A first timer's search for good Le Mans advice
A first timer's search for good Le Mans advice
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misterblonde

Original Poster:

74 posts

178 months

Tuesday 15th November 2011
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I am planning a trip to Le Mans for the first time in 2012 - finally in a car worth making the trip in! - and I'm looking for advice from PHers...good driving routes that avoid motorways, and places to stay at the track, in particular - help!

Oh yeah...and what's to be avoided...?

Great Dane

2,897 posts

195 months

Tuesday 15th November 2011
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beermountain has a superb guide which can be downloaded for free

you better get your skates on if you want to have a choice of campsites.... they go quickly as do grandstands.... general admission can be bought on the day.....

other than that follow this forum
if you have a cool car you better watch out for mad friday and antics therof ( youtube might give you an idea what goes on) on the other hand the drivers' parade on friday evening in le mans city centre is great even though I had my wallet stolen in '10

here are couple of good films to give you an idea what it all about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zUFfMg1dHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRS5YqbCORg if nothing else because my good friend is in it


and of course Steve's film from the 70's





Edited by Great Dane on Tuesday 15th November 10:00


Edited by Great Dane on Tuesday 15th November 10:01

Rs2oo

2,210 posts

227 months

Tuesday 15th November 2011
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Avoid booking with Seafrance, they are in the st.

Book your campsite, ferry/tunnel tickets NOW if not sooner

Use the quickest route to get there

Arrive thursday or earlier to get to the night-time qualifying and a guaranteed campsite spot

Stay sunday night to avoid the crush and to chill out with your mates and fellow campers

You will be there for at least 3 nights so take as much stuff as you can to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

If you can, go to Houx, Houx Annex, Karting Nord. Best campsites in my opinion.

If not, try one of the dedicated campsites like Pistonheads

Cram as much into your trip as possible. Drivers Parade, Museum, night-time qualy, go to Arnage Village saturday for lunch and Arnage corner at midnight during the race, go to one of the get-togethers organised by Lowdrag, and the pit walk saturday am.

Take plenty of spends if you are drinking out. €6 for a beer next year...........

The Leaper

5,666 posts

235 months

Tuesday 15th November 2011
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Look for the Club Arnage guide on their website...best impartial advice there is. Make a small donation too?

R.

eastsider

1,102 posts

252 months

Wednesday 16th November 2011
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Some great advice here already, beermoutain forums and club arnage guide http://www.clubarnage.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ca_guid... are best source of info. Beermountain campsite guide is good. Different types of camper/level of parties on different sites - depends what you want.

The one thing you do want is to be in a decent location near village without walking miles. Houx and Houx Annex are v popular and will sell out in the next few weeks (most agencies got their allocation of tickets from ACO this week and have a list already).

I stayed on KN in 2010, good location but even there it is 15 mins walk to the village and 20-30 mins to tetre rouge/tram station, you don't want to be further south than that. I bought KN in the first week of Jan that year, leave it much later than that and you'll be miles from anywhere.

Drivers parade is Friday in town not saturday as mentioned above. Club arnage race week schedule here
http://www.clubarnage.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ca_guid...

We normally do weds or thurs - monday.

Eurotunnel is around £90 at the moment - 4.5 hours drive on autoroute via rouen.

JamesHayward

655 posts

193 months

Wednesday 16th November 2011
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