Le Mans June 2010
Discussion
Excuse me, as a Jaguar man, entering your forum and posting. However, this year for those of you coming to Le Mans the chosen make at the St. Saturnin display on Friday is Corvette. If any of you weren't aware but are coming to Le Mans then we look forward to seeing you there. Reserved Corvette parking and a good display of cars and stands, free carwash and of course, a bar!
Ah, the Parade des Pilotes! Slight problem this year with the organiser who is insisting that the older cars, like the Bentleys etc. which convey the drivers, are now to leave St. Saturnin around 2.30pm but where the hell he is expecting to park them I have no idea since it is market day and they shut their stalls as late as possible, usually near 4.30pm. The Corvettes are leaving later as usual though. Hope you get in the parade, but I also hope your car doesn't suffer from overheating since I've done the parade a few times and it takes about an hour to do less than two miles. I'm invited with the C-type but will probably refuse because of this - I've had to park whatever car of mine up more than once in the past to cool it down.
lowdrag said:
I've had to park whatever car of mine up more than once in the past to cool it down.
A modern C6 Z06 can handle sitting still without overheating 
C5 Clutch overheating can be a problem if multiple burnouts are attempted on the parade......(one of our members suffered from this a few years back
)
I got this email from Gerard Planche overnight, some fantastic news
Right, as promised, dear fans of The Only American Sports Car That Counts,
Jean-Luc Pocino (founder of the European Corvette Club) and I are very happy to send you this invite for the Corvette Corral at the 2010 24 Heures du Mans.
It may be a tad early to say, but just for the sake of getting into a great mood, let's just say that the crisis is over! I believe that good mood and hope are incredible fuels to jumpstart your day; line up those days and -what do you know?- you're riding the wave!
But we'll do more philosophy around a beer at the track... for now, the story:
1) The News:
- Corvette Racing continues its decade-long support of our Corral, started by Gary Claudio: I believe that this is a strong recognition of YOUR enthusiastic, unconditional and faithful support of the Corvette Team. Todd Christensen has taken over the helm since Gary's retirement.
- Bob Lutz announced at the Geneva Show that Chevrolet Europe will start distributing Corvette this year: that is such great news! A strong and succcessful organization, Chevrolet Europe has grown in sales and market share over those tough years, happily beating its forecasts. Adding Corvette -and soon a pretty sexy Camaro- will nicely expand the model lineup. And Chevy also knows what competition means: Louis Chevrolet won his first race over a century ago! Check out the Chevy Cruze on the WTCC circuit this year: they mean business.
- What does that announcement means to us on June 12th-13th? Having probably heard from Corvette Racing what a great bunch you were, Chevrolet Europe has decided to jump in right away and sponsor the Corral! That translates into: MORE FUN AND CONVENIENCES FOR LESS MONEY. You are not dreaming: just feeling the Heartbeat!
- Wait: not done yet, take a seat for another absolutely incredible, fantastic scoop. Ready?
-> John Fitch and Bob Grossman drove the #3 Briggs Cunningham Corvette to 8th overall and 1st GT in... 1960. John Fitch will be with us with the car. Did you read this? The man who won the first category cup at Le Mans for Corvette will honor us of his presence, FIFTY years later! And the car will be there too, under our eyes!
All right, pickup the laptop, we may move on!
- The car is now owned by Lance Miller, son of famous Corvette aficionado Chip Miller, founder of Corvette at Carlisle (http://www.carsatcarlisle.com/ce/events/corvettes/). Chip was unfortunately diagnosed with the rare disease amyloidosis, which rapidly took his life away in March 2004. Chip wanted better research to help and hopefully soon heal victims of the disease and thus the Chip Miler Foundation was created (http://www.chipmiller.org). The website gives info about amyloidosis and indicates how to contribute. In Chip's honor, the benefits of this year's Track Laps Seats and our Auction/Raffle will be donated to the Chip Miller Foundation.
- One of Chip's dreams was to bring #3 back to le Mans for the 50th anniversary of its victory. Lance will be able to make a reality of his dad's dream. He will also join us with friends and colleagues at the Corral and is impatient to meet with you, chat about his dad, the Carlisle Events, Corvette in general... and #3 in particular!
2) This year's setup, thanks to the combined generosity of Corvette Racing and Chevrolet Europe:
- An additional 1'500 m² of space, a larger event tent, the fabulous Track Terrace Trailer, our own toilets AND -yes- showers! More space for your car and tent...and the early birds get the grass.
- Up to 9 Corvette in the Friday afternoon Drivers' Parade through the streets of Le Mans (#3 leading the pack, naturally!). Please note that there is construction on adjacent parking to the staging area, so the traffic is going to be worse than in previous years (oh yes, it is possible!). Come early enough, and for those coming as spectators, carpool and don't expect to park your car at close proximity.
- The typical BBQ du Mans on Friday evening, with locally grown specialties. New for this year: live music with Scott "Louisiana Kid" Sontag on his hot keyboard (sneak preview? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-qQZDB0NGA) and his accomplice Jean-Pierre "Pharmadude" Algarra
- The thrilling experience of a Track Lap for close to 50 of you on Saturday morning
- The visit of great folks and Executives from Corvette Racing and Chevrolet Europe and, if their preparation agenda allows... C6R drivers!
- The Saturday Night Gala Dinner, even more appetizing and with more choices
- The brilliant trophies of the Show'n Shine contest, a Corvette Paraphenalia Raffle and/or Auction, a big screen to follow the race, the Ranch Bar, the Crêpes Corner, Corvette games..
- The traditional complimentary water, FREE Corral Coffee and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings
- Due to low demand, we canceled signing up for Saturday and Sunday lunches.There will be snacks for sale at the Corral
Now: remember last year's Crisis Crunch -11% cost reduction? On an adjusted basis, this year's Corvette Racing + Chevrolet Europe Combo means a swooping -15% off your bill! Or in other words: more money put aside for your next Corvette. Tell your good friends!
3) The options:
I would like to advertize 2 Corvette events around the 24 Heures which could be of interest for you:
a) The Classic Bristish Welcome at St Saturnin (just north of Le Mans): this small town opens its gates since 10 years for very informal, relaxed and free car meet, celebrating each year a different marque: 2010 is the year of Corvette, in partnership with the Corvette Club de France. A resident of St Saturnin, organizer John Curtis told me he would welcome any Corvette as of Friday morning on premise: ample parking, music, food and drinks... sounds like fun! No signing up necessary. Host of the day: the incredible Doug Fehan, whom you helped obtain the ALMS "From the Fans" award last year though your votes!
b) Luc Alphand has been racing Corvette at Le Mans since 2007, collecting 2 podiums. A former ski champion, Luc created LAA (Luc Alphand Aventures) and has won the Dakar Rally 4 times, earned 1 French Champion and 2 European LMGT1 Champion titles. LAA has a large fan club and organizes events around the Team's racing calendar. At Le Mans, LAA propose exciting VIP receptions including meals, open bar, paddock access, etc.. If the link on http://www.luc-alphand.com doesn't open, contact LAA's Romain Grabowski (romain.grabowski@luc-alphand.com) for more details. This runs in the few hundreds €, but if Romain receives enough interested calls, he and I can try and put something together with a group discount.
4) Signing up:
Just a few reminders copy/pasted from last year (it's getting late!):
- There are 2 tabs on the attached Excel spreadsheet: one for English and one for French text.
- I need you to return the spreadsheet with:
- text & numbers information in the pink cells
- either a "YES" or a "NO" in each blue cell
- a number in each yellow cell. Aside from the first 2 (dealing with your car) the other yellow cells need to show number of people purchasing the item.
- If you plan to get there before Friday, then you're better off getting your race passes from ACO upon arrival (a few euros more!) if you want to access the whole area: Jean-Luc or I won't be there before sometime on Thursday
- If you pay via PayPal, you will note in the spreadsheet that their fees (within EU) of 3,4% + 0,25€ are covered in your transfer to try and avoid painstaking adjustments upon your arrival.
- Gala dinner doesn't mean Black Tie nor evening dress: just your appreciated self, even shorts will be allowed! I call that Corvette Comfort...
I must be forgetting stuff: more comm to follow.
Looking forward to see all of you soon, shine that 'glass!
Best regards
Gérard
Right, as promised, dear fans of The Only American Sports Car That Counts,
Jean-Luc Pocino (founder of the European Corvette Club) and I are very happy to send you this invite for the Corvette Corral at the 2010 24 Heures du Mans.
It may be a tad early to say, but just for the sake of getting into a great mood, let's just say that the crisis is over! I believe that good mood and hope are incredible fuels to jumpstart your day; line up those days and -what do you know?- you're riding the wave!
But we'll do more philosophy around a beer at the track... for now, the story:
1) The News:
- Corvette Racing continues its decade-long support of our Corral, started by Gary Claudio: I believe that this is a strong recognition of YOUR enthusiastic, unconditional and faithful support of the Corvette Team. Todd Christensen has taken over the helm since Gary's retirement.
- Bob Lutz announced at the Geneva Show that Chevrolet Europe will start distributing Corvette this year: that is such great news! A strong and succcessful organization, Chevrolet Europe has grown in sales and market share over those tough years, happily beating its forecasts. Adding Corvette -and soon a pretty sexy Camaro- will nicely expand the model lineup. And Chevy also knows what competition means: Louis Chevrolet won his first race over a century ago! Check out the Chevy Cruze on the WTCC circuit this year: they mean business.
- What does that announcement means to us on June 12th-13th? Having probably heard from Corvette Racing what a great bunch you were, Chevrolet Europe has decided to jump in right away and sponsor the Corral! That translates into: MORE FUN AND CONVENIENCES FOR LESS MONEY. You are not dreaming: just feeling the Heartbeat!
- Wait: not done yet, take a seat for another absolutely incredible, fantastic scoop. Ready?
-> John Fitch and Bob Grossman drove the #3 Briggs Cunningham Corvette to 8th overall and 1st GT in... 1960. John Fitch will be with us with the car. Did you read this? The man who won the first category cup at Le Mans for Corvette will honor us of his presence, FIFTY years later! And the car will be there too, under our eyes!
All right, pickup the laptop, we may move on!
- The car is now owned by Lance Miller, son of famous Corvette aficionado Chip Miller, founder of Corvette at Carlisle (http://www.carsatcarlisle.com/ce/events/corvettes/). Chip was unfortunately diagnosed with the rare disease amyloidosis, which rapidly took his life away in March 2004. Chip wanted better research to help and hopefully soon heal victims of the disease and thus the Chip Miler Foundation was created (http://www.chipmiller.org). The website gives info about amyloidosis and indicates how to contribute. In Chip's honor, the benefits of this year's Track Laps Seats and our Auction/Raffle will be donated to the Chip Miller Foundation.
- One of Chip's dreams was to bring #3 back to le Mans for the 50th anniversary of its victory. Lance will be able to make a reality of his dad's dream. He will also join us with friends and colleagues at the Corral and is impatient to meet with you, chat about his dad, the Carlisle Events, Corvette in general... and #3 in particular!
2) This year's setup, thanks to the combined generosity of Corvette Racing and Chevrolet Europe:
- An additional 1'500 m² of space, a larger event tent, the fabulous Track Terrace Trailer, our own toilets AND -yes- showers! More space for your car and tent...and the early birds get the grass.
- Up to 9 Corvette in the Friday afternoon Drivers' Parade through the streets of Le Mans (#3 leading the pack, naturally!). Please note that there is construction on adjacent parking to the staging area, so the traffic is going to be worse than in previous years (oh yes, it is possible!). Come early enough, and for those coming as spectators, carpool and don't expect to park your car at close proximity.
- The typical BBQ du Mans on Friday evening, with locally grown specialties. New for this year: live music with Scott "Louisiana Kid" Sontag on his hot keyboard (sneak preview? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-qQZDB0NGA) and his accomplice Jean-Pierre "Pharmadude" Algarra
- The thrilling experience of a Track Lap for close to 50 of you on Saturday morning
- The visit of great folks and Executives from Corvette Racing and Chevrolet Europe and, if their preparation agenda allows... C6R drivers!
- The Saturday Night Gala Dinner, even more appetizing and with more choices
- The brilliant trophies of the Show'n Shine contest, a Corvette Paraphenalia Raffle and/or Auction, a big screen to follow the race, the Ranch Bar, the Crêpes Corner, Corvette games..
- The traditional complimentary water, FREE Corral Coffee and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings
- Due to low demand, we canceled signing up for Saturday and Sunday lunches.There will be snacks for sale at the Corral
Now: remember last year's Crisis Crunch -11% cost reduction? On an adjusted basis, this year's Corvette Racing + Chevrolet Europe Combo means a swooping -15% off your bill! Or in other words: more money put aside for your next Corvette. Tell your good friends!
3) The options:
I would like to advertize 2 Corvette events around the 24 Heures which could be of interest for you:
a) The Classic Bristish Welcome at St Saturnin (just north of Le Mans): this small town opens its gates since 10 years for very informal, relaxed and free car meet, celebrating each year a different marque: 2010 is the year of Corvette, in partnership with the Corvette Club de France. A resident of St Saturnin, organizer John Curtis told me he would welcome any Corvette as of Friday morning on premise: ample parking, music, food and drinks... sounds like fun! No signing up necessary. Host of the day: the incredible Doug Fehan, whom you helped obtain the ALMS "From the Fans" award last year though your votes!
b) Luc Alphand has been racing Corvette at Le Mans since 2007, collecting 2 podiums. A former ski champion, Luc created LAA (Luc Alphand Aventures) and has won the Dakar Rally 4 times, earned 1 French Champion and 2 European LMGT1 Champion titles. LAA has a large fan club and organizes events around the Team's racing calendar. At Le Mans, LAA propose exciting VIP receptions including meals, open bar, paddock access, etc.. If the link on http://www.luc-alphand.com doesn't open, contact LAA's Romain Grabowski (romain.grabowski@luc-alphand.com) for more details. This runs in the few hundreds €, but if Romain receives enough interested calls, he and I can try and put something together with a group discount.
4) Signing up:
Just a few reminders copy/pasted from last year (it's getting late!):
- There are 2 tabs on the attached Excel spreadsheet: one for English and one for French text.
- I need you to return the spreadsheet with:
- text & numbers information in the pink cells
- either a "YES" or a "NO" in each blue cell
- a number in each yellow cell. Aside from the first 2 (dealing with your car) the other yellow cells need to show number of people purchasing the item.
- If you plan to get there before Friday, then you're better off getting your race passes from ACO upon arrival (a few euros more!) if you want to access the whole area: Jean-Luc or I won't be there before sometime on Thursday
- If you pay via PayPal, you will note in the spreadsheet that their fees (within EU) of 3,4% + 0,25€ are covered in your transfer to try and avoid painstaking adjustments upon your arrival.
- Gala dinner doesn't mean Black Tie nor evening dress: just your appreciated self, even shorts will be allowed! I call that Corvette Comfort...
I must be forgetting stuff: more comm to follow.
Looking forward to see all of you soon, shine that 'glass!
Best regards
Gérard
Thanks to “Lowdrag” for initiating this thread.
I’m sure most of you know me from the CCCUK, and I may be repeating myself to many, but I just wanted to let you know of a few recent up-dates on the Classic British Welcome.
I’m sure you’ll know that Doug Fehan is our guest of honour. Some great cars are lined up for the usual indoor display and there are even some Corvette related films being shown in the cinema this year.
A couple of recent items to let you all know about:.
First of all, we have made arrangements for a “Corvette Rendezvous” close to St Saturnin, to allow as many Corvettes as possible to get together in order to cruise into the event in convoy. I will be posting up some detailed directions on the CCCUK site soon, but in the meantime the rendezvous will be at the Auchan hypermarket, north Le Mans, just a few minutes away from St Saturnin.. An area of parking close to the petrol station has been allocated to us. We’re planning on arrival any time from about 9:30am, for a prompt departure at 10:00am. A “mass arrival” of Corvette should be pretty impressive! More details and directions etc later!
After 9 months of me pestering Lance Miller, he has now finally been persuaded to bring the 1960 Cunningham Corvette to St Saturnin on Friday, and all being well will be accompanied by John Fitch, one of the drivers of the car during the 1960 Le Mans.
There may be other guests, who we’re currently “working on”!
Stay tuned for more info in the next week! See you all at St Saturnin!
Hi All
The details of the meeting locations, directions from various locations to the convoy departure, or, if you can’t make that, directly to St Saturnin, are now all posted on the CCCUK site, in this thread
http://www.corvetteclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=714...
The team at St Sat have worked hard to make this a great day, so I hope you can all join us there for the day, or best part of it!
And, we still have places on the “St Saturnin Cavalcade” that will leave with Gendarmerie Motorcycle and Harley escort for the city centre on Friday afternoon, headed by the 1960 Cunningham Corvette. Contact me direct for info!
See you on 11th!
The details of the meeting locations, directions from various locations to the convoy departure, or, if you can’t make that, directly to St Saturnin, are now all posted on the CCCUK site, in this thread
http://www.corvetteclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=714...
The team at St Sat have worked hard to make this a great day, so I hope you can all join us there for the day, or best part of it!
And, we still have places on the “St Saturnin Cavalcade” that will leave with Gendarmerie Motorcycle and Harley escort for the city centre on Friday afternoon, headed by the 1960 Cunningham Corvette. Contact me direct for info!
See you on 11th!
Hi everyone,
Hope you all had a great time at Le Mans, despite only one of the Vettes making it to the finish.
If anyone is interested, some of the guys at Beermountain ran a raffle in aid of Help for Heroes, and Doug Fehan also agreed to donate something or other that might be of interest after the race. As you can imagine, we weren't exactly singing and dancing after the race, but I did recover an oil cooler from the remains of the 64 car, which is now on ebay. If anyone is interested in making a bid in the name of a good cause, the link is here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Oh, and Anthony Davidson is being interviewed on Radio Le Mans tonight!
Hope you all had a great time at Le Mans, despite only one of the Vettes making it to the finish.
If anyone is interested, some of the guys at Beermountain ran a raffle in aid of Help for Heroes, and Doug Fehan also agreed to donate something or other that might be of interest after the race. As you can imagine, we weren't exactly singing and dancing after the race, but I did recover an oil cooler from the remains of the 64 car, which is now on ebay. If anyone is interested in making a bid in the name of a good cause, the link is here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Oh, and Anthony Davidson is being interviewed on Radio Le Mans tonight!
mulsanne64 said:
Hi everyone,
Hope you all had a great time at Le Mans, despite only one of the Vettes making it to the finish.
If anyone is interested, some of the guys at Beermountain ran a raffle in aid of Help for Heroes, and Doug Fehan also agreed to donate something or other that might be of interest after the race. As you can imagine, we weren't exactly singing and dancing after the race, but I did recover an oil cooler from the remains of the 64 car, which is now on ebay. If anyone is interested in making a bid in the name of a good cause, the link is here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Oh, and Anthony Davidson is being interviewed on Radio Le Mans tonight!
Apparently Davidson has also emailed Olly G.Hope you all had a great time at Le Mans, despite only one of the Vettes making it to the finish.
If anyone is interested, some of the guys at Beermountain ran a raffle in aid of Help for Heroes, and Doug Fehan also agreed to donate something or other that might be of interest after the race. As you can imagine, we weren't exactly singing and dancing after the race, but I did recover an oil cooler from the remains of the 64 car, which is now on ebay. If anyone is interested in making a bid in the name of a good cause, the link is here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Oh, and Anthony Davidson is being interviewed on Radio Le Mans tonight!
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