2025 Le Mans with a 6 year old!

2025 Le Mans with a 6 year old!

Author
Discussion

HardtopManual

2,553 posts

174 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
My 6 year old loves camping. She loves racing, to a point. A 20 minute club race with a driver she knows personally is about the limit of her attention span.

There is no way I would take her to Le Mans, or in fact any event with such large, hemmed-in crowds.

If you must go, do it as a day-tripper on the Sunday.

VladD

8,026 posts

273 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
To go a bit left field, you could travel over to watch the practice and qualifying for the WEC and support races on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning when it is quiet. You'll get the live circuit experience before it gets too mad. Nothing happens on track on Friday afternoon, so you could then drive back and get home in time to watch the actual race on TV on the Saturday.

I'll get flamed for that, but it might be a way to dip a toe in the water for a child.

Also, I 've camped at Hippodrome for the last couple of years and that's been pretty quiet, but a 10 to 15 minute walk into the circuit.

ellroy

7,263 posts

233 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Took my lad at 10 for the first time.

Too busy, potentially too hot, and too much walking for one’s smaller than that imo.

kris450

713 posts

202 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Going against the grain here compared to most answers but my friend has brought his son the last 2 years. He's was 6 and obviously then 7. Absolutely good as gold the entire weekend and loved every second. They came down on Friday morning and left an hour before the end and listened to it on radio Le Mans, due to him needing to be back for school.

We were camped on Houx as we've done so for years and had grandstand tickets. Not one single issue with noise, the crowds or any of the walking. Oh and the major bit of kit he brings for him is some ear defenders !!

Trouble here I think is nobody knows your child like you do (obvious again). He may adore every second or be bored after 20 minutes. Only you can really know what may happen.

Howard1650

345 posts

199 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Taking a six-year-old to the Le Mans 24 Hours is a challenging, but potentially rewarding experience but it's important to be realistic about the difficulties involved.

Le Mans is a massive event with huge crowds. Expect long queues for everything, including food, toilets, merchandise, and even access to viewing areas.
It can be physicaly demanding with lack of sleep. You'll be doing a lot of walking, easily exceeding 10 miles a day. Even navigating to your grandstand seat can be a challenge. Plus, factor in travel time to and from the curcuit, including a long drive to Calais (4.0 hours miniumum and additional travel time on the other side.)

If you decide to go, Prairie is a decent campsite, new this year, with defined pitches and a less crowded atmosphere. It's a 15-minute walk to the gate and the Porsche bridge. Avoid the signs directing you to the circuit, take a left instead for a faster route. Or perhaps TD at Porsche curves, this is almost a self-contained environment, with a viewing area and hospitality marquee, with food and shelter. Avoiding the need to move around too much.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you're prepared for the challenges and can make the necessary adjustments, a trip to Le Mans can be an unforgettable experience. However, if you prioritize a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for your family, the Classic might be a better alternative. It is a more relaxed option with more space and arguably a more interesting mix of cars. It might be a better choice for a family with a young child.

//j17

4,616 posts

231 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
On the "Heading home Sunday after the race side":
The last couple of years they've basically 'locked down' the campsites, this year from 15:30 till 17:00 (officially, more like 18:00 in reality for Hippodrome). Even then, and far from being at the back of the queue, it took me another hour to get onto a public road.

Leaving a couple of hours before the end is the 'safe' option - but even then roads were starting to get busy with packed-up cars from around lunhc time onwards...

Possibly the best option is to pack up Sunday morning and drive to northern Le Mans and find somewhere to park the car near a tram stop. You'll have to throw yourselves into the mass of people flowing that way after the race and may have to wait a few trams before you can get sardineed onto one but should thin out the further you get from the station - and people parked at the circuit will probably still be queueing around the circuit by the time you get on the road a few miles north!

FredericRobinson

3,947 posts

240 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
butaclor said:


This was by Tertre rouge campsite didn't move for 10-15 minutes it was worse than the photo looks.
This is why you should get in early, get a good spot and stay there for the first few hours of the race, the path in front of TR campsite was gridlocked by people starting to move around within 10 minutes of the start of the race, do your wandering later in the evening, or on Sunday morning when it’s nice and quiet .
My experience of kids at Le Mans is that they get so knackered by the whole experience that they’ll sleep through any amount of noise on the campsite, the last one we took fell asleep as we drove out of the circuit on the Sunday evening and woke up in the Scottish borders 30 odd hours later

essayer

9,678 posts

202 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Howard1650 said:
Taking a six-year-old to the Le Mans 24 Hours is a challenging, but potentially rewarding experience but it's important to be realistic about the difficulties involved.

Le Mans is a massive event with huge crowds. Expect long queues for everything, including food, toilets, merchandise, and even access to viewing areas.
It can be physicaly demanding with lack of sleep. You'll be doing a lot of walking, easily exceeding 10 miles a day. Even navigating to your grandstand seat can be a challenge. Plus, factor in travel time to and from the curcuit, including a long drive to Calais (4.0 hours miniumum and additional travel time on the other side.)

If you decide to go, Prairie is a decent campsite, new this year, with defined pitches and a less crowded atmosphere. It's a 15-minute walk to the gate and the Porsche bridge. Avoid the signs directing you to the circuit, take a left instead for a faster route. Or perhaps TD at Porsche curves, this is almost a self-contained environment, with a viewing area and hospitality marquee, with food and shelter. Avoiding the need to move around too much.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you're prepared for the challenges and can make the necessary adjustments, a trip to Le Mans can be an unforgettable experience. However, if you prioritize a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for your family, the Classic might be a better alternative. It is a more relaxed option with more space and arguably a more interesting mix of cars. It might be a better choice for a family with a young child.
Is this a ChatGPT posting? Seems .. synthetic. Sorry if you did indeed type it.

VladD

8,026 posts

273 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
essayer said:
Howard1650 said:
Taking a six-year-old to the Le Mans 24 Hours is a challenging, but potentially rewarding experience but it's important to be realistic about the difficulties involved.

Le Mans is a massive event with huge crowds. Expect long queues for everything, including food, toilets, merchandise, and even access to viewing areas.
It can be physicaly demanding with lack of sleep. You'll be doing a lot of walking, easily exceeding 10 miles a day. Even navigating to your grandstand seat can be a challenge. Plus, factor in travel time to and from the curcuit, including a long drive to Calais (4.0 hours miniumum and additional travel time on the other side.)

If you decide to go, Prairie is a decent campsite, new this year, with defined pitches and a less crowded atmosphere. It's a 15-minute walk to the gate and the Porsche bridge. Avoid the signs directing you to the circuit, take a left instead for a faster route. Or perhaps TD at Porsche curves, this is almost a self-contained environment, with a viewing area and hospitality marquee, with food and shelter. Avoiding the need to move around too much.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you're prepared for the challenges and can make the necessary adjustments, a trip to Le Mans can be an unforgettable experience. However, if you prioritize a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for your family, the Classic might be a better alternative. It is a more relaxed option with more space and arguably a more interesting mix of cars. It might be a better choice for a family with a young child.
Is this a ChatGPT posting? Seems .. synthetic. Sorry if you did indeed type it.
It's just well written with correct spelling and grammar. It's confusing because it's on PH. wink

RL17

1,336 posts

101 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
ACO member area tickets E45 a person this year helps with toilet queues and space

T23 before start line and Goodyear and Panarama by Dunlop bridge are good as cars slower - see more and don’t get the constant noise of some of the stands halfway or so up start/finish straight

Ear defenders with a digital fm radio for Radio LM commentary

Small binoculars for reading order etc on big screens etc

After 40 mins of the race there’s space in most stands to move around until and hour before finish - helpful as buying GS tickets for groups is a pain unless going private campsite route and they are also busy and some give priority to existing customers

Can do longer ferries from Portsmouth etc and then just a 2 hour drive - does take longer though and ferry times can be odd on those routes

Does get cold at night (especially on hot days) so extra warm clothing and footwear (left in car) as when it’s wet camping is a pain and most sites have longish wet grass most mornings

Lots of family zones and stuff in village May be entertaining such as simulators - didn’t make it into village this year though

Classic is way too boring now IMO - just loads of trade stands selling expensive jackets etc for partners to buy to compensate them for agreeing to attend and periodic ( loads of gaps) racing that no one cares about. And an uphill pedal car race that takes ages eating into the 24 hours.

a17vts

Original Poster:

76 posts

202 months

Tuesday 25th June
quotequote all
Thanks all for the input, I really appreciate the views.

I totally appreciate this trip will solely revolve around catering for his needs, and I'm totally happy with that. I know its not the same however he is use to walking long distances for a little one, we have been to Disney Florida last year and we were walking on average 8 miles a day and are going once again in a few weeks and in my thought during the very busy period I'll throw him on my shoulders.

A few views I will definitely take on board from the advice here/further questions:

1. I'll leave before the end of the race on Sunday. I'd forgotten but my Dad use to do this with me when I was young. Can anyone advise how early you need to leave to avoid the masses?

2. When becoming a member of ACO does the membership run for 365 days from when you sign up or annually (1st January - 31st December)? Couldn't seem to find the answer online.

3. Would you guys suggest purchasing directly from ACO or via a 3rd party? We will be arriving on Friday afternoon, hopefully in time for the parade. As a few people have mentioned we may still get wet, depending on your seat location. Are you therefore able to request certain seats within a grandstand? I believe I've previously sat in T18 (ACO) and I believe towards the rear will be fully enclosed?

Thanks once again all.

Tom

4.

//j17

4,616 posts

231 months

Tuesday 25th June
quotequote all
a17vts said:
1. I'll leave before the end of the race on Sunday. I'd forgotten but my Dad use to do this with me when I was young. Can anyone advise how early you need to leave to avoid the masses?
If you leave a couple of hours before the end you should be fine. You'll have to fight traffic actually around the circuit with people arriving for the finish but as soon as you're off the ones being used by bother arrivers and leavers it should be plain sailing.

a17vts said:
2. When becoming a member of ACO does the membership run for 365 days from when you sign up or annually (1st January - 31st December)? Couldn't seem to find the answer online.
Just looked and mine expires end Oct. 2024, which feels about 12 months after I took it out/an odd time to end the membership year if for everyone.

a17vts said:
3. Would you guys suggest purchasing directly from ACO or via a 3rd party?
Direct tickets are slightly cheaper, more so for members but can be a bit of a scrum when booking opens to get the most sought after sites/grandstands. We're not talking a Glastonbury-esk "All sold out in 22 minutes" though so you can log on later and get a campsite and a grandstand, just maybe not THAT campsite and THAT grandstand.

Using a booking agent is slightly more expensive and was traditionally the lazy option. Register your interest, wait till their opened bookings, book what you wanted. For the 100 anniversary in 2023 everything sold out and preference went to previous customers/the first to get their names on the list. 2024 looked to be going the same way (why I went the ACO route) but despite the "High demand" warnings had an email every couple of months from one ticketing agent telling me they still had tickets - so looks like we might be heading back to normal there.

a17vts said:
We will be arriving on Friday afternoon, hopefully in time for the parade.
You'll want to go for a campsite with numbered pitches then, where both your ticket and the pitch have a number on them as the ACO aren't very good at math on unnumbered sites. I arrived at Hippodrome mid afternoon on Thursday this year to be told it was full but managed to squeeze in to a spot.

a17vts said:
As a few people have mentioned we may still get wet, depending on your seat location. Are you therefore able to request certain seats within a grandstand? I believe I've previously sat in T18 (ACO) and I believe towards the rear will be fully enclosed?
No, afraid not, you're just buying a seat and won't know the number till you get your tickets (though seats booked together should be next to each other). Grandstands tend to have a degree of community to them though. Try to get in without a ticket and site on the steps and you're "not one of us" but if you're moving out of a seat in the baking sun for some shade/part of the wave of people rushing from the front to back as the rain comes in and people are generally understanding.

RL17

1,336 posts

101 months

Tuesday 25th June
quotequote all
Can pick seats if buy direct with ACO membership and you’re quick but only 2 per membership (loads of sears unavailable when go on sale as blocked out for manufacturers etc)

For a group agent may be better (especially if buying camping etc through then)

Front 3 or 4 rows are sometimes bad in stands where there is a gangway along the front for late arrivals to stand and block views

Howard1650

345 posts

199 months

Tuesday 25th June
quotequote all
VladD said:
essayer said:
Howard1650 said:
Taking a six-year-old to the Le Mans 24 Hours is a challenging, but potentially rewarding experience but it's important to be realistic about the difficulties involved.

Le Mans is a massive event with huge crowds. Expect long queues for everything, including food, toilets, merchandise, and even access to viewing areas.
It can be physicaly demanding with lack of sleep. You'll be doing a lot of walking, easily exceeding 10 miles a day. Even navigating to your grandstand seat can be a challenge. Plus, factor in travel time to and from the curcuit, including a long drive to Calais (4.0 hours miniumum and additional travel time on the other side.)

If you decide to go, Prairie is a decent campsite, new this year, with defined pitches and a less crowded atmosphere. It's a 15-minute walk to the gate and the Porsche bridge. Avoid the signs directing you to the circuit, take a left instead for a faster route. Or perhaps TD at Porsche curves, this is almost a self-contained environment, with a viewing area and hospitality marquee, with food and shelter. Avoiding the need to move around too much.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you're prepared for the challenges and can make the necessary adjustments, a trip to Le Mans can be an unforgettable experience. However, if you prioritize a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for your family, the Classic might be a better alternative. It is a more relaxed option with more space and arguably a more interesting mix of cars. It might be a better choice for a family with a young child.
Is this a ChatGPT posting? Seems .. synthetic. Sorry if you did indeed type it.
It's just well written with correct spelling and grammar. It's confusing because it's on PH. wink
To be fair , my original draft was cleaned up my ChatGPT. For anyone like me that struggles to write anything meaningful in English it’s an amazing tool.

MCSV8

897 posts

271 months

Wednesday 26th June
quotequote all
My son's first visit was aged 3 months in 1990.

He's been about 15 times and now takes turns driving my Aston to Le Mans.

Aysedasi2

586 posts

25 months

Thursday 27th June
quotequote all
I confess I wouldn't think of taking a child to Le Mans with me. But if you do, I'd suggest that grandstand seats would be absolutely essential. And if you want to get about before the big crowd crush sets in, make sure you are there from Wednesday (ideally Tuesday) as it was much quieter this year and last on the two practice/qualifying days. I was hobbled by health issues this year so spent a lot of time in my grandstand seat. I would have been in severe difficulty without it. Join the ACO and get 'first dibs' on tickets or sign up with a reputable agent like 1st Tickets.

Mellow Yellow

903 posts

270 months

Thursday 27th June
quotequote all
I stay at Le Bounty Lakes Campsite (Google it), might be a good option with a youngster. About 3m South of Mulsanne, you can hear the cars but not so badly you're kept awake by them. It's a half board package so no worry about cooking, hot showers, decent loos, they run mini busses to/from the circuit during the race/practice.

There are plenty of other off-circuit sites that are much better than the circuit ones, ACO sites are great for atmosphere and access but I would not use them with a child. Race tickets selling out v.quickly these days, make sure you book as soon as released, more so if you want ACO camping.

They do have a family area at the circuit, lots of food stalls, covered areas & giant TVs.

S600BSB

6,152 posts

114 months

Thursday 27th June
quotequote all
eps said:
I took my 6 year old to the Classic instead - it might be better to try that first.. The 24hrs is a lot less rowdy than it was but certainly it is a lot busier as well.. He's now 18 and has been to the 24 hours three times, but more when he was a teenager.

It's up to you - you know you and your son the best. It depends on where you're camping and if you get a grandstand seat or not, plus what the weather is like - I think we're due another wet one in the next 1 or 2 years.. Either 2025 or 2026. 2007 was awful.

Has he been to Silverstone etc..? What is he like at staying the whole day at a circuit? I guess you can adjust as appropriate.

It can be done, but as I said I took my son to the Classic a couple of times before the 24hrs, but each to their own.

ETA: Campsite recommendations.. Hmm.... The thing is one year a campsite can be quiet and the next year it isn't.. I would say Epinettes fits the bill, but it can be a bit noisy as well... It's a bit of a distance, as it is next to Houx, so further than that, but then there are bus links from there as well, although STC as per the ACO. It feels quieter to us, than other campsites we've been on before. Maybe offsite or glamping/flex hotel? They feel quieter than other spaces, but I've never done them.

Edited by eps on Monday 24th June 10:26
Another vote for the Classic and Epinettes - did just that with my son last year and we had a super time.

LM240

4,893 posts

226 months

Thursday 27th June
quotequote all
You know your child better than anyone, so you need to weigh up views with that in mind. My daughter is about to turn 5, but I couldn’t imagine taking her in another years time.

If I were to take a six year old I’d probably be thinking along these lines….

Stay somewhere like La Flèche. There is a zoo, activities (large inflatable park, ‘beach’ by river amongst other things to do in area. Approx 25-30mins to circuit.

Stay in an air bnb or there is a decent campsite there also (tents or mobile homes available).

Don’t plan the trip like other Le Mans trips. Might need short sessions at the circuit and being open to leaving if necessary. Mixed in with other activities.

Grandstand seating.

More like a holiday but with Le Mans included. They could love it or hate it depending on their personality, but if they are made to endure it at a young age it could put off future trips when they would be ready.

Aysedasi2

586 posts

25 months

Friday 28th June
quotequote all
LM240 said:
You know your child better than anyone, so you need to weigh up views with that in mind. My daughter is about to turn 5, but I couldn’t imagine taking her in another years time.

If I were to take a six year old I’d probably be thinking along these lines….

Stay somewhere like La Flèche. There is a zoo, activities (large inflatable park, ‘beach’ by river amongst other things to do in area. Approx 25-30mins to circuit.

Stay in an air bnb or there is a decent campsite there also (tents or mobile homes available).

Don’t plan the trip like other Le Mans trips. Might need short sessions at the circuit and being open to leaving if necessary. Mixed in with other activities.

Grandstand seating.

More like a holiday but with Le Mans included. They could love it or hate it depending on their personality, but if they are made to endure it at a young age it could put off future trips when they would be ready.
That all makes sense to me.