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See Le Mans 2004

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In most years since the formation of the V8 Register in 1978, a group of V8 enthusiasts has gone to the annual 24 hours sports car endurance race. It's an event that combines a sense of expedition, an opportunity to drive on some relatively uncluttered French roads, enjoy good food and wine and of course to see the race! The leading lights organising the V8 party have been the V8 Register's past chairman, Jim Gibson (Flamenco Red V8 2435), and a long-standing committee member, David Waterton (Bracken V8 1218). Here Victor Smith (Harvest Gold V8 1089), the founder of the V8 Register, provides some tips to make planning your visit easier and help you be well prepared. (Dec 99)

Dates for 2004 are Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th June

V8 contacts for le Mans 2004. Chris Vernon (Black 2217) and John Henke (Glacier White 2517) will be taking their MGBGTV8s to le Mans again this year and plan to travel down on Thursday camping at Maison Blanche. If other members of the V8 Register are going and would like to meet up, please get in touch with Chris at vernonrun@aol.com. Tim Hipwell is also planning to go again in 2004 in his RV8 and will be pleased to help members planning to go the le Mans 2004, just contact him at thipwell@devon.gov.uk for additional information or to coordinate travel plans.

The event is usually held over the weekend closest to the longest day in June. Practice is held over several days during the week leading the the race at the weekend, but do note there is no practice on the Friday. The race starts at 4.00pm on Saturday afternoon and the chequered flag comes out at 4.00pm on Sunday afternoon when the weary drivers gladly throttle back after more than 8,500 miles round the 13.6 km circuit. It is not only an endurance event for the competitors and their cars but also for the spectators because ambient noise levels are high and you are on your feet a great deal - and of course you are watching a 24 hour motor race in all weathers! But there are many compensations - good company and above all good food, and the joie de vivre of being in France with the long hours of daylight in June.

So what are the key points to bear in mind if you are planning to go to the event?

• When to be there. It is probably best to go over on Wednesday or even earlier in the week so you can avoid the invasion via the ferries - with over 60,000 enthusiasts making the annual pilgrimage to le Mans from the UK, this is a serious issue. That way you will have a more relaxed journey, be able to see at least one day of practice and get a feel for the layout of the place - particularly in daylight! The Mulsanne Straight is returned to a public road at the end of each afternoon after practice, so it's always a pleasure to take a run down that famous straight passing Restaurant Hunaudieres on the left and then hammer down through the right kink to the roundabout at Mulsanne corner just outside the village - preferably before dinner!

  With no practice on Friday, it is an opportunity to drive down to Chartres and see the magnificent cathedral. One year John Targett (BRG V8 1022), David Waterton (Bracken V8 1218) and Mike Maude-Roxby in Harvest Gold V8 1089, set off early down the deserted three lane motorway towards Chartres at a brisk pace. Even with open fields spreading either side for kilometres, we still had to keep an eye open for le Flic. Coming back to le Mans later that Friday afternoon was a complete contrast - the road was heavy with traffic and particularly so for a section of two lane dual carriageway. We all chose to cruise in the nearside lane because the near suicidal driving habits of the French drivers in the outside lane were just beyond belief! They drive as though the car in front, even if held back by other vehicles ahead, is not there until they have the comfort of being so close they are no longer able to see your rear bumper!
  
  
  Cathedral at Chartres, well worth visiting on Friday as there is no practice on the Sarthe Circuit that day
  

• How to get over there. You can take the ferries from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Caen or le Havre, but if you take the early morning ferry, sailing at between 0800 and 0900, it takes until early afternoon French time to get to the French port. There is then a fair drive to the le Mans area. As it is a weekday, you pass through numerous towns at the time when the factories are turning out and assorted camions are pottering, so the traffic can be heavy, and the journey slow and tiresome. The drive down the west side of the peninsula from Cherbourg can be most pleasant but it is quite a journey, possibly more comfortable with an overnight break at Villedieu-les-Poeles for example.

  An alternative is to use the Eurotunnel Shuttle and then drive down on the autoroutes. I found the Shuttle very convenient in 1999 when I went over for a golfing weekend near le Touquet. The key point to note is that if you do plan to go by ferry, you will need to book by early January (and often earlier) at the latest to be sure of getting a place, particularly if you plan to go over on or near Friday.

• Where to stay. You have essentially three choices depending on the style you wish to enjoy and the price you can afford - camping, small hotel or as a paying guest in a house or at a chateau. The last time I went, we all stayed at a magnificent chateau near a village called Flée about 35 kilometres south of Mulsanne village. The charges were reasonable and the welcome warm.
  
  
  
  Chateau at Flée where we stayed one year.
  
  On a previous occasion, my son and I stayed at the Hotel de France in la Chartes-sur-le-Loir, a beautiful village a few kilometres further south. This hotel is in the main square of this village and was the place where the Aston Martin team used to billet in earlier years. The walls of the bar are covered with signed photos of the team drivers, the works cars and other people.
  
  
  
  Hotel de France in la Chartre-sur-Loir - the bar walls are covered with photos of Astons and racing drivers, but above all the food is wonderful!. The spelling of this Loir is correct by the way.
  
  
  
  
  

• The food is truly wonderful at Hotel de France. I have memories of a delicious duck dish accompanied by a meaty Gevry Chambertin, followed by a splendid crème brulee made with real vanilla pod. It was a splendid evening in good company with ample good humour and banter. I long to be back there again! The difficulty is that rooms at hotels like that get booked 12 months ahead, so your real choice is a smaller place which can be fine, but do make sure that they will let you in at one or two in the morning when you roll back from the circuit! - and that they can cope with your leaving early on Sunday morning to get back to the circuit by 0800 or 0900.

  The camping facilities within the circuit are reasonable as the ground is sandy with spaces sheltered by pine trees. Alternatively you can put the recliners back and sleep in the V8 or RV8 - Paul Busby (Glacier White V8 0278) and I did this for our first year, mainly because we arrived in the dark late on Friday night and did not know where we were! For the whole weekend, you will find sleeping at the circuit with high decibels pounding your ears is a little wearing, even sleeping with ear defenders on!

• Where to park when you get to the Circuit. The V8 Register group usually park outside the circuit in a small field (called "Parking Rouge") on the north side overlooking Tertre Rouge corner. Access to this car park is from le Mans so go armed with a Michelin guide or map to ensure you can find your way through the town - it can be grim in heavy traffic, particularly if you are not sure where you are going! So see the small extracts from two essential maps which are reproduced at the foot of this note.

  The map extracts below are from Michelin sheet 4072 Sarthe (1cm to 1.5 km) and Institut Geogra Phique National sheet 106 Val de Loire (1cm to 2.5km) available from WH Smith, Waterstones and other good map sellers at around £2.00 and £4.95 respectively. Sheet 4072 provides good detail around le Mans and sheet 106 has the town centre plan. But you will also need another Michelin map, sheet 231 Normandie (1cm to 2 km) for the route from the port to Alencon, a town to the north east of le Mans on the E138. Sheet 0472 is centred on le Mans and covers the route from Alencon south and the area south of Mulsanne to la Chartes-sur-le-Loire and Tours. But if you cannot obtain a copy, then you will need sheet 232 Pays de Loire (also 1cm to 2 km) for the area around le Mans. These maps, particularly the large scale sheet 4072, are essential and should be purchased in advance. These maps provide the essential detail of the smaller roads you will need to use to get round some of the road closures caused by the event, particularly at night! Do not scrimp on maps - you will need these Michelin and ign maps and a good torch or map reading light! The small extracts reproduced here are to illustrate how important it is to buy the latest updates of these maps before making the trip to le Mans so you will have full details of the local roads.

  Directions to the car park ("Parking Rouge") outside the Sarthe circuit. On turning right at the sign for the swimming pool into the road overlooking Tertre Rouge corner (see the map extracts and explanatory notes at the foot of this note), the important thing is to get into the first car park on your left hand side. For old hands who have been to le Mans before I have to tell you that the grass car park we used to park in has now been built on!! - see photo below.
  
  
  
  New building on what used to be a delightful grass car park, popular with V8 enthusiasts - so on to "Parking Rouge" just along this minor road!
  
  So you now have to go by this new building and then go into one of the two car parks further down the minor road which are nearer the spectator entrance. In that respect they are more convenient but unfortunately those car parks do not have a thick grass surface and are surfaced with cinders. That can be very dusty in dry weather and leave your car in a dreadful mess on hot and dry days.
  
  
  
  From the car park ("Parking Rouge") you then walk through those two cinders car parks to the ticket control point.
  
  
  
  Dunlop bridge, probably one of the most recognised sights at le Mans.
  

• What do you do inside the circuit? On the Saturday, we usually try and have lunch in a bar on the inside of the track adjacent to the exit of the first chicane at the end of the start straight. The spot is not far from the famous Dunlop bridge on the hill. As lunch comes to an end, we keep an eye on the build up of spectators on the fence, then move out to a position with a line of sight through the corner to the end of the start straight to see the rolling start. It is a tremendous sight as the cars surge by and set off on their long journey - well hopefully! After the first hour, when things have settled down, our group usually agrees a series of meeting times (say every three hours) at a bar - particularly one where you can get crepes and brandies at night - so you can maintain contact and good spirits. However drivers will need to take care with their alcohol intake as the drink-drive limits are quite tight in France and in any case common sense should apply.

  Of course a visit to the funfair cannot be missed - it has a medieval flavour in some ways. During the evening, following dinner at a bar or restaurant outside the circuit, we call in at various points round the circuit. I say "round" but in fact you cannot easily get right round, even on foot. The section from Arnage to the start line cannot be reached to complete a walk round the circuit.
  
  You may try and walk through to see one of the chicannes on the Mulsanne Straight but often the gendarmes will turn you back as it can be dangerous standing near the armco barriers. I under-stand that if a car hits the barriers at high speed, the armco sections can become detached and flail about causing very serious and probably fatal injuries to people standing nearby. If you do get near the straight (for example at the Restaurant Hunaudieres) the cars pass at such a speed you have difficulty even reading the race numbers!
  
  As night comes, I always enjoy seeing the disc brakes glowing cherry red at the end of the straights going into corners like Indianapolis when the brakes are still red hot from the heavy braking for Mulsanne beforehand. The spectator enclosure overlooking Indianapolis and Arnage Corners is quite special at night and a very friendly group of enthusiasts always congregates there.

• Usually we get back for some sleep at around 1.30am. Most of the places we have stayed in have been too far from the circuit to pick up the local FM circuit commentary (in English) but of course you can listen to the regular reports on French national radio on FM and Longwave.

• Essential kit. There are three items you will be well advised to obtain in advance. Firstly ear defenders and/or soft ear plugs are a "must-have". Even defenders from a hire shop will do but they are necessary because you will grow weary of the din. Next you need a compact FM radio for the local race commentary transmissions from the circuit in English and French - the baseball caps with built in radios and dangling ear plugs are ideal as they do not get in the way and are very convenient - and you can put the ear defenders over the top of the ear plugs too! The third key item is a plastic ticket holder on a cord round your neck to hold the mass of tickets and passes for regular inspection as you move around and in and out of parts of the circuit You will need to make a reasonably strong and watertight see-through plastic holder. Without it, your tickets will turn to pulp within hours if it rains!

  Of course you will also need stout boots, wet weather kit, a fleece and a hat together with a small rucsac to carry those items and sun kit too (sometimes it can be a scorcher) plus food and water.

• Ticketing. At le Mans they have an "onion peel" system of passes - you get a pass to get into the general enclosure, then another pass to get a little further in, then a ticket for a grandstand seat (usually pre-booked) and then, if you have contacts, you may be able to get a pass to the paddock area. The tickets allow you to go in and out of the circuit throughout the weekend.

• Circuit catering is, on a comparative scale with other circuits, remarkably good but reasonably expensive compared with the good value in the bars and villages restaurants outside. Many of the circuit caterers really do try and provide good food and service even over long hours and in tiring conditions. It is worth using French as the catering staff respond very well to English motor sport enthusiasts who make an effort to speak their language in France.

  They clearly show signs of disdain with the regrettable increase in English pot bellied, vest clad louts who, in recent years, have been drawn to le Mans in significant numbers. They make little attempt to speak even the basic courtesies or show an appreciation for French cuisine. Sadly the sight of homo neanderlemansus or homo geesabeerus conveys such a dismal image of the British abroad. I recall chatting with a bar keeper early on Saturday evening just after he had asked a lout (in fair English) which dressing he wanted on his order, only to get - "amberger, bigun" - grunted in response. I am not sure if that behaviour was just habitual ignorance or the effects of consuming a whole shrunk-wrapped pack of lager during the afternoon, but the barman was not impressed.

• Radar. Just a caution for those members who are used to the beneficial warning that radar detectors afford of fixed cameras or hand-held speed detection devices. The French use radar to detect speeding cars and are out in force at the time of the 24 heures du Mans. The Flic seem to enjoy gonging English sports car drivers - next to keeping our beef out, it must be their next most enjoyable game in June. So great care is needed, particularly when entering the outskirts of towns and villages. Often the secondary, cross country roads are much safer and more enjoyable, but you will need detailed maps and a good map reader!

  If you have a radar detector which provides advance warning of X and K band and laser signals, do be aware that in France radar detectors are illegal with "on-the-spot" fines demanded by the Flic together with the confiscation of the kit. But it's worse, the Flic have detector detectors and spring into action as soon as they get even a sniff of a detection of a detector! Although my trusty Valentine detector is supposed to have stealth technology, I have not been keen to put it to the test in France! I prefer to use my eyes and sixth sense.

• Coming back. If you plan to return on the early Sunday evening ferry from le Havre for example, you will need to leave the circuit before the end of the race, probably 90 minutes or so beforehand, and then park up about 15 kilometres from the circuit so you can listen to the local FM transmission of the closing stages before you go out of range. This way you avoid the exodus of around 250,000 fans and the scratch race to the ports - probably the most dangerous part of the weekend! Being prepared to leave early is really an important part of your planning unless you have arranged for a few days of extra holiday in France during the following week. Leaving the circuit early avoids a tedious episode and you should be able to reach le Havre in time for the early evening ferry without pushing too hard. If you have booked the later overnight ferry, then there will be time for an early supper at a restaurant or bar as you get near le Havre.

  For the return ferry, it is a good bet to book a day cabin for four if you are a day party so you can have a place of refuge and a doze during the long crossing. An overnight cabin is a must for a comfortable night on the late ferry back to Portsmouth.

So have a good time at le Mans. If you would like to discuss your plans or check whether the V8 Register has a party organised for the next event, call Jim Gibson on 01604 812008 (tel) at sensible hours or at jimgibson@v8register.net by e-mail.

My contacts are victorsmith@v8register.net or 0208 392 9434 (tel) or 0208 392 9673 (fax). In recent years the dates for the 24 heures du Mans in the middle of June have unfortunately clashed with the dates for the MG Car Club's annual International Weekend at Silverstone. This has tested loyalties! Some very useful information can be obtained from www.club-arnage.com which Jim Gibson recommends all members planning a visit to le Mans should check it out.

Le Mans maps - extracts from two essential maps you will need to find your way round, particularly at night as a number of roads are closed for the event

The two maps relate to "Where to park when you get to the Circuit"

1. Finding the quiet car park

< click on this map for a larger map

• Leave the centre of le Mans from the ring road, via Exit 4 (south east) on the Avenue Jean Jaures, signposted for Tours N138 - E502. This is the road pointing to the RH bottom corner of the map above.
  
• Just before you reach the N23R underpass (which will be closed during practice) and as you pass over a rise, you will see a church and a swimming pool just off to your left hand side - see the symbols on bottom right hand corner of the map above.
  
• Immediately after the church and swimming pool and before the road passes under the autoroute N23R, turn right into a minor road - you can see the white road on the circuit plan on the map below. Usually the gendarmes will direct you at this point to the car parks further along this road.
  
• For old hands please note that the grass car parks you have turned into on your left side are no longer there - they have been built on!!
  
• You then make your way on foot - walk through the car parks, which are just before the ticket booths which control access to a footbridge over the autoroute which takes you into the Circuit.
  

2. Map covering the Circuit

< click on this map for a larger map

In the centre of the map above near the top, you can see a small white road just above the N23R autoroute (black) - this is the minor road you need to turn into from the main road (4) coming out of the centre of le Mans (that is the black road which runs from the centre of the top of the map above, diagonally to Mulsanne at the bottom of the map). You see it passes under the N23R autoroute.

These extracts are from Michelin sheet 4072 Sarthe (1cm to 1.5 km) and Institut Geogra Phique National sheet 106 Val de Loire (1cm to 2.5km) and full acknowledgment for reproducing them here is made. Remember do not scrimp on maps - these maps are essential because many roads are closed during the event so do buy them in advance. They are available from WH Smith, Waterstones and other good map sellers at around £2.00 and £4.95 respectively (prices accurate 2000).