drive. A number of people commented on the fact that the cars were far from even going fast!
Maybe ive got a lot to learn from the classic, but i was very confused by the "racing"
Anyone care to enlighten me?!!
Sorry I would have to disagree with the OP as would anyone who had been on the banking at the Arnage Corner on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony427 said:
Sorry I would have to disagree with the OP as would anyone who had been on the banking at the Arnage Corner on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
What he said It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
Anyone who witnessed the DB4 GT and Lotus 11 nearly take each other off in a do or die move into Arnage would never say there was no racing!
There was definitely an extreme mix of driving talent, often the owner and the professional in the same car, and the sudden change in pace and style after a driver change was really obvious at times.
Fantastic event
Just got back after 1250 miles... and about 5 hours sleep in the weekend. Wonderful.gary71 said:
Tony427 said:
Sorry I would have to disagree with the OP as would anyone who had been on the banking at the Arnage Corner on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
What he said It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
Anyone who witnessed the DB4 GT and Lotus 11 nearly take each other off in a do or die move into Arnage would never say there was no racing!
There was definitely an extreme mix of driving talent, often the owner and the professional in the same car, and the sudden change in pace and style after a driver change was really obvious at times.
Fantastic event
Just got back after 1250 miles... and about 5 hours sleep in the weekend. Wonderful.Watching from teh start finish grandstands is ok, but you get no real sense of speed/skill or racing.
Arnage corner, late at night with the M1's & 935's spitting flames is where the action is
Another great CLM.
4pot said:
The DB4 with glowing red brake discs on Friday night was a sight to behold and the epic actions of the marshalls on Saturday evening when one of the cars dropped oil had the crowd cheering an clapping at their bravery.
Clapping at the luck that no one died... 
Standing on the outside of the bend, on the opposite side of an oil slick on the racing line may not have been the smartest move
I can understand why you ask the questions when you are a long way from the stands. It is true that in some races, for example Plateau 1, a number of cars are driven "steadily", they cannot be driven hard for 3/4 of an hour. It's also true that a number of cars from 1950s through 1960s are the small engines from the Index of Performance category, and they appear to be less than fast compared to a GT40, but this is authentic, this is how Le Mans was at the time.
However, if you experience the racing around the circuit, then you do get many different views (apart from the obvious literal meaning!). We spent most time near the pits, start-finish and final chicane, and went to Arnarge and Mulsanne during the night. Some dicing into the final chicane was as tough as any racing anywhere (with more than a few spins as the power went down); Arnarge is spectacular, flat-out from Indianapolis and heavy braking, overtaking up the inside if at all possible, and full power out. Sometimes the braking point is missed (and aged brakes are not up to the same treatment as moderns) and dramatic saves or spins. Through the forest from Mulsanne full-throttle GT40s and the rest ... are you sure you were at the same event as the rest of us???
However, if you experience the racing around the circuit, then you do get many different views (apart from the obvious literal meaning!). We spent most time near the pits, start-finish and final chicane, and went to Arnarge and Mulsanne during the night. Some dicing into the final chicane was as tough as any racing anywhere (with more than a few spins as the power went down); Arnarge is spectacular, flat-out from Indianapolis and heavy braking, overtaking up the inside if at all possible, and full power out. Sometimes the braking point is missed (and aged brakes are not up to the same treatment as moderns) and dramatic saves or spins. Through the forest from Mulsanne full-throttle GT40s and the rest ... are you sure you were at the same event as the rest of us???
Edited by johnzo on Monday 12th July 21:10
I did have a grandstand seat up near Dunlop, but in the heat, and being disabled, made it a bit far for me to walk. I did enjoy 3 odd hours of action at Anarge when the race started and did watch some from the bank at maison blanche (behind the toilet block).
It was my first classic so a lot to learn, and maybe get Lagache as a grandstand option next time!
Overall though, I enjoyed the totally different experiance to the main 24! I'll deffo be back
It was my first classic so a lot to learn, and maybe get Lagache as a grandstand option next time!
Overall though, I enjoyed the totally different experiance to the main 24! I'll deffo be back
gary71 said:
4pot said:
The DB4 with glowing red brake discs on Friday night was a sight to behold and the epic actions of the marshalls on Saturday evening when one of the cars dropped oil had the crowd cheering an clapping at their bravery.
Clapping at the luck that no one died... Standing on the outside of the bend, on the opposite side of an oil slick on the racing line may not have been the smartest move
gary71 said:
Tony427 said:
Sorry I would have to disagree with the OP as would anyone who had been on the banking at the Arnage Corner on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
What he said It was absolute mayhem on occasion with often two cars going through the corner side by side and three abreast at times on the exit.
And then the Thunderbirds would arrive announced by an exhaust note from the depths of hell and proceed to launch themselves sideways towards the tyre wall before finally getting some grip and galloping off to bully some poor soul in a car half the size and a third the weight..
Great spectator fun.
Cheers,
Tony
Anyone who witnessed the DB4 GT and Lotus 11 nearly take each other off in a do or die move into Arnage would never say there was no racing!
There was definitely an extreme mix of driving talent, often the owner and the professional in the same car, and the sudden change in pace and style after a driver change was really obvious at times.
Fantastic event
Just got back after 1250 miles... and about 5 hours sleep in the weekend. Wonderful.We watched some of the oldest cars drifting round Arnage on the Sunday daytime too - that really was a spectacular sight!!!
kirsty-s2k said:
Yep - we saw that incident at Arnage on Saturday night, just before mignight I think it was - my heart was in my mouth, really thought they were both gonna end up in the tyres - amazing that they got round the corner!!
We watched some of the oldest cars drifting round Arnage on the Sunday daytime too - that really was a spectacular sight!!!
OT but saw your S2K at the PH BBQ meet! Mine was parked round the corner We watched some of the oldest cars drifting round Arnage on the Sunday daytime too - that really was a spectacular sight!!!
Nice to see some other S's throughout the weekend Our 4th time at Le Classic Le Mans, probably the best yet and most certainly the best attended...there were far more peeps there than in 2008. No doubt Lowdrag will be here soon with the stats as to attendees etc.
We also thought the range of entries was the best yet.
Bit strange starting with grid 3 and this sort of upset our plans as to when we'd be watching the racing versus attending The Village, getting refreshed etc.
The OP mentions the Mulsanne straight. My understanding was that all cars set off from the pits straight and then reformed on a dummy grid on Mulsanne behind the safety car, and then all cars had to form up as per their grid positions, then cruise round to the pits straight for a rolling start.
We watched from the pits area and we never had an hour between races...maybe 20 minutes at the most.
Can anyone solve a bit of a mystery? We had a change of plan and needed to leave the circuit at 13:30 on Sunday. We expected to have an easy drive to Eurotunnel, which was the case, but the Eurotunnel was bombed out by Le Maners etc. We had over a two hour wait for a shuttle. How come? Why did so many peeps leave seemingly many hours before the racing ended? Was it because the last two grids were grids 1 & 2 and these were considered to be the less interesting cars? Or was it to get back to see the World Cup final?
R.
We also thought the range of entries was the best yet.
Bit strange starting with grid 3 and this sort of upset our plans as to when we'd be watching the racing versus attending The Village, getting refreshed etc.
The OP mentions the Mulsanne straight. My understanding was that all cars set off from the pits straight and then reformed on a dummy grid on Mulsanne behind the safety car, and then all cars had to form up as per their grid positions, then cruise round to the pits straight for a rolling start.
We watched from the pits area and we never had an hour between races...maybe 20 minutes at the most.
Can anyone solve a bit of a mystery? We had a change of plan and needed to leave the circuit at 13:30 on Sunday. We expected to have an easy drive to Eurotunnel, which was the case, but the Eurotunnel was bombed out by Le Maners etc. We had over a two hour wait for a shuttle. How come? Why did so many peeps leave seemingly many hours before the racing ended? Was it because the last two grids were grids 1 & 2 and these were considered to be the less interesting cars? Or was it to get back to see the World Cup final?
R.
James_N said:
kirsty-s2k said:
Yep - we saw that incident at Arnage on Saturday night, just before mignight I think it was - my heart was in my mouth, really thought they were both gonna end up in the tyres - amazing that they got round the corner!!
We watched some of the oldest cars drifting round Arnage on the Sunday daytime too - that really was a spectacular sight!!!
OT but saw your S2K at the PH BBQ meet! Mine was parked round the corner We watched some of the oldest cars drifting round Arnage on the Sunday daytime too - that really was a spectacular sight!!!
Nice to see some other S's throughout the weekend The Leaper said:
The OP mentions the Mulsanne straight. My understanding was that all cars set off from the pits straight and then reformed on a dummy grid on Mulsanne behind the safety car, and then all cars had to form up as per their grid positions, then cruise round to the pits straight for a rolling start.
We watched from the pits area and we never had an hour between races...maybe 20 minutes at the most.
. . .
Can anyone solve a bit of a mystery? We had a change of plan and needed to leave the circuit at 13:30 on Sunday. We expected to have an easy drive to Eurotunnel, which was the case, but the Eurotunnel was bombed out by Le Maners etc. We had over a two hour wait for a shuttle. How come? Why did so many peeps leave seemingly many hours before the racing ended? Was it because the last two grids were grids 1 & 2 and these were considered to be the less interesting cars? Or was it to get back to see the World Cup final?
Yep - they did the 'run to cars parked diagonally on the pit straight' pretend start for the slower/older groups, then they assembled back in order as you've described. I think if you were there all day on Sunday you would have noticed the longer delays between the races, afaik this was because they were presenting the winners etc on podium and national anthem etc after each final group session. If you weren't near (or could hear) a tannoy you may not have realised that. We watched from the pits area and we never had an hour between races...maybe 20 minutes at the most.
. . .
Can anyone solve a bit of a mystery? We had a change of plan and needed to leave the circuit at 13:30 on Sunday. We expected to have an easy drive to Eurotunnel, which was the case, but the Eurotunnel was bombed out by Le Maners etc. We had over a two hour wait for a shuttle. How come? Why did so many peeps leave seemingly many hours before the racing ended? Was it because the last two grids were grids 1 & 2 and these were considered to be the less interesting cars? Or was it to get back to see the World Cup final?
I believe the Chunnel was still struggling tonight as heard from a friend who travelled back that way that he was delayed approx an hour for loading. We had a late depart on the 11.15 cherbourg to Poole ferry, purely the volume of cars and the number which were tricky to load (low, crap turning circle, broken etc)
If you don't think people where racing perhaps you should start watching a different sport. True some cars are not flogged to death, but virtually all are being pushed, some etremely hard and very very well.
I was lucky enough to be asked to drive the Index winning Harrington Alpine, in plateau 3,nearly 50 years old, weighs a tonne and has little over 100 bhp . . . . we drove the door handles off to finish 31st overall from a 65 grid spot, having never driven at LeMAns or raced the car before. I've never worked and tried so hard in such extreme conditions, anyone who finished the event deserves a medal, just maintaining reliability was hard work.
being lapped by a real D type Jag, I'm doing 90mph and he's doing 100+, in the Dark as it drifts through the porsche curves is something I won't forget in a hurry.
I was lucky enough to be asked to drive the Index winning Harrington Alpine, in plateau 3,nearly 50 years old, weighs a tonne and has little over 100 bhp . . . . we drove the door handles off to finish 31st overall from a 65 grid spot, having never driven at LeMAns or raced the car before. I've never worked and tried so hard in such extreme conditions, anyone who finished the event deserves a medal, just maintaining reliability was hard work.
being lapped by a real D type Jag, I'm doing 90mph and he's doing 100+, in the Dark as it drifts through the porsche curves is something I won't forget in a hurry.
kirsty-s2k said:
Yep - they did the 'run to cars parked diagonally on the pit straight' pretend start for the slower/older groups, then they assembled back in order as you've described. I think if you were there all day on Sunday you would have noticed the longer delays between the races, afaik this was because they were presenting the winners etc on podium and national anthem etc after each final group session. If you weren't near (or could hear) a tannoy you may not have realised that.
The last race, for Plateau 2, was a Le Mans style start and we were sitting down by the top end of the grid - was a great sight (and sound, and smell...) and ended our weekend nicely.The number of people in the grandstands and on the terraces was definitely less on the Sunday than for the 'start' of the event though.
What was nice was that quite a few people stuck around for the Plateau 2 podium ceremony, and when the British National Anthem was played, we all stood and hats came off. Again, a nice touch and brought the weekend to a nice conclusion.
Bleu Nord was about half full on Sunday, but apart from one group who were cocking about with fireworks (briefly) it was a really civilised evening, and when we left around 9.30am there were plenty of people still getting ready to go. Saw loads of cars travelling up on the way to Calais.
Great weekend, and we've already started making plans for 2012.
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