Arnage corner meet stopped by Police
Discussion
Well the Police blocked off Arnage corner on Friday morning (well at least when I looked) no doubt aiming to block our meet.
Shame really.
Maybe we should do a big online petition via this website to send to the ACO to improve security and control the idiots at Le Mans who spoil it for the rest of us?
A few threads talk about idiots who got CS gassed which gives us all a bad name.
Shame really.
Maybe we should do a big online petition via this website to send to the ACO to improve security and control the idiots at Le Mans who spoil it for the rest of us?
A few threads talk about idiots who got CS gassed which gives us all a bad name.
Is it any wonder they block off the road? In the first three days of last week I saw several cars in the gravel at Indianapolis and countless traces of skids through people trying to be Lewis Hamilton but with the ability of Del Boy. For the people of Le Mans (police included here) we know that the 24 hour race brings in substantial money to an area which has an average wage of £6 per hour, so certain excesses are tolerated. The Mulsanne/Arnage road was closed off three years back for the first time and they said it was going to be permanent then but relented. Last year was horrendous from the police point of view and the road was closed this year purely because the police were frightened someone would be killed. Reading the other thread of the Houx roundabout Friday night maybe more roads should be blocked off or the CRS sent in to control things. Believe me, they don't take any $hit from anybody. In brief, fun yes, but dangerous antics, no. Just a pity that our lunch at Arnage was cancelled because of it.
I doubt that the closing of the road was anything to do with previous years meets for car clubs and was something a bit more serious. We assumed that there was some damage being repaired at Indi from a practice crash. If anything I'd expect the police to prefer to have the road open so you can control where most people are - instead of driving round lanes, getting lost and causing more chaos.
We just decided to head up to the CBW which was a really nice chilled out afternoon. Some quality cars on show, cheap beers and good food so will go here again next year.
We just decided to head up to the CBW which was a really nice chilled out afternoon. Some quality cars on show, cheap beers and good food so will go here again next year.
Vette_1978 said:
- instead of driving round lanes, getting lost and causing more chaos.
There was definately alot of that, as when we got down to the bottom of the Mulsanne but couldn't turn right at the roundabout we were then in no mans land and went straight across the roundabout and turned right down some back lanes where we saw cars just pulled in the side of the road and trying to do a U-turn then we got to a crossroad where we didn't know where to go so we turned right and then came to another crossroads where police were directing traffic which was just before we got to the other end of the road from Mulsanne roundabout so we turned around and went back again.Glyn.
Vette_1978 said:
I doubt that the closing of the road was anything to do with previous years meets for car clubs and was something a bit more serious. We assumed that there was some damage being repaired at Indi from a practice crash. If anything I'd expect the police to prefer to have the road open so you can control where most people are - instead of driving round lanes, getting lost and causing more chaos.
They were definitely letting French cars drive up there, and stopping all the English ones.I think it's a response to the lout element that gathers down there, and general football hooligan attitude rather than people actually appreciating each others cars. A real shame, I always enjoyed wandering around the sheer variety of interesting cars that gathered.
The number of chavs on Beausejour was a real disapointment, with no interest in cars it seemed to me. There were not nearly as many nice classics and exotica as from my last visits - perhaps a symptom of this. A real shame.
Ballistic Banana said:
My Thought about it been shut off was everyone parks on the Grass and then would pull all the mud and crap onto the track( ok most would get cleaned of but not all)....Having mud on the track on Indianapolis and Arnarge wouldnt have been appreciated by the drivers IMHO..
BB
Good point. Maybe they should have thought about that when they let 60 Corvettes onto the track for the Saturday cavalcade which dragged a load of mud on at the exit of the Porsche Curves.BB
Ballistic Banana said:
My Thought about it been shut off was everyone parks on the Grass and then would pull all the mud and crap onto the track( ok most would get cleaned of but not all)....Having mud on the track on Indianapolis and Arnarge wouldnt have been appreciated by the drivers IMHO..
BB
I must admit thats why I thought they'd shut it!BB
So if its going to be an annual thing closing Indy and Arnage, perhapps we should be looking for a new meeting area? After all the effort of everybody stickering up their cars, it would have been nice to meet up with fellow PHs and try and put faces to the user names on this site. Any ideas where?
306dean said:
i tried to get to the mulsanne on saturday, but the police (not normal Gendermaries) wouldn't let us, let french people up though.
They always close the roads for the circuit at about 6.30 Saturday - free practice/warm up was at 9.30. Not so surprising you didn't get to drive down it .... unless you were racing of course!fatboy18 said:
Ballistic Banana said:
My Thought about it been shut off was everyone parks on the Grass and then would pull all the mud and crap onto the track( ok most would get cleaned of but not all)....Having mud on the track on Indianapolis and Arnarge wouldnt have been appreciated by the drivers IMHO..
BB
I must admit thats why I thought they'd shut it!BB
Bringing things up to date I am just back from a meeting and so I'll deal with the above posts in order:-
1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
Edited by lowdrag on Wednesday 20th June 11:59
Edited by lowdrag on Wednesday 20th June 12:00
lowdrag said:
Bringing things up to date I am just back from a meeting and so I'll deal with the above posts in order:-
1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
Good to see the PH cause being championed but are the antics down at Arnage and Indianapolis really that bad to warrant the police closing it off on the Friday? Over the last few years we’ve seen some fun and games but nothing to my mind which warrants this spoil sport approach being adopted by the police.1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
Edited by lowdrag on Wednesday 20th June 11:59
Edited by lowdrag on Wednesday 20th June 12:00
Sure it is the ACO’s event and the police have a duty of care and how they chose to run their event is entirely down to them, equally deciding to attend is equally down to us.
To me this is such an integral part of the weekend both me and the rest of our group are now at a point where for the first time in twenty years we are seriously thinking about giving Le Mans a miss as frankly the policing has becoming tiring in the extreme and we truly feel the only thing missing is a giant sign telling us all to ‘F--- Off’
Interestingly I was chatting to another group who have gone to Le Mans for years at a track day down at Goodwood a couple of months back and the consensus was exactly the same, it’s time to leave it alone. The event has become increasingly unwelcoming, both by the French police and the mindless British contingent intent on behaving like Neanderthals
It is a shame as most of them drive Lambo’s and one has been known to drive a Zonda as well as several other exotics and just the sort of stuff that makes the Friday the great day we all know it to be.
Keep up the good work and thanks for doing your bit, the weekend needs saving fast
"Sure it is the ACO’s event and the police have a duty of care and how they chose to run their event is entirely down to them, equally deciding to attend is equally down to us."
We have to be careful here in that the event is run half on a private circuit (ACO) and half on public roads. During the race the road comes under the control of the ACO but at all other times is as usual the responsibility of the state. On Thursday the cut off time is 4pm and I was taking a marshal to the briefing at 3.45pm in the D type (road closed of course for hours before) and was stopped at Indianapolis for speeding. I was informed, none too politely, that this was a loss of licence job at 166mph so I called the sergeant of gendarmes over and had a chat. I explained that this was a racing car, that the road was already closed, and that to get a ticket on a race circuit would be fun since I am a journalist. Luckily, I got away with it but the situation is that even with the road closed for hours, daft as it seems, the speed limit is still 55mph up to 4pm!
I agree that deciding to attend is up to anybody and everybody, but am I alone in feeling that the attitude has, over the last few years, changed to bling and chav? The lack of respect and the total contempt for the local population is what has brought this on. From my point of view it is better to eradicate the loony aspect and have fun (for example filling water pistols with water rather than pi$$)and perhaps the police will relent. But reading the threads here and elsewhere about the Houx roundabout Friday night makes me ashamed to admit to be british as a resident at Le Mans. Pouring beer over occupants and their cars? Jumping on the roof of a car and causing damage? Firing water pistols filled with pi$$? Shooting rockets into the crowd from 100 yds? This is fun? As one poster put it "I might as well go into Bristol on a Saturday night if I want that".
WAKE UP CAR FANS! Your event is in danger of being hijacked by people who are intent on getting drunk, causing as much trouble as they can, behaving abominably because they aren't in their country and preventing others from enjoying themselves. Moreover, they don't even care about the cars or motor racing.
I know, why don't we run the Le Mans 24 hour race in conjunction with the World Cup and let battle commence? Perhaps that way we can watch the race in peace. Or perhaps we might see a Team Rangers car knocking hells bells out of a team Celtic car?
Your choice, but don't blame us locals who are quite frankly quite ashamed to be british at times and take stick because of the behaviour of the mindless few who ruin it for the majority.
We have to be careful here in that the event is run half on a private circuit (ACO) and half on public roads. During the race the road comes under the control of the ACO but at all other times is as usual the responsibility of the state. On Thursday the cut off time is 4pm and I was taking a marshal to the briefing at 3.45pm in the D type (road closed of course for hours before) and was stopped at Indianapolis for speeding. I was informed, none too politely, that this was a loss of licence job at 166mph so I called the sergeant of gendarmes over and had a chat. I explained that this was a racing car, that the road was already closed, and that to get a ticket on a race circuit would be fun since I am a journalist. Luckily, I got away with it but the situation is that even with the road closed for hours, daft as it seems, the speed limit is still 55mph up to 4pm!
I agree that deciding to attend is up to anybody and everybody, but am I alone in feeling that the attitude has, over the last few years, changed to bling and chav? The lack of respect and the total contempt for the local population is what has brought this on. From my point of view it is better to eradicate the loony aspect and have fun (for example filling water pistols with water rather than pi$$)and perhaps the police will relent. But reading the threads here and elsewhere about the Houx roundabout Friday night makes me ashamed to admit to be british as a resident at Le Mans. Pouring beer over occupants and their cars? Jumping on the roof of a car and causing damage? Firing water pistols filled with pi$$? Shooting rockets into the crowd from 100 yds? This is fun? As one poster put it "I might as well go into Bristol on a Saturday night if I want that".
WAKE UP CAR FANS! Your event is in danger of being hijacked by people who are intent on getting drunk, causing as much trouble as they can, behaving abominably because they aren't in their country and preventing others from enjoying themselves. Moreover, they don't even care about the cars or motor racing.
I know, why don't we run the Le Mans 24 hour race in conjunction with the World Cup and let battle commence? Perhaps that way we can watch the race in peace. Or perhaps we might see a Team Rangers car knocking hells bells out of a team Celtic car?
Your choice, but don't blame us locals who are quite frankly quite ashamed to be british at times and take stick because of the behaviour of the mindless few who ruin it for the majority.
lowdrag said:
"Sure it is the ACO’s event and the police have a duty of care and how they chose to run their event is entirely down to them, equally deciding to attend is equally down to us."
We have to be careful here in that the event is run half on a private circuit (ACO) and half on public roads. During the race the road comes under the control of the ACO but at all other times is as usual the responsibility of the state. On Thursday the cut off time is 4pm and I was taking a marshal to the briefing at 3.45pm in the D type (road closed of course for hours before) and was stopped at Indianapolis for speeding. I was informed, none too politely, that this was a loss of licence job at 166mph so I called the sergeant of gendarmes over and had a chat. I explained that this was a racing car, that the road was already closed, and that to get a ticket on a race circuit would be fun since I am a journalist. Luckily, I got away with it but the situation is that even with the road closed for hours, daft as it seems, the speed limit is still 55mph up to 4pm!
I agree that deciding to attend is up to anybody and everybody, but am I alone in feeling that the attitude has, over the last few years, changed to bling and chav? The lack of respect and the total contempt for the local population is what has brought this on. From my point of view it is better to eradicate the loony aspect and have fun (for example filling water pistols with water rather than pi$$)and perhaps the police will relent. But reading the threads here and elsewhere about the Houx roundabout Friday night makes me ashamed to admit to be british as a resident at Le Mans. Pouring beer over occupants and their cars? Jumping on the roof of a car and causing damage? Firing water pistols filled with pi$$? Shooting rockets into the crowd from 100 yds? This is fun? As one poster put it "I might as well go into Bristol on a Saturday night if I want that".
WAKE UP CAR FANS! Your event is in danger of being hijacked by people who are intent on getting drunk, causing as much trouble as they can, behaving abominably because they aren't in their country and preventing others from enjoying themselves. Moreover, they don't even care about the cars or motor racing.
I know, why don't we run the Le Mans 24 hour race in conjunction with the World Cup and let battle commence? Perhaps that way we can watch the race in peace. Or perhaps we might see a Team Rangers car knocking hells bells out of a team Celtic car?
Your choice, but don't blame us locals who are quite frankly quite ashamed to be british at times and take stick because of the behaviour of the mindless few who ruin it for the majority.
To be fair by and large we are arguing the same point here but none the less there is some very interesting information in your last post on the whys, wherefores and legalities that govern the running of the race.We have to be careful here in that the event is run half on a private circuit (ACO) and half on public roads. During the race the road comes under the control of the ACO but at all other times is as usual the responsibility of the state. On Thursday the cut off time is 4pm and I was taking a marshal to the briefing at 3.45pm in the D type (road closed of course for hours before) and was stopped at Indianapolis for speeding. I was informed, none too politely, that this was a loss of licence job at 166mph so I called the sergeant of gendarmes over and had a chat. I explained that this was a racing car, that the road was already closed, and that to get a ticket on a race circuit would be fun since I am a journalist. Luckily, I got away with it but the situation is that even with the road closed for hours, daft as it seems, the speed limit is still 55mph up to 4pm!
I agree that deciding to attend is up to anybody and everybody, but am I alone in feeling that the attitude has, over the last few years, changed to bling and chav? The lack of respect and the total contempt for the local population is what has brought this on. From my point of view it is better to eradicate the loony aspect and have fun (for example filling water pistols with water rather than pi$$)and perhaps the police will relent. But reading the threads here and elsewhere about the Houx roundabout Friday night makes me ashamed to admit to be british as a resident at Le Mans. Pouring beer over occupants and their cars? Jumping on the roof of a car and causing damage? Firing water pistols filled with pi$$? Shooting rockets into the crowd from 100 yds? This is fun? As one poster put it "I might as well go into Bristol on a Saturday night if I want that".
WAKE UP CAR FANS! Your event is in danger of being hijacked by people who are intent on getting drunk, causing as much trouble as they can, behaving abominably because they aren't in their country and preventing others from enjoying themselves. Moreover, they don't even care about the cars or motor racing.
I know, why don't we run the Le Mans 24 hour race in conjunction with the World Cup and let battle commence? Perhaps that way we can watch the race in peace. Or perhaps we might see a Team Rangers car knocking hells bells out of a team Celtic car?
Your choice, but don't blame us locals who are quite frankly quite ashamed to be british at times and take stick because of the behaviour of the mindless few who ruin it for the majority.
The arrival of an undesirable element at Le Mans goes back more than a couple of years I think, certainly in recent years the international football ahs brought a disproportionately high number of pillocks to the race. Before the flaming starts I watched my own club play 43 out of 46 league games last season, furthermore I’ve watched England home and away and know that the same people who see fit to wreck peoples cars at Houx are no more motor racing fans than the same type who beat up foreigners in the name of being an ‘Ingerlung’ fan. Us good old Norfolk boys are more than capable of enjoying both our cars and our football
The crux of this issue is what can be done to restore the key elements of the worlds greatest motor racing event to the true enthusiast many of whom like me love the parade of cars and general frivolity down at Arnage and Indianapolis on the Friday before the race. To close the circuit off is to let the half wits win and will over a period of time ensure the slow demise of the race surely this can’t be good for anbody with an interst in the race?
Whilst the St. Saturnin idea is goof enough the Friday gathering needs to be at the epicentre of the race and not a few miles away, how about the organisers allow a ticketed event for cars to park up on a part of the circuit which is otherwise used as road? I’m sure this website could sell tickets as indeed could the ACO, control the numbers and generally restore the good will?
On a separate note one of your Lynx D’s looks familiar, do drop me a private email but it looks very much like a car that lived close to me and one which I came very close to acquiring not so long ago
lowdrag said:
Bringing things up to date I am just back from a meeting and so I'll deal with the above posts in order:-
1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
its good to get some proper information from a local as to why Friday was cancelled. 1. No, there was no fatality on this road to cause the closure.
2. No they didn't close the road because of damage to Arnage bend.
3. The road is closed for the racing on Wednesday and Thursday from about mid day on (approximately) but Friday is a rest day and the road is usually open to traffic.
The road was closed on the Friday, as I posted above, pure and simply because of the english using it as their personal race track in 2006. This road was closed in 2004 for the same reason but they relaxed it for a couple of years. This, I am told, may become a permanent feature. Oh, and my meeting was with the chief of police here.
Finally, if you want to hold a meet at St. Saturnin on the Friday we'll have to rent a field but I have a meeting with the president of the Classic British Welcome this afternoon and I'll discuss the possibility.
I do believe that I had the pleasure of meeting you at the cafe in Muslane on friday morning (as with Skidsolo and Trackside) loved the car
Hope to see some of your pictures from the mulsane roundabout too, will you be posting them up on CA?Gassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff