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PAST EVENTS PAGE 94

CLUB TRIP TO LE MANS - MID JUNE 2003

LE MANS 2003

As soon as we had got home from last years race we wanted to go again. This didn’t mean we actually did anything about it however! Around a month before this year’s race we thought we’d better sort it out so booked a ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.

The ferry port was full of sport cars on the way to Le Mans and the ferry was delayed trying to get everyone on. The actual journey was about 6 hours overnight and you can get a little sleep in the quiet areas. Caen is quite a small port and disembarking was quite quick. The best thing about this ferry is that once in Caen it’s only 2-3 hours to get to the circuit – last year we came down from Calais through Rouen and it took nearer 7 hours

The usual suspects were at the Chateau and we went off to the circuit to get tickets and drive round the circuit. We then had an evening meal at the Chateau and watched some of the car show that the Chateau owners put on. Every year I say we’re going to go into Le Man centre to see the big show and every year good food and company means I stay at the Chateau.

The Saturday was an early start to get to the Porsche curves before the bottle-neck and then the long wait for the 4pm start. This year seemed to go a lot quicker. Some of this was due to the ‘Legends’ race that was run in the late morning. This was a proper 1 hour race with old Le Mans racers from the ‘50’s to the ‘70’s competing and included some famous names such as David Piper who drove in the Steve McQueen Le Mans film, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Tony Dron the classic car journalist. The cars included several GT40’s, lightweight Jags, Porsches and Ferraris, and was highly entertaining.

Rain in the early afternoon had everyone worried about the weekend weather but it cleared up for the start which included a parade of famous Le Mans names such as Derek Bell and Jackie Iccx prior to the start.

Following the start most of us headed back to chill out at the Chateau. Stuart Kynoch, the Morgans and ourselves decided to get up at 2am and head for the Arnage corner. This way we could avoid the disaster that is the bus system to these further flung corners of the course (Alan Jones nearly had a fist fight last year trying to get onto one of these ridiculously overcrowded buses). This idea worked a treat with no traffic and easy parking near the corner. Arnage at night is always a highlight as the cars scream down through the trees then brake sharply into the right hander with brake discs glowing.

Following this we tried to find the Mulsanne corner with no luck and then went off to park on the verge near the main entrance to get to Dunlop.

We left the others at Dunlop bridge and kept going. Last year we had got this far in the day but found it nearly impossible to get much further due to the bottlenecks in the walkways, which led to logjams of people getting crushed up. This time we got all the way to Tetra Rouge with no problems. You can see why the small hill here is so popular as you can see all the way down from Dunlop, through the Esses and up past Tetra Rouge to the corner that goes onto the Mulsanne straight – probably the largest section of track you can see from any one vantage point on the whole circuit.

One other Le Mans must can also be completed with ease at 5 in the morning – straight onto the funfair Ferris Wheel with no queue! (note: it’s a bit rickety but the view is great)

Back at Porsche curves (the usual MK1 club base while at the circuit) most people tried to get some sleep in their cars. After watching some more of the race we bailed out and went back to watch the end of the race at the Chateau – this means you avoid the massive queues that occur once the chequered flag comes down. As you can tell I have very little clue as to what happened in the race, except that Bentley won. I think this is a fairly typical Le Man experience – you go for the atmosphere, to drive the course, to see Ferraris and Lambo’s and other exotica slumming it in dusty car parks just like you are, really just to take it all in - and to have a few beers of course.

The final trip home last year ended up with us nursing the car home after 5th gear packed up. This year a poor grasp of fuel consumption nearly resulted in us having to push the car off the ferry. It was at this point that the passenger window jammed fully open. Still only 3 hours to get home and it was sunny. Pity it started raining with an hour and a half to go…..

MARK AND HAZEL

ARNAGE

One of the most spectacular places to watch the Lemans 24 hour is at a part of the public road section of the race track through the small town of village of Arnage. Thundering towards Indianapolis at 205mph and through the tricky right then left sequence of corners presents the drivers with a short burst on the throttle before hard braking and the tight 90 degree right hander known as Arnage.

The sun was starting to set over the Porsche Curve where we now traditionally make our club base camp for the duration of the 24 hour race. As the light begins to fade there really is only one thing to consider and that is to join the masses of people who make their way to Arnage to watch the race at its spectacular best as day turns to night. There is something special about Arnage at night and it is really very difficult to account on paper, its about being there and experiencing the sight, sound, smell and atmosphere. I will try and explain why we enjoy this part of the track so much at night. Imagine 40 highly tuned race cars, Bentley, Audi, Porsche, TVR, Ferrari - some of the biggest names in motor sport thundering towards you at 200mph, braking hard right in front of you down to 65mph, so hard in fact you see the huge discs glowing red and orange, seemingly screaming at you in pain! As they turn into the hard right hander you get a sense that the cars won't make the corner as they are going too fast, but amazingly they just stick to the road as if on railway tracks. Out of the corner and its throttle wide open as the cars power away down the straight and through the bends towards Virage Porsche. To see a car power away through the gears from 65mph to 225mph in about 10 seconds is breathtaking. If you close you eyes for a few minutes and just listen to the noises you will hear the cars echoing through the trees as the track cuts right through thick forest terrain, their highly tuned 1200bhp engines banging, cracking and screaming as the throttle is pushed open. As Arnage is lit by 2 huge spot lamps you get to see every bit of the cars in detail, even the grime, muck and oil the cars by now, 7 hours into the race have acquired. This is just one part of the huge 8.4 mile circuit at Le Mans and I'm sure there are similar stories and experiences to tell from other parts of the track.

MIKE SHEAVILLS

This is the third visit by the club to this great race and it surely has for several of us become a national ‘club’ event. We all made a contribution to the magazine last year and all the racing type details together with the logistics of the trip were well covered. I am therefore concentrating my experiences on the trip for those who may be considering partnering their loved ones on this escapade who are not that interested in motor racing.

For a start the ferry trip provides a welcome break from driving and a chance to chat with other MR2 passengers. I would not recommend the tunnel or the hovercraft – both more expensive and the tunnel doesn’t give you a break and you need ear plugs for the hovercraft.

On arrival at Calais there are two or three ways that the 250 or so miles can be travelled depending on your aims – arriving before nightfall to make the whole journey from home to Le Mans in one day or taking it easy and spending a night en route. Most of us make the journey in one day. Another alternative is to take a longer ferry journey say to Caen or St Malo so that the inland road journey is much shorter.

Our camp-site is not the cheapest but we are made very welcome now and do enjoy the facilities – it’s good to have proper toilet facilities and individual shower and wash basin compartments. Together with the restaurant, bar and swimming pool it makes for a pleasant change from the continuous noise near the track.

By going early – either Wednesday or Thursday before the race – there are two visits well worth mentioning. The first is the walk round the pits and grandstands when you can see the cars being prepared for the big race. The second is the Friday lunchtime trip down the Mulsanne straight - which is still open to the public. Parked along this straight you will find all types of vehicles – mostly British - and it is a good eye opener for the type of road and the corners that the cars will be negotiating for twenty four hours!

We did the best thing this year and it has probably set the pattern for future trips. We parked early on Saturday morning at Porsche Curve and took our stoves and food with us. By going early we achieved two things: 1 A front row seat with a very good view of this fast corner. 2 A parking spot very close to the bank that we view from so that a trip back to the car for any reason took about 30 secs. We watched the start of the race at four o’clock and for the next two to two and a half hours, and then returned to the chateau for a more substantial meal washed down with the odd beer and wine and then retired at about 10pm with our alarms set for 2am! After the struggle waking up we then returned to the track and could drive to any of the numerous car parks round the circuit as at 2.30am most people had left and of course the roads were fairly quiet. Arnage is our favourite spot and to see the brake discs glowing orange as they slow down for this right-angled corner is something special.

We all agreed that once we were up and about that the four hours or so sleep was enough to recharge our batteries enough to keep going for the rest of the day.

After the race finished we all returned to the chateau and ate, drank and chatted well into the darkness.

Some of the group had booked a Monday return ferry and so had to rise and pack up quite early. The remainder were either continuing their travels in France as part of an annual holiday or like Mike, Joanne and I, were going to have a relaxing day as our ferry wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon. After wishing the others a safe journey, the three of us moseyed down to Le Mans city to have a good look round and we had a most enjoyable time wandering around the cathedral and old houses. We came across a really good monument to past winners of the race. It was in the form of a plan of the circuit in copper and laid into the paving slabs surrounding this monument were the names of the drivers’ teams and the year that they won.

After making our way back to the chateau via the local supermarket, we prepared a sumptuous curry washed down with a fair amount of alcohol.

Our journey back was certainly quieter driving through France a day later. (2 cars of our contingent driving back on Monday missed their ferry and had to wait until the next available slot)

Sadly it all went too quickly and before long we were back in UK and travelling at 49mph through a 5 mile road repair section on the M20. “Oh to be in England…….”

STUART KYNOCH

After last years 5 day run, this year Rachael and I decided to spend a couple of weeks touring around France after the race to make it into a real holiday. We were booked with Seafrance on the Tuesday morning before the race and had a bit of a panic when I received a call from Mike and Jo, who were already heading down to Dover, informing us of a possible strike by French ferry workers. We arrived around 4am and managed to get on an earlier sailing than the one we had booked and arrived in France at 9am. We took a leisurely drive down as far as Bernay and stopped at the campsite just outside the wonderful mediaeval town, which we explored in the evening. The run down to the chateau saw us arrive just after lunch and we parked under a tree to escape the sun. Mike and Jo who had arrived before appeared after a shopping trip and we set up camp on the club pitch near some huge trees to get some shade and spent a lazy evening chatting over beers and wine.

Stuart was the next to arrive late on Thursday afternoon followed by Mark and Hazel in the ex Mark Nias automatic supercharger.

After a BBQ we went off in convoy to Ecommoy south of Mulsanne to meet up with the French MR2 Club, who were camping next to the Drivers Club but they had all gone off to watch one of the practice sessions so we chatted to the DC members.

We returned to the Chateau to find the rest of our group Mike Bubb, Rich, another Mark and Nick - traveling in a Porche and a Seat - who had arrived very late after getting lost.

The Chateau was still relatively peaceful and we went to bed with the moon rising over the trees, owls hooting and the church clock in the village of Sille le Philipe ringing out.

Friday is known as ‘Mad Friday’ as traditionally everyone drives around the part of the circuit that is public roads for the rest of the year. We had arranged to meet Lauren and Mark Nias at Indianapolis corner and found a good spot to park up and watch the cars parading as we waited for them. It is a very strange sight to see long lines of MG’s, Triumphs and Caterhams mixed in with local traffic and Rolls Royces, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

The thrill of driving down the Mulsanne Straight and the right-hander at Arnage corner has to be experienced to be believed. We turned off the circuit at Virage Porche – the clubs adopted viewing bank for the race – on the way to get the tickets.

The obligatory pit lane walkabout was a good chance to take pics on the start finish line, the pit garages full of cars still being prepared for the big race the following day with the drivers signing autographs.

Friday evening featured the Chanteloupe Car show and the Club Le Mans Dinner. We had to be early-ish to bed in order to be up very early to beat the crowds to the circuit and blag the best viewing - right up against the wire at Virage Porche before breakfast.

Saturday afternoon and with the 24 hour race well under way, Mark and Hazel had returned early to the Chateau and phoned us to say that the French club had arrived looking for us. A mad dash back to Chateau to join them for a late afternoon drink in the shade of the trees outside the bar. They told us that there are only 3 MK1’s in their club – 2 of which are in Belgium – as the car was never sold in France.

After saying goodbye to everyone else who were heading north back to the channel ports, we drove the short distance to Tours in the Loire Valley to continue our holiday. We spent a pleasant evening with our friend Elodie, who took us on a walk around her beautiful city.

The following morning we set off to revisit our old haunts of almost 30 years ago - exploring the Loire Valley and then several days later driving up to visit the Normandy beaches.

Richard and Rachael