Le Mans - A beginners guide

[MINIdriverR56s]

Afternoon all,

I have been trying to get some basic information about visiting the Le Mans 24 hour race as a British fan, but can't seem to find much information on the net anywhere, with any sites that proclaim to tell you about "10 must knows before you visit lemans" talking about sun cream and walking shoes, not exactly the stuff I need to know!

I have a few specific questions, but please throw any useful information my way!

An outline of the plan is to hire a couple of motorhomes for the weekend, jump on the ferry and drive down on the Friday night / Saturday morning, camp within the grounds and return on Sunday after the race. As for my questions...

1. Does buying a camping pitch include the entry price
2. Does the campsite turn into a festival style st-storm by the end of the weekend?
3. When do tickets / pitches go on sale, the official website doesn't seem to list them yet
4. Eating at the event - Are we talking burger vans, fast food restaurants, pop-up pubs, whats the deal?
5. Toilets / washing facilities... Do i need to ask?
6. If you buy a weekend ticket, does that get you entry on the Friday or the Saturday?
7. Other stuff other than the racing... I know there is a carnival type thing going on, what else is there... live music?
8. Is general admission enough, or do you really need a grandstand ticket?

Finally, for those that have been there before, how would you break down the 24 hours of the race. Do you watch most of it? Dip in and out? Is it possible/easy to pop out of the circuit to eat / see the local sites (perhaps before the race begins)

Sorry for all the questions, but i am sure that PH will be able to help!