Club Arnage

Smokie will miss even more of the race  :o

2006: at year of exceptional celebration, departure with exceptional schedule! Saturdays June 17, the departure of the 74e edition of the "24 Hours of Mans" will be thus given at 5 p.m. 00 instead of 4 p.m. 00. This time installation, the Car Club of the West decided by holding account of the sporting event that is the World cup of football and the enormous televisual cover which is attached to it. Count held of the programmed matches to 15 H and 18 H (French hour) and agreements concluded with the international chains eager to retransmit these two events of planetary scale, the examination of the grids of programs showed that a carryforward at 17. 00 of the departure of the "24 Hours of Mans" seemed the best solution. Indeed, by shifting the one hour launching, the impact of a departure lived on line on the chains of the whole world will be preserved, avoiding injuring the supporters race, which they are the spectators present at Mans or the world televiewers, that a departure diffused remotely would have inevitably frustrated. The same applies to the arrival of Sunday to 5 p.m. and its protocolar ceremony, which will be able to be integrated between the two matches envisaged into 3 p.m. (Japan - Croatia which should hold all the attention of Japanese people fan of football... and 24 Hours of Mans) and 18 H (Brazil - Australia). If to derogate from traditional the 16 hours chime a first in the great history of the "24 Hours of Mans does not constitute", the programming of the departure at 5 p.m. constitutes one however of them. In the past, the modifications had always related to an advance of the time of departure, fixed also exceptionally at: 14 hours - in 1969, due to presidential election; - in 1998, already due to tele cover, with times of antenna to divide with not only the World cup of football but also the final of tennis in Rolland Garros; 15 hours - in 1968, year of the social events of May, at the origin of a carryforward of the race in September, month when the days are shorter; - in 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1996, because of elections - except for 1985, and the Cut of Europe of football of 1996. For the pleasure of the public present, the program of curtain raiser of Saturday will be arranged and packed consequently. Thus, two plates "Mans Legend" will be made up, for two retrospective races disputed under label "A.C.O. Centenary Races ". In this year of the centenary of the Car Club of the West, 100 fabulous cars will be thus joined together with an equal distribution of 50/50 between plate 1, opened with the cars of before 1939, and plate 2, opened with the cars of the period 1945/1955. In margin of the festivities and race, the giant screens of the Circuit of the "24 Hours of Mans" will hold also the regularly informed spectators of the results of the matches with the program of this intense sporting weekend.

This is the english press release from the ACO that arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago.

http://www.lemans.org/mailing/2006_01_09_horaires/24hdumans2006_depart_17h_gb.pdf

There is a bit of a bonus here as we get two support races instead of one.

Martini...

Where did you pick that up from Martini?? Does it say what they are?

Where did you pick that up from Martini?? Does it say what they are?

This is the english press release from the ACO that arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago.

http://www.lemans.org/mailing/2006_01_09_horaires/24hdumans2006_depart_17h_gb.pdf

Yep

To add to the pleasure of the spectators present at the circuit the number of Saturday
supporting races will be increased. There will be two “Le Mans Legends” fields for
two retrospective events under the banner “A.C.O Centenary Races.” In this the
A.C.O’s centenary year 100 fabulous vehicles will be brought together split 50/50
between the first race open to cars built before 1939 and the second for cars built
between 1945 and 1955.

Martini...