[LM24] Whats left of the original Le mans

[GT6]

Over the years wehave all seen massive changes at the circuit, but some old features still survive, the tunnel at tertre rouge has now gone along with the "Village" but the old dunlop bridge and the open loos behind the ACO building still exist, what original features are still there from everyone elses first visit.

[GTfour]

Eerhmm(thinking really hard...)...

The funny bunkerlike ticketbooths at the Fordchicane entrance.
The Dunlopgrandstand and a few other stands.
....

I really can't think of anything else...

What I regret most to be changed,is the Village. It used to be a very caracterfull area were one could really "sniff around" for food,modelcars and nice T-shirts,now it's just a commercial shopping area were the small ventors are gone,simply because they can't afford them shiny glass/concrete studio's...

As for the trackdevelopments,I find it a bad thing,that with every change,us,the public,is being driven even farther away from the cars.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by GTfour

What I regret most to be changed,is the Village.

Likewise, I absolutely hate the new village. No atmosphere whatsoever and a thoroughly unpleasant place to spend time. Awful!

I'm also struggling to think of anything that hasn't been replaced since my first visit (apart from what's been mentioned above). Strange as it may sound, my favourite feature of what's left of the old buildings is the open air 'p***wall' at the back of the toilet block behind what is now the Sommer tribune. I assume it must be a protected building due to the rare species that live and grow within the ecosystem which exists in the channel of water that flows above the urinal!

[GT6]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

Likewise, I absolutely hate the new village. No atmosphere whatsoever and a thoroughly unpleasant place to spend time. Awful!

I'm also struggling to think of anything that hasn't been replaced since my first visit (apart from what's been mentioned above). Strange as it may sound, my favourite feature of what's left of the old buildings is the open air 'p***wall' at the back of the toilet block behind what is now the Sommer tribune. I assume it must be a protected building due to the rare species that live and grow within the ecosystem which exists in the channel of water that flows above the urinal!

And I thought I was the only one that appreciated that particular feature, have peed there every year that i have been it has become part of the tradition, but just couldn't remember which stand it was behind.

[Aysedasi]

It's difficult, as it's a lot easier to remember the things that are long gone......

1. The Village. I can barely persuade myself to call what replaced the wonderful 'old' Village by the same name now. It doesn't merit it. F1-style commercialisation comes to Le Mans.

2. The Fairground. Where did it go? If we're lucky there's still a big wheel somewhere, but the fairground running down the hill alongside the run from Dunlop to the Esses was part of the great atmosphere of the old Le Mans. It was essentuial for Le Mans virgins to be introduced to the delights of the ladies in the strip show and Erta, of course..... Now, another essential part of the atmosphere of Le Mans has been sanitised.

3. The Food. OK, so the tartiflette lives on for those who love it and you can still have a merguez with your champagne, but mostly from outlets all of which look exactly the same. The last remaining vestige of individuality remains at the one great stall at Arnage, where omelettes or kebabs and frites can be washed down with magnificent cider... Seek it out - while you can :;

4. The Welcome Building - I really could have cried when I came back to find the darned thing was gone! The best vantage-point on the circuit bulldozed.....


So what remains? Some of the main grandstands and the tribunes in front of the pits. The restaurants out on the Mulsanne - although you can't see anything there any more..... Frankly, not much else.....

[Bentley03]

The only other building that comes to mind is the old museum (now the ACO members enclosure).

[Le Vieux]

What's changed that I er miss?

The French Car Park "Marshalls" who want you to move your car 2cms to the left s'il vous plait m'sieur.... They're all so polite these days

The hole in the floor loos at Indianapolis

The closed circuit telly screens which gave you the race positions

The Gauloise impregnated phone boxes

[gucom]

I completely agree on the village, it's an absolute shame how they've sanitised it, it had such charm and really lent the whole event a sense of history that's becoming harder and harder to find these days...

One other thing I hope they won't tear down or commercialize is the pit building at the Karting track... haven't got a clue how old it is but it's a great vantage point which is becoming kinda rare as well...

[Sarthe82]

For anyone who didn't see my first post I first went in '82, missed '83 and then did '84 to '88 inclusive, a huge gap to '03 and then I've attended every year since (keeping up? ), changes have been obviously been many and mostly negative IMO. The saddest losses;

Dunlop Curve: Blimey that used to be something before that chicane came along in '87! Don't get me wrong, they did a pretty good job of it but consider this, previously from Ford Chicane all the way to the old Esses (where did they go?) it was flat with a capital F, the top cars were pulling 160-170 under Dunlop Bridge....all night!

The Pits: They really were! You certainly wouldn't envy the mechanics working in them, but it sure was entertaining! Less than half the width of the current pitlane, no 'garage' to wheel the cars into so all work had to be done where the car stopped, plus no pitlane speed limit, scary but awesome to watch!

Debris fencing: Grrrrr!

The Funfair: I always liked the stall where you could shoot at crockery.....with double barrelled shotguns!

But that's enough griping for me....I know a lot of the changes were forced upon it simply by the changing times and have to be accepted. Possibly the biggest change I've seen is the level of competitiveness....although there are still a lot of 'pay' drivers (inevitably) in the field you don't have anything like the same number of awful mobile chicanes driven by inept 'garagistes' as in the old days, the great race has evolved and I'm looking forward to loving many more of them!

[SL]

I agree about "Le Village" it was a great place for a beer in the ber Keller, find a bargain t shirt, look at the model cars and generally to take a break from the racing.

What is still there? Well grandstands, the LM clock, the concrete fencing all around, I think the old washing "trough" and shop in Houx are still standing (Seen briefly in the 1971 film). The area around Arnarge is fairly untouched (so far). The white house is still standing on the old circuit as are several bars and cafe's that housed the teams in days gone by.

Lost and missed are the funfair, village, tetre rouge, esses bit, the general sanitizing of the track and removal of trees, being able to buy a campsite ticket on the gate.

New and unloved, those huge steep concrete stairways all over the place the lack of trees that kept the noise of the cars in. Drivers now unable to "find" a can of fuel or the correct spanners and spare parts beside a tree when stuck on the track (Cheating OK yes, but part of the race)

New and liked, I hate to say it but the esses and sweep to tetre rouge is a good place to watch, the new pits are better (but lack the atmosphere of the old) no crowds in the village (wonder why?)

Still I will be there again in a few weeks!

Simon

[gucom]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

It was essentuial for Le Mans virgins to be introduced to the delights of the ladies in the strip show and Erta, of course.....

there were strippers at Le Mans?? Hahah brilliant, it really was a tailormade lads-event wasn't it...

[bernard b]

gee!
this thread made me realise how much EVERYTHING changed since I first went there in 1991
except the pits building, that was new that year
the funfair was a real must-go by then (at least 15 major attractions). I've always been fascinated by that man with his kind of billiard

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by gucom

there were strippers at Le Mans?? Hahah brilliant, it really was a tailormade lads-event wasn't it...

The strippers were dire. You queued up for ages and were then herded into the back of a lorry, part of which had been sectioned off with perspex for the girls to 'dance' behind. Having paid your fee to get in, they then expected additional contributions once you were in there. The smell was foul, sweat mixed with - well, whatever........ The girls generally not the young ladies you'd think of taking home to meet your mother and the whole business was tawdry and unpleasant. I last bothered in 1988. But others liked it - one 'Tourist' spent almost the entire 24 hours there in 1987 - he'd clearly lived a sheltered life up to that point........

[GT6]

The strippers were not much to write home about, but I does miss some of the other parts of the old funfare, the wall of death always looked as if it would be condemmed but most years I watched the bikes go round and round.

The firing range using real shotguns (small bore but real)

The wooded go kart track, always fun to watch

The original bungy jump, I will never forget in the early ninetees when a nude brit walked to the frount of the queue and then completed the bungy jump naked.

As a resident of tertre rouge campsite I am glad the funfare is no longer there but there is very little left apart from the wheel that reminds us of what was once an integral part of Le Mans

[Aysedasi]

Yep all true.....

I remember when the original bungee jump arrived too. I re,member watching one guy go up to the top and then clearly change his mind once he got there. But there was no way they were going to bring him down again - no! He got the operator's size 10 in the middle of his back and he came down a lot quicker than he wanted to.......