I don't think I've been here for years. Let's say 'Stuff' got in the way.

I've enjoyed spectating from the sofa this year, with a VPN enabled dodgy French stream and RLM on in the background.

Hope whoever went had a belting time and managed to at least keep their undercrackers dry.

Rus!

Am I too late, XL, posted?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37lpF0mlW3w

One of the cars, which I'll be driving on the day. Like being shot out of a cannon.

1 x XL here too. Not going so let me know what the postage will come to.

Cheers

Live in Scotland? Like cars? Cant / don't want to do the GFOS?

I am a trustee of the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford, Aberdeenshire, and we are running our annual SpeedFest on the 29th of June.

Lined up so far we've got Mavis, the flame spitting 42 litre packard V12 engined Bentley, the Wall of Death, and the Jim Robbins special Indycar. We expect to have over 100 running displays, running a pursuit sprint, a parallel autotest, passenger rides, and demo runs.

There will also be a large static display paddock, hot and cold grub, the delights (And I do mean this) of the transport museum itself, and trade stands and sideshows.

11AM until about 5PM.

It's on twatter @alfordspeedfest2014, and theres an alfordspeedfest2014 facebook event page too.

I opened the door slowly, and my gaze fell on a leather clad woman brandishing a whip.

That's the last time I buy an advent calendar in Lidl

I'm delighted. After 18 months of looking, I've finally found myself a deaf sheepdog.

They're surprisingly hard to come by.

Theres an optimum aggregate size for traps. Too large or small and theyre likely to allow the cars to run over the top of the trap rather than digging in and stopping. Aggregate shape also  has a part to play. Its not about using wjats cheapest or what falls to hand anymore either. The traps at LM are using the  optimum material. Ploughing huge ridges into them will increase the risk of a car either digging in and flipping or to using the 1st ridge as a ramp and flying.

Its it arguable  that the traps arent numerous or large enough at Le Mans but their composition isnt the issue.

As for armco, too resilient and the energy provided by the car is returned directly to the car, as we saw on Saturday,  although this was, on this sad occasion caused by the proximity of the tree. A barrier must be deformable otherwist it satisfies no energy dissipation function.  Once a barrier has been deformed its future resilience xannot be guaranteed,  so they must be replaced. If they were so strong that they didnt need replaced, we'd  sadly see more injuries and worse being contributed to by their properties than we see now with the 'brie' armco.

As piglet said in the new winner thread, there is also the risk that with energy absorbing materials such as tyres, theres a risk that a car will be bounced back into traffic in the event of an impact.

The problem at LM is that the majority of the land outwith the track isnt owned by the ACO and that extending runoff and altering barriers isnt the 'no brainer' at other locations.  Perhaps returning TR to an earlier line might sufficiently mitigate the risk as a starter.

There is no easy fix, but that is no reason to put the problem on the 'too difficult' pile.

One row of tyres in all places of likely car impact and I suspect I you might be right,  we wouldn't have been robbed of Simonsen along with 3 or 4 hours o  racing.

If driving standards are so bad,  why aren't drivers being excluded from the meeting?  Why aren't offending drivers made  to stand in the pitlane while every marshal gets to kick them square in the nuts?

Driver standards are easily enforceable. Circuit safety is easily upgraded.  There whole event generates a colossal amount of revenue. Its time that the money isnt put into hoardings and hospitality, but in improvements to the circuit.

None of the above will bring Allan Simonsen back, but perhaps his indirect legacy can be that he will be remembered as the last ever driver to die at Le Mans. For the rest of time.

I know motor racing is dangerous,  they write it on the tickets after all, but it shouldnt be needlessly dangerous.

Dreadful news indeed.  RIP

All returned following a judge s ruling that they are to pkay nicely, but this has echoes of Henri

It's our 1st LM without her, it was strange not to have her (and Ians) usual photographic excellence from the scrutineering yesterday.

Ian, This one won't be easy. I'm thinking of you. Take care.

I'll raise a glass from home to the pair of you over the weekend.

They've named an entire sporting complex after Chris Hoy. Seems a tad velodromatic to me

Come on. Is he as bad as me?

Orange uk are Bastards and they charge like a wounded rhinoceros should you exceed your quota. Be warned.