[LM24] La Sarthe/Arnage Track and Other Changes

[RL17]

Public bar at bridge end whereas main end was off limits with ACO wristbands but I did use the facilities via the heras fencing gap. Sure it was accessible last year but pre-booked for start and finish of race

[Bentley03]

Parking Blanc...

I have a suspicion Parking Blanc, as a name, may be gone forever, renamed as Parking Ouest.

[Aysedasi]

I don't think we'll ever see it back available for the great unwashed.....

[Michel Vaillant]

Blue Park missing me... It was free for the Test Day and practices last years.

Maybe next year, the organization will be a bit different. I think there will be fewer crowd ; maybe the former organization of parks will be back ?

[Aysedasi]

I don't personally think the crowd will be much smaller next year. Yes, it won't have the cachet of the 'Centenary' but we will have yet more hypercars + VR. I'm still expecting 300k+ and I can't see blanc or bleu being open again to us for at least a few years, if at all.

[Gerard C]

Surprised nobody complains about toilets. Did you find any in working order?

[Aysedasi]

Yeah plenty. The ones in T17/T18 were lovely.....

[GT6]

Ours on the campsite were good as usual, but on saturday the massive queues at the fanzone at one end caused the ACO to open our loos to the general public, whilst annoyed at the lack of security when i saw the vast amount of people waiting to use them in the searing heat i had to admit there was no choice really

[S griffin]

It always helps if you have khazis in working order and it's probably to be expected that more will be open to everyone over the weekend. With so many fans on a big circuit, there's no choice as you say

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

Parking Blanc...

I have a suspicion Parking Blanc, as a name, may be gone forever, renamed as Parking Ouest.

To elaborate, entry is now at the main 'Bleu' entry gate beyond the big plastic chicane and is called 'Parking Ouest Annexe', to distinguish it from the other car parks in the 'Bleu' zone. I do agree that it'll most likely be retained for 'Staff Parking' during the main event, but it's certainly a fully operational ticketed public customer car park for The Classic, just no longer numbered.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Yeah plenty. The ones in T17/T18 were lovely.....

So we have the name of the stisfied customer! You know that in Belgium they use several languages, one being close to ours. One joke is: do you know why Belgians say toilet when French say toiletS? Just because in France you have to visit a lot to find and acceptable one!

[Aysedasi]

Ah, I learned some years ago that the ACO facilities under T17/T18 are worth a significant part of the membership fee......

[RL17]

Timing info on foyer good too. Especially at Classic last year when schedule slipped and big screens carry very little coverage or timing info on the Friday.

Deck chairs are good too.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by RL17

Timing info on foyer good too. Especially at Classic last year when schedule slipped and big screens carry very little coverage or timing info on the Friday.

It is, but those screens are a bally nuisance when you have 7-8 people standing around them and you're desperate to get past to the loo......

[Bentley03]

I've neither seen nor heard anything on here or elsewhere, but may well have missed it, so apologies if I have.....

The grapevine at The Classic revealed (in a manner suggesting it was already common knowledge, which maybe it is) that by the time we all rock up at the circuit next year, the La Chappelle member's enclosure will be a new permanent bricks and mortar building (clubhouse?), not the collection of temporary structures we have now. I've seen no plans and I have no idea of the scale of the structure, but this is apparently 'a thing'.

There was also the suggestion of further membership tiering, the implication being that the ACO see membership as being a cash cow which is currently underexploited. I didn't like the inferences, so let's file that under 'wait and see'.

[RL17]

I thought that was in the plans last August - I thought they were going to do that on outside of track as would be a lot more use for 49 weeks of the year with easier parking access

Trees and relatively open space at La Chappelle including the shady bit with the screen are a big part of the appeal to me.

The basic membership at the moment costs ACO money as discounts on 2 tickets means if same member then buys campsite pitch they are quids in.

Also virtually all 2023 tickets on general sale were at early bird rates.

GE week tickets are bargain for motorsport - even more so for other events (e.g. 2024 IOW festival early bird £209 including a £19 (10% rip off booking fee!)

[RL17]

It’s a shame so much good track access inside the permanent track part is lost/wasted. Noticed big area by Maison Blanche with just corporate support stuff for Ferrari and others (but no viewing ) from support race paddock just south of new Porsche bridge until second part of Porsche curves. All pretty empty as walked down track after podiums etc

[RL17]

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/...-for-2023.html

Para near end mentions clubhouse with timeline then unclear

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by RL17

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/...-for-2023.html

Para near end mentions clubhouse with timeline then unclear

Thank you, the cat was already out of the bag then!

Have to say I agree with your comments about the existing La Chappelle set up, and they've improved it year on year. It's a nice little oasis tucked away from the throng, perfect for when you need to take a break for a few minutes.

Let's see what they replace it with then...if indeed it happens this year.

And what's the latest on the redevelopment of the pits? Plan abandoned because they've run out of money?

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

And what's the latest on the redevelopment of the pits? Plan abandoned because they've run out of money?

Those plans are already 4+ years old. I remember deciding to have one last 'fling' in T34 in 2019 and wondered back then whether there would still be a T34 to sit in because of the news.....

[Mike E]

Mulsanne to Arnage resurfaced

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/...t-le-mans.html

[Bentley03]

There appears to have been more work done to make the Mulsanne spectator enclosure more spectator friendly. Running from the car park/entrance end of the Mulsanne enclosure towards Mulsanne Corner, there is now a far more substantial raised spectator bank which has been created (replacing the narrow raised bank you could walk along next to the fence). This will give a far better, elevated view of the track (but not elevated sufficiently to see over the debris fencing, from what I've seen).

I sense the proposed permanent ACO member's clubhouse/building is still a work in progress and won't be completed in time for this year's race. Thing's have gone very quiet on that front.

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

There appears to have been more work done to make the Mulsanne spectator enclosure more spectator friendly. Running from the car park/entrance end of the Mulsanne enclosure towards Mulsanne Corner, there is now a far more substantial raised spectator bank which has been created (replacing the narrow raised bank you could walk along next to the fence). This will give a far better, elevated view of the track (but not elevated sufficiently to see over the debris fencing, from what I've seen).

Interesting. It means that it will be easier to watch the entire cars. The former bank (before they removed it) wasn't high enough. I like this place particularly in the early morning with a few spectators.

[Bentley03]

ACO Targeting More Grandstands & Larger Grids For Future Of Le Mans 24 Hours

DSC

[Truckosaurus]

Hopefully more stands doesn't mean less space for general entrance viewing.

(I would think the spot on the inside of the curves at the top of the long staircases would be too small for a stand, so that should be safe).