Discussion
Got down to Speed chills on the Thursday night, registered and was not told anything about what to do or where to get anything from (where we could charge our phone etc. (concierge service!!), but had a lovely refreshing Beer, cold drink and some well deserved nosh!!
Got there on Friday morning - Breakfast all you can drink coffee, good so far, nice bit of shade (about the only place you could get some!!!)
Saturday, no soft drinks left!! We got there at about 10:45, our friends registered and got back into the queue, so not to hold the queue up while deciding what to get from the menu, to get their brekkie. I was served, my mate was servered, our other friends, who had just registered were then told that the kitchen was closed!!
We ended up at a breakfast bar at the meain entrance and noticed that the prices at speed chills were no different than anywhere else.
Saturday evening, got there expecting to get a nice refreshing cold soft drink, there wasn't anything, so we had a beer instead, which they were having difficulty in serving as they had bought the wrong sort of barrels!!! One of the guys went to use the 'Private Toilet' facilities, he said that they were dreadful and did not even flush!!
What are other peoples perception of Speed Chills?
Does anyone think it was value for money? (Most of the people we spoke to were as dissapointed as us).
Got there on Friday morning - Breakfast all you can drink coffee, good so far, nice bit of shade (about the only place you could get some!!!)
Saturday, no soft drinks left!! We got there at about 10:45, our friends registered and got back into the queue, so not to hold the queue up while deciding what to get from the menu, to get their brekkie. I was served, my mate was servered, our other friends, who had just registered were then told that the kitchen was closed!!
We ended up at a breakfast bar at the meain entrance and noticed that the prices at speed chills were no different than anywhere else.
Saturday evening, got there expecting to get a nice refreshing cold soft drink, there wasn't anything, so we had a beer instead, which they were having difficulty in serving as they had bought the wrong sort of barrels!!! One of the guys went to use the 'Private Toilet' facilities, he said that they were dreadful and did not even flush!!
What are other peoples perception of Speed Chills?
Does anyone think it was value for money? (Most of the people we spoke to were as dissapointed as us).
No, I'm a Jason!!!
Did you go this year, where did you camp?
Did it have more than two shower facilities? Or have you been before and knew to go for the Solar Showers that everyone else seemed to have?
Apart from this small dissapointment and the shock of finding out that there were thousands of campers trying to use the two shower blocks, we had a really good time - We were Le Mans Virgins, but are definately thinking of going back again next year, but think we will be a little more prepared!!
Did you go this year, where did you camp?
Did it have more than two shower facilities? Or have you been before and knew to go for the Solar Showers that everyone else seemed to have?
Apart from this small dissapointment and the shock of finding out that there were thousands of campers trying to use the two shower blocks, we had a really good time - We were Le Mans Virgins, but are definately thinking of going back again next year, but think we will be a little more prepared!!
have to say that all sounds rather familiar - it was a shame as it sounded (before heading off) as if they had the right idea and we, like many, were very keen to go with anyone other than MRI. Maybe they just over expanded (I believe last year they had 200 people and this year was 500). But even so, running out of cold drinks after the first day and being unable to serve breakfast in under an hour was far from ideal. I do think that if they had done a bit more homework they could pull it off, the actual set up they have has massive potential but just failed to deliver. I don't think I will be alone in e-mailing them with some thoughts / feedback later on today.
Great idea but run by a bunch of amateurs. I can almost excuse them for the lack of soft drinks, the foul toilets, serving 0.5 litre beers in 0.4 litre glasses etc etc, but the hog roast and the attitude of one of their "crew" was as joke:
A friend, staring at an almost empty plate having been served two small pieces of pork, a spoonful of baked beans & salad for 12.50 euros, very politely and reasonably asked if there was the possibility of some chips or spuds to go with it, only to be told, "If you want chips then go to Arnage".
That attitude sucks.
A friend, staring at an almost empty plate having been served two small pieces of pork, a spoonful of baked beans & salad for 12.50 euros, very politely and reasonably asked if there was the possibility of some chips or spuds to go with it, only to be told, "If you want chips then go to Arnage".
That attitude sucks.
I think they got over-ambitious this year, trying to do too much, and sadly, everything was more expensive than last year, but not as good - food v disappointing, and first morning I tried get breakfast was told there was a 1 hour wait, so went to main entrance instead. When I did manage get a b'fast, mushrooms had run out, but they didn't charge any less, even though the bits they did serve us would have been 2 euros less if paid for separately, and this was for lots of people!
They kept having difficulty pouring lagers, and the toilets were disgusting - although this was apparently the fault of the 3rd party supplier who didn't bother coming to empty / clean them.
Huge plus point was that they had my fave beer, Harveys, although 6 euros was a bit bloody pricey!
It was also great to have somewhere you could get away from the unbearable heat, and watch race coverage on the plasma screen.
And the live music was hugely entertaining.
Appreciate that it took a huge amount of effort on their part to organise it, and I would probably go back next year, but would hope the prices come down, food quality improves, keep membership numbers sensible, and sort out the toilets.
They kept having difficulty pouring lagers, and the toilets were disgusting - although this was apparently the fault of the 3rd party supplier who didn't bother coming to empty / clean them.
Huge plus point was that they had my fave beer, Harveys, although 6 euros was a bit bloody pricey!
It was also great to have somewhere you could get away from the unbearable heat, and watch race coverage on the plasma screen.
And the live music was hugely entertaining.
Appreciate that it took a huge amount of effort on their part to organise it, and I would probably go back next year, but would hope the prices come down, food quality improves, keep membership numbers sensible, and sort out the toilets.
It was better last year.
This year:
bad:
price too high(sorry but 5 euros for not even a pint?)
toilets were a fecking disgrace(if you can get them cleaned/emptied then why bother at all, it was a proper health hazard)
dinner was well over priced and crap, sorry that was my experience
good:
plasma telly indoors
entertainment - Arthur Brown was great
good shade this year
This year:
bad:
price too high(sorry but 5 euros for not even a pint?)
toilets were a fecking disgrace(if you can get them cleaned/emptied then why bother at all, it was a proper health hazard)
dinner was well over priced and crap, sorry that was my experience
good:
plasma telly indoors
entertainment - Arthur Brown was great
good shade this year
Really just used them to organise all the tickets so as to save the hassle. Only had a few pints there on Friday night and Sat afternoon after the start. We did all our own bbq'ing so didn't have any of the food bar a bacon roll Sunday morning.
Otherwise I can agree with some of the previous post, the site has HUGE potential, it just needs a little polishing. Obviously, it requires a huge ammount of effort to organise such a gig, and a temporary one at that, but I feel that they might have been a little stretched.
My first time at Le Mans, incredible experience, I'll be going back.
£20 for the pleasure of cold beers in the shade, at the same prices that they are in Dublin anyway, I'll be booking with the chillers for next year.
Otherwise I can agree with some of the previous post, the site has HUGE potential, it just needs a little polishing. Obviously, it requires a huge ammount of effort to organise such a gig, and a temporary one at that, but I feel that they might have been a little stretched.
My first time at Le Mans, incredible experience, I'll be going back.
£20 for the pleasure of cold beers in the shade, at the same prices that they are in Dublin anyway, I'll be booking with the chillers for next year.
We joined last year and it seemed they had the potential for something good to develop - we had a great breakfast on the sunday and lovely cold beer (in the shade - bliss), but they needed some loos amongst other things!
We joined again this year but didn't manage to make it over there so can't comment personally on the facilities but it's a shame things don't seem to have gone so well. Hopefully they'll learn by this years mistakes. I for one am certainly prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a try again next year.
We joined again this year but didn't manage to make it over there so can't comment personally on the facilities but it's a shame things don't seem to have gone so well. Hopefully they'll learn by this years mistakes. I for one am certainly prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a try again next year.
My experience of Speed Chills...8 of us in our party in total, all of whom broadly agree with:
Thursday
Arrived around 10pm. All looked very promising, although I did note the chemical toilets with some concern.
Pfungstadter lager was consumed in large quantities.
Friday
Pfungstadter lager to be avoided at all costs.
Overall, still all looking good. Breakfast was OK, evening meal variable - curry was better than average. The steak was variable.
Saturday & Sunday
It's all going a bit wrong now...food going downhill, no soft drinks.
Monday
Having pre-booked and pre-paid breakfast for Monday morning yet got no beans or bacon is appalling.
Food
Bearable, but running out of breakfast was a poor show.
How about some snacks?
Beer
Overpriced (even if it was a 500ml or a full pint, let alone as a 400ml)
Why such a hideous lager?
Sunday nights chiller/barrel pressure problems must have cost them a fortune in lost sales.
No excuse at all for running out of soft drinks.
The beer in Speed Chills was the most expensive I had all weekend, including in the bars at Arnage, Mulsanne and Tertre Rouge.
Thursday
Arrived around 10pm. All looked very promising, although I did note the chemical toilets with some concern.
Pfungstadter lager was consumed in large quantities.
Friday
Pfungstadter lager to be avoided at all costs.
Overall, still all looking good. Breakfast was OK, evening meal variable - curry was better than average. The steak was variable.
Saturday & Sunday
It's all going a bit wrong now...food going downhill, no soft drinks.
Monday
Having pre-booked and pre-paid breakfast for Monday morning yet got no beans or bacon is appalling.
Food
Bearable, but running out of breakfast was a poor show.
How about some snacks?
Beer
Overpriced (even if it was a 500ml or a full pint, let alone as a 400ml)
Why such a hideous lager?
Sunday nights chiller/barrel pressure problems must have cost them a fortune in lost sales.
No excuse at all for running out of soft drinks.
Speed Chills website says said:
BEER – quality draft lager & ale cheaper than you will find anywhere else on circuit
The beer in Speed Chills was the most expensive I had all weekend, including in the bars at Arnage, Mulsanne and Tertre Rouge.
So where did it go wrong
It seems to me that weak organisation/preparation combined with increased numbers results in a team that could not cope when people started arriving in larger numbers on Saturday.
Nor did they have the ability to put things right quickly, such as buying more soft drinks or refunding money for only being able to serve half the breakfasts.
Very frustrating, because they got some things right - it started well, the location is great, the bands were pretty good.
I will be putting my thoughts to them and will be interested in their comments.
It seems to me that weak organisation/preparation combined with increased numbers results in a team that could not cope when people started arriving in larger numbers on Saturday.
Nor did they have the ability to put things right quickly, such as buying more soft drinks or refunding money for only being able to serve half the breakfasts.
Very frustrating, because they got some things right - it started well, the location is great, the bands were pretty good.
I will be putting my thoughts to them and will be interested in their comments.
Good plan but poor execution. Bar was rough and ready. On the Thursday they had run out of that nice French Cider. Actually wonder if it was there in the first place. Beer €1 over-priced. Ran out of bread for breakfast on the Sunday. Basic logistics fell down. Having said that i will give them a chance next year as I enjoyed staying at Beausjour!
I think we all thought we could do so much better with that site.........if you arrived with nothing you would put a better show on from Carrefour and still show a profit!!
I think we all thought we could do so much better with that site.........if you arrived with nothing you would put a better show on from Carrefour and still show a profit!!
What happened to the showers? What happened to the free shuttle bus taking you into the circuit? One of our party had a duff ankle so walking was an issue. We were relying on that. In all fairness, when I asked, someone who happened to be going into town was kind enough to give him a lift.
Echo the thoughts on Monday breakfast. You had to let them know well in advance that you wanted it yet it was easliy the smallest breakfast all week. Forward planning anyone?
Also, random people seemed to turn up with no wrist bands and drink beer and use the facilities. Plus they were signing up anyone on the door. I wouldn't have minded but that mean less food and facilities for the rest of us.
Toilets were so much worse than the Beau Sejour ones that queueing for the camp site ones was a positive pleasure.
On the plus side, the plasma screen, radio Le Mans on the PA, Lions game (why wasn't that on the big projector), shade and other bits and pieces were welcome. I never had any problems with the crew who seemed to remain happy pretty much the whole time, even when they were obviously stressed. Apparently they were doing it all for free.
Next year we'll definitely be doing it ourselves.
Rob
Echo the thoughts on Monday breakfast. You had to let them know well in advance that you wanted it yet it was easliy the smallest breakfast all week. Forward planning anyone?
Also, random people seemed to turn up with no wrist bands and drink beer and use the facilities. Plus they were signing up anyone on the door. I wouldn't have minded but that mean less food and facilities for the rest of us.
Toilets were so much worse than the Beau Sejour ones that queueing for the camp site ones was a positive pleasure.
On the plus side, the plasma screen, radio Le Mans on the PA, Lions game (why wasn't that on the big projector), shade and other bits and pieces were welcome. I never had any problems with the crew who seemed to remain happy pretty much the whole time, even when they were obviously stressed. Apparently they were doing it all for free.
Next year we'll definitely be doing it ourselves.
Rob
To be honest, I am in a quandary about this one - if they were doing it all for free, then fair enough, and they were also very friendly pre-departure (less so when we got there). THINK I will give them another go next year, but remain a little sceptical as many of the promises were undelivered - agree with all the complaints though - had experienced each and every one! But it is still kind of hard to criticise someone for making an effort if they were doing it for the love of the sport (?at those beer prices, were they?). Will also be putting my comments across to them - and a few reccomendations!!
I went last year, and again this year and to be honest, felt a bit ripped off this time round.
Beer was definitely not the cheapest anywhere at the circuit, food was positively ruinous, even for LM prices, and the quality was OK at best, diabolical at worst.
Facilities were not as advertised - no showers, no shuttle and the toilets were appalling.
It all smacked of a bunch of amateurs who'd made a decent fist of it last year on a small scale, over reaching themselves and trying to make a hefty profit from the process this time round.
Management was a shambles, there was no clear structure and the staff were given no direction - how can you let something as simple as a hot water urn run out half way through breakfast FFS! And to run out of breakfast ingredients on a day when everyone pre-booked was the final straw for most in our group I think.
Without assurances of numbers being capped and some professional staff it's doubtful we'll be booking with them next year.
Beer was definitely not the cheapest anywhere at the circuit, food was positively ruinous, even for LM prices, and the quality was OK at best, diabolical at worst.
Facilities were not as advertised - no showers, no shuttle and the toilets were appalling.
It all smacked of a bunch of amateurs who'd made a decent fist of it last year on a small scale, over reaching themselves and trying to make a hefty profit from the process this time round.
Management was a shambles, there was no clear structure and the staff were given no direction - how can you let something as simple as a hot water urn run out half way through breakfast FFS! And to run out of breakfast ingredients on a day when everyone pre-booked was the final straw for most in our group I think.
Without assurances of numbers being capped and some professional staff it's doubtful we'll be booking with them next year.
neilsie said:
best thing was the live music. so hope they are back next year.
That's because Arthur Brown is your Dad!!
And you tried to pull that young singers Mother! 
Speed Chills - I agree with a lot of the points made, although I genuinely thought it was going well until Sunday.
Cold Beer was good, but my main gripes were the toilets, which were a genuine health hazard by Monday, the food on the Sunday night was rubbish and cost 12.50 Euros. I felt quite ripped off at this point
The staff I spoke to were genuine and helpful, although one female member of our group was offended by the chef on the Sunday eve. So pretty mixed, but in fairness it's only their second year, and I'm sure Neil will take on board all the comments and make a better job of it next year
rralston said:
best thing was the live music. so hope they are back next year.
That's because Arthur Brown is your Dad!!
:
I always thought he was my special Uncle!
and true, she was nice, even if she did have a kid in tow!
What a bunch of nobs they were.
Poncing around with crew t shirts on serving that crap on a plate, so much for hog roast, that had to be the fattest pig on the farm as a search party had to be called to find the pork!!
Topped with warm salad dug out of a rucksack & the cheapest beens in town, they mugged us off really.
my pal dared to ask for a new bit of pork & the guy started throwing a wobbler!!
They were really miserable to, anyone would think they had wasted good money on the dinner!
Rest assurred they made a packet, rest assured we'r goin back to rouge with the frogs next year!!
Stick to the supermarket & maccy d's!!!
Poncing around with crew t shirts on serving that crap on a plate, so much for hog roast, that had to be the fattest pig on the farm as a search party had to be called to find the pork!!
Topped with warm salad dug out of a rucksack & the cheapest beens in town, they mugged us off really.
my pal dared to ask for a new bit of pork & the guy started throwing a wobbler!!
They were really miserable to, anyone would think they had wasted good money on the dinner!
Rest assurred they made a packet, rest assured we'r goin back to rouge with the frogs next year!!
Stick to the supermarket & maccy d's!!!
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