le-mans movie

[saveloy]

 Was watching this movie and a few questions arose. where di track use to run prior to the porsche curves. I know David Piper suffered a major accident, what were the circumstances? just a personal view, were there really that many police/gendamerie about then

[Andy Zarse]

Was watching this movie and a few questions arose. where di track use to run prior to the porsche curves. I know David Piper suffered a major accident, what were the circumstances? just a personal view, were there really that many police/gendamerie about then

Sav, I think I can answer the police question. It is cos of all the sex perverts who used to hang in the funfair. And I don't mean the queue for New York Nights.

Re-watch the film again and in the middle, there are some shots/scenes of fans walking thru the fair at night. The last shot is of a deeply weird man with a hideous shaggy beard and a candyfloss on a stick. Next thing you know, he is licking this girls face and leering at her. It would not be allowed today and quite right too. I might be wrong, but it makes my flesh creep every time I see him.

I'm sure Gilles, Chris24, Harpers etc can answer your curcuit queries.

[powermite]

I'll tell Canada Phil that you said that about him.!
PM

[Andy Zarse]

No. No, this man is even worse than Canada Phil. Honestly he is!

Phil is a lovely cuddly bearded "favourite uncle" bloke, the one in the film is more of a red neck, yokel looking transgender "thing".

[Gilles]

concerning policemen, they'are almost a few more these years.

Around 1200 to be precised

[Gilles]

Houses on the right of the track where he stops at MB during the opening sequence are now destroyed and a ginat wall has been erected all along the road...

... and the shampoo bar is quite larger now, with a terrace, and with an another champagne provider !

[Matt Harper]

where di track use to run prior to the porsche curves.

Porsche curves (in an earlier manifestation) were in place by the time the film was made. Originally, it was a relatively straight blast from Arnage to Maison Blanche. At the white house the track kinked slightly before heading towards the start/finish straight - remember - no Virage Ford back then, so pretty hair raising in a 4 1/2 litre Bentley on pram wheels.

The original track still exists on the outside of the Porsche Curve complex and runs between the track and the airport. Porsche was created to make the section more challenging to drivers (Originally the circuit was 4 big straights connected by Dunlop, Esses, Tetre Rouge, Mulsanne, Indianapolis/Arnage).

This now almost forgotten stretch is terrifyingly narrow and has ditches on either side. I haven't been down there since '87, but it made the hair stand up on my neck - there's racing ghosts on that piece of pavement.

[saveloy]

thanks for that guys, anyone know about David Piper

[Fax]

As Matt said, it used to be a pretty hairy blast from Arnage back to the start/finish area.  Maison Blanche was nothing more than a narrow high speed right-left swerve, somewhat similar to the old Masta Kink at Spa.  It was at MB that John Woolfe crashed his new Porsche 917 fatally on the opening lap of the '69 race and then the following year Jacky Ickx had a very heavy accident in his Ferrari 512, killing a marshal.
Fax