mbeckers

I am looking for some advice from those of you who have attended the 24 hours of Le Mans. I am giving serious thought to attending this year and would like to hear some of the do's and don't's for the first time attendee.

Thanks,
M

RX-Ben

I went 9 years ago on the (extreme) cheap so some of this may be dated/inapplicable.
To get to the track from Paris, take a train (aim for a TGV), then the tram/shuttle to the track. Unless you have a credit card with a chip in it, you'll need to pay in cash.
I would get a general admission ticket, shoes, hat, rain gear. Bring a radio and good earbuds so you can hear the coverage. I didn't bring rain gear and I got lucky. It was about 90 degrees. The sun sets around 10:30 or so and starts coming up a little before 5 so the night is very short. I was beyond thrilled to be there and slept for about an hour before sunrise.
The track is enormous but you can't walk around much of it - see this as you'll need to plan in advance to get to some of the farther areas - http://www.racetours.co.uk/Le%20Mans...to%20watch.htm. I mainly hung out at Dunlop, Tetre Rouge and Porsche curves. Dunlop is the place to be at the start, there are big crowds there.
A grandstand seat certainly wasn't worth it at the time, not sure if I'd get one now. Might not be the worst idea to grab a seat so you can watch a TV screen for a bit if you get tired of walking. At least when I was there, the track is "old school" in the sense that it rewards hiking around - you can get great views with a lowly general admission ticket and it is really enjoyable to keep moving around the track. If I were to get a grandstand ticket it would be in Wimille or Benoist. Tons to see in the infield as well.
Should be a great race this year. The cars are nuts and the whole event is awesome.

mbeckers

Thanks Ben for your reponse. Afetr having gone would you reccomend attending via one of the race tour packages or venture off on your own? Those packages are fairly expensive, but I am looking at this as a once in a life time experience.

Black 03 Z06

I would love to do this trip/race as well. Thanks for the tips.

Mbeckers, if you go we need photos. Damn, just book the trip.

Zoxxo

FYI - You can upgrade your credit cards to the chip version by simply calling the number on the back of your current card and asking for it

Also, when in France, don't pretend you know how to speak French

This year's race should, indeed, be cool. I wish I could go.

We've used these folks in the past for F1 and old Champ Car races with great results. It's not the cheapest way to do things but they sure do grease a lot of the skids.

http://www.gptours.com/Le-Mans-24-Hours/

Z//

RX-Ben

I went and spent the bare minimum (student at the time) - paid for the general admission ticket and 30 euro or whatever for food. And loved it. Only upgrade I would have done would be to get a grandstand seat as a place to relax/sleep and have a different vantage point. I'm not sure what going with a group would add, but I'm definitely on the DIY side of things.

bjmsam

I attended in 2003. I was living in England at the time and drove my Dodge Stealth Twin-Turbo down with the GTOUK club. I had a blast, and my trip report is here. "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" was effectively true in my case, as watching those C5Rs blast around the track ultimately led to the purchase of my C6Z!

mbeckers

Thanks everyone for your tips, suggestions, comments, etc. I am very close to pulling the trigger on the trip.

yenkovette

Thanks for posting that pic of the 2003 racecar in blue. Too bad that the Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello #88 won that year and interrupted a long string of C5R and then C6R wins. Best I could do was get 1/43 models of all 1999 to 2014 Lemans GT winners.

RX-Ben

Have you been able to find a flight for <$900? That seems kind of high but I haven't flown over there in a while. On the flipside, the weak Euro will be a big plus.

mbeckers

That would be great if I could find flights under $900. The cheapest I could find is $1,400. I am sure that it depends on where you are flying from. I am coming from the Midwest so it is most likely more expensive.

RX-Ben

http://www.clubarnage.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ca_guide:toc

RX-Ben

There are XL Airways flights leaving from JFK (to CDG) on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, returning on Monday night, for $750. Not great, but the flight is direct and you can get to the track in time for Wednesday's (or Thursday's) action.
Hotels are booked, but AirBnB has lots to choose from.
Let me know if you are going.

mbeckers

I have decided to go. I have a festival tent reserved for Friday through Sunday night. Planning on flying out the Monday before the race and spending a few days in Paris before heading to Le Mans on Friday.

dvandentop

awesome man been meaning to text ya to find out if you had made any more plans. sounds like a great trip! wish i was going along on the adventure with ya

RX-Ben

Is anyone else here making the trip? Probably a fool's errand to try to meet up, but we could try for it.

mbeckers

Ben, If you are going to the race I am willing to give it a shot. What could go wrong??? There are only 250,000 other people to contend with.

Mike