I finally made my first ever trip to Le Mans in 2002.
Armed with a tent, 4 days worth of bacon & beans, 2 pans, a camping stove and lots of music for the journey, I set off with my mate Paul.
Ferry across to Calais we then set off on a very pleasant trip across France, avoiding the motorways on the way there. The sun was beating down for pretty much the whole trip, windows down we cruised through France in a 1984 Porsche 928 S4, which drew plenty of waves and nods from fellow Brits heading to the Circuit de la Sarthe.
We pitched up at around 9pm at the campsite that was just next to the Dunlop Bridge. First failure of amateur first timers, hadn't packed a hammer and the campsite soil was like concrete. Hammer duly borrowed and tent up, we open the first beer of the weekend when we suddenly hear the most amazing sound. Night time practice and qualifying had just started.
Similar to the first time you hear an F1 car, the sound of the pair of Corvettes booming past was spine tingling. Walk up the slope to our first view of the circuit and we are stood by the Dunlop Bridge at night fall watching in awe at the spectacle that is Le Mans.
Friday memories include various fans getting stopped for speeding on the circuit by the local police and enjoying watching all the car clubs parking up on parts of the circuit as it is open to the public with no racing taking place. One mistake was deciding to walk the full circuit and not taking account of A- just how far that was and B - how hot it was. Paying 10 Euros for a cold beer and a seat at the end of the Mulsanne straight seemed a bargain. The scars from the blisters have just about healed.....
We'd got a pass to visit the PK Motorsport garage, so a pleasant tour round the car but it turned out to be a trying weekend for the team, only managing about 80 laps in all I think.
The fireworks on Friday night were spectacular as was the amount of beer consumed, the bottle mountains on the campsite already growing to impressive heights
On to the race, we found a great spot looking up the hill towards the Dunlop Bridge. Seeing the whole field sweep down at the start of the race was an amazing site and sound
The race itself wasn't an especially memorable one in terms of competition, an Audi lock out of the top 3 places, with the beautiful Bentley Speed 8 4th overall.
The drive back on the French motorways, surrounded by fellow Brits in all sorts of fantastic vehicles from classics to supercars was a blast.
I'll be watching coverage of Le Mans 2012 on TV this weekend. I wish I was there.
Tony
(or Blot to fellow PH'ers)
Memory added on June 14, 2012
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