LM24 Is Maison Blanche Dead?

**Aysedasi** · 26 May 2009, 17:24 (Ref:2469631)

Thw website that is - not the part of the circuit......

I know we tend not to mention other websites all that often, but when I first started my site, Maison Blanche was one of the first two sites to put up links for me and it was always one of my first reference points for things about Le Mans and for the entry lists and so on. It seemed to have died 3 or 4 years ago, but there was a note on there last year (which is still there) which suggested that the site was going to be revamped - a revamp which appears never to have happened. Anyone know any more?

**Aysedasi** · 31 May 2009, 14:39 (Ref:2472720)

Well interest in it obviously is............

**FIRE** · 31 May 2009, 15:13 (Ref:2472732)

When I got interest in LM it was one of my favorite websites.

kdr · 31 May 2009, 16:04 (Ref:2472751)

I assume someone ("rick@maisonblanche.co.uk" ?) must be paying for its upkeep. Like your site Ayse it was interesting to see the snapshots of how things were even a few years back...Taurus (diesel?) and Spinnaker (did they even start?) in the 2004 entry list.

Gingers4Justice · 31 May 2009, 17:12 (Ref:2472780)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdr

I assume someone ("rick@maisonblanche.co.uk" ?) must be paying for its upkeep. Like your site Ayse it was interesting to see the snapshots of how things were even a few years back...Taurus (diesel?) and Spinnaker (did they even start?) in the 2004 entry list.

No, Spinnaker wasn't even seen in either qualifying sessions, I can't quite recall (well, I was 10 at the time) why it failed scrutineering.

ceeslm · 31 May 2009, 16:09 (Ref:2472754)

i mentoined it a couple of years ago alllready ,look here http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...t=47192&page=2

**Aysedasi** · 31 May 2009, 18:21 (Ref:2472812)

Someone must've let the wind out of it's sails.......

**FIRE** · 31 May 2009, 21:22 (Ref:2472939)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Someone must've let the wind out of it's sails.......

IIRC it capsized already before getting in the water...

Graham Goodwin · 1 Jun 2009, 06:25 (Ref:2473137)

Last I heard from Rick (who, amongst other things does PR for Pilbeam) he was looking to update Maisonblanche periodically around a very busy schedule elsewhere (I know how he feels!!)

maisonblanche · 1 Jun 2009, 08:26 (Ref:2473177)

Hi Ayse, Graham et al (and thanks to MulsanneMike for giving me the heads up on this!),

Graham is indeed right (as always!), MB is still alive, if not actually kicking! (Yet!)

Long story as to it's mothballing but basically personal reasons. Gradually coming out the other side of this and fully intended to get the revamp ready for this year's event but that old enemy time has beaten me again. Shame as this year would have been the 10th anniversary of the first event we reported on - that classic of 1999 with flying Mercs, Lehto's throttle linkage problem when miles in the lead with only hours to go and punctures for chasing Toyotas .. oh and not forgetting ol Smokin Jo on the podium still with tab in mouth

But working on it still (want this to be a full relaunch, not a half-cocked 'finish it someday' attempt!).

As Graham mentions, have just finished working on the new Pilbeam website at www.pilbeamracing.co.uk and this is not too dissimilar to how the new MB will look in terms of compactness, although I have a coding issue which is fragmenting the page when using the scroller on the mouse, so will get that sorted before I go any further on MB!

Will be there next week of course (how good does it feel to type that!!) - my 29th

with camera, although shooting "beerside" again (only one more year hopefully!). We're in the Team Langoustine "Hunaudieres" campsite (conveniently located for tram stops and the Stella bar by Tertre Rouge) with banner somewhere by tent so please feel free to drop by!

Cheers

Rick

maisonblanche · 1 Jun 2009, 09:09 (Ref:2473204)

Oops! Got carried away with the counting (not enough fingers and toes!). It's 28 for me this year

**Aysedasi** · 1 Jun 2009, 19:01 (Ref:2473570)

Great to hear from you Rick - I still owe you for that first link......

Le Vieux · 2 Jun 2009, 07:44 (Ref:2473849)

Pleased to learn that you're still with us. Yours was the first website I "discovered" which dealt with LM.

On a similar subject, what happened to the American site, based in Florida, which dealt with endurance racing? The name's slipped my ailing memory and I don't seem to have heard of it for a couple of years. Michael....? ran it

**Bentley03** · 2 Jun 2009, 07:54 (Ref:2473851)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

Pleased to learn that you're still with us. Yours was the first website I "discovered" which dealt with LM.

Likewise.......was very informative.

kdr · 2 Jun 2009, 11:14 (Ref:2473932)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

Pleased to learn that you're still with us. Yours was the first website I "discovered" which dealt with LM.

On a similar subject, what happened to the American site, based in Florida, which dealt with endurance racing? The name's slipped my ailing memory and I don't seem to have heard of it for a couple of years. Michael....? ran it

wasn't it something like fastdetails.com?

maisonblanche · 2 Jun 2009, 12:54 (Ref:2474000)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

On a similar subject, what happened to the American site, based in Florida, which dealt with endurance racing? The name's slipped my ailing memory and I don't seem to have heard of it for a couple of years. Michael....? ran it

Tim Crete ran fastdetails.com and haven't seen him for a while but then I've been out of the loop. It was thanks to Tim that I got the 'gig' at Gunnar Racing at LM in 2000 which went so far to getting me 'up there'!

Other possible site is run by Michael Keyser, he of co-author of "French Kiss With Death" fame, along with being a Sebring 12 Hours winner and being responsible for the awesome Speed Merchants, amongst many other things. His website is autosportsltd.com but is still very much active. Last saw Michael at Sebring in 2006 .. top chap!

And thanks for all the kind words chaps! Will get there one day

Cheers

Rick

Spyderman · 2 Jun 2009, 08:25 (Ref:2473863)

Me too!

Le Vieux · 2 Jun 2009, 15:49 (Ref:2474102)

Hmmmmn

None of these websites rings a bell.

Could it have been something like "Le Mans and Sports car racing"? The person who ran it obviously lived near Sebring, but he covered all aspects of Endurance Racing.

AndrewF31 · 2 Jun 2009, 18:52 (Ref:2474207)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

Hmmmmn

None of these websites rings a bell.

Could it have been something like "Le Mans and Sports car racing"? The person who ran it obviously lived near Sebring, but he covered all aspects of Endurance Racing.

Was it this? http://www.endurancesportscar.com/index.html

I still have it in my favourites. Was another one of the first sites I discovered that covered sportscar racing.

Le Vieux · 3 Jun 2009, 07:54 (Ref:2474504)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewF31

Was it this? http://www.endurancesportscar.com/index.html

I still have it in my favourites. Was another one of the first sites I discovered that covered sportscar racing.

Right sort of content, totally different layout.

kdr · 2 Jun 2009, 20:56 (Ref:2474316)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Le Vieux

Hmmmmn

None of these websites rings a bell.

Could it have been something like "Le Mans and Sports car racing"? The person who ran it obviously lived near Sebring, but he covered all aspects of Endurance Racing.

that rings a bell as well.

i'm now trying to rack my brain about other early sites, wasn't DSC called something else at first? totalsportscar or something like that.

Graham Goodwin · 4 Jun 2009, 21:03 (Ref:2475549)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdr

that rings a bell as well.

i'm now trying to rack my brain about other early sites, wasn't DSC called something else at first? totalsportscar or something like that.

dsc grew out of Sportscarworld, Supersportscarworld and then Totalmotorsport - dsc launched in Jan/ Feb 2002

**Aysedasi** · 2 Jun 2009, 21:05 (Ref:2474326)

I'm thinking of a site where the colour-scheme was predominantly blue and yellow - are we on the same wavelength?

Le Vieux · 3 Jun 2009, 07:56 (Ref:2474505)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I'm thinking of a site where the colour-scheme was predominantly blue and yellow - are we on the same wavelength?

Yes! Yes!
Pale (Gulf) blue background. That's it!
Come on somebody must remember what it was called and what's happened to it.

**Aysedasi** · 4 Jun 2009, 19:35 (Ref:2475495)

It's either dead (which would explain why it's not on my links page any more) or it isn't linked back to my site (which would explain why it's not on my links page any more....

)

I'll do some investigating.

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