Le Mans golden Era well and truly over???

[Ant FR]

Heard about this site whilst sitting in traffic listening to RLM,

anyway, this was my 5th visit to Le mans, so I'm not a newbie but still way off a lot on here in number of visits.  My first being the now famous Moist 2001.  However I went this year and could not help but feel that Le mans was different, not the same anymore.  For one thing the corporates seemt o have well and truly taken over.  Never felt like a second class citizen at le mans before, in fact it was always traditionaly the one place where owners of say ford escorts camped quite amicably next to aston martin owners etc.  But this year the ACO seemed more interested in ensuring the VIPs were shuttled around all over the place and also had the best viewing areas.  In fact it was almost on certain occasions, get of the way there's a VIp coming through.  Pissed me off something rotten.

Also the danger factor, we all love Le mans for the crazy stuff, but this year it seemed as a pedestrian bloody hard to stay alive.  Plus on top of that the ever annoying mopeds being allowed to ride around in the packed parts even behind the grandstands, just stupid.  The ACo needs to realise Le mans is as high a profile event as any F1 GP so they need to get into the 21st century.

Oh and the scanners, much better, but the security precence seemed a little bit excessive again,

The worst thing of Le mans now is the inability to take pictures, not many clear viewing areas now that are not obscured by either a wire fence or a concrete slab, factor that in with the inability to get tot he more obscure parts of the circuit, meant my pics were lacking this year.

One of the worst things though, as much as i hate to say it, was the sheer number of brit newbies this year.  There were too many newbies who forgetting the basic ettiquettes of Le mans camping.  Like the tits who decided to start a war of words with another foreign set of campers.  the tits who decided it was good fun to sit there trying to do burn outs in a scooby ( yeah that will work dicks), just seemed there were a few too may boyo brits at le mans this year, spoiling the event for others.  And also the tits driving liek its a race track on route to le mans, Yeah it is nice to drive in france but, i tell ya, drive like some of them did and you deserve to get busted byt the police, just out and out dangerous.

Dunno i love le mans with a passion, but just finding that either i am getting old and moany ( yes nearly 30!!!! soon) but think the Golden era is over for le mans, but its still good but just not the same.  I actually prefer our regular trip to Nurburgring now.  But i will be going next year, but just hoping its not just me noticing these littel differences.

PS great site

[Lord Steve]

Ant
Have to say I agree completely with you mate. My first trip was in '94 and I was amazed by the friendliness, camerarderie and access, not only to the track but also to the teams and drivers. [At this point I should say massive thanks to Oliver Gavin who invited us into the #64 Corvette Garage on Friday morning].
We were having our usual debrief in the car on the way back yesterday and discussed how things had changed a little every year since '94.
The event is VERY corporate now and I do get p****d off with people in suits being ferried about the circuit and with those poxy motorised scooters everywhere. The thieving on the campsites seems to be getting much worse although we've never had a real problem with that.
I sense though that the French, particularly the locals who, let's face it are a tolerant bunch, are really getting hacked off with young, drunk Brits who are not there for the race but there for one reason - to get pissed and make a bloody nuisance of themselves. It gives the rest of us a bad name. I am sick and tired of people just shouting at French shopkeepers and bar staff and making no attempt to speak the language. Make a bloody effort you knobheads.
I agree that the "Golden Age" does seem to have passed and for the first time ever we are just thinking about giving it a miss next year.
Sad but true.

Steve

[oldtimer]

I sense though that the French, particularly the locals who, let's face it are a tolerant bunch, are really getting hacked off with young, drunk Brits who are not there for the race but there for one reason - to get pissed and make a bloody nuisance of themselves. It gives the rest of us a bad name. I am sick and tired of people just shouting at French shopkeepers and bar staff and making no attempt to speak the language. Make a bloody effort you knobheads.

I agree Steve - there should be no place for these idiots and, on that basis, I urge you to reconsider your plans for next year...  If the decent folk start attending in fewer numbers there will be no hope...

[Lord Steve]

You know what my friend, come January I just know I'll be filling in the Motor Racing International booking form and rallying the troops despite the hassles!
I was talking to an elderly French chap from Arnage who told me that he and his family used to look forward to the "British Invasion" every year and to the special atmosphere it created. Now he hates it! That can't be right, it just can't. He is totally fed up with the stupid, drunk and unruly behaviour which, he agrees, is caused by a small minority but which tarnishes the lot of us.
I dunno, I might just try a different way of doing it, maybe an off-circuit campsite or a small b&b locally. Might even get the train down, I'm a bit long in the tooth for all this camping malarkey.

Cheers and let's keep this grumpy old men stance up, it makes me feel better!

Steve

[Piglet]

Is this thread reserved for grumpy old men or can us girlies join in too? 

I don't have the energy to write too much, I've written war and peace on another thread.  I agree entirely though, I wish the yobs would piss off back to the football terraces and where ever else they come from. 

If it didn't suit us so well to be close to the circuit this would have been my last year camping. I'm going to write to the ACO about some of what went on and hopefully they might take some action, I think they want to change things.

The trouble is that will change things for all of us that know how to behave properly. 

[oldtimer]

I'm a bit long in the tooth for all this camping malarkey.

Cheers and let's keep this grumpy old men stance up, it makes me feel better!

Steve

Now those sentiments I can relate to 

[nickliv]

Re. the football shirted f wits


With european footy championships being held next year, maybe, if we're lucky some of them will bog off to Austria and Switzerland for the duration.

[monkey]

I have to say I have always avoided the rowdy side of the event. I always arrive on the circuit on Saturday and leave straight after the race. Also my team is based very much out in the country, making a customary trip in to the 'thick' of it on Sunday morning, visiting the Porsche curves, Tetre Rouge and then back to Mulsanne for the finish. I have to say that this year was particularly pleased to get back to the country and might resort to buying just virage Mulsanne and Arnage tickets next year. Particularly as the viewing in those areas is now so enhanced with the introduction of the screens that run constant updates on race position (fantastic thank you ACO!!!). Having avoided then all the sad episodes that other members refer to here, then I have to say that I feel that the experience was better than ever this year and I welcome so many of the changes that have taken place. I hope that all the posters on this thread will attend next year as I feel from your notes that you have a positive approach to the whole thing and the last thing we want is for the event to be hijacked by the hoards described earlier. Perhaps you can join me and team Monkey for a civilized beer or two (all order in my finest linguaphone French) in the country down at Arnage while we watch the worlds greatest motor race go by. See you next year Monkey.

[Nordic]

Having been to a every race since 1980 I do feel in a postion to comment and agree that the atmosphere does vary every year.

This year on the Annexe I thought is was a bit quiter than normal, which may be down to the bad weather, but elsewhere I did notice a huge increase in the 'lads out on the piss' type of group.

I went to town on friday for the first time in a few years and it was not an overly pleasant time, while not as bad as the 'Jag years' when it really was getting out of hand, the amount of disrespect shown to locals, not just by the brits but the danes and germans was unpleasant and put me in mind of a football type of event.


(On a personal note, To the cock in the white Mitshi EVO with the big boy wing on, I hope your dick falls of, your driving is shite)

[termietermite]

I brought two newbies with me - a couple of chaps in their 70's who had been wanting to do LM for years.  Their seats in the front of the Lagache grandstand (thanks Steve) sadly brought them into immediate contact with a bunch of these pillocks, who were on the terraces just in front, who insisted on spraying water and other cr*p on the circuit and other spectators.  Happily, they're very tolerant but it wasn't the best introduction to the great race.

Luckily, they were very comfy in a nice b&b near me and were well looked after so it didn't spoil their weekend but it so easily could have done.  What it does do, of course, is make the locals more strict with security which will eventually bring a stop to the innocent fun which most of us have.  It really makes me embarassed to be British.  I just put on my best Frog accent and pretend to be a local.  Pr*ts.

[Lancs Se7en]

Well well and I just thought that it was me, getting older and less tolerant maybe but I empathise with everything that has been said.
From a personal point of view I did not enjoy this year as much as previous. The atmosphere was different with subtle changes taking the edge of things. What summed it up on the boozy boy front was hearing that "this would be great for a stag weekend do" and the piss head wearing a small red thong who walked through Musee giving us grief and being a total w***nker. On top of that was the lack of prommonading on Friday, the move by the ACO to a one square metre pre errected tent scheme and a general feeling that at anytime there could be one big punch up.
My feeling is that this event will strangle itself in the next few years. The ACO generally do not give a toss about the likes of us and providing they can generate cash from the corporate monkeys then they will carry on in their own sweet way. The weekend seems to have de-generated into one huge piss up with the locals taking huge amounts of flak from yobs of all nationalities. Its a real shame but I have already made the decision not to go again next year and along with a considerable number of others in our group and friends that we have met year after year we are going to sit back and watch developments.

[ewan]

I've been to the last 8 LMs and tend to agree that the overall atmosphere is less pleasant than it once was: the feeling is that the whole event is bigger, with more people travelling and camping, hence more gridlock on the roads, more controls from the CRS and the likes.

It always rubs a bit to see corporate sponsorship take over, but if the money made by Audi et al ferrying big wigs around, can be ploughed back into the circuit and the event (such as the redevelopment of the village, or the provision of the new screens at Mulsanne/Arnage), then IMHO it's got to be an overall good thing. Without the suits' involvement, the big names would vanish (after all, in major areas like the UK and the US, Le Mans gets seemingly bugger all coverage) and we'd be left with a field full of privateers and 2nd rate works teams.

Radio Le Mans still bumbles on making a sometimes laughably bad job become essential listening.

I didn't go up to HA on Mad Friday (couldn't be bothered to walk from Blue and no way was I going to drive), but if the atmosphere was anything like it was on the road between Blue & MB, it must have been more like "I predict a riot" than the good natured if a bit irresponsible japes of recent years. The CRS have killed a lot of the innocent fun (the promenading, parking up at Arnage and just shooting the breeze looking at some nice cars): a couple of people told me that this year they weren't even allowing anyone to stop at the side of the road. Having said that, the Gendarmes were more reasonable about the use of the back road (from Arnage into Camping blue, which avoided all the grief of queuing on the main drag past the circuit). If only they and the ACO marshalls could do a better job of managing the crowds of pedestrians and the traffic along that route, particularly on Saturday morning, then it would be much smoother for all.

The security situation is sad, but perhaps inevitable: hopefully it'll be cyclical and we'll get back to the days of "we're all in this together", though I'm not so sure.

I'll be back next year

[Lancs Se7en]

And I forgot to say that we were also rolled over on Saturday. Every single one of 12 tents gone through but luckily all of the valuable stuff was either on our person or in the boots of cars. One bag was stolen however, it contained clothes and some other bits and pieces but we did find a wallet that had been dumped at our site. It contained nothing of value other than some personal stuff in French that was probably important to someone. Thieving has probably always happened at one level or another but when its in your face it really sucks. The group next to us had their car doors tried on the same day but gave the wannabe thieves some choice reasons to move on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lord Steve]

Due to the increasing level of general unpleasantness (not everywhere I concede) we were thinking that if we come next year - and I take Oldtimer's comment seriously, that it would be a great shame if we genuine enthusiasts were put off by the activities of others. To that end I've been thinking about other ways of doing the trip and have started to look into travelling by rail to Le Mans. At first sight it actually looks fairly reasonable.

Termie, I wonder if I could ask your advice here - do you know of any decent b&b places near to the circuit? I know that we'd be without a car so they would have to be in somewhere like the town, Arnage or Mulsanne even but I must admit that it would be nice to be away from Maison Blanche campsite for a change.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Steve

PS
Why don't we all write to the ACO expressing our concerns? I can put up with increased security if I were to stay on a campsite again as I don't cause anyone else any problems!

[Robspot]

Why don't we all write to the ACO expressing our concerns? I can put up with increased security if I were to stay on a campsite again as I don't cause anyone else any problems!

I think you're forgetting the fact that they don't really want us there anyway! If they get loads of letters from dirty smelly British campers they may very well think "oh great, now we can close another campsite and give our corporate guests more space to look pompous"