A gem of a period piece on iPlayer
Discussion
To be found buried on iPlayer: 24 Hours at Le Mans- a Tuesday Documentary from 1982 covering the 1981 race and focussing on the fortunes of Alan De Cadenet ( cast as have a go hero toff in the mould of Birkin and the Bentley boys) and Guy Edwards ( face of late 20th century hard- nosed commercialism), with a cameo or two from ultimate winner Derek Bell.
Well worth a watch despite some teeth itchingly clipped accents from narrator and competitors alike.
An interesting year in retrospect as it marked the changeover from the old group 5/6 rules to Group C and the 956 etc, and my god France looked so much more foreign then!
Well worth a watch despite some teeth itchingly clipped accents from narrator and competitors alike.
An interesting year in retrospect as it marked the changeover from the old group 5/6 rules to Group C and the 956 etc, and my god France looked so much more foreign then!
greeny12 said:
That, ladies & gentleman, is Le Mans.
Not the overblown, closed off, corporate dollar chasing, stag party infested version of today.
So glad there was still a little bit of that left when I started going in the mid-90s.
What a find, thanks for posting.
Was great.Not the overblown, closed off, corporate dollar chasing, stag party infested version of today.
So glad there was still a little bit of that left when I started going in the mid-90s.
What a find, thanks for posting.
That was my third Le Mans, started going in 1979.
I gave up going in the early 2000s, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it's too corporate now...
The early days were pretty interesting and of course in the mid eighties Group C came along😍
M
And for those of us stuck at home at the time there was no wall-to-wall live streaming/ Eurosport/ Radio Le Mans but about thirty seconds per hour of Simon Taylor from the circuit after the news on Radio 2. Still exciting, still addictive though.
My first visit was 2000 ( not a classic) and the tide of commercialism was well and truly flowing by then sadly.
My first visit was 2000 ( not a classic) and the tide of commercialism was well and truly flowing by then sadly.
greeny12 said:
That, ladies & gentleman, is Le Mans.
Not the overblown, closed off, corporate dollar chasing, stag party infested version of today.
So glad there was still a little bit of that left when I started going in the mid-90s.
What a find, thanks for posting.
That WAS Le Mans - my second year and looking back I cannot believe how different it is now, it has been a slow evolution over all the years and not all for the better (though much is better - toilets for one thing)Not the overblown, closed off, corporate dollar chasing, stag party infested version of today.
So glad there was still a little bit of that left when I started going in the mid-90s.
What a find, thanks for posting.
Bob
Enjoyed that, thanks. Ive only been going since 2008, and to put things in perspective im not a car race fan in any way, my thing is motorcycle racing. However Le Mans is Le Mans, there's nothing else quite like it and im hooked.
But for a guy who cant let go of the 1970s, never thought id say this, but i think i prefer how it all looks now to how it looked back then!?
Maybe presentation, technology helping with coverage etc, but to me its still theatre but without being ruined by corporate hospitality.
But for a guy who cant let go of the 1970s, never thought id say this, but i think i prefer how it all looks now to how it looked back then!?
Maybe presentation, technology helping with coverage etc, but to me its still theatre but without being ruined by corporate hospitality.
Edited by wsn03 on Friday 25th August 10:23
Edited by wsn03 on Friday 25th August 14:10
Grahamdub said:
She has told me tales of tents in the camp sites with queues of men waiting to "perform" with the lady inside
Never have seen that at Le Mans (first visit 1996) but once at the Hungarian GP in 1999. 3 'ladies' standing against a wall with 3 queues of Neanderthals lining up. Not a pretty sight. Glad I've missed that part of Le Mans 'nostalgia'.marcosgt said:
struttob said:
That WAS Le Mans - my second year and looking back I cannot believe how different it is now, it has been a slow evolution over all the years and not all for the better (though much is better - toilets for one thing)
Bob
Ha ha - Where's your sense of adventure? Bob
M
Bob
struttob said:
marcosgt said:
struttob said:
That WAS Le Mans - my second year and looking back I cannot believe how different it is now, it has been a slow evolution over all the years and not all for the better (though much is better - toilets for one thing)
Bob
Ha ha - Where's your sense of adventure? Bob
M
Bob
Bloke with motorised sofa was there, i think the mechanic off Wheeler Dealers, anyone know what site that would be?
Edit: I think it was Houx Annexe perhaps, and bloke on sofa might not have been Ed, looking on internet there was a different bloke driving it, Ed drove one on tv in UK i think.
Big site with loads of trees, crap bogs
Edited by wsn03 on Friday 25th August 19:21
Just caught up with this. Great to watch, good quality too being shot on film instead of low-res video tape.
I loved how candid all the drivers were, that's something I think we've lost these days as everyone is so sensitive for sponsors.
I don't miss the casual attitude to safety and death though - a driver killed in one crash and marshal killed in separate incident along with two other serious injuries (one marshal lost an arm according to wiki). All that barely got a passing mention, although you could see Edwards struggling to contain his reaction to his friends accident.
I loved how candid all the drivers were, that's something I think we've lost these days as everyone is so sensitive for sponsors.
I don't miss the casual attitude to safety and death though - a driver killed in one crash and marshal killed in separate incident along with two other serious injuries (one marshal lost an arm according to wiki). All that barely got a passing mention, although you could see Edwards struggling to contain his reaction to his friends accident.
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