Club Arnage

I'm an ACO member and applied for camping at Tertre Rouge in December 05 for the 2006 race.  ACO put me on the waiting list for Tertre Rouge and guaranteed me a spot on Bleu Nord.

I ended up buying a Tertre Rouge Camping pass from Just Tickets at quite a bit over the face value.  When we arrived at Tertre Rouge we found that the guy next to us had bought his camping ticket on the day (Wednesday) from the ACO office at Le Mans.  Not only that, they gave him a full choice of camp sites!!  So again , what's the point of being an ACO member?

I went to the ACO to try and change my Bleu Nord for a Bleu Sud on Tuesday afternoon.  At that time they only had Bleu Nord tickets available over the counter.  I rather suspect your neighbour may have just struck lucky with a return that someone asked them on Wednesday to sell on.    I believe the ACO do try and sell on spare tickets for people in those circumstances. 

Yes the ACO do help out by selling on unwanted passes. They don't guarantee success, though. So if you turn up without a pass at the Rotunda on the Wednesday you may get what you wanted in the first place, or not. It's just the luck of the draw.

I have finally joined the ACO, purely to ensure we always get home, get a pack to watch later on and maybe get into a clean toilet, ring side for the girls in the group.

Ironically i joined this afternoon !!!

I don't think there's ever been any correalation between membership of the ACO and priority ticket allocation. The only benefits are as described by Robbo above, plus discount on entry and camping tickets and ACO merchandise and eligibility (but not guarantee) of a seat in the ACO grandstand.

The discounted campsite and race tickets are well worthwhile, particularly if there is more than one of you in your party.   

The other benefit not mentioned is access to the large ACO building at the back of the pit village.   Shade from the sun, cover from the rain, a big screen telly inside, decent bogs, food and drink.

MG Mark

There is one draw back.. it wont get you home unless you have a french residential address :o as they changed it a few years ago due to the amount of english they had to get back..

Dude,

you would be much better buying AA membership or similar if this is the main reason for joining the ACO.   fairly sure the ACO policy is quite limited.

I joined a few years ago, never renewed again, saved some money on entrance tickets for the GP and both 24hr car & bike races.  the reduced ticket price only applies for the first 6 tickets, and only 2 grandstand tickets.  as i need 30+ tickets, seems pointless, especially as group rates only differ by a fiver!

dont care about the pack - just more junk!

There's 1 important thing not mentioned yet. The champagne at the ACO bar is much cheaper compared to the Poo bar (it will save you €14). Off course bringing your own is the cheapest option......

Another advantage is the big screen (with sound) the have inside the ACO bar. handy for a periodic update on the race.......

But I think those are more or less the only advantages one can think of......

If you puchase your full allocation of General Admission tickets and camping tickets, the savings actually are more than the cost of the membership. Plus you then get your free programme, results list, etc etc.

If you go to more than one event (i.e. the Classic, Moto 24) then you save even more!

But no, it doesn't guarantee you the camping that you want (as I have discovered for the last two years!)

One other tip, join around May time and buy your GA tickets then! Then, order next years tickets before the renewal time and you'll get two years of discounts for one membership year. Then don't renew until the following year!

Bl**dy cheat!  Also, don't forget the excellent viewing point (including seats and bar) at scrutineering.  And I'm sorry, but I just like to give my support - race is fab, also the great centenary stuff this year was a terrific bonus.  No doubt xenophobes annonymous will be all over me like a rash within seconds of posting but I think they do a spiffing job.

IMHO

i think that most genuine fans would join the ACO if they were assured that they would get there ticket allocation as requested (even on a first come first served basis)

A few of my group have been members for 6 years now and in the begining we used to get what we asked for (booking at least a year in advance) now we just get you are on the waiting list. Which means in the end we go else where and pay a premium to get what we want.

Andy

As I guess is true for all of us, I can only speak from my own experience.  I have reserved seats at the Welcome area some time during the week before the race, for the following year, for the past seven years (no automatic allocation) and have always got them.  Booked MB for the first time this year and got a place there too.  Everybody gets the "you are on the waiting list" letter straight after the race, don't they?  Then the full allocation comes through just after Christmas.  But as I say, this is just what happens for me, others may have less luck but I can't imagine why that should be so.

I wonder if a French postal address has anything to do with it??  ;)

No, 'cos I've only had one for the last 2 years.

I have been an ACO member  for seven years and I do find it value for money with the discounts on tickets and other items. However when it comes to the allocation of camping passes it is an absolute farce. In the last few years the ACO has allocated the camping tickets that you order on a system that is loosely based on French system of torture that works like this firstly you give them the  three options that you are willing to purchase. This gives them a good idea  of what you are interested in. They can then of course  allocate you something totally different just to annoy you.
Every year for the last three years they have done this to me but this year was the best yet My options were  4 passes for Tertre rouge, Interior musee or Chappelle. I booked a year in advance and I also supplied as requested a colleagues disabled pass as one of our party has trouble walking long distances. what do we get allocated Beausejour you could not get any further away. After making numerous phone calls they changed it to camping bleu ( a little bit closer) They were kind enough to put me at the top of the waiting list for Tertre Rouge (or so they told me) three weeks before the event I called the ACO again and asked about my  camping tickets and they told me I was seventeenth on the waiting list they had apparently forgot to put me on the top of the list. I was told that it was unlikely that i would get the tickets. They then asked me would I like 4 Maison Blanche tickets instead as that was all that they could offer(first time at MB and a good crack).

Am I alone in this or are the ACO stalk raving bonkers and have no system for allocating passes. I would not expect to go to my local newsagents to order a copy of Autosport only to get 20 Benson and hedges and a box of matches.

I agree that the ticket allocation seems to be random. I am a member, booked my tickets for this year on return from last years race. I wanted camping passes for Tetre Rouge, but was allocated Bleu Nord. A friend of mine didn't order until August and got his allocation, no problem.

Having said that, it's still woprth being a member for the discount and the roadside assistance, which I have made use of when the started on the Black Granny expired in the heat on returning a couple of years back.

PS Have already ordered next years tickets.