If anybody is interested in attending, a group of us are arranging a informal trip
Basically Private camping area with own facilities bar/tv/showers etc
For two people, car, camping and entrance tickets = £380 (tbc)
Ferries will be extra
PM/Email me if interested
This is not a OC event and all travelling will be invoiced by the organising company directly
I really enjoyed this years Le Mans - count me in for LM 2009!
Never done Le Mans but always fancied it. How long is it for, just the race weekend or the full week.
Ian[H]
The price we have is for the full week Monday to Monday, but i will probably be turning up on wednesday. Same price whatever
Fergy
Me + 1 would be very interested… Like you can’t do the full week, but Wed/Thurs to Monday sounds good.
When does the main race start?
Can you PM /mail me some info.
tx
Win
Had a great time last year. Have been on the 1st Tickets interest list since we got back, spoke to Brian today and he is expecting some sort of confirmation this coming week.
Is this to be a Club event or just meet up there and has a ball[:D]
rgds
Brian
hi
is it only club members or can friends come along too.
am just looking at prices etc on internet
I can highly recommend the Le Mans experience! I went for the first time last year as a group of 4, and it was fantastic. We booked through Brian at 1st tickets, and he was great - so much so, that we’ve booked with him again for this year - but for 13 of us!
We’re going to be on Bleu Nord (but not in the special enclosure), and if all goes according to plan I’ll be driving my Mk 1 down!
Me and a mate are in maison blanche , near the Beermountain mob. Might drive the MK1 as well?
Lets have a beer 
I’ve been to LM a few times, I’ll get a few notes together and post.
BTW, how do I post and keep the formatting from Word? It all comes out as a single block of text?
I’ve mentioned this on another forum, so apologies to those who frequent both, but there are four cars of Mazda interest in the 24 Hours this year, all running variants of the Mazda MZR-R engine in LMP2 prototypes.
Two cars are entered by a French team, calling themselves Oak Racing this year (but “Saulnier” last season). They’re using a Pescarolo chassis (developed by the company founded and run by Henri Pescarolo) and, whilst not always blisteringly quick, should get to the end by dogged determination. If others fall by the wayside, they’ve got a chance.
The other two are both developments of the new and very good-looking Lola Coupé chassis. One is entered by the German team, Kruse Schiller Motorsport (KSM), while the other is flying the flag for the UK in the form of Wellingborough-based RML. KSM has yet to take delivery of their new car, and may be running last year’s open-topped version of the Lola B07 if the coupé isn’t ready in time. RML won LMP2 at Le Mans in 2005 and 2006, and the Le Mans Series in 2007, so has an excellent track record.
For the last five years RML has been associated with MG, but that relationship came to an end after last season when they signed the new deal with Mazda. In deference to this, the livery has been changed to include elements of Mazda blue, in addition to the patriotic red, white and dark blue they’ve run since 2003.
I have to admit to a vested interest, in as much as I’ve done work with RML as a photographer, and if anyone’s interested I’ll try to post some shots here . . . when I figure out how to do it. We just got back from the official pre-season test at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseilles, and while there I realized that there are probably quite a lot of people who aren’t aware of Mazda’s involvement at Le Mans this year, which is why I’ve joined a couple of forums.
Oh, and Slappy . . . before you post in your text, check the paragraph spacing in Word (under “Format”). It may be set to add an extra line-space automatically as part of the formatting, and that won’t be carried across into HTML here on the forum. Either in Word, or once you’ve pasted it in here, you may need to add the carriage returns manually to define the paragraphs. Tedious, but there may not be another way round it.
Not looking to hijack this thread but I’m also thinking of making the trip. I’ll be on my own as my better half doesn’t fancy spending a long weekend under canvas. On the upside it gives me more room for a few luxuries in the 5.
I was thinking of heading down from Calais on either the Wednesday or Thursday beforehand. Camp at one of the sites around the circuit (not sure which, tips anyone?) and head back on the Sunday after the race.
This will be my first trip to Le Sarthe so any tips or pointers would be appreciated.
Anyone fancy the trip?
Loads of things to bear in mind before you do this juancotes, and I’d certainly recommend tagging along with someone else who’s done the trip before. However, top priority must be to sort out your camping before you go. Just turning up at one of the official campsites and expecting to get in is highly risky. Over the years the ACO has exerted something of a stranglehold on the main campsites, and unlike the good old days when you could just roll up and pitch your tent amongst the trees, nowadays you have to book in advance, and many of the prime locations are already fully booked.
Check out the official ACO website for details on tickets and prices. www.lemans.org
There are also several other websites dedicated to helping out first-time visitors to the 24 Hours, and also offer useful advice for regulars too. You could check out this one: www.beermountain.com, where you’ll find lots of info for would-be campers. You might even pick up some camping passes on eBay . . . there are some listed now.
Having sorted out a place to pitch your tent, you’ll also need admission tickets. These can be bought on arrival. There are various types, but the “general” ticket (62€) is enough for most people, and lets you in just about everywhere except the paddock, and they last all week. This year the so-called “pitwalk” ticket that does get you everywhere is 460€, but is of no great benefit to spectating. Yet again, full details on the ACO website (above).
I’d suggest checking out some of the many websites devoted to covering the Le Mans 24 Hours. Most are in English! The 24 Hours is, after all, one of the largest British sporting events in the world, despite the fact it takes place in France, with an estimated 85,000 Brits making the trek to La Sarthe each year. Club Arnage is a useful site, and so is 10 Tenths.
Aiming to get there for Wednesday is a good idea. This year there is no official pre-event test. In the past this has taken place either a month or so, or just a fortnight before the race. This year the teams get just one day to practice before qualifying, and that’s Wednesday. It’s not confirmed yet, but I’m expecting this will be extended beyond the usual four hours in the evening (7 to 9 and 10 to 12) and could begin much earlier in the day. Thursday evening is now designated for qualifying.
Friday is the day when the teams rebuild the cars (totally, from top to bottom) after qualifying and before the race. It’s also the day when the pitlane is open to the public. Many drivers will be out on the pit apron signing autographs and giving away photos and posters etc. Then, in the evening, there;'s a massive parade around the city centre. All the drivers take part, and it’s a huge carnival-like affair, with classic and exotic cars, bands, dancers and a great atmosphere.
Saturday starts early, and the grandstands will start to fill from early in the morning, even though the race doesn’t start until the afternoon. Good places to watch the start are from the outside of the Dunlop Curve and, since they re-profiled it, also from the other side of the Dunlop Bridge, down through La Chapelle.
I hope that helps a bit.
Hi to all,check mx5 owners club belgium,according to them Mazda France is putting on a Mx5 rally for the le Mans weekend,free entry,free food free camping !! plus various prezzies for the attendees i.e. best Mk1,Mk2,Mk2.5 and Mk3 they are also going to have the launch of the new 2009 model and a concours de elegance.My son and I are going ,me in my nevada i nblue and my son with his Mk1 Gleneagles
Happy motoring to all
They are organising the event, but it’s not free. The cost per car with one passenger starts at 80 euros, and for two passengers the prices start at 130 euros. You can download full details here:
http://www.mx5passion.com/Invitation%20participants%2020%20ans%20MX-5%20English2.pdf
There will also be the additional cost of an entry ticket at 57 euros.
Maximum entries is 200, and the deadline for registration is May 1st, so not far away.
