A Le Mans virgin asks......

[Nickaird]

Hi everyone, there are probably loads of similar posts every year, but here goes.. We're coming over for the first time this year, got grandstand seats and camping at Bleu Nord and I've got a couple of questions, so here goes.. Is there an idea time to arrive at the site, I guess it's busy all the time so that may be irrelevant, and are there epic traffic jams leaving on Sunday ?

Also any general tips would be welcome, I've downloaded the 2013 guide so I'm going to read that through, all 122 pages, before we leave.

Thanks

Nick

[Barry]

Hi Nick, welcome to Club Arnage.

Traffic depends when you are arriving, the later the busier. Saturday morning is a mare, took Andy 1 hour + to get from Arnage village to BN (about 2 miles)......... on a motorbike! Friday just a little congested, hint keep your windows closed on the approach to BN on Friday.

Leaving can be congested straight after the race, recently I have left about 5.30 and it's not to bad, there's a short cut you can use out of BN if Les Flics have opened it. Find me or another of the old hands to explain it. However there can be problems on the toll booths approaching Rouen on Sunday evening, allow extra time for that.

Enjoy your time at La Sarhte, I'm always a bit envious of people making their first visit, it's an experience!

[Chrisgr31]

Not camped previously at BN, last year we were in Beausejour and moved cars to give a better getaway, one was moved up to near the entrance to the campsite, the other to a car park adjacent Le Mans station and used the tram to get up to it, both options worked.

As mentioned traffic on arrival is very dependent on when you are arriving.  Wed and Thurs are OK unless ariving shortly before qualifying starts, Friday can be a bit manic and watch out for those wanting burnouts and with water bombs, but that not usually until a bit later in the day.

[Lord Steve]

Hello Nick
If you're driving in from, presumably Calais, when you approach Le Mans don't even think about coming through the city to get to the circuit. Rather, as you approach LM on the A28 join the A11 west. Leave at junction 9 and join the D326.Over two or three roundabouts then take the exit signposted Arnage. (Tip, as you take the exit there's a large Super U supermarket where you can stock up with essentials).  As you leave the supermarket head towards Arnage, straight over the first roundabout,  pass an Esso station on the right and at the 2nd roundabout turn left on the D92. After a couple of miles turn left at the next roundabout and voila, BN is on your left. Do keep your windows closed though!

[aricus654]

Nick,

I arrived on my first visit during night time qualifying - the atmosphere was electric - of course every one was watching so traffic was great.

For leaving, I follow the directions in the guide although I don't move the car out to Mulsanne as it suggests.

Although it took me an hour to get out of the gate at Houx which was frustrating, because I was turning South against the traffic to pick up the guide route I saw virtually no other traffic once out the campsite gate. My biggest challenge was not to pick up a speeding ticket on the way back to Caen.

Btw - a good supplement to the guide is the Autosport pullout published the week before.

Aricus

[Rhino]

If you can (alcohol dependent) stay up til dawn. Love the hour before sunrise, pit straight almost empty, air at it's coolest so quickest times happen (engines have more power with cool dense air).
The darkness melting away before the sunrise rises over the Dunlop chicane.
Don't make it every year but well worth it.

[Shortcut]

Rhino and I used to watch dawn on the Mulsanne from the Cafehalfway down the straight.  That was fantastic, but of course the fun police have stopped you spectating from there now, so as Rhino says, watch the pits just before dawn and Dunlop Curve for sunrise.  Have a great time.

[Kristof]

If you can (alcohol dependent) stay up til dawn. Love the hour before sunrise, pit straight almost empty, air at it's coolest so quickest times happen (engines have more power with cool dense air).
The darkness melting away before the sunrise rises over the Dunlop chicane.
Don't make it every year but well worth it.

My favourite moment of the race, beats everything else.  Sun coming up at Dunlop, magical moment.
Sunset at Sebring is also one like that, 15 minutes of perfect light.


And leaving on Sunday > we always wait 'till 11 pm or so, catch a quick nap and drive through the night.  No stress, no traffic and smoothly through Paris. 

[Boorish Grobian]

In 1998 I got up early, most of my companions still sleeping off the night's hell raising, grabbed my camera and walked out to the little spectator mound at the bottom of the hill (at the entry to the Esses) looking back up the straight to the Dunlop Bridge, and watched the sun come up.  Shot a roll of film (yeah, that long ago), and the best shot I ended up with was that of the eventual winning Porsche, having just popped out from under the bridge, coming down the hill in the bright morning sun (not much of the usual fog that morning), the hillsides totally deserted but for a few hearty souls.  Sadly I don't think that vantage point is there anymore, but it is such an evocative memory.
As Dottore said, sunrise at Le Mans, and sunset at Sebring are amazing.
Fax

[oldtimer]

Sadly I don't think that vantage point is there anymore, but it is such an evocative memory.

Although the track layout at that part of the circuit has changed somewhat over the years, it does still offer some excellent photo opportunities. You may well get the same sort of evocative picture that Fax managed...

Have a fantastic trip and I bet you will be back again next year.

[Kristof]

In 1998 I got up early, most of my companions still sleeping off the night's hell raising, grabbed my camera and walked out to the little spectator mound at the bottom of the hill (at the entry to the Esses) looking back up the straight to the Dunlop Bridge, and watched the sun come up.  Shot a roll of film (yeah, that long ago), and the best shot I ended up with was that of the eventual winning Porsche, having just popped out from under the bridge, coming down the hill in the bright morning sun (not much of the usual fog that morning), the hillsides totally deserted but for a few hearty souls.  Sadly I don't think that vantage point is there anymore, but it is such an evocative memory.
As Dottore said, sunrise at Le Mans, and sunset at Sebring are amazing.
Fax

Something like this



This was 3 years ago, think at something like 7 am, shot through the fence at the bottom of the hill.

[DelBoy]

Nah...probably more like this:

[Kristof]

Don't think we still could get that close in '98.
Will have to look into my pictures from back then ...

[Boorish Grobian]

Similar lighting to yours Kristof, but looking straight up the hill.  One these days I'll get around to buying a new scanner (ours died several years ago) and post a few of my pics.  It was one location where you could get pretty close, but I think it went the way of the Dodo bird when they installed the new complex.
I found a photo online from 1977, it was very similar to this, but early in the morning with only a handful of spectators along the fencing.
Fax

[Stu]

You got me wanting to take my camera now