2006 help for American newbies

[b_tone]

Myself and 4 of my friends are planning a trip to LeMans for 2006.  Though I have found quite a bit of helpful information I still have some questions that I have not found any answers for.  In no particular order here are the first set:

1- Getting to and from the circuit:  We are flying into Paris a few days before the event would it be better for us to rent a car or take a train to the city of LeMans?

2- Once at the circuit is there a shuttle that runs between the city center and the circuit for beer runs, food runs etc.?

3- Being LeMans rookies, we would like to try to see as much as possible, at the race.  We are seasoned at Daytona 24hr, the Sebring 12hrs and the Petit LeMan 12hrs but from my readings here and other places Lemans seems to be a different level of experience.  Based on this is there a concensus for camping/parking and ticket locations?  Are there any stadium style TV's that broadcast the event within the circuit?

4- Getting to and from different parts of the track during the race, how is it done?  I have read of the eateries along the Mulsanne and we would be interested in visiting those.

5- Do any of you seasoned LeMans goers want to take a few Americans under their wings and show us the ropes throughout the event?


This is probably the first of many questions I will as in preparing for this trip and I hope that the esteemed members of this board can help us out.

Thank you.

Brian

[Matt Harper]

Hello Brian
Welcome to the forum. I've been going to Le Mans for more than 20 years, but had to miss out this year because of work. I'm English, but live in the USA.
Opinion may vary slightly, but here's the general skinny on your questions.
1. If you're fling into Paris (as we do) rent a car - it's much easier than dicking around with trains - and you will have transport once you get to the circuit. Car rental is a little more pricey than in US and gas prices are scary, but if you get a deisel car, you won't burn horrifying amounts of fuel. The drive from Paris Charles De Gaulle to Le Mans is 3.5 hours - all highway.
2. Yes - there is a bus service between the circuit and Le Mans - but you'll have a car, right?
3. Sebring and Daytona are my home circuits. Sebring has some parallels with Le Mans both on and off the track. Both have a big party atmosphere and lots of history. Parking/camping at Le Mans isn't the free-for-all that Sebring is. You will need a parking/camping permit and you should apply for that (from ACO) as soon as you've fixed your plans. Many on this forum favor the Maison Blanche site (MB), but there are many (I prefer Houx personally - but it's all down to personal preference). Facilities at Le Mans are a little medieval compared to US tracks, but it's a small sacrifice.
Even at this point your choices may be limited, so don't leave it too long before you book your pitch. Yes - there are 'diamond screens' at a couple of locations - but they are trackside - not in the camp grounds.
4. Mainly on foot - so don't bring any fancy footwear. Sports shoes or hiking boots are what you need. there is a shuttle bus from the more distant camp grounds (Beausejour and Technoparc). There are two restaurants on the Hunnaudiers straight - but they are over-rated, overbooked and you can't see squat from either of them, so I would advise you not to bother. Driving your car around the local roads during the race is a pain in the arse, so I would be inclined to buy all your gear before you set up camp. This way, you won't get busted for DUI either, which will ruin your whole trip (and you'll get to see what French jails are like!)
5. Stay in touch and introduce yourself to the regulars - most are very generous, helpful and friendly. Get yourself to Road Atlanta for the Petit and meet a bunch of us who do this race as well as Le Mans and the others you mentioned.
Just holler if you need anything - there's always someone with the answer here.

[b_tone]

Matt, thanks for the insight.  The entire group that is going to LeMans will be at Road Atlanta for the Petit this year.  My parents only live 10 minutes from the track so we are all going to meet down there.  I'll stay in touch and perhaps we can meet up for food/and/or drink during that weekend.

Keep the good thoughts coming.

Is the ticket purchasing precedure as simple as calling the ACO office and ordering them?  I see talk of people going to through ticket brokers but is that a viable option from here in the states?

[Werner]

Hello Brian,

Matt answered already all of your questions, I would just like to point out that the train is a good alternative to a car. If you land in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), there is a high speed train station (TGV) directly in the basement of that airport with regular trains to Nantes via Le Mans. You can go from the aiport to Le Mans in less than 1.5 hours, no change of trains needed, much less hassle and a lot quicker than driving by yourself. The airport and the highway to Le Mans are on opposite sides of Paris and driving by car around Paris is usually a pain in the a**. Train tickets can be booked / purchased online at www.sncf.fr, they have a multilingual website. I did it a couple of times and it worked out fine. Depending on your time of arrival there are shuttle busses from Le Mans train station to the track (about 3 USD), but also plenty of cabs (about 20 USD). Distance from train station to the main entrance is about 10 kms (or 6 miles in american money)

Hope this helps

Cheers

Werner

[Gilles]

John Evans, it gotta be your 3rd time in 2006, maybe now it's time for you to help newbies !!!

We missed to meet eache other out of the poo bar but next year we'll arrange the transfert to the Flambadou on friday evening after the parade.

[Kate Shaw]

Matt, thanks for the insight.  The entire group that is going to LeMans will be at Road Atlanta for the Petit this year.  My parents only live 10 minutes from the track so we are all going to meet down there.  I'll stay in touch and perhaps we can meet up for food/and/or drink during that weekend.

Keep the good thoughts coming.

Is the ticket purchasing precedure as simple as calling the ACO office and ordering them?  I see talk of people going to through ticket brokers but is that a viable option from here in the states?

I'll be at Petit (Turn 10) and I'll bring my Le Mans stuff from this year if you want to see it.  Everything has been well covered I think, by the regulars; the only thing I'd add would be that you should choose you campsite by what you expect from a race meeting -- some are more like Green Park than others.  And Houx is the only one that gives you an actual numbered pitch, so far anyway, so if you are coming in later than Wednesday you might want to think about that.

They are talking about having a tram from town next year, and if they do that the train will be very convenient.  Since traffic out of the circuit is a nightmare, you might want to think about that.  My friend Jamie took the TGV this year and although he thought it could have been cleaner, he had high praise for its efficiency and comfort.

[chop456]

Excellent.  Thank you!!!

You hit almost every question I was going to ask, except the important one.

How do we keep our beer cold?  

I was actually considering buying a large cooler at Carrefour, then enrolling it in a cooler exchange program with a group of you guys.  You take care of our cooler during the year, then we'll visit it at Le Mans, and you can visit yours at Sebring and/or the Petit.

Either that or take one along as checked baggage and pack other stuff in it.

[b_tone]

I forgot to ask, is it possible to camp without a car.  It would make getting supplies a bit more difficult but I think we can overcome that issue.

also, without a car how secure would our belongings be inside of the tent throughout the weekend?

concerning leaving LeMans after the event is it a nightmare to leave (we would go pack to paris for a train trip down to Nice) via train or should we plan on leaving on Monday at somepoint?

Thanks again!

[Werner]

Hi Brian,

usually it's no problem just to walk on a campground and pitch up your tent, you won't even be bothered for a ticket, because these are sold on a per vehicle base. Only exeption is Camping Houx (marked pitches). Whatever you plan, I just want to advice you to order your tickets NOW! I've done it a couple of times by e-mail to ticket@lemans.org and it worked. They charge your credit card, tickets are being send out a couple of weeks prior to the race by UPS.
You only need to book early for campgrounds and tribunes, there's no need to book the general admission tickets in advance. Those are never sold out and you can buy them on raceday.
Safety: Well, things stored in a tent are never safe and although I had never problems in the last 20 years, I would advice you not to leave valuables in the tent. Passport and money I always carried by myself. However, if you team up with some nice people on the campground, you can probably ask them to lock some things for you in their car.
Leaving le Mans: Quite a hassle on raceday. Better to join the numerous after-race parties on the campgrounds, get drunk, and leave on monday, that's much more relaxed.

Cheers

Werner

[Matt Harper]

You hit almost every question I was going to ask, except the important one.

How do we keep our beer cold?  

Ah, the age-old connundrum - more difficult for those of us who haul all of our race sh*t over the Atlantic for Le Mans.
We use modified Rubbermaid rolling coolboxes and the most famous of them all (R2D2) will put in it's Autumn appearance at Road Atlanta.
You can buy 'bricks' of ice from French supermarkets - so you need another cooler just to store your ice blocks. You can transport the cooler as checked baggage and even put personal belongings in it, like a suitcase! This is another damn good reason why you need a car.
Don't leave anything in a tent that you don't mind losing.
We fly to CDG, rent a car to get to and from Le Mans - and then rent a small RV in Le Mans, which we use at the track and use the car for fetching supplies and fresh ice! A bit extravagant maybe, but for once a year, you need to push the boat out.
Train works great if you're travelling light - but if you're spending a few days at the circuit, it could get a little miserable if you have no means of getting around. Drive from the airport is very straightforward - don't get freaked by the Peripherique (Paris beltway) it's no worse than Atlanta!
Stay in touch and see you at Road Atlanta.

[smokie]

Don't leave anything in a tent that you don't mind losing.

Matt of course meant to say either "leave anything in a tent that you don't mind losing." or "Don't leave anything in a tent that you mind losing."

It's them double negatives again. Or was it the beer?


Just proving how thoroughly I read everyuthing...  

[Steve Pyro]

Just proving how thoroughly I read everyuthing...  

10/10

[Matt Harper]

Thanks Smokie
I defer to your grammatic(al) superiority - and sorry if I confused anyone (other than myself).
Not beer related - still halfway through the work day.

Allow me to have another shot at this......

Don't leave anything in your tent - other than your beer farts.

[Andy Zarse]

Looks like there could be quite a gathering at Road Atlanta. Us LM regulars ought to organise a LM seminar for you guys. I think quite a few of the Sebring Turn 10 guys are planning to be at both RA and LM too. You chaps need to get it together and build your own "Alamo" area on a campsite!

[b_tone]

Looks like there could be quite a gathering at Road Atlanta. Us LM regulars ought to organise a LM seminar for you guys. I think quite a few of the Sebring Turn 10 guys are planning to be at both RA and LM too. You chaps need to get it together and build your own "Alamo" area on a campsite!

That sounds like one hell of an idea!!  It would be nice to have conversation about the logistic in person with some people.  I am looking forward to the Petit!!