2021 - Don't get too excited

[lowdrag]

The Leaper said:

To me, the best thing about the ACO statement is that they are remaining positive about the future.

R.

I live about 6 miles from the Bugatti circuit and hear the noise of engines several time a week, so track days and other events are still happening.

[cn7k7]

Vette_1978 said:

lowdrag said:

We shall all be watching the 24 Hours on the TV I guess.

If we can travel from the UK I’ll see you for a beer and hopeful some of that famous Thai you mentioned. Looking doubtful for spectators but 6 of us are still planning on coming.

I’m planning to do the same, hopefully catch up for a beer

[lowdrag]

Keep in touch folks. Visitors here are very rare birds during the last two years. This is a town that, while having lots of industry, depends heavily on tourism. It's the death of a thousand cuts and we are probably up around the 800 mark.

[chrisring]

Keep well and safe Tony. Hopefully will get to meet up next year.

[FredericRobinson]

24h Moto cancelled (was scheduled for 2 weeks time)

[lowdrag]

And next the Moto GP in May will probably go as well.

[LawrieC]

Odd that they cancel the 24h Moto, rather than postpone. I suppose that with lockdown, a closed door event isn't possible.

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

[n3il123]

LawrieC said:

Odd that they cancel the 24h Moto, rather than postpone. I suppose that with lockdown, a closed door event isn't possible.

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

I found a butcher that makes merguez, they were lovely just need to put in a big order!

[PH User]

LawrieC said:

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

Good plan. Have we got to sneak in alcohol?!

[LM240]

PH User said:

LawrieC said:

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

Good plan. Have we got to sneak in alcohol?!

Just hire a marshal for the site entrance and tell them to change the rules every so often.... should provide the authentic experience.

[PH User]

LM240 said:

PH User said:

LawrieC said:

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

Good plan. Have we got to sneak in alcohol?!

Just hire a marshal for the site entrance and tell them to change the rules every so often.... should provide the authentic experience.

[lowdrag]

Pose as p1keys and camp anywhere. The police won't touch you. Supplies can be ordered in advance. Please quote number of tons of rillettes and merguez, plus how many thousand stubbies.

[lowdrag]

61,000 new cases reported yesterday in France. Compare that to the 3,500 in the UK. Our caterer at the golf club, providing sandwiches preordered by phone, had a call from his daughter saying she had it so a load of the club members have had to go for tests and no further sandwiches.. The level is still pretty low in the Sarthe but increasing slowly. We are entering a national lockdown for a month as from Tuesday, carefully allowing people to go away for Easter and bring it back to their families.

[//j17]

LM240 said:

PH User said:

LawrieC said:

I do wonder if there's a rough campsite in England we could all go to, to watch the 24hLM on TV, but there wouldn't be enough merguez and rillettes etc

Good plan. Have we got to sneak in alcohol?!

Just hire a marshal for the site entrance and tell them to change the rules every so often.... should provide the authentic experience.

Make sure the marshals are correctly trained, specifically to refuse to let mew arrivals find their own way to their pitch but force them to follow them on a bike. Marshals must:
1. Cycle slower than my car drives at idle in first gear.
2. Head off in completely the wrong direction, to try and ensure everyone gets at least 2 full laps of the site before finally, accidentally arriving at the correct pitch.
3. And based on Bleu Sud in 2019 - have plenty of marshals to keep traffic flowing and prevent them backing up traffic onto the road...but only give them the 1 bike to share.

[delta0]

lowdrag said:

61,000 new cases reported yesterday in France. Compare that to the 3,500 in the UK. Our caterer at the golf club, providing sandwiches preordered by phone, had a call from his daughter saying she had it so a load of the club members have had to go for tests and no further sandwiches.. The level is still pretty low in the Sarthe but increasing slowly. We are entering a national lockdown for a month as from Tuesday, carefully allowing people to go away for Easter and bring it back to their families.

That’s 3 days of data as they had some issue reporting, but still not great

[Rick101]

Well, the sim race was entertaining last year.
I hope they do it again.

[Galand]

Rick101 said:

Well, the sim race was entertaining last year.
I hope they do it again.

M.Fillon said a few weeks ago that they intended to run a Virtual Le Mans again this year, but had not yet decided on dates. It can't now be on the original Le Mans weekend like last year, because the Portimao race has been rescheduled to that weekend.

[Truckosaurus]

Updated Schedule announced = https://www.fiawec.com/en/news/schedule-confirmed-...

Press Release said:

On Friday 13 August, the pre-race scrutineering procedures will be conducted at the circuit. These checks will be valid both for the Test Day on the Sunday before the race and for the 24 hours of Le Mans itself.

The practice and qualifying sessions have also been revised in response to competitor requirements. The first practice session will be at 14:00 on Wednesday 18 August with the Hyperpole session on the Thursday evening between 21:00 and 21:30. In this spectacular qualifying session, 24 cars set out to secure the best place on the grid, racing into the sunset with the 13.626-kilometre circuit on which to deploy their full speed.

Racing fans will also be treated to an outstanding, diverse programme spanning several days.

In addition to the usual curtain-raisers Road to Le Mans (2 races) and the Porsche Sprint Challenge France (1 race), two Endurance Racing Legends races will feature Le Mans cars of the nineties and noughties. On Friday 20 August, the five-hour Fun Cup provides the opportunity for amateur drivers to test their endurance skills on the full Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.

The highlight of the event is, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans which starts at 16:00 on Saturday 21 August.

To allow for this remarkable programme, for the first time, the full circuit – which comprises public roads – will be closed off from 08:00 on Wednesday 18 August until the evening of Sunday 21 August. The new procedure has the backing of local authorities and communities who are conscious that the event contributes greatly to the local and regional economy. Access to the shops and services of the Cormier business park will still be possible on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

In the current climate, the ACO is setting out to host a safe event, with all necessary precautions in place to produce top-notch racing. More details on the schedule, ticketing and spectator access will be released in May.

FunCup race should be interesting, there's a huge number of cars across Europe that would surely want to run.

Spectator info 'in May' is a new piece of news isn't it?

Also, roads shut from Weds-Sunday might be a sign of wanting to keep people away from the track if there are restrictions on attendance.

[ewand]

Truckosaurus said:

Also, roads shut from Weds-Sunday might be a sign of wanting to keep people away from the track if there are restrictions on attendance.

They're only talking about the roads that actually make up the circuit, though - ie it doesn't say they're closing roads to/from the circuit...

It always felt a bit odd to have the roads open on Friday as presumably they need to go out and sweep them all again before the racing on Saturday. My guess is that they'd need to do that anyway, as the Fun Cup might be a bit more crashy than normal Friday driving

[lowdrag]

It's all down to costs. Closing the roads Wednesday for free practice, opening again at midnight, closing again for Thursday afternoon qualifying, opening for Friday rest day, and then closing again Saturday midday and finally opening properly Sunday afternoon takes a lot of people and man hours.