Not going this year

[24lemons]

For the fist time since 2003 (barring the Covid years) I won’t be making my annual trip to Le Mans and it feels pretty crummy.

In that time I’ve travelled solo, camped with friends and most recently I’ve camped with my dad since he retired in 2015

He’s been having some health issues lately so we have held off booking anything. I’m not sure the camping option is sensible for him and to be honest it has lost a bit of its shine for me as I’ve got older too.

I have toyed with the idea of going on my own, even paying a flying visit but Im not sure if that’ll be enjoyable as I’ll miss the whole experience of having my dad with me as we have done over the last few years. I’ve always known that he won’t be able to come forever and I am lucky that we have been able to travel together for as long as we have.

When I think about our trips over the years it’s the silly little things like doing the food shop in carrefour, choosing a pitch and friday night dinner in town that I strangely feel most nostalgic about!!

I’m planning to follow the event as closely as possible and I’ll try to get some merguez for a bbq on Saturday night at home with dad and the family . As the event gets closer though I’m thinking more and more of the fun I’ve had there over the years. I’ll get back there again, hopefully my dad still has a few trips left in him.

I still keep an eye open on the resale site for car park tickets in case I just say sod it and decide to come on my own!!

[davidd]

I'm sorry your dad is not well enough to go. Age will get us all at some point, I hope my son will continue to come when I can't, even though I will be gutted!

We always toast absent friends, not just those who have died but also those that can no longer come. I'll be thinking of you.

[24lemons]

Thank you David that’s a nice gesture. One day I’ll bring my daughter. She’s just turned 5 so it’ll be a few years yet assuming she wants to come!

Have a great time!

[davidd]

24lemons said:

Thank you David that s a nice gesture. One day I ll bring my daughter. She s just turned 5 so it ll be a few years yet assuming she wants to come!

Have a great time!

I've been taking my son since he was 5, only missed a couple of years.

[24lemons]

davidd said:

24lemons said:

Thank you David that s a nice gesture. One day I ll bring my daughter. She s just turned 5 so it ll be a few years yet assuming she wants to come!

Have a great time!

I've been taking my son since he was 5, only missed a couple of years.

That’s amazing! How do you manage it logistically, do you camp or stay off site? I might have to convince my wife but she has been away on guide camps with little one before so…

[bergclimber34]

I can give you the result now if you want.

Ferrari 1.2.3.

Regards

The ACO

[Kev_Mk3]

Makes sense, I've had to have a few years off with Covid and health / new born but since covid its gone mad. I now also have to find my own tickets as the group has shrunk so much I met at Le Mans.

I'm also struggling to find people to come with me these days as my friends would rather head to the classic so 2027 thats what I am going to do.

I make the trip as a pilgrimage to my dad whom I went with & some day would love to take my daughter but shes far to young for it now!

My advise - Get a car park pass, find a hotel and come. It will be a new memory for you to enjoy.

[LM240]

We share a very similar Le Mans history. 2003 was my first year, my dad (now 77) has joined me on most of the trips. I ve only missed the Covid years. Oh, and my daughter is 6.

My dad is feeling less energetic for Le Mans and thankfully no serious health issues. But just managed to get him along for this years trip.

Sorry your dad has some health issues. What I would say is that our Le Mans trip is very much tailored now towards being less intense and easier for my dad. The days of 24hr trackside are long gone! But being there for some of it is better than nothing.

Long advocate for staying off circuit. We Airbnb in La Flèche, an easy 25 min route into circuit. Shops, bars and restaurants to choose from and comfort of proper bed and bathroom. Good food and wine is had! The Airbnb is better than any hotels in the area.

We get a grandstand and now our movement around the circuit is limited to avoid fighting the crowds. This year we ll get in for the start and likely just stay till around 1900hrs.

I will get up early (0500) and go off to arnage or mulsanne and then join my dad again after he has had proper sleep and a lay in. Probably back at stand from 1000-1100 until the finish. This year may be the first without the track invasion, though our route onto track is pretty easy and usually the first ones on under the podium.

So the trip is adapted for an easier time.

We did do the classic one year and must say, we both enjoyed it so much. Some great time together, especially going out on the parade laps together. I really enjoyed the format of the classic (though now changed) but can t justify the 24hrs and Classic in one year. The 24hrs takes priority because of the history.

If health issues do allow something, then there are ways to make it all work. It just may not be the way it was in the hay days of the trips. I feel knackered on Le Mans trips, let alone my dad!

I would be prepared to solo a trip. I don t mind my own company, just drinking and eating out is nicer with friends or family. But being Le Mans they d be plenty of like minded people to bump into. If you do go solo, shout up your plans.

My wife does actually enjoy going, but childcare becomes a factor. I think our daughter would be too young to go (be scared of the dreaded I m bored !), but would enjoy taking her in the future. Already drip feeding her F1, Le Mans and Cycling and see if any interest develops.

Edited by LM240 on Tuesday 14th April 19:45

[24lemons]

LM240 said:

We share a very similar Le Mans history. 2003 was my first year, my dad (now 77) has joined me on most of the trips. I ve only missed the Covid years. Oh, and my daughter is 6.

My dad is feeling less energetic for Le Mans and thankfully no serious health issues. But just managed to get him along for this years trip.

Sorry your dad has some health issues. What I would say is that our Le Mans trip is very much tailored now towards being less intense and easier for my dad. The days of 24hr trackside are long gone! But being there for some of it is better than nothing.

Long advocate for staying off circuit. We Airbnb in La Flèche, an easy 25 min route into circuit. Shops, bars and restaurants to choose from and comfort of proper bed and bathroom. Good food and wine is had! The Airbnb is better than any hotels in the area.

We get a grandstand and now our movement around the circuit is limited to avoid fighting the crowds. This year we ll get in for the start and likely just stay till around 1900hrs.

I will get up early (0500) and go off to arnage or mulsanne and then join my dad again after he has had proper sleep and a lay in. Probably back at stand from 1000-1100 until the finish. This year may be the first without the track invasion, though our route onto track is pretty easy and usually the first ones on under the podium.

So the trip is adapted for an easier time.

We did do the classic one year and must say, we both enjoyed it so much. Some great time together, especially going out on the parade laps together. I really enjoyed the format of the classic (though now changed) but can t justify the 24hrs and Classic in one year. The 24hrs takes priority because of the history.

If health issues do allow something, then there are ways to make it all work. It just may not be the way it was in the hay days of the trips. I feel knackered on Le Mans trips, let alone my dad!

I would be prepared to solo a trip. I don t mind my own company, just drinking and eating out is nicer with friends or family. But being Le Mans they d be plenty of like minded people to bump into. If you do go solo, shout up your plans.

My wife does actually enjoy going, but childcare becomes a factor. I think our daughter would be too young to go (be scared of the dreaded I m bored !), but would enjoy taking her in the future. Already drip feeding her F1, Le Mans and Cycling and see if any interest develops.

Edited by LM240 on Tuesday 14th April 19:45

Thanks for that post it’s given me some food for thought. Up until last year we stayed in circuit campsites in our camper van. We typically arrive on the Tuesday and spend the week taking in the atmosphere.

We do things at our own pace, we no longer try to do it all, we’ve been enough times to pace ourselves.

My dad is awaiting some treatment which is due to begin soon but we just don’t know what effect it’ll have on his ability to do the same type of trip as we’ve done before which is why LM has been on the back burner.

Dad came with me to our first LM in 2003 where we took a coach trip which allowed us to take in the race but not much else. If I can find anything similar I may consider doing that for this year just to see the race.

As for the future I’ll have to decide how I want to take in the race. I don’t have any friends who share my interest although some have been to LM with me on occasions. I’m not averse to travelling solo, I know my way around the place, but I probably won’t go for a long trip.

[davidd]

24lemons said:

That s amazing! How do you manage it logistically, do you camp or stay off site? I might have to convince my wife but she has been away on guide camps with little one before so

We've always stayed onsite. Always with security, fencing etc. First year with White Rabbit then 1st tickets on the pistonheads site. We've been with them more or less ever since. In hindsight taking him at 5 was maybe a little early, but he's been my loyal c0-pilot ever since. Get granstand seats, accept that you will be doing things slightly differently and do it, you will have a great time and I think Brian has space still.

They grow up quickly, Alf is 23 now, Le Mans is a massive part of our lives.

He makes a good backup when team members get pulled and lose their license

https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/3249135626187966860

Edited by davidd on Wednesday 15th April 08:55

[fatboy18]

I never thought I would say it but I have lost the love! The cars have changed for the worse for me, Manufactures I followed moved away. Campsites I loved have now gone. And Prices have gone through the roof. Le mans in the 80s and 90s was a place where you could drive down (without booking in advance) park up in Blue car park buy a GE ticket and enjoy a weekend of antics but oh boy how things have changed, the track layout from dunlop bridge to the esses, Tertre Rouge ACO site now closed Maison Blanc site now gone, Porsche Hospitality centre now taken much of it, the old karting Nord site gone too. The old Village gone, and many Viewing areas now given to pop up corporate boxes. And i miss all the trees that were cut down around the dunlop bridge areas. In the mid 90s we used a company called "Motor Racing International" they had a hospitality tent down by Masion Blanc, drivers would attend and give you updates but I am not sure that company exists now, we also used Just tickets, then Team Langoustine but sadly their packages changed insting you take their (food package) with new ownership so we no longer use them also so called allocated pitches were a joke.

I do plan on attending the classic in July but will be staying in Chartre sur le loir (away from the circuit) and will probably only visit 1 day with the rest of the week as a relaxing holiday. Good luck to all but as i say the Love has gone for me.

[Northcote67]

Hi, going with Team Langoustine this year after over a decade with TD at Porsche Curves, what was your issue with the issue you had with the allocated pitches?

[fatboy18]

Northcote67 said:

Hi, going with Team Langoustine this year after over a decade with TD at Porsche Curves, what was your issue with the issue you had with the allocated pitches?

It comes down to Tent sizing and car spacing, some people just take a small 2 man tent, others take a cathedral then communal Gazebos and often a allocated pitch spreads out making it difficult for others to get to allocated camp pitch, the sites are not maintained by the ACO so often there may be uneven ground where one is expected to pitch a tent. Staff at the gate will have a rough idea of where you are supposed to camp but you may not be able to get you car by your tent as the pitches may have shrunk! So leaving the car up by the marquees becomes easier. I won't be going back.

[Kev_Mk3]

fatboy18 said:

I never thought I would say it but I have lost the love! The cars have changed for the worse for me, Manufactures I followed moved away. Campsites I loved have now gone. And Prices have gone through the roof. Le mans in the 80s and 90s was a place where you could drive down (without booking in advance) park up in Blue car park buy a GE ticket and enjoy a weekend of antics but oh boy how things have changed, the track layout from dunlop bridge to the esses, Tertre Rouge ACO site now closed Maison Blanc site now gone, Porsche Hospitality centre now taken much of it, the old karting Nord site gone too. The old Village gone, and many Viewing areas now given to pop up corporate boxes. And i miss all the trees that were cut down around the dunlop bridge areas. In the mid 90s we used a company called "Motor Racing International" they had a hospitality tent down by Masion Blanc, drivers would attend and give you updates but I am not sure that company exists now, we also used Just tickets, then Team Langoustine but sadly their packages changed insting you take their (food package) with new ownership so we no longer use them also so called allocated pitches were a joke.

I do plan on attending the classic in July but will be staying in Chartre sur le loir (away from the circuit) and will probably only visit 1 day with the rest of the week as a relaxing holiday. Good luck to all but as i say the Love has gone for me.

Totally agree with that sentiment. The ACO has made it so corporate its a joke. The hardcore fan is no longer catered for it seems as its so hard to actually see the racing. I used to be on MB for years then moved back to Houx, this year trying a different site ready to see what its like for the classic in 2027.

MRI is now part of Gullivers Sports Travel Limited it seems and they other sports but no Le Mans now.

[davidd]

I've been going since the early 90's, yes it has changed a lot and some of those changes are very annoying.

I can't camp where I camped in 1994 (Tribune), I can't even camp where I camped for the last 10 years!

It is a lot more corporate and a lot less wild west, we don't have mad friday, but we do have trams into town.
We have more viewing areas, more food options more grandstands ( although ££)

There are things that all of us would change.

However...

It is LeMans, the positives massively out weigh the negatives.

[//j17]

Change	Positive/Negative/Neutral
Hospitality takeover of prime trackside spots (to be empty 90% of the race)	Negative
Squat-and-drop toilets the exception, not the norm	Positive
Toilets with free paper not none/charged by the sheet	Positive
Toilets that get regular contract cleaning rather than a twice daily hose-out by an old lady	Positive
Removing the old 'piss on the back wall' toilet block from behind the grandstands	Neutral - smells better but lost a bit of history
More than 1 toilet per10,000 people	Positive
Most campsites now marked pitched	Positive - but still managed to turn up to Hippodrome with a camping ticket to be tol dit was full?!?
On-site transport	Positive - Mulsanne/Arnage buses SO much better than 20 years ago!
Off-site transport	Positive - Getting in to town pre-tram...
ACO public campsite locations	Negative - How long before they open a new one with a Rouen postcode?
Racing - GT	Positive - Lots of cars and no idea who will win after qualifying, unlike some of the GT1 years
Racing - Prototye 2	Positive - While I do miss the "Will we actually have enough finishers to fill the podium steps?" jepardy of LMP675 (we didn't one year!) I love the LMP2
Racing - Prototye 1	Neutral boardering Negative (for me). Yes we have more manufactuers and many of the "Which VAG car/which of the Toyotas will win?" days weren't great while the BOP in GT3 has been amazing in Hypercar... Give me an LMP1 any day
The 'Village'	Negative - Used to be loads of stalls, some expensive but some cheap. Now just a handful of shops selling cheap t-shirts for €100
Others for the list...?

Edited by //j17 on Thursday 16th April 09:51

Edited by //j17 on Thursday 16th April 10:23

[TwinKam]

fatboy18 said:

Northcote67 said:

Hi, going with Team Langoustine this year after over a decade with TD at Porsche Curves, what was your issue with the issue you had with the allocated pitches?

It comes down to Tent sizing and car spacing, some people just take a small 2 man tent, others take a cathedral then communal Gazebos and often a allocated pitch spreads out making it difficult for others to get to allocated camp pitch, the sites are not maintained by the ACO so often there may be uneven ground where one is expected to pitch a tent. Staff at the gate will have a rough idea of where you are supposed to camp but you may not be able to get you car by your tent as the pitches may have shrunk! So leaving the car up by the marquees becomes easier. I won't be going back.

We stayed with TL last year, and I'll stay with them again next time we go; I have only positive things to say about them. The Tertre Rouge location is fantastic, food package was great (I think people like to moan because it's compulsory, but I understand that's the only way they could make it work), great atmosphere (no t0$$ers), our pitch was ample for our large estate car, 4-man tent, and gazebo (we booked a 50m2 pitch), perhaps others tried to get away with a smaller cheaper one?

[Northcote67]

TwinKam said:

fatboy18 said:

Northcote67 said:

Hi, going with Team Langoustine this year after over a decade with TD at Porsche Curves, what was your issue with the issue you had with the allocated pitches?

It comes down to Tent sizing and car spacing, some people just take a small 2 man tent, others take a cathedral then communal Gazebos and often a allocated pitch spreads out making it difficult for others to get to allocated camp pitch, the sites are not maintained by the ACO so often there may be uneven ground where one is expected to pitch a tent. Staff at the gate will have a rough idea of where you are supposed to camp but you may not be able to get you car by your tent as the pitches may have shrunk! So leaving the car up by the marquees becomes easier. I won't be going back.

We stayed with TL last year, and I'll stay with them again next time we go; I have only positive things to say about them. The Tertre Rouge location is fantastic, food package was great (I think people like to moan because it's compulsory, but I understand that's the only way they could make it work), great atmosphere (no t0$$ers), our pitch was ample for our large estate car, 4-man tent, and gazebo (we booked a 50m2 pitch), perhaps others tried to get away with a smaller cheaper one?

Thanks TwinKam, we booked the large pitch too so all good.

I'm expecting this will be a permanent transfer from TD at Porsche Curves to TL at Tertre Rouge if things go to plan

[stu1984]

TwinKam said:

fatboy18 said:

Northcote67 said:

Hi, going with Team Langoustine this year after over a decade with TD at Porsche Curves, what was your issue with the issue you had with the allocated pitches?

It comes down to Tent sizing and car spacing, some people just take a small 2 man tent, others take a cathedral then communal Gazebos and often a allocated pitch spreads out making it difficult for others to get to allocated camp pitch, the sites are not maintained by the ACO so often there may be uneven ground where one is expected to pitch a tent. Staff at the gate will have a rough idea of where you are supposed to camp but you may not be able to get you car by your tent as the pitches may have shrunk! So leaving the car up by the marquees becomes easier. I won't be going back.

We stayed with TL last year, and I'll stay with them again next time we go; I have only positive things to say about them. The Tertre Rouge location is fantastic, food package was great (I think people like to moan because it's compulsory, but I understand that's the only way they could make it work), great atmosphere (no t0$$ers), our pitch was ample for our large estate car, 4-man tent, and gazebo (we booked a 50m2 pitch), perhaps others tried to get away with a smaller cheaper one?

I have stayed with TL 4 times now and don't have a bad word to say against them, the staff are always helpful and friendly. The site has also always seemed well organised to me with regards the numbering of the pitches and the way they are marked out. The food is also great in my opinion - They get external caterering in to manage and deliver this aspect and it works well. The toilets and showers are great and are cleaned regulalry and the location is up with the best on the circuuit in my opinion.

[davidd]

Potentially a negative...

Were the stty go karts there last year? The ones near the dunlop bridge?