Best Place for Daybreak Sunday

[fordyx]

This will be our 3rd trip to Le Mans and we've decided that daybreak is a must see after watching 24hrs of truth. Where is the best place to watch the sun come up over the track, is it the stands? is it on the campsites? It certainly won't be my sleeping bag this year, so let us know your best place (promise not to tell everyone) :-)

[JayPee]

In my first year the sun rose for me on the banking of the entry to the first of the Porsches curves, I was sat there with a beer in a fold up chair and it was an incredibly surreal experience. Second time round I was in a more or less empty grandstand in front of the ferris wheel, which was a fantastic view, will probably try and do that again this year.

[joncon]

a deserted grandstand holds good memories for me,
arrived back from town early hours and made my way up from maison blanche,
sat there with a few beers, some snacks ,good mates.
awesome noise, brake discs glowing, and the sun coming up .
that is le mans.

[Cobra Andy]

Sat on the banking just past the Dunlop bridge, glowing brake disks etc surreal experience, plus there were a few bodies that had given up during the night and were out cold, quite funny.

[dienamic]

My only trip (07) I forced myself out of bed at 4.30 and walked up to the track with a brew. Watching the pit crews still working flat out in the small hours, and seeing the sun rise from the grandstand near the ferris wheel are memories I'll never forget. And it wasn't raining. God I wish I was going again this year.

[jackson1204]

Standing by your self out side your caravan track side feeling corvetts roar past when the sky is a very light blue was one of my best memories of le mans 2007

[lowdrag]

A trek but the Mulsanne enclosure is great as the sun rises. They come into the sun as they reach the bend and roar off to Indianapolis with the sun behind. On a similar note Arnage/Indianapolis too.

[Moley RUFC]

joncon said:

a deserted grandstand holds good memories for me,
arrived back from town early hours and made my way up from maison blanche,
sat there with a few beers, some snacks ,good mates.
awesome noise, brake discs glowing, and the sun coming up .
that is le mans.

That sounds like heaven

[jazzdevil]

Sitting on the banking at Tetre Rouge as the sun came up did it for me. Glowing brakes, quickly followed by hammer down acceleration as the cars set off down the Mulsanne... if only every Sunday offered the opportunity!

[//j17]

Either Mulsanne or Arnage corners.

The free bus that runs to Arnage/Mulsanne corners from the car part opposite the main entrance runs 24/7 - though admitidly with a very French idea of "every 5 minutes".

[mbl4]

me and my mate watched daybreak in 2006 from the esses (i think, just after the dunlop bridge). that was fantastic, loads of overtaking on the curves and a fantastic place to sit for a few hours and watch the sun come up. didn't manage to get up for it for the last two years but plan to again thisn year, or maybe head elsewhere as the last three years i have seen very little of the track.

[DS240]

Mulsanne gets my vote for sunrise.

opposite the pits at midnight - 0100hrs, the contrast from race start with big crowds to empty with people just sitting quietly watching the teams just going about their buisness is nice.

Down to mulsanne from 0100. Same atmosphere, people all around just sleeping on the banking.

Getting a bit of crappy sleep trackside and then being there for sunrise.

You really get a feel for the 24hr race this way.

But these are only personal preferences. I'm sure doing the same any where else by the track is just as good.

---

www.lemans24.piczo.com

[Emsman]

Grand marnier pancake tent then off to look at blurred cars

[The Leaper]

1996, first trip with Son, 4:00am we woke up in the car in Parking Blanc, made our way over to Maison Blanche tribune, between us necked 24 cans of 1664 by 09:00, sobered up by noon for the rest of the day...

I remember it well. Sun up, deserted tribune, Radio Le Mans on, Mclaren F1s and Ferrari F40s etc, just great. In fact. I've been almost every year since and always get up and go back to the same spot for sun up. I know there are probably better spots but sentinentality counts for something....

Oh, we really do go for the racing!

R.

[DickyC]

White House.

Sitting all night on top of a homemade Range Rover grandstand in 1989 watching turbos cooling from red to black and heating back to red in the space of a gearchange, waiting for the Aston AMR1s to come by. The Aston V8s made a fantastic noise compared to the turbocharged cars. My diaphragm told me when they were coming. Radio Le Mans said they would play music as things settled down for the night but it was so eventful there was only time for one track; Fleetwood Mac's The Chain.

I was in heaven.

[E36GUY]

In the trees near to Beausejour campsite watching trackside as the cars come up from Arnage, appear over a crest to your left and pile past before hitting the brakes for the first of the Porsche curves. one of the fastest points of the circuit and awesome at dawn.

[MadMacMcMad]

I reacon inside the track at Tertre rouge.
On a chair with hot coffee and the sun coming up to your right up the Mulsanne.
Bloody hell I can't wait!

[The Leaper]

I just want to congratulate fordxy for starting a great thread, IMHO. Those of us PHers who have been going FOR THE RACING for a reasonably long period have made some great contributions on here and I really am looking forward to being at La Sarthe once again this June. I have been thinking about giving it a miss but I cannot consider the thought of sitting here in the UK with all you guys there at sun up out on your favourite spots !!. Maybe we need to start a PHers sun rise club...bacon sarnies included?

R.

[moribund]

E36GUY said:

In the trees near to Beausejour campsite watching trackside as the cars come up from Arnage, appear over a crest to your left and pile past before hitting the brakes for the first of the Porsche curves. one of the fastest points of the circuit and awesome at dawn.

I know exactly where you mean, I was there at 1am on Sunday last year

Missed dawn the last 2 years by staying up until 4am and not being able to keep awake any longer. My first year though, I took the bus to Arnage at 3am and stayed until sunrise. Brilliant.

ETA: Shame N138.net don't do this t-shirt anymore: http://www.n138.net/arnagemusee.htm

Edited by moribund on Saturday 16th May 20:50

[Skywalker]

The Leaper said:

Maybe we need to start a PHers sun rise club...bacon sarnies included?

R.

I'm up for that Leaper, my Man. Name the place and time.

For me (and my dear departed dad) the sunrise was the most magical time of it all.

In the top of the ACO tribune and staring down towards Maison Blanche, Porsche & Ford seeing the head lights coming through the dawn mist in 2000.

Corking!