Getting a camping pitch

[siblo]

Hi Guys, a noob on this forum so Im sorry if these Q's are asked daily

We stayed with friends in Eccommy, (that spelling looks wrong) just south of mulsane, and that worked great, but I want to be at the track next year from first qualifying day, so want to book now,now a few questions

I want a pitch for a trailer tent, maison blanche looked good so thats probably full already or costs an arm and a leg, can anyone comment on that or recomend another spot?

Also, whats the best way to get a pitch, as I said I have friends in France so should I be sneaky and get them to book it over the phone with their address, (if you can do that)?

Should I just go straight to the ACO? And do I need to be a member to do it that way?

Does anyone use ticket agents? And which ones?

Any help or links to booking sites is greatly aprieciated

SO MANY QUESTIONS.................

Thanks in advance for any help given

SIblo

[Fran]

First the cheaper but less reliable way:

1.  Go to ACO website, download the 2008 booking form, change the date and fax completed form back to ACO - NOW.  You can select 1st to 4th choice campsite in order of preference... thats for you to decide (but you might pick up some useful tips reading through the post race threads of people's experiences this year).

You will then have a long tense wait until around December/January (I think) before you get any confirmation of what you have actually been allocated.  You can then accept or reject what they offer you and in due course you get an invoice which you have to pay a bit sharpish.  Up until this point it hasnt cost you a penny - so you might as well do this anyway!  You dont need to be a member.

Once you get your ACO allocation and you have paid for it (and you will almost certainly be offered something even if not one of your choices so you are very unlikely to be completely homeless) if you dont like what they have given you, you can get onto Club Arnage and start swapping/selling till you get what you are after.

2.  Alternatively you can try any number of agencies, who add their mark up but you are a little more likely to get the campsite you want (provided they get their allocation from the ACO of course).  Others can tell you more about agencies that I can as I have never used them yet.

Standard pitch size is 5 metres x 7 metres - this is increasingly being enforced, but seems to vary according to the campsite and who is on the gate when you arrive!  Depending on the size of your trailer tent and /or vehicle and/or gazebo a single pitch might be a bit of a squeeze.

I am not sure that applying from an address in France will give you any advantage to be honest and an advantage with faxing is that you have a confirmation sheet that shows when you applied if it comes to a battle with the ACO further down the line!.

F

[termietermite]

All you need to know is in the CA Guide:

http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide

The "how to get tickets" section will help, and there's a comprehensive run-down on the various merits and de-merits of the campsites in there too.

MB doesn't cost an arm and a leg but it's one of the most expensive sites at around 80€.  However it's amongst the most popular so you're unlikely to get in there for '09 now at this late stage.  But you'll certainly get a pitch somewhere (perhaps Bleu) if you APPLY NOW.  It makes no difference whether your address is in England or France.  I haven't ever got preferential treatment since I've been over here.

However, even though there's always a scramble for pitches on the Sell or Swap board when the allocations come out towards the end of the year, that borders on the demented - it's obvious from the numbers of tickets still for sale as close as a week before the race, that the panic is probably unneccessary and you'd pick up camping tickets if you're prepared to wait until the "mates" people have ordered tickets for, decide not to come at the last minute, or unexpected disasters strike.

[siblo]

Thanks for the input folks, I was busy printing the CA guide as I was typing so have not fully read it yet, I will scan through that and apply asap.

One thing I don't get is how I can be too late if they allocate in December, or do they allocate as you apply and only tell everyone in December?

Anyone stayed on one of the new camps inside the track?

Will Houx & Houx Annex be there in 09? Heard they were being built on

Thanks again

Siblo

[termietermite]

Applications are accepted from Friday of PQ onwards for the following year.  However, the allocations aren't sent out until the end of the year - but they're done in the order they were  received in. 

[tommy84]

I'd go for tickettravel.nl

They are reasonably priced, HA was just 3€ more, and you get your first choice as it's a webshop and not some lottery like the ACO's 1 out of 4, or another.
Also they don't differ between newbies and regular visitors as the ACO seems to do, hell they even forgot to put my tickets ready for pickup on PQ at my first visit. Got tickets from the forum the last year and this year via tickettravel.nl.
Never the less, christmas time is the LATEST as well with them. Still got HA in early january this year from the dutch

Never ever I'll order from the ACO again.

[Piglet]

Our French camping neighbours at the 24hr say that they know that they have their allocation for next year.  They just ring the ACO and it's all sorted.  They have only been going for three years so no Magic List status.

I'd get your friends to ring with their French address as well as you ordering from the ACO following Fran's advice above.

Tommy do Ticket & Travel require you to buy GA tickets with camping passes and if so at what price?

[siblo]

Hi again guys, I have been trying to find the 2008 booking form but i'm having no sucsess, is the link broken or maybee closed, or am I just not seeing it?

[termietermite]

The link's gone from the main page but is probably still lurking about somewhere!  I'll attempt to dig it up but if all else fails, I'll tippex the details out of my copy and scan one for you.

[siblo]

Thanks a lot termietermite, your a star

siblo

[termietermite]

Thanks a lot termietermite, your a star

siblo

Aw...

Found it and this link works:

http://www.lemans.org/sport/sport/calendrier/pdf/24h2008_bon_commande_gb.pdf

[tommy84]

@ piglet - camping only possible for only a few euros above ACO.
I've paid 58 instead of 55 for HA + 20€ shipping

But don't take away all my HA tickets then, hopefully I need a few more than this year