LE MANS 24 HOURS MOTOR RACE – Why is it such a special event?
Some thoughts from Strasse
AS IT WAS
As you would expect the Le Mans of thirty years ago was a very different experience. The area on the Museum side of the Dunlop Bridge had fairground type stalls - a Motorcycle Wall of Death, the "Bearded Lady" and other rather sordid peep shows. The Museum only moved to the current site in 1991. Food was of a very low standard. All the campsites were "Free Range" ie you just marked out what you wanted. All the loos were "Asian" and manned by very tough 50-something year old French ladies with a severe attitude if you didn't put some money in her saucer. If you wanted a shower you went to the Municipal Swimming Pool and to Carrefour for a civilised WC!!
If you wanted decent food then one had to go into Le Mans. The Friday Evening Drivers Parade was the social event of the week and the City Centre was rammed. Restaurants were booked well in advance or a friend had a long wait in the queue for the sake of the "team". There also had to be a DUTY DRIVER as the Drink and Drive rules were enforced and there was NO TRAM.
The camp sites were a bit like the Wild West but great fun - everyone would stop for a beer and a chat, especially if someone in the team had an interesting car. It could get a bit interesting - I've been flooded out, fireworked out, blownout by wind, nearly burnt out by a BBQ fire on just about every campsite there was.
LE MANS TODAY IS STILL ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
The Le Mans 24hr week is a festival of cars and people like no other. This is all about atmosphere. People go with their friends, some of whom they met at Le Mans the year before. Don’t be afraid to come on your own, you will soon make friends and be invited into their company. However, there is a protocol – come bearing beer – at least a box or a “slab”. Pistonheads Le Mans Page and Beermountain is a great place to find out who is going where.
The Le Mans cycle starts as soon as the last race finishes. One bids farewell as you leave with cries of see you next year; I did and this year is my 30th trip!
PLANNING & ANTICIPATION
The cycle starts a bit earlier than it used to because the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest – the organisers) have been forced into a complete makeover since the significant financial losses of COVID.
TICKETS - Ticket sales start Oct/Nov depending on how quickly the ACO get their act together. First of all to ACO members, then to the General Public via the ACO website. There is a parallel system that many of us use via the 4 UK Official Ticket Providers. We send in a booking once they open their sites for the next year’s tickets.
There has been significant changes to ticketing, post COVID.
All that aside – there will be “planning” sessions in a pub to first of all try and remember what you thought you did last year and then to work out what you can do better next year. Your party is usually the same as last year plus any newbies. But that is dependant of them receiving their PASSES from their better halves - I have a friend who made it about every other year as the Le Mans Race was on his wife's birthday most years!
Thought has to be given as to when is the earliest you can get away. There might be a set up party arriving early in race week and then the remainders arriving Friday Night.
FERRY is another point of discussion. These are some of the popular Le Mans routes:
Dover - Calais: Nearly the quickest, normally the cheapest BUT longest by road and therefore may involve tolls. Normally about 5.5 hrs including one pit stop.
Newhaven - Dieppe: Nearly the cheapest, slightly longer sea route but not so busy ports. Normally about 3 hrs with no stops.
Portsmouth - Le Havre/Caen: (different days, different French ports) Le Havre 4 hrs with no stops, Caen about 2hrs no stops.
Portsmouth - St Malo: Long sea trip - 3 hrs no stops to Le Mans. This is my favourite – used to enjoy reviewing the Royal Navy ships on the way out and having a good meal in the restaurant going past the Isle of Wight. We used to have a drill with the 3 of us – one finished locking up the car, one took the kit to our cabin and the third joined the queue for a restaurant table.
Folkestone - Frethun on Le Shuttle - shortest crossing, can get good deals. About 5.5 hrs including one pit stop with same as Calais in tolls.
Worth noting ROUEN can be a pain in rush hour and sometimes the signage can be a bit confusing. I once went three years on the trot exiting Rouen on a different route trying to get to the A13.
DRIVE DOWN
The Le Mans Race experience really starts at the Ferry/Le Shuttle. You will be magnetically attracted to other (Le Mans racegoers??)“Le Manners”. They just stand out even if they are not in spectacular cars or stickered-up with LM decals. Lots of photo opportunities and banter.
Convoys then start forming from the Channel Ports – Thurs/Fri are the best days. All the veteran race goers (who I call Le Manners) start smiling as they see the green and white Le Mans road signs and then start explaining what the coloured campsite signs mean. They then go on to explain why they totally ignore the signs as they know a better way (and usually they are right!)
First picture on left above - credit to United AutoSports
ARRIVAL AT THE CIRCUIT DE SARTHE & THE SET UP
There are delays getting to the campsites especially through Arnage and the Beausejour roundabout on Thur/Fri and there is the usual chaos at the site entrances. Each year’s traffic jams are slightly different. Short cuts near the circuit only work when the track is inactive. Other short cuts are randomly shut just to wind us up!
Once you get to your campsite entrance there will then be “the ceremony of inspecting the ticket”. Early in the week this involves you teaching them what they need to see on the ticket to let you into the site you have already paid for. Later in the week it is too busy and they have got their act together so you will whistle through. Scanners are in use and sometimes they write your vehicle registration number on the ticket. On some campsites and at some times (it seems totally random) they search for “bottles” of alcohol usually beer, but you normally only have a problem if they are visible. The reason is that quite correctly they don’t want “smashed bottles” on the track ... mmmm campsites are not on the circuit!!!!
LE MANS GENERAL WARNING
No two Le Mans stewards react the same - be they checking for bottles at a circuit entrance or letting you park in a carpark you have already paid for! Everything is totally subject to the vagaries of the French ACO Stewards. This will become a recurring theme so just get used to it. As you can imagine, a circuit this big, over 8.5 miles, and all its outer areas needs hundreds of stewards. There is turnover and inevitably
some are not as well briefed as they should be.
So patience “mon brave” .... it’s all part of the charm of Le Mans.
CALM DOWN ......& HAVE ANOTHER BEER!
CAMPING PITCH
Once “the inspection” is complete you will/might be escorted by cycle around to your pitch. Do make sure you are in the correct place; it is marked by spray paint and numbered. You most probably have been warned elsewhere but ALL your kit and vehicle MUST be inside your pitch. Local arrangements can be made with your neighbours BUT do consult them. People can get very ratty when you encroach on their space.
NOTE - BEAUSEJOUR (BSJ) is different – BSJ pitches are like it used to be – Free Range. You pitch where you want and tape off your area and “protect it” until everyone is in and no one will then come and nick some of your area.
PRIVATE SITES are all a lot more couth and you are greeted, briefed about the site and escorted to your pitch.
SUPERMARKET RUN
Normally there is no room in your vehicle to fill up at the supermarket before you go to your pitch. So usually people put their “camp” up and then head off to their preferred supermarket. These are excellent and provide everything you might need.
CLICK HERE FOR LE MAN SUPERMARKETS NEAR THE CIRCUIT
Be aware that the whole 8.5 kms of the circuit is shut from Wednesday 0300 – Sunday about 1800. That means that the newish AUCHAN Supermarket to the East of the Mulsanne Straight is very difficult to get to from BSJ – you are better off heading for Super U at the very north end of Arnage.
Remember also that during Race Week the Supermarkets often have people at the entrance giving out beer discount tokens – take them because there are none where the beer is stacked.
FIRST NIGHT
This all depends on when you turn up. People often go into town (Le Mans City) sometime during their stay. It is very easy using the TRAM from by the football stadium.
CLICK HERE FOR THE TRAM LINE INTO THE CITY
There is usually a good crowd of Le Manners around the Bars & Restaurants.
CLICK HERE TO WHERE THE RESTAURANTS ARE IN NEW TOWN
CLICK HERE TO WHERE THE RESTAURANTS ARE IN OLD TOWN
FIRST VISIT TO THE CIRCUIT/VILLAGE
There is a motorsport themed set of shops, restaurants, bars, demos and exhibitions in the Village. This is under the tunnel opposite the main entrance and on the inside of the circuit. This really has vastly improved since COVID and is a great place to meet friends. For many years we used to meet up at the Champagne Bar in the Village. This is now a quality set up; a little expensive but it is in the heart of the greatest motor race on the planet!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE VILLAGE
VISIT – CITE PLANTAGENET - LE MANS OLD CITY
New paragraph
The area to the south west of the Cathedral is well worth a stroll. Very good restaurants and bars in the very old part of the City. This is an amazing place, lots of atmosphere and well worth a visit and a meal.
CLICK HERE for a good guide to the OLD TOWN from Visit Normandy
CLICK HERE MAP OF THE CITE PLANTAGENT
FRIDAY AROUND THE CIRCUIT
Last year (’23) saw a real change around the circuit. Significant investment has been made in “Fan Zones” - entertainment areas with restaurants, “snackeries” and bars all next to a large circuit TV screens. A great improvement on what went before.
There has also been a great improvement of what goes on, on Fridays - there is a real incentive to stay "on circuit".
CLICK HERE FOR FULL WEEK DETAILS & TIMINGS
This is what went on last year on the FRIDAY OF RACE WEEK
All day - St Saturnin Classic British Welcome 25 mins by car, north of the Circuit
Am on track - Fun Cup 100plus VW Beetles in 4 hour race
Afternoon walk,run,cycle around the whole circuit
Afternoon - City Centre – Drivers Parade
Afternoon pit lane open after the racing - really worth doing, part of the Le Mans experience.
Afternoon walk,run,cycle around the whole circuit
Afternoon Car Display at Mulsanne Corner, quite nutty but fun. All sorts of vehicles plus a 3 piece jazz band in a sports car!
Evening fly past French Air Force
Evening fly past by Patrol de France
Evening fly past French Navy
Evening old style Le Mans start in front of Main Grandstands
CONCERT
FIREWORKS & DRONE DISPLAY – brilliant display last year
THE RACE
Normally everyone is up slightly later on Saturday morning than planned due to the “heavy night”.
See the Support Races but mostly people are planning where they are going to watch the Start of the race. The Start straight and most of the decent non paying viewing areas will start filling 2 hours before and will be rammed with an hour to go - Great buzz around the place. You will meet mostly Brits, Danes, Dutch oh and the odd Frenchman and everyone is usually very friendly.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE FROM
END OF RACE LEGAL TRACK INVASION
At the end of the RACE the Start Straight is opened up so everyone can gather round the podium - it is a great photo opportunity!
MAD RUSH BACK
If you need to get an early ferry then there are places you can park up to make a quick get away. I have frequently been out of the circuit area and on an autoroute within 15 minutes of the end of the race; it just needs a bit of planning but it can be done. It all depends which part of the circuit you are leaving from but one route is out on A13 to Chartres, Dreux, Evreux and then through Rouen and onto the usual routes. It is also easy to get out heading west to Caen and Le Havre.
THE PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR!
Here we go again.....see you next year!
Le Mans is a drug.
Hope this has been helpful. There is more in the main guide CLICK HERE
