Purely in aid of research two first timers set off from North Yorkshire’s region to find out.  Richard Abbott and Richard Hepper spoke with those in the know and then started their preparation in a battle campaign style and all back in Oct 2002.

How do you get there?  Well we booked with the Cumbria Region – thanks go to Paul for his excellent organisational skills.  They got a block allocation of camping tickets, with TVRCC, and that way we got to stick with colleagues and friends on a site with water / electricity / shop / toilets and showers (ill come back to those later!) What’s the trip down like?  Marvellous is the short answer but Ill expand.  Cars of all shapes and sizes, all heading to one location, through beautiful lush countryside.  Beautiful French architecture with Chateau like homes and poppy fields.  Wow!  Did I mention roads that go on for ever with limited traffic? Its heaven behind a wheel.

How do you feed yourself?  We didn’t really.  If you go with a group who’s been before it’s easy.  They take down everything including the kitchen sink.   Everyone mucks in and shares the duties.  BBQ breakfast and dinner.  Ah what a chilled life. 

Have you a swimming pool at home?  I haven’t but I’d one here. A paddling pool the size of a car! Fridges for food and booze, gazebos for shade, tables and chairs, there were even reports of microwaves this year! 

Trips to the local supermarket revealed Brits with trolleys.  One full to the brim with bottled beers, another one with baguettes and another with meat (not too much salad seen!)  The scene from the xxxx add where the pickup collapses with the last bottle of sherry is so Le Mans!

What did we face when we got there?  Well thousands and thousands of Brits camped out everywhere drinking, bbq'ing and generally having the time of their lives.  Anyone who says that LM is a fantastic trip is not spinning a yarn.  It is fantastic!  The sun was out and we prepared for heat.  Boy it was hot this year.  Sun tan lotion and paddling pool helped!

In Houx camping we were right in the middle of the action.  Armed with a circuit map we walked round a large section of the circuit quite easily and got some great views.  Grandstand tickets allowed us to view the start and finish in comfort (seats are a little hard though for 24hrs!).

There’s a wonderful track there inside the main track.  Looks a very good place for a TVRCC foreign track day weekend?  Richard Mayoh and Bernie -how about it in a few years time?

Can you drive the track?  Yes is the simple answer. Most mornings before the cars get out its quiet enough for a blat.  We did the section from Porsche curves to Tetre Rouge.  The feeling of blasting down the Mulsanne Straight, where Webber flipped the Merc into the woods, was amazing.  The advice about getting out early is good.  After 10am the speeding fines started in earnest!  £540 was the best heard of this year.  OUCH!

Carrying a small radio and listening to 91.2fm – radio Le Mans kept us in touch with life.  Great little show with some rather good music and constant reports on what’s happening.  Life at home was forgotten and we got well into the spirit.

What were the highlights then for two virgins?

The drive there and back.  No roof for the whole journey! 

The Pit lane walk about on Friday.  The whole set up is huge and so well put together.

The vertical bungee: caused us to bottle it.  6g straight up from 0-60 in 0.8 secs! No thanks.

Team TVR – just being there and the huge following. 70K Brits all cheering.

The silent assassins – Bentley!  As all the others howled by, and I mean howled, the Bentleys majestically swept by with comparatively little noise, no body roll and no weight transfer under braking.  The discs glowed bright red and the body work gleamed.  Wow – top design!

The drivers parade where we sat on top of a bus shelter for a better view.  2 incidents of note:  One where we screamed at Johnny Herbert and waved the union jack getting a thumbs up and a huge grin, and the second: where the French car with 3 French drivers passed.  “Ici monsieur ici” we shouted.  When the all looked up we waved the British flag and booed.  Childish really but a dam good laugh!  They also seemed to think so as they laughed and again a thumbs up was given.

The fireworks on camp:  When I say fireworks I really should say bombs!  The ground would shake and the air would rattle.

The genuine friendly nature of every one, all sharing this experience in a non hostile way.

The camp site get ups – flags, pools, blow up women and cows!

The beer – There must have been a whole warehouse drunk that weekend?

The drive around the circuit.  Hundreds of Tivs blasting up and down.

The toilets – a whole in the floor!  Someone have a word with these French.  Times have moved on since the Stone Age.  A few hundred yards away we found a better set up and it was worth a few Euros to have comfort!  Even the supermarket trip became an opportunity!  The laugh was they kept shutting the ladies toilet and we all shared.  That’s me with no shame again!  Sorry Carol and others. Nothing like popping it out for a pee and finding a female stranger next to you brushing her teeth!

Two visits to out site by the TVR team:  Firstly Friday when Peter Wheeler and family plus the drivers came to see where the support was based.  A nice idea and one which gained them much respect from the supporters.  Posters blagged in the pit lane walk and shirts of all sorts where offered to the visitors to sign.  Some great mementos were gathered.  I even saw a set of breasts offered to Richard Hay to sign!

The last night party was something special.  The pit crew and Ben Samuelson paid us a visit.  Donning the latest TVR sponsors polo shirt they all came round for a beer or two.  I don’t know whether it was the threat of being gaffer taped to a tree or just their natural generosity that made them swap shirts!  It looked like the end of an international football match.  Thanks go to the guys for their insight into what had been a steep learning curve for the team.  Next year, they said looked positive.

Then it was time for the last joke.  A whisper spread through the camp that as Peters kids had peed in the pool we should use it as a good place to Christen Ben in Le Mans.  Like the end of the boat race Ben’s legs swept out from underneath him.  Decently we removed his watch, shoes and wallet (PS Big Wallet!).  1, 2, 3 and in he went.  What a night!

Did we see any racing?  Yes we did.  Only about 6 hours though.  The start, middle and finish, but that was enough to sample the intoxicating illixia that is Le Mans.

Will the team be there next year?  Lets wait and see but my fingers are crossed.  I believe Aston will be there next year!

So would we go again?  You bet!  But only in aid of further research you understand. 

Rich A