[LM24] Where to get the latest Le Mans news?

[AllonFS]

Gulp, clear throat, (nervous you see - my first post).

Where are you guys getting your Le Mans information from? Maison Blanche is still not up again, at least not the news bit and that was my first port of call. I know it is the off-season motorsport wise, but endless speculation and prediction is what keeps me going from June til June.

That and the thought of next year hopefully camping properly again. Certainly no repitition of 3 nights on a Page and Moy coach - 50 wet people sleeping on a coach does not a nice smell produce. There was some talk a while back of a 10 tenths party going and staying at the Airtrack camp. Is this a member only thing or is it generally available, as the campsite sounded very good indeed. If not is there halfway house between paying some company a premium for a camp place and the hassle of trying to deal with ACO direct?

Aah, I feel better now, the first time is always the worse!
Allon

P.S. Hi there Aysedasi, thanks for the email before this year's race, in all the rain I never got the chance to try and find you. Next year?

[Aysedasi]

Hi there, Allon - very good to welcome you to the forum. (By the way, you will very soon be able to access it from my site - apologies for the plug!!).

I got an e-mail from Rick Wilson at Maison Blanche a couple of weeks back. The site is down due to a change of servers. Rick did promise a further e-mail when the site was back up again in new and enlarged form. So keep trying there.

Club Arnage (I guess you know the URL but for anyone who doesn't it's

www.club-arnage.com )

is usually my (internet) source for info, but things are quiet there at the moment. Most of the info (such as it is at the end of November!) tends to come from Autosport.

There is a thread hereabouts which deals with the 10/10ths arrangements. I'm sure as a new visitor you will be checking out all the forums and will find it.

I will certainly be there next year (funds permitting) and would love to meet up with some of the Le Mans nuts that I've met through my site, here and various other sites.

Now sit back and enjoy the forums!!

[Geva racing]

totalmotorsport.com

[Liz]

Welcome to 10-Tenths!

I'm the one that arranges the 10-Tenths Trek to Le Mans and would be glad to have you join the chat in January (it'll be announced here) to discuss plans; you may hear something that will help you decide what you'd like to do -- lots of the people here go every year.

In any event, we take a party to Le Mans through Airtrack Motor Racing (they have a website if you want to check them out). It costs about 155 British pounds and you get space for your tent, round trip ferry passage and a general admission ticket, plus there's an optional bus trek to the Mulsanne/Arnage/Indianapolis complex at midnight on Saturday night for an addition 18 GBP. Last year we had two cars, the Girls Car and the Boys Car (as it turned out) -- we're hoping to add more cars and more passengers this year. If you don't have your own tent, they will rent you one. Clean showers and clean loos (cleaned hourly!) and 24 hour security, and very close to the track so you can walk into the back of the village from there.

We'll be discussing it more after the holidays. Hope to see you there!

[AllonFS]

Thanks for the information and support. I hadn't come across totalmotorsport.com before, it's a really good site. As for the 10-Tenths camping arrangements, they sound almost too civilised - count me in! I need to be a bit more organised this year as I have persuaded a mate to come, he has been to the bike 24 hours but this will be his first 'proper' Le Mans 24 hours.

At the risk of sounding like a complete geek, anyone with a playstation may like to know that in Need for Speed: Porsche 2000, you get to drive a 917k in Gulf colours as well as GT1s, GT2s, and GT3s. I can't vouch for the handling, (although I have managed several Michael Delaney style hits into the barrier with the 917!), but it's the nearest most of us will ever get...

[Aysedasi]

Allon, you might want to pop over to the Archair Enthusiast forum sometime - lots of discussions there about racing games and the like.

You're right about the 10/10ths Le Mans trip - from what Liz says it sounds pretty good to me! If I didn't expect to have other arrangements with the Tourists, I'd be right there!!

[AllonFS]

Aysedasi, thanks for the nod to the other forum. Yet more temptation to upgrade my old P166 and/or get a PS2. So little time, so little money!

As for the camping, it sounds too good to be true, a reasonable price and luxuries such as clean facilities. I do hope we still have to queue for 2 hours to use the showers or it just won't be a proper Le Mans camping experience!

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by AllonFS
I do hope we still have to queue for 2 hours to use the showers or it just won't be a proper Le Mans camping experience!

Allon, just keep your fingers (and any other suitable appendages) crossed thjat the weather in 2002 is not like it was this year, otherwise you won't have any need to queue for any showers - just have your shower gel ready anywhere on the circuit!!

[AllonFS]

In 1999 and 2000 the risk was sunburn, this year it was trenchfoot.

Ah well, we should be due about 5 dry years now. I can almost feel the stinging sensation in the eyes of all that dust, great!

[Aysedasi]

Oh yes, next year, the weather will be gorgeous!!










Amen.

[Liz]

It's a great experience and the company is well worth the price of admission too! Last year we stopped for groceries on the way in -- due to the foot & mouth thing we were unable to bring any food in from Britain.

Will you be driving or will you need a ride?

[AllonFS]

Liz, I will probably drive as I should have at least one passenger. As I am Bristol based, is a Portsmouth ferry an option (much shorter journey both sides of channel) or would it have to be a Dover-Calais crossing?

Cheers, Allon

[Liz]

We have in the past gone through Dover; however, I don't know why you couldn't go across at Portsmouth as long as you met up with us somewhere to get your paperwork. (They send it all to me and I pass it out as necessary.) Could you take other passengers if needed? The cost is lower if there are 4 in the car.

[AllonFS]

Not sure at the moment about extra passengers. I only have a little Pug 1.4 306, it struggles a bit when it's full of people, and that's without luggage. It's possible, but unlikely that I may have more than one coming with me, I will try and confirm after Xmas.

Would the all in price include the longer ferry trip, I guess there would be a supplement. Also have you already provisionally booked places with Airtrack, we don't want them running out of luxury camping places!

Many thanks (and is it still over 6 months to go? - aargh)!

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by AllonFS
Many thanks (and is it still over 6 months to go? - aargh)!

But the clock is ticking........

(Faster, faster!!!).

[Liz]

They don't start booking til January, so we have plenty of time to get our act(s) together. Bring up the longer ferry question in the chat, if I don't get an answer for you before then, and I'll query Andrew ... also any other questions anyone would like me to ask about the coming Pilgrimage. SIX MONTHS! Good thing it's only 3 months til Sebring! HURRAH!

[AllonFS]

Will the planning chat be in this forum or the trackside forum?

(Also, I will be offline from 21st Dec - 2nd Jan.)

[Liz]

It'll be in the 10-Tenths Chatroom. But we also have a thread in the Trackside Forum for anything that might be planned or in planning stages right along. And I doubt we'll get started til mid-month, so don't worry about that.