[LM24 Race] Taxis & Shuttle bus

[Bluarmy]

Firstly, apologies if these have been answered before, I have had a trawl through old posts but couldn't find the answers.

1. Has anyone had experience of using taxis on race week, we are planning to go to the Chinese restaurant adjacent to the Mulsanne straight on Wednesday or Thursday evening but don't want to drive from Houx Annexe. Are they reasonably priced and are they likely to collect us after the meal.

2. Does the shuttle bus to Arnage/Indianapolis only run during the race, or does it also run for practice & qualifying sessions? During practice & qualifying, would traffic congestion make it a nightmare to drive it ourselves?

Thanks in advance.

[The Real DMN]

Avoid the shuttle bus like the plague.

I went on it 3 years ago to Mulsanne Corner, from the main entrance and ended up having to walk all the way back. They where running in one direction only, and only letting people on if people got off. So there was a que of 100+ people waiting for a long time at Mulsanne.

[Simmi]

I had a better experience on the shuttle bus last year. Just make sure you've grasped the order of things. It went Porsche Curves, Arnage and then Mulsanne. So if like us, you wanted to go from Mulsanne to Arnage you had to go all the way back to the track to go back out again.

What time was that at Real DMN?

To my knowledge they don't run during the practice sessions. It's handy for me during the race because I'd like to think, once I've been to Carrefour, I can just leave my car in the camp site. But then again I don't know the local roads like many forum members.

[Aysedasi]

No idea about taxis, but you may have to book the Chinese.....

[GT6]

As for the chinese restaurant you will have to book but you can drive there and park it is sign posted, come out of the campsite and proceed under TR corner stay on that road and then after bearing right join the main road turn right at the next junction and you will be travelling in in the same direction as the Mulsanne restaurants are sign posted, this route can also be used for Mulsanne and eventually arnarge viewing area's

[Bluarmy]

Thanks for your replies, I will book the chinese, still undecided about the shuttle bus. It may be safer to bite the bullet, stay sober and drive there for one of the practice sessions, I think race day may be a bit too busy. We have been to Le Mans for 3 years and still not made it to Arnage & Indy so this year is a must.

[Simmi]

We headed over to the shuttle bus area at I think about 8 or 9am. It was just as the lead Corvette crashed. And we got on the first bus with very few queues to Mulsanne and it was probably our favourite part of the race. So I wouldn't rule it out.

Think there will always be some good and bad experiences whenever you have a service like this. No matter where you are.

[Aysedasi]

After all, it isn't as if there are only a few people who want to use it....... If you have to rely on public transport, you have to accept that it won't be perfect.

[The Badger]

I would book the restaurant , and make an arrangement with a taxi , or at least get their buisness card ..... and dont expect the oppo to speak english .

The menu at the restaurant is limited for the race weekend , and you cant see much , but well worth . I had dinner there with Panoz P1 blasting past the window . A little along the road from the restaurant you can see the braking zone for the chicane ..... all glowing hot and bothered ..... worth the trip indeed .

[Aysedasi]

Definitely worth the trip, even if the view isn't a patch on a few years ago - here are a couple of views from just outside the front of the restaurant in 1994.......



and the Tourists almost leaning on the armco.....

[Simmi]

Must be great to be able to pluck pictures like that from the vaults Ayse

Lovely stuff!

[Bluarmy]

Thanks for the advice The Badger, hopefully our O level French will see us through with the taxis.

Great pictures indeed Ayse, and I don't mind admitting there is a certain amount of jealousy here You say that the view is not a patch on what it used to be, is there any sight of the cars now?

[The Badger]

Your welcome ..... as I mentioned above , just down from the restaurant there is the first chicane , where you can see the braking zone for the chicane ..... if you feel like a little field hopping , you can always get a better view .

If you get too close , expect a warning from the marschalls , and maybe the cops ..... but you can get a certain distance with no warnings ..... up to you my friend . I once got stood on by a cop there , all he could see was a green glow from my vid camera , and was slowly walking towards me , when he stood on my shin , I jumped up and legged it ..... he didnt follow as Im sure he got a bigger fright !!!

The only part of the track that I havent been able to get to is from Arnage to the Porsche curves ..... hint hint !!!

Where there is a will , there is a way ...... but Im saying no more about that .

[Bluarmy]

Haha, sounds like a challenge to me. Best of luck with any new covert operations you may attempt this year

[The Badger]

Sadly I cant make my 20th year this year , but hopefully I will next year .

Le Mans is always a challange .....

[GT6]

I to remember the old days standing there during the race and the cars going past at such a pace than your eyes could not focus on them and the noise was amazing, however each year the views got worse from leaning against the armco to wire fences and then they put up massive solid fence so than you could see nothing much, a real shame and that is why I no longer stop there when i tour the track during the race

[Aysedasi]

There is still something special about being on - or near - the Mulsanne (once was) Straight. In my early years at the race '86 through '89, we ate at what used to be the Restaurant des 24 Heures (now the Chinese) each year. In '86 and '87, we ate in an old barn out back which served as ancillary facilities! But finally in '88, we got to eat our steak and strawberries (separate plates ) actually in the front of the restaurant, looking out on the track. Couldn't have any sensible conversation because of the noise, so I just sat there for the whole meal with headphones on listening to RLM. I was pretty sophisticated, even then.....

As the years moved on, we found other places to go for our Saturday night repast, but we would always pop back, either before or after the meal, to climb up onto the fence/gates there. There were often lumps of concrete or garden chairs left there by other enterprising spectators from which you could hoist yourself up precariously onto the top of the gate/fence. The view and the sound was absolutely mesmerising.

One year there was even an open-topped double-decker bus parked there with free access to the top deck. Not many people up there though, as it was pourring. From my recollection of the weather, I suspect that was '95.

Several years we went out to the restaurants and I went off looking for gaps in the hedges from which to get a closer view. I succeeded a few times, but by now the gendarmerie were getting very hot on this type of behaviour.

But there is a magic to just being out there. A bit like during the night when you pull into the Mulsanne Corner or Arnage car park and get out and hear the noise. It just makes you smile. On the Mulsanne it's different - or was certainly very different prior to the carbuncle chicanes - because even in the car park you could hear the cars for soooooooo long - before you saw them arrive, flash past and then disappear again. It sends the hairs on my neck twitching just thinking about it even now all those years later....

[Tim the Grey]

Badger? I know someone who has walked the ENTIRE lap at La Sarthe... He reckons he missed VERY little of the track. This was during the race.

[gread]

I remember climbing on that gate in '88, unforgetable. I think we got there by taxi. A different era now though, maybe I should try the restaurant again soon.
We used the shuttle bus to get about last year. It did soak up lots of time waiting, but we used the safety car periods well. As has been noted elsewhere, be aware of the route. We went from the front entrance during the McNish SC period, stayed on past Arnage to Mulsanne for the late afternoon. It was quite a queue to get back on the bus (must have been about 8pm) & we then went back past the main entrance and stayed on until it got to Arnage in the dark. When the Rocky SC came out it was back to the queue which took ages. It looked a bit manic at Mulsanne by this time but we just stayed aboard. We got back to the main entrance just as the SC came in.
As far as I am aware, it only runs during the race (not P & Q) and not during the night (midnight to 9am, I think). We may try Sunday morning this year.

[GT6]

I remember the barn serving chips and various other BBQ type food, at that time i seem to recollect walking TR side of the restaurants and leaning against/into a hedge about 3 foot behind the armco then the local plod would ask us to move very politely great views