Houx Annexe Roundabout - Friday night - Anyone go?
Discussion
I went along to this to watch the fun and games and to be honest my pals and I left after 5 minutes in disgust.
In complete contrast to the excellent time we had at lunchtime on the Mulsanne Straight this was an event filled with animals with no respect for cars or drivers.
The little shits, both France and ashamedly English were opening car doors and boots while they were driving, including innocent taxis and family cars, jumping on the roofs of cars, kicking panels and throwing bottles into the road. They even threw fireworks into the luggage compartments of the coach and into a car.
I was amazed that the police didn't break this up. When one police car turned up the thugs started bouncing it about and climbing on that too! We left then.
Is it like this every year? I will certainly make sure that I and anyone I know doesn't head down there in the future, no fun at all.
In complete contrast to the excellent time we had at lunchtime on the Mulsanne Straight this was an event filled with animals with no respect for cars or drivers.
The little shits, both France and ashamedly English were opening car doors and boots while they were driving, including innocent taxis and family cars, jumping on the roofs of cars, kicking panels and throwing bottles into the road. They even threw fireworks into the luggage compartments of the coach and into a car.
I was amazed that the police didn't break this up. When one police car turned up the thugs started bouncing it about and climbing on that too! We left then.
Is it like this every year? I will certainly make sure that I and anyone I know doesn't head down there in the future, no fun at all.
I have to admit that we didnt go down there, not last year and not this year either.
After spending thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours preparing an Austin Allegro for Le Mans, the last thing we want is for it to be climbed all over and covered / filled with beer (or worse).....
Youve hit the nail on the head, Mulsanne during the Friday lunchtime / afternoon is the place to be, cars can be enjoyed and appreciated (and are!) over a nice beer, but without the mindless hoonery of the Houx roundabout later that night.....maybe it should be renamed Hoon roundabout?!
After spending thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours preparing an Austin Allegro for Le Mans, the last thing we want is for it to be climbed all over and covered / filled with beer (or worse).....
Youve hit the nail on the head, Mulsanne during the Friday lunchtime / afternoon is the place to be, cars can be enjoyed and appreciated (and are!) over a nice beer, but without the mindless hoonery of the Houx roundabout later that night.....maybe it should be renamed Hoon roundabout?!
Didn't see any of that, but what i did see was pretty cretinous.
Attempting to drift a VW transporter around a roundabout lined by a 1000 people isn't very clever in my book. Neither was the guy who narrowly avoided going under its wheels when he fell off.
However, the guys in the 'pirate ship' did their best to entertain in the right spirit.
Attempting to drift a VW transporter around a roundabout lined by a 1000 people isn't very clever in my book. Neither was the guy who narrowly avoided going under its wheels when he fell off.
However, the guys in the 'pirate ship' did their best to entertain in the right spirit.
waddington minge said:
After spending thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours preparing an Austin Allegro for Le Mans, the last thing we want is for it to be climbed all over and covered / filled with beer (or worse).....
How on earth would you send thousands of pounds on an allegro?The roundabout was a scream for the 10 minutes we stopped and watched, including the red Le Mans Fire truck, Borat on petrol scateboard, LeManbulance etc. That said it is a bit like a chav fest and the idiot who threw a half full 5L bottle of water at a car demonstrated that.
I believe the police ended up using CS Gas on some of the crowds, not suprising really if they were being goaded as many suggest by a bunch of english drunks.
bennno
Sad to see it. Started as light-hearted entertainment (galleon was wonderful as it was last year) but descended into dangerous hooliganism by 10pm. As far as I could make out the gendarme had a presence at the light-hearted stage but had withdrawn by the time that cars and coaches were being vandalised (which they undoubtedly were)and road signs torn down.
One guy ended up with a nasty leg injury when a firework exploded at his feet. Earlier in the evening there seemed to be a girl injured on the Maison Blanche drag strip. I had to pick up the pieces a few years ago when an XJS lost it on the same strip of road and used various members of the public as impromptu Armco.
Terrified children in the back of family cars surrounded by the drunken mob, a lot of people have a lot to ba ashamed about...
One guy ended up with a nasty leg injury when a firework exploded at his feet. Earlier in the evening there seemed to be a girl injured on the Maison Blanche drag strip. I had to pick up the pieces a few years ago when an XJS lost it on the same strip of road and used various members of the public as impromptu Armco.
Terrified children in the back of family cars surrounded by the drunken mob, a lot of people have a lot to ba ashamed about...
The images of S2000s superbly drifting round the roundabout are no more I fear. People were blocking the road and I am amazed that the worst injury was the bloke who jumped on the side of the transit and then fell of when it had to brake.
The pirate ship, sofa, Psuedo police Volvo, Borat and streakers, even the old S-class Merc and a few more were in the true spirit... but the twits lining the road and opening doors of cars that had nothing to do with the event were just mindless. Some of these cars even had young kids in that were looking quite scared. It must have looked liked some sort of riot going on!
One young french guy with his girlfriend in the car was quite rightly peed off when some knob opened the door and blasted them with water ... he actually got out, caught the bloke and nicely sent him flying with a good gallic shove ... what did our water pistol carrying Brit hero do? ... yes ... he picked up a bottle!
.... a disgrace to the majority of Brit Le Mans goers quite frankly. A couple of other Brits held him back, which is a shame as I think the french guy might have finished the job properly given the chance. Oh, and as he didn't get chance to use the bottle, he threw it at the car instead. Sorry, but as soon as someone resorts to picking up a bottle in a scrap then they simply become mindless thugs.
Feel sorry for the guys in the Saab cab too. ok, they probably expected to get soaked, and joined in the fun opening themselves up to more soaking ... but I reckon that beer soaked interior will take some cleaning!
A lot of people having good fun, just a small percentage taking it too far.
The police presence was Zero for the couple of hours, about 11pm-1am that we were there. They need to get the barriers up properly, police them, and then let the drivers have a bit of fun. The worst driving I saw was the guy in a silver BMW 1-series. Couldn't control the car for love nor money, but still insisted on belting round the roundabout as fast as he could, only slowing down when he had to brake every time he was going to hit the curb (about every 50 feet)
Hope it gets sorted for next year.
The pirate ship, sofa, Psuedo police Volvo, Borat and streakers, even the old S-class Merc and a few more were in the true spirit... but the twits lining the road and opening doors of cars that had nothing to do with the event were just mindless. Some of these cars even had young kids in that were looking quite scared. It must have looked liked some sort of riot going on!
One young french guy with his girlfriend in the car was quite rightly peed off when some knob opened the door and blasted them with water ... he actually got out, caught the bloke and nicely sent him flying with a good gallic shove ... what did our water pistol carrying Brit hero do? ... yes ... he picked up a bottle!
.... a disgrace to the majority of Brit Le Mans goers quite frankly. A couple of other Brits held him back, which is a shame as I think the french guy might have finished the job properly given the chance. Oh, and as he didn't get chance to use the bottle, he threw it at the car instead. Sorry, but as soon as someone resorts to picking up a bottle in a scrap then they simply become mindless thugs.Feel sorry for the guys in the Saab cab too. ok, they probably expected to get soaked, and joined in the fun opening themselves up to more soaking ... but I reckon that beer soaked interior will take some cleaning!
A lot of people having good fun, just a small percentage taking it too far.
The police presence was Zero for the couple of hours, about 11pm-1am that we were there. They need to get the barriers up properly, police them, and then let the drivers have a bit of fun. The worst driving I saw was the guy in a silver BMW 1-series. Couldn't control the car for love nor money, but still insisted on belting round the roundabout as fast as he could, only slowing down when he had to brake every time he was going to hit the curb (about every 50 feet)
Hope it gets sorted for next year.
Edited by burriana on Monday 18th June 15:33
bennno said:
waddington minge said:
After spending thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours preparing an Austin Allegro for Le Mans, the last thing we want is for it to be climbed all over and covered / filled with beer (or worse).....
How on earth would you send thousands of pounds on an allegro?The roundabout was a scream for the 10 minutes we stopped and watched, including the red Le Mans Fire truck, Borat on petrol scateboard, LeManbulance etc. That said it is a bit like a chav fest and the idiot who threw a half full 5L bottle of water at a car demonstrated that.
I believe the police ended up using CS Gas on some of the crowds, not suprising really if they were being goaded as many suggest by a bunch of english drunks.
bennno
Edited by peglewis on Monday 18th June 15:50
Edited by peglewis on Monday 18th June 15:52
The main troublemakers from what I saw were in the 15-18 age range which means that no doubt most of them don't own a car, don't know what it means to own a car and certainly only turned up to cause trouble.
It would have been nice to be able to wade in and calm them down but with the mob mentality which seemed so prevalent I'd have no doubt ended up on the wrong end of a bottle or soaker full of wee.
We arrived at 11pm. Shame we didn't go there earlier and see the real fun part but it's a bigger shame these kids spoilt the whole thing.
It would have been nice to be able to wade in and calm them down but with the mob mentality which seemed so prevalent I'd have no doubt ended up on the wrong end of a bottle or soaker full of wee.
We arrived at 11pm. Shame we didn't go there earlier and see the real fun part but it's a bigger shame these kids spoilt the whole thing.
I think we must have got out of there before the police came, we left about 11pm. I thought the whole thing was quite strange. Not very many nice cars turned up and I can see why, there's no way I would be going anywere near it if I went to Le Mans again. The one thing I did think was quite funny though, was a group of lads with a bloody big, and I mean big 3 man catapult firing water bombs into the middle of the roundabout from about 100 meters away. Superb!
Scott
Scott
Edited by Naughty Magpie on Monday 18th June 15:55
Naughty Magpie said:
The one thing I did think was quite funny though, was a group of lads with a bloody big, and I mean big 3 man catapult firing water bombs into the middle of the roundabout from about 100 meters away. Superb!
that's more like it, damn i missed it ... but some of those thunder flash wotsits were BLOODY loud 
oh ... and anyone see the guy on the motorised pushbike ... next time i saw him he was pedalling round and the engine between his legs was actually on fire!
Naughty Magpie said:
I think we must have got out of there before the police came, we left about 11pm. I thought the whole thing was quite strange. Not very many nice cars turned up and I can see why, there's no way I would be going anywere near it if I went to Le Mans again. The one thing I did think was quite funny though, was a group of lads with a bloody big, and I mean big 3 man catapult firing water bombs into the middle of the roundabout from about 100 meters away. Superb!
Was bad last year and quite a few with the nice cars said then that they were going to refuse to do it this year!!I can see this year it went into complete meltdown and I very much doubt anyone but the idiots will turn up next year.... that and of course the ones that need to actually use the roundabout to get somewhere and not know about this rabble!!
IMHO it used to be a classy event, a few cold beers in Arnage and watch Daytona's, 275Gtbs, Countach and D types driving about. Even a few years ago the british bobby stopping people and suggesting a burn out was original and funny.
As its got more out of control a lot of the priveledges get taken away, hence the road blocks this year on much of the circuit and cars being stopped from visiting arnage. A baying crowd, intimidating cars with children in isnt especially funny and the police stuff was understandable even if some of those caught in the crossfire werent behaving the worst in the crowd.
My understanding is that the Bike 24hr carries a total acohol ban at the circuit and for a large distance outside the circuit due to accidents and behavior - lets hope the car one doesnt ever go the same way.
Bennno
Reply to all your posts saw just about everything that's been mentioned,and it was disgraceful that the people driving through that have got nothing to do with Le Mans should not be allowed to just drive through and not be attacked in some way.
Some of the stupid things people were doing will get Le Mans and all the Brits going over to watch the race and have a good time a bad name.
Less stupidity and maybe we'd see much nicer cars out on the roads showing them off to the crowds.
Some of the stupid things people were doing will get Le Mans and all the Brits going over to watch the race and have a good time a bad name.
Less stupidity and maybe we'd see much nicer cars out on the roads showing them off to the crowds.
I was there from around 6-9pm but didn't really notice the time. The coppers were there the whole time and there was a really bad atmosphere. A cop CS gassed Bomber Denton, and another bloke, and then they fired tear gas at this bloke and walked away.
There was getting to be a really bad feeling so I left with a few other mates.
There was getting to be a really bad feeling so I left with a few other mates.
I have been going to Le Mans for the past 5 years and can only guess why things are going downhill re drunken yobs.
1. The internet and car forums have exploded in the past 5 years which may be spreading the word to the wrong types.
2. Lads mags have found out about Le Mans and are promoting it.
The only idiots I saw were teenage local French lads. Plus there was the usual tent robbing and screwdrivering off Ferrari badges off bonnets. I am not sure if English are involved in the robbing.
Bottom line is for a 250,000 person event there needs to be more non police security evrywhere provided by the ACO.
1. The internet and car forums have exploded in the past 5 years which may be spreading the word to the wrong types.
2. Lads mags have found out about Le Mans and are promoting it.
The only idiots I saw were teenage local French lads. Plus there was the usual tent robbing and screwdrivering off Ferrari badges off bonnets. I am not sure if English are involved in the robbing.
Bottom line is for a 250,000 person event there needs to be more non police security evrywhere provided by the ACO.
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