Poll: Le Mans 24 Hours - is it being ruined?
Poll: Le Mans 24 Hours - is it being ruined?

Poll: Poll: Le Mans 24 Hours - is it being ruined?

Total Members Polled: 293

It's all about getting drunk, not the race: 4%
It's generally harmless fun: 15%
It's out of hand at times: 54%
There are too many morons, I'm off: 27%
Author
Discussion

tlracing

Original Poster:

703 posts

252 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Is the Le Mans 24 Hours still worth going to, or has the hooligan element spoiled it permanently for you?

AngryS3Owner

15,855 posts

258 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I've not voted as I didn't go this year, however I did go for the three years in a row before that and it seemed to get worse each year, to the point this year we decided to head over to the classic instead. I just hope the chav's stay away from that.

RacingPete

9,195 posts

233 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I thought it was quieter and less roudy than last year... maybe I was hanging around the wrong parts again! smile

ph1l5

5,027 posts

231 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I think I will try the Classic next year. But Beasujour was better than last year. Toilets and showers were top notch. but then again I guess thats down to the fact that only half the site was useable.

Chauch

520 posts

241 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I personally thought it was all good clean fun this year. The only thing that ruins it for me is the diesels whooshing past versus the petrols.

I will certainly be back again though...

sixspeed

2,062 posts

301 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I also thought it was much quieter, and one of the best Le Mans i've had in recent years. I must admit I spent Friday night, from 4pm-ish, in the town centre, rather than around the campsites, so maybe missed the worse.

However, I expected there to be a lot more of the campsite-brigade along the roads cheering for burnouts etc than I saw. And they seemed to be better behaved when I did...

I've been coming to LM since 2002, and it's always seemed much the same to me. It did seem worse last year, and the year before ('06), but this year seemed back to more how I remembered it.

charlescrawley

968 posts

281 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I wasn't able to go, so can't comment on things this year but having been for 9 of the previous 10 years, I can honestly say that the general behaviour of *some* people has become utterly indefensible.

Unfortunately some people will always go far too far and end up ruining things for others. We have probably been guilty in the past of playing music too loud a bit late, but how anyone going to an event such as Le Mans can possibly contemplate in any way throwing beer, piss, water or whatever into someone's car, vandalising cars or thieving I have no idea. They have also certainly managed to ruin the original fun that went on on the Houx Annexe roundabout.

We are all guilty though of not stopping this long ago, but I can see how this would be an extremely difficult thing to do. Perhaps we really need the French police to completely crack down on things for a few years and hopefully the w*nk*rs get the hint, get bored and never return. I live in hope.

Hopefully I have managed to get my point across in this ramble!

Cheers,

Charles

Petrol_fumes

223 posts

240 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
This was my first year at Le Mans, and hopefully the first of many.

Having no basis to comment on past years I was very surprised at the total k**bh**ds who were hanging about outside Blu camping on Friday night.

The whole burnouts etc were great, with a lot of people having a laugh, but one incident really made me angry and ashamed to be from the UK. A load of drivers were moving down the road going about their business, many of whom were playing to the crowd, however there were a bunch of the above mentioned k**bh**ds who decided they would stop every car and try and bully the driver into taking part

An RS4 estate turned up, the owner clearly at the end of along drive and some d**k sat on his bonnet refusing to let him past until he'd put on a show (evidently didn't realise it was 4WD). The guy started to drive off slowly and then stopped quickly to get this guy off. His mates managed to get to their feet, but after falling on his arse he dedcided to punch the guys window and then throw his beer can at this blokes pride and joy. All his mates thought it was brilliant....

is this really what we want and why the hell didn't more of the crowd react badly?

really dampened the whole mood

charlescrawley

968 posts

281 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Petrol_fumes said:
His mates managed to get to their feet, but after falling on his arse he dedcided to punch the guys window and then throw his beer can at this blokes pride and joy. All his mates thought it was brilliant....

is this really what we want and why the hell didn't more of the crowd react badly?

really dampened the whole mood
It just seems that some people simply do not care about anyone or anything else. I was at Wembley (on the Saturday! smile ) to see the Foo Fighters a week or so ago and got hit in the face by a pint of warm piss... What goes through these low-lifes' minds?

This isn't a new development, of course, but the scum do seem to be breeding and have been crawling out of their foetid burrows more so than in the past methinks. Certainly no one in authority seems to care about stopping them...

NormanD

3,208 posts

257 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
This was my 37th year at LeMans, so you could say I have seen some changes.

For the last few years there has been a growing number going to LeMans just to get drunk and then Pi**ing anywhere, as a bloke I do not like it but can turn a blind eye, but as I take my partner I feel for her having to put up with that sort of thing.

The 'Burnout issue' started a few years ago and was a bit of fun, but that has now got our of hand. Infact going though Arnage has got really bad, the other year we have had water pistols showering drivers in open top cars but this year I was following one car when two onlookers through their beer into the car.

Infact after this race we discussed about going next year and have decided not to go to any of the public areas but to stay at our LeMans accommodation with Eurosport on hand, our computer and Radio LeMans. The other advantage we have is that our accommodation overlooks the track with private trackside facilities.

It's a Vanish

46 posts

243 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
I'd like to say thank you to the middle aged guy next to the Air Track camp. He seemed to think getting his kids aged around 12 (with his help) to fire water balloons at the open doors of my Vanquish and my friends Bently GTC was acceptable 'fun'.

Asked why? he answered 'It's just a bit of fun'!

When i said that i'd be throwing full can's of coke at him and his kids, he strangly thought that wouldn't be so much fun.

Edited by It's a Vanish on Monday 16th June 19:05

h4muf

2,070 posts

236 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
We had a stroll up to the pub on mulsanne on thursday,got there pint in hand
Watched a few burnouts etc,nice enough time when a brit on a mint lambretta/vespa came past.

Got into a bad speed wobble and fell off,went to his aid and he just jumped up and legged it back!
Turned out a bloke pushed him when he went by and caused him to come off!!!!

Anyway vespa man found him and lamped him,turned a bit ugly after that.

Other than that just the french yobs that were making every car stop outside houx?
and perform a burnout,watched a car pull up with two mountain bikes on a roof rack,and this french dhead rocked the car that bad i thought they were going to come off.

Poor bloke was bricking it!

Other than that a top week.

Trommel

20,624 posts

288 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
h4muf said:
Other than that just the french yobs that were making every car stop outside houx?
and perform a burnout,watched a car pull up with two mountain bikes on a roof rack,and this french dhead rocked the car that bad i thought they were going to come off.
Must be a local thing - they were doing it to the police cars trying to get past Mulligan's in town on Friday night.

djon

409 posts

263 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Some of the water throwing/water pistols etc is funny to an extent. Although after getting a full pint in my face after 'pleasing' the crowd I must admit to being a bit pissed off. And seeing a poor elderly woman in the passenger seat of her husband's Morgan get absolutely soaked really pissed me off. FWIW it wasn't only British involved, the Dutch and French had a big part in it, the kids especially, blame the parents I guess?

I also had my new camera stolen (along with all my pics from last week in NYC) by a French chap who we befriended...so suffice to say my faith in human nature is lacking somewhat.

Still, the group I went with all had a great time AFAIK and will be along next year. No idea how to stop the idiots with water though.

Mr_Simpson

47 posts

243 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Only my third year there, but I wont be going back. I got there Thursday evening after a 12hour drive (I was following my mates 'Rasta Maaaan' 70's 220 Merc) driving towards the Houx I was stopped by a group of idiots screaming 'SOOB A ROO' and motioning me to do a wheel-spin...Funnily enough I declined and they proceeded to pour beer on and spit at the car.

From what I saw it wasn't the Brits that were soaking people in their cars, more the Dutch and French...I really don't get it!?

I take my girlfriend along each year, and this year she was scared to go to the toilet alone as she was shouted at and groped on the way.

I'd return for the drive down, I really enjoyed it again this year. For me its the only part of the experience that feels like a group of enthusiasts together, chatting at the services etc. But I wont go near Le Mans again.


neilr

1,587 posts

292 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Its not so much a case of 'Is it being ruined?' It's BEEN ruined.

Russell B

847 posts

254 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
[quote=ph1l5]I think I will try the Classic next year.

Hi

There is no classic next year its a bi-annual event with the next in July 08 then 2010 etc

Russ

SEE YA

3,522 posts

274 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
Yes running the gauntlet, is not very nice at all down the track to your camp site.

SEE YA

G T 3

2,142 posts

283 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
One of our boys in a Masserati was stopped by some bloke, he opened the window and got a bucket of water chucked in the car all into his stereo and all the other electrics....there are a lot of total tw*ts there.

Boris.

440 posts

241 months

Monday 16th June 2008
quotequote all
IMO, this year was the best Le Mans I have been to. Luckily we didn't experience any of the hooliganesque antics directly, but heard a few stories of people getting silly throwing buckets of water through car windows as well as pints of beer (what a waste!). At the end of the day though you'll always get a small element of people who take things too far when you're at an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of people whether it be motor racing, football, music festivals or anywhere else - best just to avoid them and let them get on with it. The car keying and water throwing into the maserati was absolutley disgraceful though, thoughts to anyone who's car got done and I hope it is not too much of a ballache to get repaired.

Edited by Boris. on Monday 16th June 21:54