Anyone going? I'll be there but Saturday only.

Why thank you for the shout-out Barry :-)

It's fair to say that Le Mans for me was largely about the social and I still miss it and think of you lot every year, and once in a while I still bore new acquaintances with LM memories. I also watch a fair bit of the racing on telly, more than I ever used to see when there.

I do just one other camping weekend in a year now, a blues (long) weekend based around a pub, which I've been to without fail for I think around 14 years now (even when the event moved about 100+ miles away with the publican). I met Mr Toad from Beermountain there once or twice in the early days. I think it used to be about 300 people but now it is more like 500 in the same area, and to me it's feeling crowded, and the camping is fairly basic which I'm finding less appealing as time moves on. This could be my last year for that. :-(

I guess I'm just getting old!!

I suppose not much changes but that's from 2011, 13 years ago!!

I was watching first practice earlier through TiVo and I don't have any premium channels. Not sure which it was on though. Maybe a Eurosport?

Yes, wishing everyone a safe and fun Christmas!!

Barry has put it well.

"If I was fitter" - none of us are getting younger and the more obstacles that are put in our way can only deter...


"The elephant in the room, especially for larger groups, is the lack of information on camping." Exactly, there are many large groups, from here at least, who might think twice if they cannot camp together - maybe not even on the same campsite, and harder to ensure you are on the same site as other groups you associate with.

"Having supported the race for over twenty years I am beginning to feel unwanted and unappreciated by the ACO." - this.

There are other factors at play but these stand out.

I'm sure most of you won't rue it but this year they have removed my magic ticket which gave the opportunity to buy 5 camping tickets before it was open even to ACO members.

I never did know what qualified me for it, as many were going for many years longer than I did, but even after I stopped going I continued the membership so that others could benefit from the tickets - avid race fans ( and socialisers) from this forum. Most sadly, I think some of them are having second thoughts about next year. I feel there's a few familiar faces you may not see next year as a result.

Whatever, it seems the loyal fans are being somewhat shafted. IMO this has been the pattern over the past few years (I'd say since the demise of Maison Blanche).

I've been an "at home" spectator for a few years now and you get to see and learn much more about the racing on the telly. It's the social side I miss but I have some fantastic memories of it all which I'll never lose.

:-)

I look in pretty much every day, it's you lot who went!! LOL

Wow, seeing all this activity at the same time I assumed we'd been hacked!! :-)

I've never been keen on FB, I'm on it only cos the family expect my presence, but I'm not in any groups and I hardly ever post.

This is still the first tab (of 18) which open each time I start my browser!

The ACO issued a programme today which seems fairly busy. One point of interest was the map of the campsites, https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/info/circuit-map.

There is a FB group too

No idea but I asked if I had any alternative for me to Epinettes and they effectively said no.

Yup, my magic ticket arrived this week and I've been allocated to Epinettes. I've mailed them and Bleu is not available for camping in 2023.

Hi Ian

Bugger, if only I'd seen this before the race!! I was down there, staying in Armacao de Pera, about 30 mins from the track, from 20 Sept and only got back yesterday. Where were you staying?

I went racing there two weekends in a row - world superbikes one weekend (€20) and 4h the next week - €15. I didn't get paddock tickets but they weren't massively much more. For my money I could walk the entire track apart from the start/finish straight.

There weren't many there for the bikes and even less for the cars, the spectators pretty much had a grandstand each!! Wasn't a great day weather-wise but I enjoyed it - second time I've been. I don't know if you got there, but the pic is of the Sunday towards the end of the race - see how empty the grandstands are, they are all like that!! I didn't bother with the Fri or Sat but that was all included in the price.

Sorry I missed your post Ian, it isn't easy keeping up with all the forums when I'm away... I'll be there again next year if you are around!!

Cheers

Bit late to this, been away, soz. I used to use a text based forum in the late 90s I'd say, where we used to meet up and "chat" on a Sunday night. I first went to LM in 97 with mates, also in 98, but the chatroom was invaluable when planning my forst "on my own" trip in 99, for practical help and for making a few friends.

I think I was a bit late to that too, but there are still some names around who were there. Dave ran that too, and I guess it was called Club Arnage or similar then. Anyway the website developed from that, and now of course the Faceboook group.