Le Mans 2007

[chris.t]

Volvomans ticket is part of my original order, if he can't use it then you have first refusal on it Chris.

refusal not an issue

[Nige]

Just booked my ferry for Le Mans 2007. P&O are doing a good deal (Dover -Calais) at the moment, I've got a return crossing for £42. Portsmouth or Poole would have suited me better but at that price I'll do the mileage.

If you want to book I suggest you do so fairly quickly as I can't imagine the offer will last that long, see the P&O website:

http://www.poferries.com/tourist/

I'm going out on Mon 11 Jun and coming back on Mon 18 Jun, around Midday on both, thought I'd make a week of it this year, go and see the scrutineering in the city centre and chill a little .

[Scott J]

I'm thinking of Rosyth to Zeebrugge which saves driving from Glasgow to the south coast.

Would be Tue night ferry, eta Wed avro, and Monday ferry back. So the Sunday night post race, Nige, will be spent defending our pitch from thieving pikeys.

[Nige]

So the Sunday night post race, Nige, will be spent defending our pitch from thieving pikeys.

Not quite, I'll be having a shower in a proper bathroom, looking forward to eating a meal someone else has cooked but maintaining continuity by having a beer or 2, somewhere between Le Mans and Calais!

See your logic on your route Scott, seems sensible from Glasgow (did a day trip to Glasgow week before last, If it had been for longer I'd have contacted you).

[Scott J]

I'll probably do a runner with u 2 then. Pitch up nearer the ports on Sun.

So any other Clan McElan ers interested in a trip ???

[Nige]

After a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing. My order for Le Mans tickets has now been confirmed . The good news is I've got the number of tickets I asked for, the not so good news is the camping tickets are not in the site I asked for. Initially I got offered a split allocation of camping tickets, 6 in Maison Blanche and 5 in Bleu Nord, after brief consultation with a few of the old hands we agreed that all camping in the same site was preferable so I managed to get the tickets changed to all 11 in Bleu Nord (Karting Nord our campsite of the last few years was not offered and is stated to be fully booked on the ACO site). However, all tickets were invoiced at the series A (full) price where as my ACO membership gives me a maximum of 6 tickets at the Series B (discounted) price. After a bout of e mail ping pong with my source all is well and apart from not getting first choice of campsite the ticket allocation is confirmed. I will e mail (if I have your e mail) or PM all going to Le Mans individually with a breakdown of what tickets you will be getting and what you owe me. I will convert Euros to £s at the exchange rate on the day, spread the cost of the postage from France and my ACO membership across all tickets. Postage to you in UK (if necessary, as I will try to personally deliver as many tickets as possible) I will take at risk and you can repay me with a beer or 2 at Le Mans in Jun. I would appreciate prompt payment for the tickets once I've sent you the breakdown as I have to pay for all the tickets I've ordered in the next month at a total cost of over 1000 Euros.

So bottom line is tickets are confirmed, I would like some money once you receive the individual cost breakdown from me, the tickets will arrive with me some time in early-mid May and I will get them to you as efficiently as possible once I have them. So it looks as though we are good to go, I strongly recommend booking a Ferry soon if you haven't done so already.

[muley]

Nige,

Thanks very much indeed for organising this and taking on the ACO.

I'll send you a cheque just as soon as you tell me how much.

Keep in touch



Jim B

[Scott J]

Is Blue nord across the road from maison B overflow ? I know they keep extending it.

I was in Masion B overflow in 2001 before they put up the concrete wall and used to jump across into BN for a shower as it was quieter.

If so its the site that Caterham 7 UK use with their own marquee etc, maybe as lotus owners we could get honorary membership.

Nige, KN was just getting too noisy with the Danish disco til 4am and the chavs.

[Nige]

Scott,

Yes, BN is outside the circuit, across tyhe road from the MB entrance, sort of between the circuit and the airfield. Shade might be an issue so anyone with the space may wish to consider Gazebos or some other form of shelter.

I'll get the breakdown sent out soon but I was unexpectedly posted this Monday and start a new job on 12 March so have a lot of catching up to do and need to fit the next 6 months work into the next 3 weeks!

[chris.t]

Nige, will book the ferry tonight. we'll be going from monday to the following tuesday. Stay in the B&B we know on the monday night on the way back. Can you confirm i have a camping ticket for 2 people/1 tent. Incidently will we all be together, being a newbie to Le Mans 24h i may need to be shown the routine!

Off topic but i put some vid clips in the post to you today - hope you have the time to do something with them!

cheers C

[Nige]

Chris,

What are you planning to do on the Sunday night after the race? I would strongly recommend vacating the campsite and spending the Sunday night in a B&B or somewhere as the camp sites tend to get invaded by the local scavengers once the race is over. We normally break camp on the Sunday morning and are all packed up and ready to drive as soon as the race finishes.

You have one camping ticket (the one originally allocated to Volvoman) which is for the vehicle, you can have as many people in that vehicle as you like and as many tents as you like except this year in some sites your vehicle and tent(s) must occupy a space no larger than 35m2. You also have one general admission (race entry) ticket, as I have to buy at least one of these for every camping ticket. As these are individual tickets for people you will need another one, this is not a problem as you can get that when you're their first time you go into the circuit. Plan is for the first on site (probably me by lunchtime on Tuesday) to grab enough space for all to camp together.

Look forward to receiving the vids. I need to crack on with the stand with the now added complication that Donington is at the end of the first week of my new job and taking the Friday off may no longer be an option

[chris.t]

OK ferry booked. we will be going for a week camping at various places on the way down. Will meet with the LEC crew at time and place to be agreed at Le Mans or other convenient meeting place if thats OK. Plenty of time to discuss that anyway.

getting the ferry back on the monday, vacating site on the sunday and staying at B&B on the Sunday night. If anyone else wants to do same and i can find out availability of B&B.

Cheers Chris

[Nige]

Chris,

What ferry out and back (route and times) I'm out on the Dover-Calais at 1200 (or so) on Monday 11 Jun and back Calais-Dover around 1200 on 18 Jun. Both with P&O, chance we might be on the same crossings?

[chris.t]

Hi Nige,

D is going to kill me cos i said i was going to book around 12 for the outward but i looked at the arrival time instead of the sailing time (doh). we will actually get in to Calais at 11,55am.

What are your plans once over there cos we could meet up if you like? we'll camping not sure where yet.

Oh well better go and tell D the good news

PS give me your exact sailing out time and i'll see if i can change (before i tell D) ((yellow streak getting wider as we talk))

Outward Journey
Route - Dover - Calais
Departure - 11 Jun 2007
Sailing Time - 09:25
Vehicle - Car
Passengers - 2
Additional details - None


Return Journey
Route - Calais - Dover
Departure - 18 Jun 2007
Sailing Time - 17:35
Vehicle - Car
Passengers - 2
Additional details - 2xClub Lounge

[Nige]

Chris I'll check when I get home tonight. As long as the yellow streak doesn't exceed the width of your car it shouldn't be too messy!

My Plan once in France is to drive down to my night stop location, (which my Brother is sorting out) eat, have a beer or 2 and sleep ready for the final leg down to Le Mans on the Tuesday morning.

[Nige]

Chris,

I depart Dover at 1215 on 11 Jun and depart Calais at 1150 on 18 June.

[chris.t]

Nige,

Would there be any merit in us tagging on with you? As we haven't been there before (well not the 24) it maybe a good idea What are your plans once in Le Mans, are you going straight to the site? I haven't contacted P&O yet about changing the times until i have a cleaer picture. Our original thoughts were to camp near Mont St Michael until say weds/Thurs and then head down to Le Mans. But if traffic gets bad or whatever then i'm all for beating it by going down earlier.

[muley]

Nige, Chris,

Just to bring you up to speed with the plans for Equipe Butler;

I'll stop in Hythe, Kent Monday night. Then I'll be on Tuesday a.m. ferry - speedferries and will go straight to Le Mans.

Second party will be on a Wednesday ferry to set up base camp - for the ladies - on the coast 'somewhere'. Then the Coupe boys will drive down to Le Mans on Thursday.

We will bring a gazebo - I'll have both tents to set up on Tuesday.

We leave Sunday straight after race - will go to base camp to rejoin the ladies for 2 nights r&r before catching a ferry back on Tuesday 19th

Bye for now

Jim

had a bad day working on the black one today looks like I'll be in the snotter at this rate

[Scott J]

Chris,

quali starts 1800 wed. You really want to be pitched at base camp wed afternoon. By thursday the hordes arrive and shops etc getting crowded, wed a bit more relaxed to recce the whole place on your own, pits, "village" etc.

[Nige]

Chris, you are welcome to tag along with us, or indeed do your own thing, no worries either way as far as I'm concerned. Scrutineering takes place in the main square in the centre of Le Mans on thye Monday and the Tuesday so I may well pop into that as I've not been to it before. As Scott says the first practice session starts on early Wed eve, 2 hrs in the light, an hours break and then another 2 hrs in the dark, same deal on Thursday. If conditions are good (dry) then pole is usually set at the beginning of the second session on the Wed after which the teams tend to comcentrate on race set up. The tickets you will get will get you grandstand seats for all of qualifying. I suggest you needto be on the camp site at Le Mans set up and ready to go by mid Wed afternoon as thye best option from a race perspective. However Mid Thu afternoon is fine if you want to spend one less night in what becomes quite a atmosphere!