[LM24] 2012 Le Mans Dates (16/17 June) - Who's Going + what/where/when

[GT6]

just looked on the ACO website and the membership has now gone up to Euro 102, We get value for money when we take up full allocation of 6 GA tickets two camping and classic tickets but next year not sure I will renew as no classic

[Kpy]

Originally Posted by GT6

just looked on the ACO website and the membership has now gone up to Euro 102, We get value for money when we take up full allocation of 6 GA tickets two camping and classic tickets but next year not sure I will renew as no classic

6 x 17 = 102.

That's the membership fee recouped on savings for GE tickets alone.
Add to that the 16 euros you save on camping, plus admission to the ACO bar and the right to buy ACO stand seats, and it's cheaper to be a member even in a non-Classic year.

[lemansfan]

Only 5 Weeks that I can start my 30th Le Mans Trip .

[GT6]

Originally Posted by Kpy

6 x 17 = 102.

That's the membership fee recouped on savings for GE tickets alone.
Add to that the 16 euros you save on camping, plus admission to the ACO bar and the right to buy ACO stand seats, and it's cheaper to be a member even in a non-Classic year.

only if you can share the costs of the membership with the other people who you buy the tickets/camping for,

[Kpy]

Originally Posted by GT6

only if you can share the costs of the membership with the other people who you buy the tickets/camping for,

Well you did say
"We get value for money when we take up full allocation of 6 GA tickets two camping and classic tickets "
So I took "We" to be the member.

[vincegail]

Or just add the cost of the ACO membership to the total costs of General Admission, camping and grandstand tickets and divide the grand total by 6. Surely the other 5 people will see the benefit in joining the ACO after a little explanation?

[GT6]

that is how we do it

[bella]

the documentation also suggests you have to pay for your guests to get into the bar - another €15 pp added onto the cost again starts to make it a little less attractive :/

[Aysedasi]

It all depends what you want it for bella. If it's strictly a case of making savings, then if you're going to start signing guests in, maybe it won't work for you. I primarily buy it for access to the members area down at Dunlop and for the programme and results stuff after the race.

[bella]

it's not really savings for me, it's value for money - if it will get me a nicer campsite in a good location and access to a nice civilised bar to decompress a bit then it's almost like a basic level of hospitality - everything else is a bonus. i've got a *lot* of motorsport related outgoings over the next few weeks so this one's requiring a bit of thought

can you tell me a bit more about the members enclosure? what and where is the aco campsite?

sorry to ask so many questions (amd probably in totally the wrong thread too ) but i'm a total n00b and any help is really greatly appreciated

[Aysedasi]

I'll have to let someone else tell you about camspites bella as I know nothing at all about them. The ACO have what they call the 'Espace Club' down on the inside at the Dunlop Vridge - turn left as you cross over the bridge. It's a nice enclosure with a civilised bar, snacky food (although they did great pizza there in 2010), TVs and a nice seating area inside and outside. We normally end up there 3-4 times during the week. It's a nice spot to grab a drink and rest the weary legs before moving on. It's only a 10 minute walk from the Village.

And keep asking those questions - it's not a problem!

[bella]

from the map i'm guessing the campsite is near tertre rouge (passion 24) - http://static.digitick.com/ext/bille...resParking.gif which location-wise is pretty good. i don't know about the availability or cost though because... you have to get aco membership first. very french

i think the members enclosure is probably worth it (once you've taken off the 2 off general admission discounts, and the exchange rate is improving) - particularly if we were to use that as a place to return to instead of the van in the campsite. that said i would only change plans on the campsite if the bogs and showers were considerably nicer in the aco campsite....

swings and roundabouts

[Kpy]

bella -
You don't seem to have the ACO ticket brochure:
http://www.lemans.org/wpphpFichiers/..._mans_2012.pdf
from which you'll see the location and price of all the car parks, campsites and grandstands.
The "Passion 24" campsite is the old Rouge car park, or part of it, near the pedestrian entrance not far from the Dunlop Bridge. I've no idea of the level of comfort, but in any event it's been sold out for months.
The prime advantage of ACO membership is, at least in theory, the 3 week priority booking period in October, although this hasn't worked smoothly in its first two years of operation. In any event, all the sites are now sold out via the ACO except the Jaunes, so you'll need to go to an agent for one of the better sites like Houx, or suffer in one of the "cheap seats" sites like Beausejour.
For a better description of sites look at the Beermountain campsite map HERE and a really complete guide is the Club Arnage one HERE

[bella]

thanks for the info on the passion 24 site, it doesn't seem like i've missed much with that one then

i'm ok with going to an agency for the campsite to be honest. no big deal if it means ending up on a good site as opposed to an iffy one. as a couple of female travellers i tend to find that you need to be a bit more careful about the types of places you pitch up. certain nationalities after a certain amount of beer think it's their god-given right to hassle you constantly if you're female, particularly without a man to escort you (so to speak).

i've read both the club arnage and beermountain guides and they're fantastic for non-campsite practicalities. they both lack 2011 information from campsites which is frustrating for newbies, and usually the best information is to be had by cross questioning regulars

[Kpy]

bella - If you want 2011 feedback the Club Arnage guide 2012 will be out in a couple of weeks, but I don't think much has happened to alter the descriptions in the last few years. Maison Blanche and Houx are the only ones with permanent shower blocks and Houx the only one with electricity, I think - will someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Aysedasi]

You may have to look hard now for Houx - my contact at 1st Tickets is sold out, leaving only Bleu Nord and Bleu Sud.

[GT6]

The most civilised campsite is tertre rouge don't worry about it only getting 1 bottle on beermountain that's a standing joke, I wrote the review, showers are good and security second to none, I have not seen any camping tickets for TR on Ebay yet but clientelle on the site tends to be better so worth paying extra if you can find one, although campers are mostly male my daughter and her friends have never had any trouble there, and there are many groups that include both sexes on the site

[racerkeke]

Originally Posted by Kpy

Maison Blanche and Houx are the only ones with permanent shower blocks and Houx the only one with electricity, I think - will someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

There are shower blocks, including a permanent one, at Karting Nord as well.
keke

[bella]

i had tertre rouge in the back of my mind as a 'well, if there's a ticket lying around it'll probably be worth it'. what's the face cost for a pitch there?

the location of karting nord put me off a bit, it would be nice to have a reserved spot because we'll be turning up relatively late and kn seems like the one to do if you are spending the week there.

[Down F0rce]

I've stayed at Blu Sud twice, it's alright. Fairly quiet, calm site. It's a bit of a walk to the tram stop though, if you need it for train station/drivers parade/supermarket.

[rblanshard]

Got my tickets today. Caroline got everything done in fine fashion. I'll see you guys in 6 weeks.

[Simmi]

Moving into a new flat on the 8th has ensured June will be even more hectic.

Le Mans trip embarks unaffected three days later.

Getting seriously close now. Little over a month until the test day.

[Aysedasi]

Great stuff, let's keep the momentum up now, I want to be excited all the way there now!

[Simmi]

I wanted McLaren to make a GTE version of the MP412-C ever since I saw it. Even more so now...

Just imagine how good these flames would look at Arnage at night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Glp0Scj6GM


What's been the best car for pyrotechnics you experienced spectators have seen at LM down the years?

[Coopz21 x]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I wanted McLaren to make a GTE version of the MP412-C ever since I saw it. Even more so now...

Just imagine how good these flames would look at Arnage at night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Glp0Scj6GM


What's been the best car for pyrotechnics you experienced spectators have seen at LM down the years?

I share the same view!

Would love to see that! i think it is coming tho