Anyone been to both Le Mans 24 hr bike and car race?
Discussion
I've not been to the cars, Eurosport covers that, I've been to the bike race a few times.
But as its in April and not June; be prepared for rain, overnight temperatures can be below freezing :-)
But you can get around the whole circuit, get into any grandstand including the main one over the paddock ( take a sleeping bag for the night ). Generally the whole thing is more accessible:
I highly recommend getting there for the start, the atmosphere is quite something in the 'terraces' opposite the pits.
I always found it friendly and nothing beats night racing. I've not been for a few years and there used to be no english commentary, other than a few minutes at the start.
You have to go on a bike, otherwise you won't be able to high-five the locals in the villages on the Sunday evening after the race. I remember a lady in her 80s, standing at the side of the road waving a white sheet with 'Viva Motos' ( or similar ) with a hand-drawn bike. I can't comment on the journey's to and from the track, I enjoyed it every time but more staid members of PH would recoil in horror. The last I went the police presence was high.
If you want more sun and heat, head for the Bol d'Or.
Sometimes the Friday afternoon sat in an office leading to: 'blow it, I'm going' is the best way.
But as its in April and not June; be prepared for rain, overnight temperatures can be below freezing :-)
But you can get around the whole circuit, get into any grandstand including the main one over the paddock ( take a sleeping bag for the night ). Generally the whole thing is more accessible:
I highly recommend getting there for the start, the atmosphere is quite something in the 'terraces' opposite the pits.
I always found it friendly and nothing beats night racing. I've not been for a few years and there used to be no english commentary, other than a few minutes at the start.
You have to go on a bike, otherwise you won't be able to high-five the locals in the villages on the Sunday evening after the race. I remember a lady in her 80s, standing at the side of the road waving a white sheet with 'Viva Motos' ( or similar ) with a hand-drawn bike. I can't comment on the journey's to and from the track, I enjoyed it every time but more staid members of PH would recoil in horror. The last I went the police presence was high.
If you want more sun and heat, head for the Bol d'Or.
Sometimes the Friday afternoon sat in an office leading to: 'blow it, I'm going' is the best way.
Done half a dozen car ones from the Silk Cut Jaguars / Sauber Merc days to early noughtlies. They have degenerated into middle class VAG man box ticking / tossers on a stag do in my opinion though. Can't quite be arsed to do another ever again.
Bikie 24h is ye working mans drink fest. Done a few and it's full on Battle of the Somme with rock n roll with added Pernod together with a few fatal RTC's en route and on the way back. Quite glad to enjoy it and survive the whole thing.
Classic Le Mans is the chinless champagne drinking affair every two years. Did the very first one and a few therafter. Great fun & very civilised.
Bikie 24h is ye working mans drink fest. Done a few and it's full on Battle of the Somme with rock n roll with added Pernod together with a few fatal RTC's en route and on the way back. Quite glad to enjoy it and survive the whole thing.
Classic Le Mans is the chinless champagne drinking affair every two years. Did the very first one and a few therafter. Great fun & very civilised.
Birky_41 said:
I'm there next weekend on part of my euro tour
I've done one (the main June car one that is) in conjunction / on the way home with 6 mates after 2 weeks solid thrashing bikes in the SoF & drinking comme la poissoin. Be aware that quater of a million people are coming the other way fresh up for a full weekend of frivolities. I think I felt tired & emotional after that and in need of a few replacement organs.Thanks for all the replies.
I should have added Ive been to 3 of the car races, packed for my 4th for this weekend.
Sounds like the bike race needs to go on the list, without too many expectations.
Im too much into hassle free comfort to ride there. Possibly drive and hotel first time rather than ride and freeze my ass off.
Two questions:
1. If you want granstand view is anywhere bookable or do you just have to be early. Id really like to see the start.
2. Do they have uk radio coverage? The car race has radio Le Mans which as much as makes the whole event for me
I should have added Ive been to 3 of the car races, packed for my 4th for this weekend.
Sounds like the bike race needs to go on the list, without too many expectations.
Im too much into hassle free comfort to ride there. Possibly drive and hotel first time rather than ride and freeze my ass off.
Two questions:
1. If you want granstand view is anywhere bookable or do you just have to be early. Id really like to see the start.
2. Do they have uk radio coverage? The car race has radio Le Mans which as much as makes the whole event for me
moto_traxport said:
I've done one (the main June car one that is) in conjunction / on the way home with 6 mates after 2 weeks solid thrashing bikes in the SoF & drinking comme la poissoin. Be aware that quater of a million people are coming the other way fresh up for a full weekend of frivolities. I think I felt tired & emotional after that and in need of a few replacement organs.
Cheers for the heads up dudemoto_traxport said:
Done half a dozen car ones from the Silk Cut Jaguars / Sauber Merc days to early noughtlies. They have degenerated into middle class VAG man box ticking / tossers on a stag do in my opinion though. Can't quite be arsed to do another ever again.
Bikie 24h is ye working mans drink fest. Done a few and it's full on Battle of the Somme with rock n roll with added Pernod together with a few fatal RTC's en route and on the way back. Quite glad to enjoy it and survive the whole thing.
Classic Le Mans is the chinless champagne drinking affair every two years. Did the very first one and a few therafter. Great fun & very civilised.
Good summary of all 3! The car one has really gone downhill badly IMHOBikie 24h is ye working mans drink fest. Done a few and it's full on Battle of the Somme with rock n roll with added Pernod together with a few fatal RTC's en route and on the way back. Quite glad to enjoy it and survive the whole thing.
Classic Le Mans is the chinless champagne drinking affair every two years. Did the very first one and a few therafter. Great fun & very civilised.
My advice would be to talk on here or in person to several people who have been before.
I went to the Classic this year, it was far too hot so I didn't enjoy it primarily because of that, but there was lots of stuff I missed, which was easier to get to than the guides from their site made it seem.
I went to the Classic this year, it was far too hot so I didn't enjoy it primarily because of that, but there was lots of stuff I missed, which was easier to get to than the guides from their site made it seem.
I went to the bike one for about six years in a row during the 90s, so take all this with a 20 year old pinch of salt.
The standard approach was to get the Thursday night overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen (NOT Cherbourg if possible as it adds a very dull hour+ to your journey). Travel down and arrive just in time for the campsite to open on Friday lunchtime. Lots of gendarmes as you might imagine particularly at the bottom of the bridge at Le Havre.
The campsite was mental. It was very loud through until about 3-4am and when you wake up don't be surprised to see tents have appeared in areas that you didn't think would be possible. Very friendly and chilled but the French like bouncing their engines off the rev limiter with the silencer removed. There were noise competitions back and forth across the campsite. Funny if you're not trying to sleep.
In the six years I went it was cold most of the time though not too wet from memory with one really hot weekend. If you're camping take the right gear. One year I was inside a sleeping bag in my leathers freezing! They used to provide huge mounds of pallets for fire wood and to this day the smell of a wood fire takes me back to the Le Mans campsite.
The huge plus point for the bike 24hrs over the car one for me is that it all takes place around the standard circuit that the Moto GP takes place on. That means it's easy to walk around and see the racing at every point of the circuit. It also means that none of the stands/events/rides/concerts are too far away. The toilets/showers used to be incredibly basic - classic french drop shots.
Watching the pits from a totally empty grandstand at 3am with Ducatis, RC30s, Suzukis and Kawasakis echoing through the place is an amazing memory. The only bits of the race that mattered were the beginning and the end - we had no way (that I knew) of following it sensibly other than one or two large screens so just enjoyed the atmosphere and the bike spotting. The noise from the circuit throughout the 24 hours of the race was an amazing constant drone.
Driving around Le Mans itself was a bit weird too with drag races off the lights and burnouts all over the place. In the final couple of years or so they stopped selling alcohol anywhere within about 20kms of Le Mans as there were a lot of alcohol related accidents. People got wise quickly but it was a pain in the arse at the time. I've no idea if it's still the same or not.
If you stay an extra night at the campsite be aware that quite a lot of lowlifes came around the campsite looking to take anything of potential value. I was fortunate not to have had any issues but was always in a group.
I stayed in a hotel once and it killed the vibe for me. We had to stay off the beers to get to and from the circuit and on that particular occasion on the way to the hotel I got t-boned by another bike running through a red light. If you're close enough not to need the bike to get to the circuit that's fantastic but otherwise it's a bit of an arse ache IMO.
All in all I loved it - there's nothing like it anywhere else that I've been and as everyone leaves the locals line the roads and hold their hands out to high five as you go past.
Has anyone been more recently? I'd be fascinated to know how much it's changed.
The standard approach was to get the Thursday night overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen (NOT Cherbourg if possible as it adds a very dull hour+ to your journey). Travel down and arrive just in time for the campsite to open on Friday lunchtime. Lots of gendarmes as you might imagine particularly at the bottom of the bridge at Le Havre.
The campsite was mental. It was very loud through until about 3-4am and when you wake up don't be surprised to see tents have appeared in areas that you didn't think would be possible. Very friendly and chilled but the French like bouncing their engines off the rev limiter with the silencer removed. There were noise competitions back and forth across the campsite. Funny if you're not trying to sleep.
In the six years I went it was cold most of the time though not too wet from memory with one really hot weekend. If you're camping take the right gear. One year I was inside a sleeping bag in my leathers freezing! They used to provide huge mounds of pallets for fire wood and to this day the smell of a wood fire takes me back to the Le Mans campsite.
The huge plus point for the bike 24hrs over the car one for me is that it all takes place around the standard circuit that the Moto GP takes place on. That means it's easy to walk around and see the racing at every point of the circuit. It also means that none of the stands/events/rides/concerts are too far away. The toilets/showers used to be incredibly basic - classic french drop shots.
Watching the pits from a totally empty grandstand at 3am with Ducatis, RC30s, Suzukis and Kawasakis echoing through the place is an amazing memory. The only bits of the race that mattered were the beginning and the end - we had no way (that I knew) of following it sensibly other than one or two large screens so just enjoyed the atmosphere and the bike spotting. The noise from the circuit throughout the 24 hours of the race was an amazing constant drone.
Driving around Le Mans itself was a bit weird too with drag races off the lights and burnouts all over the place. In the final couple of years or so they stopped selling alcohol anywhere within about 20kms of Le Mans as there were a lot of alcohol related accidents. People got wise quickly but it was a pain in the arse at the time. I've no idea if it's still the same or not.
If you stay an extra night at the campsite be aware that quite a lot of lowlifes came around the campsite looking to take anything of potential value. I was fortunate not to have had any issues but was always in a group.
I stayed in a hotel once and it killed the vibe for me. We had to stay off the beers to get to and from the circuit and on that particular occasion on the way to the hotel I got t-boned by another bike running through a red light. If you're close enough not to need the bike to get to the circuit that's fantastic but otherwise it's a bit of an arse ache IMO.
All in all I loved it - there's nothing like it anywhere else that I've been and as everyone leaves the locals line the roads and hold their hands out to high five as you go past.
Has anyone been more recently? I'd be fascinated to know how much it's changed.
chunder27 said:
My advice would be to talk on here or in person to several people who have been before.
I went to the Classic this year, it was far too hot so I didn't enjoy it primarily because of that, but there was lots of stuff I missed, which was easier to get to than the guides from their site made it seem.
I've been to the car race 4 times so far, so know the drop with the circuit itself. This is the first time to the bike race but I have been to Assen so know what to expect.I went to the Classic this year, it was far too hot so I didn't enjoy it primarily because of that, but there was lots of stuff I missed, which was easier to get to than the guides from their site made it seem.
The classic was run in very hot conditions. If you do it again head to Hotel Arbor - lots of shade, and inside is a big screen if you fancy being completely sheltered from the sun.
Edited by wsn03 on Friday 19th October 14:37
SteelerSE said:
I went to the bike one for about six years in a row during the 90s, so take all this with a 20 year old pinch of salt.
The standard approach was to get the Thursday night overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen (NOT Cherbourg if possible as it adds a very dull hour+ to your journey). Travel down and arrive just in time for the campsite to open on Friday lunchtime. Lots of gendarmes as you might imagine particularly at the bottom of the bridge at Le Havre.
The campsite was mental. It was very loud through until about 3-4am and when you wake up don't be surprised to see tents have appeared in areas that you didn't think would be possible. Very friendly and chilled but the French like bouncing their engines off the rev limiter with the silencer removed. There were noise competitions back and forth across the campsite. Funny if you're not trying to sleep.
In the six years I went it was cold most of the time though not too wet from memory with one really hot weekend. If you're camping take the right gear. One year I was inside a sleeping bag in my leathers freezing! They used to provide huge mounds of pallets for fire wood and to this day the smell of a wood fire takes me back to the Le Mans campsite.
The huge plus point for the bike 24hrs over the car one for me is that it all takes place around the standard circuit that the Moto GP takes place on. That means it's easy to walk around and see the racing at every point of the circuit. It also means that none of the stands/events/rides/concerts are too far away. The toilets/showers used to be incredibly basic - classic french drop shots.
Watching the pits from a totally empty grandstand at 3am with Ducatis, RC30s, Suzukis and Kawasakis echoing through the place is an amazing memory. The only bits of the race that mattered were the beginning and the end - we had no way (that I knew) of following it sensibly other than one or two large screens so just enjoyed the atmosphere and the bike spotting. The noise from the circuit throughout the 24 hours of the race was an amazing constant drone.
Driving around Le Mans itself was a bit weird too with drag races off the lights and burnouts all over the place. In the final couple of years or so they stopped selling alcohol anywhere within about 20kms of Le Mans as there were a lot of alcohol related accidents. People got wise quickly but it was a pain in the arse at the time. I've no idea if it's still the same or not.
If you stay an extra night at the campsite be aware that quite a lot of lowlifes came around the campsite looking to take anything of potential value. I was fortunate not to have had any issues but was always in a group.
I stayed in a hotel once and it killed the vibe for me. We had to stay off the beers to get to and from the circuit and on that particular occasion on the way to the hotel I got t-boned by another bike running through a red light. If you're close enough not to need the bike to get to the circuit that's fantastic but otherwise it's a bit of an arse ache IMO.
All in all I loved it - there's nothing like it anywhere else that I've been and as everyone leaves the locals line the roads and hold their hands out to high five as you go past.
Has anyone been more recently? I'd be fascinated to know how much it's changed.
That's a great insight, thank you for writing that out.The standard approach was to get the Thursday night overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen (NOT Cherbourg if possible as it adds a very dull hour+ to your journey). Travel down and arrive just in time for the campsite to open on Friday lunchtime. Lots of gendarmes as you might imagine particularly at the bottom of the bridge at Le Havre.
The campsite was mental. It was very loud through until about 3-4am and when you wake up don't be surprised to see tents have appeared in areas that you didn't think would be possible. Very friendly and chilled but the French like bouncing their engines off the rev limiter with the silencer removed. There were noise competitions back and forth across the campsite. Funny if you're not trying to sleep.
In the six years I went it was cold most of the time though not too wet from memory with one really hot weekend. If you're camping take the right gear. One year I was inside a sleeping bag in my leathers freezing! They used to provide huge mounds of pallets for fire wood and to this day the smell of a wood fire takes me back to the Le Mans campsite.
The huge plus point for the bike 24hrs over the car one for me is that it all takes place around the standard circuit that the Moto GP takes place on. That means it's easy to walk around and see the racing at every point of the circuit. It also means that none of the stands/events/rides/concerts are too far away. The toilets/showers used to be incredibly basic - classic french drop shots.
Watching the pits from a totally empty grandstand at 3am with Ducatis, RC30s, Suzukis and Kawasakis echoing through the place is an amazing memory. The only bits of the race that mattered were the beginning and the end - we had no way (that I knew) of following it sensibly other than one or two large screens so just enjoyed the atmosphere and the bike spotting. The noise from the circuit throughout the 24 hours of the race was an amazing constant drone.
Driving around Le Mans itself was a bit weird too with drag races off the lights and burnouts all over the place. In the final couple of years or so they stopped selling alcohol anywhere within about 20kms of Le Mans as there were a lot of alcohol related accidents. People got wise quickly but it was a pain in the arse at the time. I've no idea if it's still the same or not.
If you stay an extra night at the campsite be aware that quite a lot of lowlifes came around the campsite looking to take anything of potential value. I was fortunate not to have had any issues but was always in a group.
I stayed in a hotel once and it killed the vibe for me. We had to stay off the beers to get to and from the circuit and on that particular occasion on the way to the hotel I got t-boned by another bike running through a red light. If you're close enough not to need the bike to get to the circuit that's fantastic but otherwise it's a bit of an arse ache IMO.
All in all I loved it - there's nothing like it anywhere else that I've been and as everyone leaves the locals line the roads and hold their hands out to high five as you go past.
Has anyone been more recently? I'd be fascinated to know how much it's changed.
Most of what you have said I have heard before due to extensive research, talking to people who have been etc - but love the endorsement.
I'm cheating, staying in a hotel. Bear in mind I just want to see the actual race, the atmosphere I imagine for the fun of being somewhere is not much different to Assen which I go to fairly frequently.
To keep the family happy, bearing in mind I do the car race over 6 days, I'm just shooting down on the Saturday, home on the Monday.
Travelling by car.I will have a folding bike that is just 12 mins cycle ride to circuit from hotel, so I will be able to drink a bit - and I was warned about the alcohol situation - bringing my own hidden in a coke bottle with lots of coke in it.
Looking forward to seeing those bikes late into the night.
My Grandstand tickets cover the start line opposite the pits - I just want to see that running start
Well I went to the moto24, bloody awesome!!!
Great atmosphere, great crowds, great race.
I ended up giving one of the riders Dads a lift down, which led to garage passes!! Couldn't believe it. Moto Ain, came 2nd in the production class! The lads sponsor asked me to come back next year because he thinks im good luck :-)
Loved the whole event. Getting a hotel was cool, as was bringing folding bikes to get around.
Totally different to the cars, and a lot quieter in numbers, but a fantastic weekend for sure. I enjoyed it massively
Great atmosphere, great crowds, great race.
I ended up giving one of the riders Dads a lift down, which led to garage passes!! Couldn't believe it. Moto Ain, came 2nd in the production class! The lads sponsor asked me to come back next year because he thinks im good luck :-)
Loved the whole event. Getting a hotel was cool, as was bringing folding bikes to get around.
Totally different to the cars, and a lot quieter in numbers, but a fantastic weekend for sure. I enjoyed it massively
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