Club Arnage

We had an OK journey down from Calais, but Rouen was a real pain in the ar**.  It was the same on the journey back, but I was trying to avoid Paris.  I've drive round Paris a few times before, and it is tempting me for next year (Rouen was so bad).  Any thoughts?   ::)

Rouen was no problem on the Sun before the race, and also no problem on Sun evening after the race...

Avoid rush hours and weekdays maybe?

Rouen is fine normally. This year they closed the tunnel in the town which knackered it completely. Let's hope they get it done by next year.

Tunnel was closed when I came through but the diversion seemed to work OK.
Pretty good ride both down and back.

D.

I have to say that I would prefer Dover/Calais but my travelling buddies prefer Portsmouth/Caen. I have to say the 2 hour easy drive on the French side is fantastic but the price is a bit more. £240 return for Monday out and Monday back (both day sailings). Had a cabin coming back so grabbed a few hours for the 6 hour drive up home. Now thats a bummer. Next years jaunt is already under discussion.

Portsmouth Caen has real atmosphere, Dover Calais doesn't. But at the end of the day, price wins I'm afraid.

We found the tunnel closed on Thursday as well, the diversion was packed solid but fortunately I have a PDA with GPS and a month or so ago I got TomTom City Maps so i had installed the Rouen streetmap and we diverted right through the centre ville without many traffic problems. Looks like a nice town to visit

Normally takes 6 hours for us to get down on the Friday.
Took 9 this year on way down due to roadworks, diversions  >:( and a stop for lunch. :P
Made it back in a shade under 5   :-X - avoiding all speed traps as well.

I HATE Rouen but we always go through there.  Our convoy consists of kit cars with big hairy V8's and dubious cooling systems.
This year southbound the tunnel was closed and the ambient temeperature was high = slow moving traffic = overheating.
Previous years we have had a slow drive northbound in high temperatures = slow moving traffic = overheating.
Maybe I'll build a car with an air cooled engine  ???

Just take mine which has an air-cooled flat-twin

Mrs Texas doesn't have a flat-twin does she Gilles?

Sounds like she needs to be pumped up a bit  ;)

 >:( Was just talking about my car  >:(

Please leave her away of your naughty posts please !!!!  :P

Very good  ;D

Now you've changed your Picture - all is revealed  :D

it's not this one. That car is one of the collection of my uncle who is completely nuts about microcars. He used such tiny mobiles to drive easier in Paris. The must: cross the Seine river in an amphibian car !!!

Compare to Mr Bean Reliant it's quite more stable: that's the difference between German engineers and Liverpoolian mechanicers !!!  :P

Glad I'm neither then  ;D

Gilles, just to help you.
1 ) Mr Bean, drove a mini.
2 ) Del Boy, drove a reliant.
3 ) It is Liverpudlian not Liverpoolian.
Take care.
Brian. ;)

in the french adaptation of Mister Bean his rolling nightmare is a Reliant, so I said Mr Bean's Reliant even if he isn't the real driver. By the way who already meet someone who lock his car door as M. Bean does it ??

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Thanks Robbo

It can't have been me because i was using a Toyota 4x4.  Yeah Yeah Yeah i know, but it's grat for taking four blokes camping.  Anyway it was great fun overtaking porches etc at 97mph on the autoroute into Calais.  One of my mates swore he was going to end up in the lap of some crumpet in the ferrrari below (just to the right) of us, when going round a long left hand bend. :o

My arse was flowing well, but we were late for the ferry ;D

Andy

i had a Hilter wagen ( vw caravelle ) and it was really quick with two fat birds and 4 beer hungry boys . and flat out on back road 105mph flew past all the tits in gleaming sports cars that cant drive - Purple Lotus elise , Yellow Morgan V8 , and 4 MG F's all in a row .

My passengers ,who were very tired couldnt sleep , they felt a little anxious , No idea why !!

Oh and my virtually blind co driver was telling me if it was ok to pass people. ::)

I wasnt late , just a frustrated biker in a van.

One of my mates was making some decidedly rude noises at times.  He later told me it was because he had strange visions of a 4x4 lying on its side.  I had to agree with him, in hindsight.  Know anyone who got a speeding fine?  There seem to be quite a few reports of it happening.

I am back , but my user name robbo has died a death , had a fault and it went to computer log ons in the bin .

Anyway - Speed traps -

Back in 2002 i was racing my sisters TVR with my Bike, and at about 145 mph a Police man appears from the side of the road on the Mulsanne with his white glove in the air . We didnt stop but we werent going to , or is that couldnt . Who cares .   :o

This year they were stopping english people and breath testing them and otherwise warning people about doing silly things in cars -
Anyone else by the porsche curves when the shite merc van with sunbathers on top got pulled !!!!

Very funny .  ;)

We were staying at Beausejais by the Porche curves but didn't see the van you mention.  Sounds real amusing though :D

Do you rekon the local police were chasing the Brits for DD all weekend?  I still can't figure out how to get to the bottom end of Mulsanne for the night racing without driving.............after beer ::)

Mulsanne , after beer ............   get a bike , blades or one of those go peds, the little frech kids ride like they are pissed anyway .

If not , try walking to the back of Beausejour camping site and through the buses at the back , it doesnt hurt . then keep walijg straight , through some trees and hey , you have youre own little viewing area , No marshalls ,police etc .

Then walk right for Arnage or left to mulsanne .

Or get the bus from EXPO to Mulsanne saves the hassle .
 ;)

I assume you mean on the circuit down towards Arnarge.
Yes, we were there, a red Cadillac soft top and half a dozen cobras.
The police didn't appear to be too impressed with the people on the roof of the van - seeing as it was being driven along the road at the time.  :)
I later came a cropper with the police for pouring water down in front of my mates cobra rear tyres so that he could do a smokeeeee burnout.  ;D

Got a photo of it but its too big to post . Blue lights the lot .

A few years ago outside Blue , a Police man stopped on his bike , had water poured over his tyres and burnt off , rolling burnout , another one in a renault van did it too , until the CRS turned up , BOOOOOO.

Think I might try that bit out the back of Beausejais, sounds good :D

Try resizing it with MS Photo Editor (with XP) or similar to about 600 x 400 pixels.  This should bring it down below 100 kb and is then suitable for posting.

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Excellent stuff Robbo, wish I'd seen it.  I wonder what sort of penalty they got?

Nothing , just a stern warning for what they had done , and off they went .

Superb...................makes you wonder what else you could get away with 8)

Going past a Police car at 90 mph in a 30 because i was late for the ferry at Le Havre.

His clio was chgging away at the front of a cue of traffic , just before a dual carrigeway , where i went on to cruise at about 130mph , to arrive just in time for the ferry , 15 mins before departure .

All he will have seen was a puple bike go

zzzzzzzzzoooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm  :P ;)

Why late , Coz , the french dont do 24 hour petrol station , they dont like Brits Visa cards and my bike only did 130 / 140 miles on a tank of juice .

Ironically i crashed that bike a little later and hurt myself ,

Why are crash barriers so blooming hard  ??? ???

That's style my friend :D
Where was the crash barrier, en angleterre?

Yeah , a place called Bordon in Hampshire , bloody oil on the road , i guess !!

didnt even scratch the barrier , but it split my frame in four at the welds , impact speed 45mph . and me , only a day feeling a little woozy ( a bit like Le Mans weekend )

Errrrrr 45 mph and the frame split!!!!!!!!!!  That's a little unfortunate.  Don't build 'em like they used to......or was it an oldie.  No couldn't have been, they didn't go that fast!

Ba****ds who drop oil on the road should be shot.  Caused me to write off a car once :(

Oil , well thats my excuse .

I was probably braking a little late on a bend and the front wheel lost grip.

No . It must have been OIL i am a man , and its always someone elses fault .  :o

Always stick to the oil excuse.  It goes down better with the insurance companies  ;D

I've just got back home and have had now had a chance to look at your picture.
Look...there's some of us lot in the background with the Cadillac and a few cobras.  ;D ;D

Ah Steve

Fame at last!

Robbo,

Assuming that you don't have a full blown copy of paintshop pro or similar there's quite a bit of software available as shareware or even free downloads that would suit your needs if you want to reduce the size of pictures already taken.

Try www.imagespro.com or www.newfreeware.com as just a couple of sites that offer useful software for this task. Alternatively search for 'batch image resize'.

Looking forward to seeing more of your pictures..

Robbo

I'm .....................confused..........where are the crash barriers in Bordon.

I guess it must be the oil!!!! ;D :D ;) :)

It wasn't just the British getting pulled.  We were waiting for a taxi at the pub opposite EXPO.  A french bloke got into his Citroen and got a cheer when he did the oblogatory wheel spin.  Shame he got pulled over 10 metres up the road, taken out of the car and breathalised.  Unfortunatley didn't see the outcome as our taxi turned up.

Nice to know that the gendarmerie are even handed in these things. 8)

Just adding a comment to get to Jnr Member and the second car.... If only .

The British Police are like that , even handed , anyone who goes past a parked van with its doors open gets a letter in the post a week later , the press call it ANPR - Another Police Robbery .

Keep going Robbo, the next 50 get easier ;D

True  ;)