Black C5 Z06

If one was considering going to LeMans, how would one go about it?
I'm completely lost in the dark as to how to go about setting this trip up. It's either going to be this year or next, but I'd like BOTH! ha ha.
Any advice from someone who has done it, thinking about doing it, or just knows what to do would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Jonathan

stingraymarc

I live in Germany and have gone for the past three years...we have a large club of american and german corvette owners who caravan there and party with the locals..if you want more info send me an email ! See you then! you can also see posts on events and regional forum under other countries.
nice car BTW!!

95jersey

I always dreamed of putting the Z06 on a boat/plane and driving to the race and make a vacation of it! Someday when my son is older, I may have to do this.

Good luck and have a great time!

Black C5 Z06

Thanks man. I see it being pretty expensive, if I can just figure out how the heck to get started on all this.
I certainly WON'T be putting my car on a boat, etc. That would be entirely too expensive.

bjm

Good topic! I wanted to go last year but started planning too late. I am seriously thinking about doing it this year. I was looking in Grand Prix Tours program last night. I have done a couple of events with them before and they are great but not cheap.

I am thinking that it is prob going to cost around $3k total, not sure if I want to drop that kind of money when that would be a entire race weekend.

It is something I have always wanted to do so I will have to keep looking into it. Not sure where I would start if I had to plan it myself w/o a tour group.

Anyone done the Grand Prix Tours to Le Mans?

Black C5 Z06

The race is the 14-15 of June and I would like to leave ATL on the Tuesday before, do some Euro touring (Paris, etc), watch the race, and leave on the following Tuesday.
But, lol, knowing expenses, that will probably be cut WAY down.
Just wondering if anyone knows if you should do Priceline, etc or what.

1stZ

I took this (24 hours race, nurburgring & Barcelona) trip on '05. Lots of fun. I'm friends with the head of crew chief with Petersen/White Lightning race team at the time. Better learn/practice french!!! Other than that, the trip, race & our trip to Nurburgring during the week break between testing & race day was a great

Here are some pics!




http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...s/CIMG0147.jpg

Good luck I'd help but petersen/white lightning is not racing this year so I'm afraid I no longer have connection. Anyways, hope you make that trip. It'll be a lot of fun.

XPC5R

I went last year, hooked up with a tour group out of England since I was very last minute and green (http://www.selectmotorracing.com/) that supplied this - for much less than GP tours:

Hotel accomodations in Chartres (about 40mi. outside of Lemans)
Shuttle into Lemans for the pitwalk and Drivers parade on Friday
Shuttle into Lemans for the race on Saturday, and leaving a couple of the big tour buses on site overnight to crash in (or you could return to the hotel)
Shuttle back to the hotel Sunday.

We had to fly to Paris, take a train to Chartres, and return the same way after the race. My wife and I spent an extra couple of days in Paris before flying home.

You could arrange all of it on your own, but I felt better letting someone else handle it for the first trip.

Most important thing is to order grandstand tickets NOW... they sell out very quickly, and you'll have to buy from one of the ticketmaster type companies (check out the pistonheads.com forum for tips).

We did not have grandstand seats, but that was not too big a deal, as most of the fun was wandering around the track to watch from all over.

Be sure to be near the Corvette pits friday around noon, as that's when the star spangled banner gets belted out on guitar

Black C5 Z06

THANKS BRO!
Exactly what I needed to know. Anyone else got any more info to offer?

stingraymarc

if you find bluewasp on the forum, you can ask how much it cost him and another forum member..Gary, how much it cost for them to ship their cars over to Germany. From there they sped down the autobahn and took part in our club's pre Le-Mans tour of the beaches of Normandy.

We dont usually get grandstand seats, we pay the general admission fee and stay at a corvette campground.
In the past I have taken part in the drivers parade, and our members get to do a lap around the track before the race...each of the past three years my C4 has broken down before the lap...so for this year I had the C4 rebuilt AND bought a 02 Z06....Ill try to get both on the grid with a friend's help...at least one of them should make it!

Tom Wallace and some of the drivers have visited us in the past...

Here I am holding the GT1 championship trophy in 2006 with Tom Wallace...

The eternal struggle between the C6Rs and the Aston Martin DB9R's

hanging with emmerson fittipaldi...

talking vettes with Dave Hill and Dick Guldstrand.

GregJ

I have been the last 8 years in a row. Thought I would go 1 time just to see the show and that would be it. It is so amazing that it has drawn me back every year since. There is nothing like Le Mans!!

Youer best bet is to set-up something with an established group. They have already reserved rooms, transportation, etc. It is more expensive than going yourself but if you do not know the "lay of the land" it is pretty difficult. The race has become such an event that most accomdations are pre-reserved by brokers and tour people years in advance. So trying to do it on your own is almost impossible, unless you are going to take a tent and camp-out. Camping is possible but a pretty rugged way to go. The weather in Le Mans that time of year can be everything from extremely hot/humid and sunny to a rainy downpour (and it can all happen in the same week).

If you really want to do it on your own to save money and create your own experience, then go with a group this year and spend a great deal of time finding accomdations for next year. You may be able to strike-up a relationship with a French family to use their spare room or cottage. The flights to France, train to Le Mans and rental car you can do easliy thourgh your local AAA office.

Be sure you take some French language books, speak a little French or French language lessons. The people in Paris speak a little English but language can be a problem there. However in a small town like Le Mans you need to know some French to get around on your own. Very few people you will meet in Le Mans, especially the surrounding countryside, speak English.

Blitz_

With the dollar being so weak, it would be very expensive to do the trip. You will pay close to double.

XPC5R

Worth every penny Just to see the classic Aston/Corvette battle, and hopefully our own LG there this year with any luck. This has been going on for a few years, and it may not be the same in another couple (with the possibility of GM and Aston heading to P1)

FYI last year, airfare from DFW was around 1400, the group cost was around 600, then add maybe 200 for cabs/train. Rooms in Paris are high though, and to me, the small rural towns (Lemans and Chartres) were nicer. You want to find something called a Travel by Air type package. That gives you good flexibility. Getting out of Paris by train was not hard, there are buses to most of the train stations at the airport, and the train stations had english speaking ticket counter reps.

The group we went with was pretty low frills, but they did provide good meals at the hotel, and the circuit transfers and on site buses were great. Just plan on accomodations being simple, but the hospitality and food and race action good to great. We met up another couple from Florida, and a bunch of Brits who had rode down in the tour bus from London.

Black C5 Z06

A TON of great info. THANKS GUYS!