Anyone here ever been to the 24hrs of Lemans

[gtx6970]

Something I'm just pondering / exploring the what ifs / the pitfalls of doing

I've have wanted to see the Lemans race live and in person for most of my adult life

Anyone here ever went
Looking at ideas , the goods and the bads , pro - cons , places to stay, places not to stay , costs if possible etc etc etc

To go would be a HUGE bucket list thing for me

 

[RemCharger]

All in all, sounds like a huge bill. It would be cool though. Lots of eye candy

 

[Dennis H]

Gotta put up with the §€£*&# French. Not for me. Pick pockets and they don’t wash their hands.
And, we cannot be armed there.

 

[guy gadbois]

Something I'm just pondering / exploring the what ifs / the pitfalls of doing

I've have wanted to see the Lemans race live and in person for most of my adult life

Anyone here ever went
Looking at ideas , the goods and the bads , pro - cons , places to stay, places not to stay , costs if possible etc etc etc

To go would be a HUGE bucket list thing for me

Has ALWAYS been a huge 'bucket list' thing for me too, since I was like 6... Up to 20-25 years ago, I would say 'Just DO it!', but now... not so sure. What Dennis H says, plus, there are very few French left in France [in the major cities]; it is not a place you want to be. If you can survive getting out of Paris, Nice or wherever you would fly in to, the small towns and countryside are/is beautiful and the actual French people are pretty darn nice. [this from a friend who goes with regularity - Ive never been]
My suggestion would be, that if you just HAVE to go - and I personally support the idea [like you care] - is to research the heck out of it. Consider a 'tour group' maybe. If not, I would contact any American race teams that have been/are going. Seriously, who would know better? Those guys have 'been there done that' and would know specifics as well as pitfalls for Americans travelling there. They may or not choose to be helpful, but it doesnt cost anything to ask. Read, a lot. I would also suggest trying to learn a little French; true, you can 'get around' most European nations using English - at least in the bigger cities - but I guarantee that at least trying to speak a bit of the local's native tongue will get you further and trigger a favour or two.
Also, be sure and give a trip report with LOTS of photos when you get back home!

 

[mpgmike]

Did the 24 hour Rolex in Daytona, if that counts.

 

[DeltaV]

I've have wanted to see the Lemans race live and in person for most of my adult life

I believe you should go.

The only regrets will be if you don't go.

 

[cr8crshr]

The Frogs are a bunch of filthy idiots, as mentioned above. It's the dirtiest place I have ever been to as well. Just my take, so when it comes down to it, it is your choice, Bill...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[Don Frelier]

I believe you should go.

The only regrets will be if you don't go.

Not even one letter?

 

[AR67GTX]

Currently a travel advisory for France for terrorism and civil unrest. But heck, may not be any worse than our west coast. Haven’t really spent any time in France but we have visited most of the surrounding countries - and summers over there can be quite hot and crowded over there. We have learned to go in the winter when it’s cooler and the tourists are thinned out. If you go sometime I hope you enjoy it

 

[Budnicks]

Seen it a lot on movies or TV,
looks like it'd be fun to camp out
somewhere, near the track, a small tent & sleeping bag,
shouldn't be too much to bring...
Beer, or wine if you're one of them types, bread & salami, from a local deli
some ice in a throwaway cooler etc.
(According to my stepdad)

I just watched the movie LeMans from 1970, Steve McQueen 917 Porsche
every time I see it I want to go, but my 88 y/o dad's health
& me not trusting anyone to take care of him, shoots that down...

Like most I'm not a big fan 'of the French per-say', it's not the old country
my stepdad Bob, was there in the Army said people were really rude
especially to Americans, (maybe because he was military)
but that was some time ago though too, the later 90's
& how their country has changed especially,
much like all our big cities
Not much of France, is French anymore, they've been occupied by refugees
there are many 'no go zones' now too, many are marked also (allegedly)
& I don't speak/read the languages (any of them) either, all negatives...

But;
You got to go sit by the longer straight anyways, like the Mulan Straight (spell)
to see the 450+kph (250+mph) screaming/zooming by, passing each other
especially the GTP/C (?) prototypes & Hypercars now...

Also the Neurenberg (spell) Ring, in Germany has a 24hrs race too,
this weekend IIRC, usually it's held after the 24hrs of LeMans
I don't speak German very well, but that was a race I wanted to see too...
stay an extra week, & go see both...

You can't see much of the races, just where you are,
you need to be able to walk around, to see other parts of the tracks...

MY older sister Candy & my niece,
her daughter Sabrina just went to Paris, during the winter...
Sarina was there for business, she is in the film industry does documentaries,
for a non Profit (yeah one of them types)...
& they both said;
That they were OK for the most part, felt 'sort of safe' most the time
said they felt a bit strange in some cases, & neither speaks French,
like the people were talking about them
but they have 'phone apps' for French translation/speak...
They also said;
That most the touristy places, some or most spoke
some 'sort of broken Inglish' too
but, the food was great & their hotel was great, but very very pricey
like double what, you'd pay in SF/NYC or Anchorage is...
It was well over $10k USD each, including air-fair for the 2 for a week/8 days
& all the touristy stuff/hotels, taxis (you won't want to drive there) & restaurants
are all 'expensive', they didn't expand on the cost too much...

Good luck if you go, take lots of photos

 

[GASSR]

I have been a couple of times. Very cool event. I camped at the track. Keeps cost down but sleeping on race night is not easy, need ear plugs! Mercier used to have a champagne tent ... best value drinks there. Beer was expensive! Weather can be an issue and if it rains, they still race but the inside of the circuit turns to mud. Being there,you get a really good idea of how grueling the race is. A Canadian friend of mine was driving in C2. I saw him at the end of his stint. He had nothing left. He had unzipped his fire suit, slid down a wall and collapsed. Track is in the countryside at Sarthe. Not too far from Versailles so if you visit the race, take time to see the epic palace there. I am thinking about going next year. Maybe Cadillac can kick AF Corse off the enuber one spot.

 

[j-c-c-62]

Never been to LeMans race, but it is still on my bucket list.
I have driven a lot of the track in a street car, it is impressive.
Attended Sebring 12hr and Daytona 24hr many times.
Endurance racing IMO is very impressive.
Like playing golf 24 hrs straight in a hurricane, a lot of mental for the drivers.
Here is Ken Miles (brown jacket with the red flower reef)-Loyd Ruby (blue jacket) at 1966 Daytona 24hrs in the Winners circle.
That was the beginning of Fords GT40 winning streak
Learned the other day the iconic Le Mans start is based on a driver leaving their house in a hurry and getting into their car and driving away on a one way trip. also why they back in the day were also required to carry a spare tire, any tools driver only might need to fix the car on the track, a small amount of empty suit cases, and if they needed parts for repairs while broke down on the track, they were required to walk back to the pits on the track itself, and could not take a shortcut thru the infield.

Viewing an endurance race IMO is much like visiting Arches NP in Utah, every viewing location has its very own uniqueness and it it changes by the hour.
It takes a number of visits to find the locations at a race that offers everyone what they find special. At a large track, over 24 hours, that is a lot walking.

 

[j-c-c-62]

The Frogs are a bunch of filthy idiots, as mentioned above. It's the dirtiest place I have ever been to as well. Just my take, so when it comes down to it, it is your choice, Bill...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[Dennis H]

Ken Miles. One of my Hero's. Amazing guy.

 

[gtx6970]

Thanks all

It has always been on my bucket list. And I don't feel like I'm a sports car geek persay
But , to see it live HAS to be a rush beyond compare for a car guy of any kind.

Will I ever actually do it? Lord only knows. But its on my mind more and more these past few years, And I aint getting any younger

Some friends of mine went to an F1 race in Belgium last year and said it was the trip of a lifetime. But cheap it wasnt.

Might have to think about the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona as an alternative or percussor to lead up to Lemans

 

[j-c-c-62]

Sebring 12 hrs for a race fan surpasses Daytona in every way, viewing, paddock access to cars/teams, trackside photo ops, a non-forgiving WW2 bomber track, very rich racing history, traffic, vibe, layout, camping, tailgate partying, except for one aspect, nearby hotels are limited as it's a small but very nice little town. The smartest thing Nascar did was take over the track/race.

 

[j-c-c-62]

Green Park +

 

[Encswsm]

I went to the 24 hours of Lemons a couple of years ago it was a real hoot! Lots of fun. I always wanted to drive in it. LOL
24 Hours of Lemons - Wheel to Wheel Racing for $500 Cars

 

[#41]

For your consideration..... the Lemans Classic, which I believe is held every two years where they run only vintage cars. This, at least for me, would be 10x more interesting.

You might even get to see the recreation of Herschel McGriff's Hemi Charger run. You have not lived until you have seen (heard!) a Hemi-powered vintage stock car in action.

 

[MarPar]

But cheap it wasnt.

Spa is definitely on my bucket list as is Lemans. If I could ever swing it, I would go to Imola and Silverstone too.

Hey, a man can dream, can't he?? LOL