Club Arnage

Well I waited two months after Neil's post for the LM24 before asking the question for the Classic.

Well looking at the general enthusiasm for the LM24 this does not lead to a lot of excitement or interest in the Classic. Am I the only one out there, put your hands up folks, not a finger, you know you it makes sense, civilisation to the extreme, unless you are next to a snorer, oooops, well anyway get yourselves sorted.

I looked at Condor rates yesterday, just published, shxxxt bloody scary, me and the car from Guernsey to St Malo £220, down to £192.00 today, so if I wait until August it might be FREE...

>Martini...LB

Link to pdf brochure

http://www.lemansclassic.com/userfiles/pdfs/2014/plaquette/LMC_brochure2014numerique.pdf

Giving it a miss in 2014, will return with new enthusiasm in 2016.

I am now a definite "no" for this one.

Will be back in the Isle of Man for more road racing!!

F

I plan to be there. Anybody got a spare MB ticket?

Hi Fran,
          Have a good time at the TT. We will miss you.
Phil

You will be about 4 weeks to late for the TT if you go when the Classic's on.  ;)

Well spotted Barry - I will be at the Southern 100 in July (also in IOM but not the Mountain Course).

Am doing a few road race meetings next year - two in Scarborough, two in IOM and two (or maybe more) in N. Ireland.  Thats my motor racing budgets blown for 2014!

Fran, the 2014 biker babe... you will be doing calendar shots next!

Hope you have lots of fun mate, when are you going to invest in an autocycle?

>Martini...LB
The only person going to the Classic

Boat booked with Condor from Guernsey, direct to St Malo. £142.00 return. The best price for a few years.

Woohoo, even if I am going to be the only one there  ;D

>Martini...LB

So, just me and Marty then? ;)

Nope, me too!

I know I don't really count, but will be at the Classic, although if I can't get a babysitter for Deb's horses may not be able to stay Saturday night.

I tried to pick up my Classic tickets last weekend at the museum - but was told they won't now be issued there until after the 24 hrs. Must be great to have a computer system that only does one thing at a time. Bet they paid extra for that!

Oh yes you bloody do!

Make sure you call by. Be good to see you. :)

Ditto and Ditto again...

>Martini...LB

I really fancy the Classic, but Tristan says it's like Goodwood Revival and not real racing - by that he means that the ex-racing driver celebs push it, but the owners don't for fear of wrapping their expensive motors around the Armco - which I understand.

I am booked for Goodwood Revival (again) but I think I made a mistake and should have booked the Classic which I think is more like the Real Deal - that is proper racing.

I want to believe..

Views?

Aricus

Do the Classic, sooner rather than later, every year goes by it loses a little of it's charm.
Do they race?
Johnny Herbert getting a D type side ways out of the Ford chicane, serious damage to a GT40 during a race.
My abiding memory of the Classic is an MGB trying to keep up with 3 Gt40's on the opening 2 laps of one race.
Was he trying, hell yes!

Barry,

Damm, I guessed that you would day that.

I am so annoyed with myself booking the Revival. :(

I know Lord March does a great job, but... seeing the Le Mans races at at the Members 72nd Meeting made me think that I should see the cars in their natural environment t.

Aricus

Anyone know if the campsites open on the Thursday?

Ta

Hi Si

Normally 2pm on thursday.

>Martini...LB

Nothing quoted on your tickets Martin and Si to confirm opening times

Jules

That has been the time for the last few years, and although we were queued up outside they did not open the gates early, or maybe it was 1.30 last time, I just had a vodka induce twitch in my brain cell...

>Martini...LB

I've got my tickets for the Classic... Wooohoooo...

Thanks Jules

>Martini...LB

 8)

Lazy B's are on route as well :)

Woot Woot!

Better drag the Yellow Peril out and get packing then.

I have had confirmation from the ACO that MB gates will be open at 10am on Thursday 3rd July... earlier than usual.

>Martini...LB

I am deeply envious of you all.  >:D

I have made a mental note to go in 2016.

I'm interested in any insight that you make, so please use the forum to share.

Aricus

Hi all - What about a CA meet at the Classic? Saturday 9:00 pm at the Courbes bar - inside dunlop chicane?

Sounds good to me.

That's during Plateau 3 and probably 4&5

Will you still be there at midnight???

Silly question ::)

Sounds like a plan  ;D though I do not think there are many CA'ers going to the Classic.

>Martini...LB

Tony and I will be there in a less formal capacity than 24hrs and we should have media access but we don't know how much we will be able to blog or tweet .. but keep and eye open .. The results are incomprehensible due to penalties etc .. but we will have a try ..

My attendance is now in danger. My service manager is going to be off for three weeks due to mountain biking shenanigans. I've plucked a guy out of the workshop to try and cover but frankly, and understandably he is very much out of his depth. I can't see me being able to get to either the Classic or off on our first proper holiday in ten years, which was to start the weekend after the classic. Not a happy bunny.

That sucks Si,

Can I suggest the pair of you hang up your bike shoes and helmets, that's enough biking issues for the year!

Jules

Bad news Si, though I think the main priority for you will be the family holiday, but you have probably already been told that  ;D

>Martini...LB

That's pretty sh*t so close to the event. Just pull the garage door down and go.

Would have done a few years back when it was just me, but it's grown into a bit of a beast over the years and I now have nine pairs of hands to keep busy and an ever bigger wolf at the door to keep happy. Shouldn't complain really, but it's at times like this when I really regret how my career has taken over the important bits of life.

I'd laugh at that but my busted shoulder hurts when I do. As for giving up.. No chance, it's just about keeping me sane at the moment.

Can't make it to the classic this weekend.  
Will be at EuroCitro in the second weekend of August though, at the Bugatti track.  Large meeting of Citroën oldtimers, first time in years I'm heading out with my father on a weekend.  He's got a few old Citroëns in his garage, this seemed to be the ideal moment to show him a bit of Le Mans.

If you can't make it to the Classic...

http://www.lemansclassic.com/en/actus/details/id/1967/actu/30+hours+%2B+of+live+broadcasting%21 (http://www.lemansclassic.com/en/actus/details/id/1967/actu/30+hours+%2B+of+live+broadcasting%21)

http://peterauto.peter.fr/files/pdf/lmc/2014/cp/PressKitLMC2014.pdf

Link for schedule etc. for the Classic, includes a bit of history and the grids with a schedule.

>Martini...LB

luv that expression, a few old Citroens!

Curious now, how many and what?

not got an old spare HY van

or one of these (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Citro%C3%ABn_Traction_Avant.JPG) has he ?

one day  :-\

Can't complain about the legroom in the back off that.  ;)

He's got 3 :

- Rosalie 11UA (1934) with Traction Avant engine
- Traction Avant 15-6H (1955), one of those  ;D; this has the hydraulic system of the DS on the rear axle; little more of 3000 have been built
- DS 23 Pallas (early 1970's) with semi-automatic gearbox and sunroof

I love driving with the DS and TA.  Rosalie is a real bitch to handle, still learning how to drive decently with that one ...

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/14170068173_0005e7d123_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nAaiAe)A Classic Car Event 2014 (https://flic.kr/p/nAaiAe)

Martini...LB has just messaged me.

It's hot work pitching the tent on MB so he's having a cold one to refresh and will carry on with set up duties later  :)

He will be sleeping on the groundsheet tonight then!!!!

Salut mon brave....

Martini Have a Pastis for me :)
Phil

I'm off to the classic now :D

Let's hope the weather forecast is wrong...

Hope all of you who are going have a great time. I think Club C'Arnage is mustering in Hamble Le Rice.

Hi.. Tony and Jock are at the Classic and will be Blogging and Twitting on a slightly random basis.. Le Grand Fromage is safely tucked up in sunny Chesterfield so we are in a bit of a technical wilderness so we apologise in advance for c*ck ups and errors.. but we will learn! If it is any consolation the weather today ( Saturday) is not good..

This is the Club Arnage Twitter feed link.

https://twitter.com/ClubArnage (https://twitter.com/ClubArnage) @ClubArnage #LMCLASSIC

BTW Baloo, I'm in cold and soggy Scotland this week.

It  looks very wet!  I hope all survived the night without SCUBA gear.

No kidding!

http://clubarnage.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/apres-le-deluge.html (http://clubarnage.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/apres-le-deluge.html)

Bonjour mes amis...

Well what a strange time at Le Mans Classic.
Got to France on Wednesday and stayed in Le Mans, ate out as I was staying in a Premiere Classe Hotel, had probably the worst steak every but did not complain?... well the taste was ok but a lot of sinew. Really bad nights sleep - so hot.

Turned up for 10am at MB, the opening time, to find probably 20 tents already pitched. I had to put the tent and zeebo up in stages as I was soaking and that was with just shorts on (calm down ladies) which were so wet it looked like I had pee'd myself. Kept getting in the car with A/C on. Anyway Fran I completed my erections and slept on my 'blow-up' which did not go down... Canada Phil, yes I had a few Pastis, funnily a bunch of french peoples walking past thought it was funny that a non-french person was drinking the stuff, they did not see my French flag.

Boy, did we have indifferent weather... scorchio thursday and friday morning, friday night it poured down all through and included drizzly rain through the morning until about 2pm I think. most of the racing was dry, that I saw (which some of you will probably think was only five minutes). Sad loss of the weekend was the demise of my B&Q (£12) gazeebo which I have lovingly cared for over the last 10 years, however, it will make a good lean-to cover for the lawnmower. Overall it was a pretty windy weekend.

There was some racing...

Packed up early on Sunday morning, all finished by 10am, 10.15am arrived with a monstrous downpour. Lucky blighter some might say as it is not good to put it away wet  ;D

Question 1. Where were all the people who said they would be there?
Question 2. Seemed very busy does anyone know the figures?
Question 3. What is the weather going to be like for 2016?

You may realise I got home safe and sound, with a load of untouched wine at 1300 today. May be a record but I only used 3 litres of wine, half a litre of vodka, half a litre of Pastis and six Pelforth Brune in the time I was there (excluding restaurant wine) so apart from the weather pretty dry weekend.

Hope you are all well.

>Martini...LB

The official word (quoted below) from the ACO suggests 110,000 spectators.

"The seventh Le Mans Classic was another big hit with a total of 110,000 spectators present. Three weeks after a record Le Mans 24 Hours, this fantastic retrospective of the greatest endurance race in the world has consolidated its success. This weekend the weather in La Sarthe wasn’t all that great. However, this didn’t put off the spectators who flocked to the famous Le Mans circuit in large numbers, and the attendance figure didn’t fall compared to the 109 000 spectators who watched the event in 2012, the first time that the 100 000-barrier had been broken in the history of Le Mans Classic (96 250 in 2010). This repeat success in 2014 proves that the joint Le Mans Classic organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Peter Auto, have got it right."