Club Arnage

I had a pretty significant wallet-lightening exercise this morning. I booked my flight for this years race, after an absence of three years at Le Mans, brought about by a combination of issues relating to visas and work commitments. Now some of you may know that I 'aint no stranger to this event - but a lot has changed since 2004. That year, I must confess, I hardly strayed from our campsite on Houx, preferring to hang around with my buddies and drink/shoot the sh*t, rather than peer through the gaps in the concrete slabs placed so thoughtfully by the ACO between the race and the people who pay to come and catch a glimpse of it. We did, of course, wander down to the old Champagne Bar and caught-up with a few CA sparring partners (Zarse, Skinner and Canada Phil - who, incidentally seems to appear at EVERY single race I attend, anywhere).
So - like I said earlier, there's been a few changes. What's going to catch me out? What's going to delight me? Why has Aston Martin Racing painted their cars in an even more flaming-faggot colour scheme than previous gay renditions?   
Can I return favours owed to so many of you who've bolstered my tea-caddy on your way through O'Town to Sebring or whilst on family vaykay?
As I'm now a bit of an old fart, I'm done with all this camping bullshit. Dave H and I have rented a motorhome and will be arriving at the track on Thursday afternoon (far too early in proceedings for my liking, but I guess I'll cope).
I'm very much looking forward to catching-up with some of my friends on this forum at the place where it all started (rather than at Rolex 24/Sebring/Indy/Daytona/Road Atlanta). With that in mind, I'll have my people call your people and see if we can put a date in the diary. See ya'll in June.

Hi Matt,
          Thanks for the honourable mention. I am on HA this year camping with Smokie. Many more of the CA 's are on HA this year as we were evicted from MB. Thursday is a good time to arrive in time for night practice ofcourse you will miss the Moose Gathering at the Stella Bar on Wednesday night. But in plenty of time for the DFH party on Friday.
AreDave & Fax coming too?
Phil

Good news Matt, Brad and I will be on HA with the reminants of the SPS team, look forward to sharing a beer in your ponsy motorhome, can we drop by for a dump when needed?

Count me out - Le-Mans isn't le-mans without having to aim a dump down a long drop loo..... :-X :o

Bushes sufice at Blue and BSJ.  Now thats is an experience! And it's been known to happen in the cattle sheds at Expo. Not by us 'sheep shaggers' though.

Hmmm, I'm not sure what to make of this. Whilst on one hand it will be a pleasure to see you Matt, your reluctance to leave the confines of your 'Bago means I can't help thinking you'd probably be better off staying in Orlando and watching it on cable. No matter. I for one welcome you with open arms. Don't listen to what all the others say about you; take no notice of them, sticks and stones etc.

Maybe I over-egged it regarding my reluctance to leave the confines of Houx in 2004. Truth be told, I did perambulate a little - and even dragged the cooler when it was my turn. I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and sharing a beer and a laugh. It transpires that our historic placement on Houx will be upgraded (by way of multiple orders by various members of our party) to Bleu Nord. Indeed, we have eight consecutive pitches, which it sounds like we might take. Does this mean we could be amongst some of you guys? That would be funny.
Andy, thank-you for the welcome.
Phil, Dave is nailed-on. Not sure about Fax. I'll find out.

Matt,

Although one year seems to merge with another these days (too many recent consective Audi wins) there have been plenty of changes to the Village in the interests of modernisation and corporate hospitality (the verdict on which is mixed) but if you're not straying too far from HA, the inside of the track from the Esses to Tetre Rouge has been extensively re-modelled with new spectator banking, such that you can now see the cars all the way down from the Dunlop Bridge to Tetre Rouge itself, with no concrete impeding the view.  The pathway on the inside of the track on the approach to the chicane before the Dunlop bridge is pretty good too now.  Otherwise, probably much the same as you remember it! 

MG Mark

Psst Mark - Matt'll be on Houx itself, not the Annex. ;D

Oops, sorry, I didn't realise he wasn't slumming it with the hoi poloi  ;)

MG MArk

Psst Smokie, two posts above your Matt says he's actually on Bleu Nord!  ;) ;D

Matt, I believe the Liverpool Boys are on Bleu Nord with their normal extended group (including Stu, RS2 Babe etc).

And it's not too far for you to stroll to the DfH party and Charity Auction on Friday night.

As for taking your turn to pull the cooler, are you bringing your man servant to do that for you?  ;D

I know its a tough,degrading,non-rewarding job,but I will volunteer.

Indeed we are so your welcome for a beer. Just won't be the same this year me thinks.

Hi Mark,
           This member of the hoi poloi will be camped with Smokie on HA and you are more than welcome to drop in for a warm beer.
Canada Phil

Stu,Im sure if we find a pikey or 2 to kick in the nuts it'll be just like being back on MB  ;D

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

This year Mike I think any offending Pikeys should be stripped, tied to a lamp-post, have "thief" written across their body in spray paint and their genitals sprayed with Deep Heat or Ralgex  :o

Just giove us all a quick call to give us time to pop over and watch!  ;)

I can supply deep heat (or equivalent) and ice gell.  Both part of every good sports massage therapists' kit bag.  Also, if you leave Immac on for long enough it really smarts.  (Add silly grin here where emoticon would normally be).

Dx

I think Harold J Skinner might be on BN too. Good to hear the above, mind, otherwise you were to be branded  gayster.

Matt, Phil,
Would love to come over, but my employer's new vacation bidding policy completely f*#ked me when it comes to getting any time off during the summer.  I'll be lucky if I can get off for the Petit. It's made my job enormously less desirable.
Fax

Take sick holiday, if available. we won't tell anyone.

Indeed!
I'll be 'camping' with the Good 'Ole Liverpoo-el boys, and am not half looking forward to it. Mainly because I'll be driving down this year, and therefore should be able to avoid any unpleasantness in the toilet area. Or at least the degree of unpleasantness should at least be a tad attenuated. A debatable bonus is that my unguent payload will be a fraction of last years (mind you I'll never forget the look on my GPs face when I dropped my well worn and trusty drawers to seek some professional advice on my return, - the poor doc jumped up, pinned his back to the wall and I can still hear his words ringing in my ears "Dear God, it's alive!!" ). I think Mark overdid the amino acids in the final application. It was a while before I ran for a bus...
It'll also be a back to basics job this year, with the young H junior as my co pilot in a bonding and drinking weekend, arriving Friday afternoon, and back on the Monday. He can out sleep me, but whether or not he can out drink me, only time will tell. And hopefully somebody else.
At least I hope I'm driving down, the Jag's been on the ventilator in intensive care for over a week now, and is still refusing medication and MOT certificates. Two spring hanger boxes, taken with a little water and gas should see a recovery, I hope. It's been a painful one this year, - see, that's what happens when you don't drive 'em.
Deep Heat? that's for beginners, remember Fiery Jack!! (sh*t, back onto unguents again...)
H

Have to agree with Stu don;t think it will be the same this year but cant wait to get back to le mans after I think a three year absense (tried to blank it from my mind).

Looking forward to seeing all the gang and having a good laugh not long now!!!