CA T-Shirts 2007

[Fran]

Blimey oldtimer - you dragged this one up from the archive!!! You are quoting me from 12 January!!!!

F

[Fran]

Well, after visited Sebring this year, one can only say I'm very glad the French police are not as irritating as their American colleagues

And the US police dont get a go at you until Immigration have finished with you first!!! 

F

[Lorry]

Shirts and bonus sticker received here too. Many thanks to all involved.

Shirt will probably get an airing at Gurston Down this weekend.

Ditto re shirt & stickers.

Look out for No 91 on Sunday

[Fran]

The Dutch are known to be rude as well when on holiday (like the Brits and the Germans), mostly in cheap resorts like Benidorm and simular places

LMAO - thats right, I nearly had a fight with a Dutch bloke about singing karaoke in Salou (I was working, it wasnt my chosen destination - honest) a few years ago - and to think that only a few minutes earlier we have been duetting with "You're the one that I want"!!

 

F

[oldtimer]

Blimey oldtimer - you dragged this one up from the archive!!! You are quoting me from 12 January!!!!

F

Yeah - sorry about that, but for one reason or another I didn't look at this particular thread until today.

[oldtimer]

Well, after visited Sebring this year, one can only say I'm very glad the French police are not as irritating as their American colleagues

I can't comment on the American police as I have not had the opportunity to visit Sebring, but I have to say that in all the years of visiting Le Mans I have nothing but admiration for the way the French police in and around the track manage the LM weekend.

There is plenty of behaviour that they allow that under normal circumstances could not normally be tollerated - I am not just thinking about the type of behaviour I alluded to earlier but all sorts of things including various traffic and public order offences.

They seem to have an appreciation of the fact that, on the whole, people are there to have fun and they cut a little slack to facilitate this.  Fair play to them...  It is just a shame that their colleagues patrolling the roads down from the coast don't seem to have the same degree of tollereance 

[Andy Zarse]

Well, after visited Sebring this year, one can only say I'm very glad the French police are not as irritating as their American colleagues

There is plenty of behaviour that they allow that under normal circumstances could not normally be tollerated - I am not just thinking about the type of behaviour I alluded to earlier but all sorts of things including various traffic and public order offences.

Bad behaviour at LM is nothing new. Mike Hawthorn himself got a girl pregnant at an after-race party and he never visited the kid.

The worst times were actually in the late 80's when the "Our Nige" fanclub (Mansell) used to visit. The punch-ups with the Germans in the Village Bierkeller were legendary, together with pig ignorance and the abuse of gate staff, bar workers, police and anyone else who got in the way.

The problem these days is a bit different, but to think it's restricted to the British is not correct. We probably show up on the radar more due to being the majority of fans. Whilst this doesn't make me proud, it certainly won't stop me flying the Union Jack either, to do so would be cowardice. Oh and the Commer will never fly the EU flag. Never I tell you.

Turning to your comment above, to be honest, I'm not sure the police actually "allow" it to go on, it's more a question of being unable to prevent it due to lack of resources. The area to patrol is so huge of course.

Having said that, I think Les Flics could spend their time far more productively by clamping down on the sometimes disgusting and dangerous behaviour of a minority of fans, at Houx Annex roundabout for example. Instead we see dozens of the useless jackbooted kepee-wearing knaves setting up yet more speed traps on the Mulsanne straight, strutting around, throwing their weight about and pretending to be big men by trying to catch folk exeeding 65mph, or horrror of horrors, spinning up their back wheels. Like police all over the world, the US included, Les Vaches see the motorist as an easy target. Le mans must prove to be an irrestistable opportunity to be fleece us to pay for their Xmas party.

[oldtimer]

Andy, you are right that bad behaviour is not only evident among the British contingent. I didn't mean to suggest that it was, but seeing a badly behaved group of German fans, for example, would not make me feel ashamed of being British.

Like you the bad behaviour of some British visitors would not stop me from 'flying the flag'.  On the contrary.  I have a fierce pride for my home country, and the bad behaviour of some of my compatriots is actually more likely to encourage me to make my nationality known so that others can see we are not all badly behaved grobians.

You may be right about the police being unable to prevent certain behaviour but I am not sure it always the case.  There have been occassions when I have seen situations that the police could easily have intervened in but have not.  Instead with a sort "just keep it under control boys" sort of look they have let things pass.  I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt because I think that on t he whole they do a great job at the race.

Having said that... yes they should put a stop to the sort of nonesense that goes on at Houx Annexe roundabout.  I suspect your tongue was in yuor cheek when you wrote that, but mine isn't.

[Fran]

Mike Hawthorn himself got a girl pregnant at an after-race party and he never visited the kid.

Once again I am amazed at the in-depth knowlege of some CA members of the history of Le Mans!

F

[Piglet]

The problem as a female wearing a t-shirt with a union flag is that coming back through the village at 11pm or midnight on the Saturday you'd have thought that the pissed (sunburned and vomiting) brits have never seen a woman before and they mainly have regressed to caveman like behaviour.  Usually I speak German to them and then ignore them but the flag on the arm gives them a bit of a heads up.   They don't even seem particuarly choosy in who they hassle!  

I have no problem with people having a drink and a good time, I do get fed up with being abused by pissed brits just because I happen to be female.  I've worked in motorsport for the best part of 9 years, I'm used to working in a male dominated enviroment and been to all sorts of events - LM is by far the worst and is the only place that I am actually concerned about my safety.  

Maybe the other nationalities do the same thing - I don't know, my German is not fab but I don't hear the same type of thing from Germans, it seems to me that it's the British binge drinking mentality on tour.  

[Andy Zarse]

Having said that... yes they should put a stop to the sort of nonesense that goes on at Houx Annexe roundabout.  I suspect your tongue was in yuor cheek when you wrote that, but mine isn't.

  You think that I might surreptiously approve of people using supersoakers to drown the interiors of classic cars, in water, beer, and piss? Of cars being hijacked by drunken and dangerous idiots? Of the chav-style verbal abuse of road users and other spectators? Of the reckless letting off of fireworks and rockets fired at the tented area? Of vandalism of the street furniture?  Throwing of beer bottles at the traffic?

I trust that your comment was tongue in cheek.... 

[oldtimer]

They don't even seem particuarly choosy in who they hassle!  

Piglet - I know have never met you, but really you shouldn't put yourself down like that...  

[oldtimer]

Having said that... yes they should put a stop to the sort of nonesense that goes on at Houx Annexe roundabout.  I suspect your tongue was in yuor cheek when you wrote that, but mine isn't.

  You think that I might surreptiously approve of people using supersoakers to drown the interiors of classic cars, in water, beer, and piss? Of cars being hijacked by drunken and dangerous idiots? Of the chav-style verbal abuse of road users and other spectators? Of the reckless letting off of fireworks and rockets fired at the tented area? Of vandalism of the street furniture?  Throwing of beer bottles at the traffic?

I trust that your comment was tongue in cheek.... 

Unbridled apologies - I know there are some CAers who enter into debate about HA or MB as the best place to camp I wasn't sure whether your comment was a tongue in cheek reference to that 'debate' in some way.

I would not expect any decent person to think the sort of behaviour you describe and I know goes on was acceptable.

Once again my sincere apologies.

[Piglet]

They don't even seem particuarly choosy in who they hassle!  

Piglet - I know have never met you, but really you shouldn't put yourself down like that...  

  What after a week at LM, without the patience to queue for a shower and then no hairdryer!  It's not a pretty sight    

[Andy Zarse]

Having said that... yes they should put a stop to the sort of nonesense that goes on at Houx Annexe roundabout.  I suspect your tongue was in yuor cheek when you wrote that, but mine isn't.

  You think that I might surreptiously approve of people using supersoakers to drown the interiors of classic cars, in water, beer, and piss? Of cars being hijacked by drunken and dangerous idiots? Of the chav-style verbal abuse of road users and other spectators? Of the reckless letting off of fireworks and rockets fired at the tented area? Of vandalism of the street furniture?  Throwing of beer bottles at the traffic?

I trust that your comment was tongue in cheek.... 

Unbridled apologies - I know there are some CAers who enter into debate about HA or MB as the best place to camp I wasn't sure whether your comment was a tongue in cheek reference to that 'debate' in some way.

I would not expect any decent person to think the sort of behaviour you describe and I know goes on was acceptable.

Once again my sincere apologies.

  Ah, sorry, I see what you mean! Actually, I swing both ways, I'm an AC/DC sort of a camper in that I've used both sites and they both have their plus and minuses. The goings-on at the HA roundabout was a minus but the big plus with MB is that I've got three tix reserved annually with the ACO in perpetuity! Even if it is a bit hanky-up-cuff down there.

I wasn't joking about Mike Hawthorn either. He really did father a sprog with one of the locals. I'm only surprised he had the energy after 24 hours in a D Type, they made 'em tough in those days!