Travel Destinations Porsche curves
Discussion
We were on the Silver site and it's a great spot - a bit of calm amongst the chaos.
This was our first time with TD but my 25th LM (and I've tried most places and formats) and I thought this was good. The site ran well, the tents were great and both the camping and catering teams were hardworking, good spirited and generally charming. We had no admin' issues before the race either.
The only real area of criticism I have would be shutting the tent/screen at about 1am on race night - it's a 24 hour race and I've never experienced that before. I understand why but, particularly in poor weather, it is a boon - perhaps some additional staff cover for next year?
I thought it a good LM this year with a compelling race (and I have seen some shockers). The only negative factor was our inability to drive our to the back of the circuit in the night because some prawn had blocked our car in. It must have taken quite the effort to do this in such a big and empty space but there you go. Simon, the charming french chap in charge of the tents managed to track the owner down and he kindly moved his car, only for some knuckledragger to park back in the spot, blocking us in again.
In summary, TD Silver camping is definitely recommended but be aware of Porsche 992 drivers - there may be a moron within!
This was our first time with TD but my 25th LM (and I've tried most places and formats) and I thought this was good. The site ran well, the tents were great and both the camping and catering teams were hardworking, good spirited and generally charming. We had no admin' issues before the race either.
The only real area of criticism I have would be shutting the tent/screen at about 1am on race night - it's a 24 hour race and I've never experienced that before. I understand why but, particularly in poor weather, it is a boon - perhaps some additional staff cover for next year?
I thought it a good LM this year with a compelling race (and I have seen some shockers). The only negative factor was our inability to drive our to the back of the circuit in the night because some prawn had blocked our car in. It must have taken quite the effort to do this in such a big and empty space but there you go. Simon, the charming french chap in charge of the tents managed to track the owner down and he kindly moved his car, only for some knuckledragger to park back in the spot, blocking us in again.
In summary, TD Silver camping is definitely recommended but be aware of Porsche 992 drivers - there may be a moron within!
We did Silver Glamping. We thought an improvement on last year. Better check-in, the "Free" breakfasts, programme and simulators were all welcome, a bit more of a "TD" presence on site as well.
No issues with the crossing bookings - Got the Le Shuttle times we wanted and notified of this mid Winter 23/24.
Security still "needs to do better" - no one checking us returning at 00:45 on Sunday and the single Guard seen running back from the food tent at 20:45 Sunday night as we came back from Arnage - no snarling dogs this year either as a deterrent.
There is this elephant in the room for the future as the private bank on the Porsche Curve entry is a great USP for TD: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/05/20/aco-targ...
No issues with the crossing bookings - Got the Le Shuttle times we wanted and notified of this mid Winter 23/24.
Security still "needs to do better" - no one checking us returning at 00:45 on Sunday and the single Guard seen running back from the food tent at 20:45 Sunday night as we came back from Arnage - no snarling dogs this year either as a deterrent.
There is this elephant in the room for the future as the private bank on the Porsche Curve entry is a great USP for TD: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/05/20/aco-targ...
PatreseBT52B said:
We did Silver Glamping. We thought an improvement on last year. Better check-in, the "Free" breakfasts, programme and simulators were all welcome, a bit more of a "TD" presence on site as well.
No issues with the crossing bookings - Got the Le Shuttle times we wanted and notified of this mid Winter 23/24.
Security still "needs to do better" - no one checking us returning at 00:45 on Sunday and the single Guard seen running back from the food tent at 20:45 Sunday night as we came back from Arnage - no snarling dogs this year either as a deterrent.
There is this elephant in the room for the future as the private bank on the Porsche Curve entry is a great USP for TD: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/05/20/aco-targ...
The TD site is privately owned and TD have a ten year contract i gather. I wouldn't be surprised if the new stand is located were Porsche have had corporate events the last few years which is on the outside of the circuit, just before the first corner at Porsche curves.No issues with the crossing bookings - Got the Le Shuttle times we wanted and notified of this mid Winter 23/24.
Security still "needs to do better" - no one checking us returning at 00:45 on Sunday and the single Guard seen running back from the food tent at 20:45 Sunday night as we came back from Arnage - no snarling dogs this year either as a deterrent.
There is this elephant in the room for the future as the private bank on the Porsche Curve entry is a great USP for TD: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/05/20/aco-targ...
Porsche were back there this year with 2 display cars (one a possible previous winner) and about 50 chairs etc under a circular owning - they also had a smallish big screen.
No screen facing inside banking again - I suppose that one is at the BSJ fan zone
Do hate fan zones - they might work for football tournaments and ticketless fans but they shouldn’t be used for ticket paying fans because their viewing areas are depleted and overcrowded
No screen facing inside banking again - I suppose that one is at the BSJ fan zone
Do hate fan zones - they might work for football tournaments and ticketless fans but they shouldn’t be used for ticket paying fans because their viewing areas are depleted and overcrowded
Went into our marquee when back from Goodyear/Dunlop area after 1.30am and retired from marquee TVs etc after 3am and was back in just after 6 am - it’s not as though running after 1am was a surprise
Edit did return for a beer at 5am a few years back after Euro disco pub and a ride on the big wheel at 4.30am (France had won a match at Euros so probably 2018)
Edit did return for a beer at 5am a few years back after Euro disco pub and a ride on the big wheel at 4.30am (France had won a match at Euros so probably 2018)
Edited by RL17 on Tuesday 18th June 16:41
We were at Porsche Curves (bronze site) with TD. My first year with TD. I didn't handle the booking aspect so I can't comment on that though I was pretty happy with the site itself. We were camped right next to the banking. So nice to just be able to wander up and down so easily. Site facilities seemed pretty good. Toilets seemed to be getting a bit grubby towards the end but I think that was partly down to the weather and mud etc being dragged in. I'd find it hard not to book with TD again simply because the site and our pitch in particular was so well located. Though I admit reading this thread does worry me!
It's 10 years since I was last at LM. I found general access much more restricted now. Not a surprise really but certainly noticeable.
Prices of food and drink around the circuit are a joke. 12 euros for a beer is fully into piss taking territory as far as I'm concerned. If I don't go back next year, that is one of the main reasons. It's never going to be a cheap trip but that feels like extorsion! Merch similarly ludicrously priced but I don't really go in for all that so not a huge problem.
The racing was bloody superb! I timed things well as I opted to call it a night when the safety car came out just after 3 and got up again at 7.30 just as it was about to start up again. I feel for those who sat through that!
It's 10 years since I was last at LM. I found general access much more restricted now. Not a surprise really but certainly noticeable.
Prices of food and drink around the circuit are a joke. 12 euros for a beer is fully into piss taking territory as far as I'm concerned. If I don't go back next year, that is one of the main reasons. It's never going to be a cheap trip but that feels like extorsion! Merch similarly ludicrously priced but I don't really go in for all that so not a huge problem.
The racing was bloody superb! I timed things well as I opted to call it a night when the safety car came out just after 3 and got up again at 7.30 just as it was about to start up again. I feel for those who sat through that!
Chucking in my 2cents, Stayed on Bronze in the pre-erect tents.
Booking process - I had no issues from the start, I did book late (Feb) so maybe there was less going on so was easier for them to process and not get lost. General questions when I called were always half answered however - there seems to be a disconnect between TD HQ and the staff on the ground.
We turned up about 7pm on Thursday and were greeted by staff...slight panic at first when they couldn't find our name on the list (literally thought back to this thread and wondered if I was about to get the admin experience others had) however it was between bookings that had already turned up so was harder to spot.Got shown our tent 2 minutes later and had all the gear moved in within 10 minutes. The pre-erect tent was a decent size and came with airbeds (they weren't in ours but after flagging, they arrived 5 minutes later). We were able to park 10m from our tent which was really helpful. Best ting about this was we didn't have to pack up a wet tent on Monday morning.
The site itself is a great location, wake up and can be trackside within 100m. Stayed up till 2am and had no issues sleeping through...the sound of the cars was actually helpful. We could also get within the main circuit setting within 10-15 minutes.
The nearest shuttle access was a bit confusing, there was one stop 5 minutes away but others weren't really walkable but not an issue if you have a designated driver on hand.
No issues with toilets - there is only a single ladies' cabin which some blokes did use periodically so I assume females may gripe about that. The showers were great, always had hot water and never waited more than 60 seconds. They did get "mucky" but that was very much down to the wet weather and stuff getting dragged in. Facilities were still being cleaned post-race.
Friendly crowd at the campsite, it wasn't a party atmosphere nor did it seem anyone wanted that there beyond evenings or England game. The simulators were a nice touch too.
The food offering was decent albeit maybe a tad pricey for what it was (15Euro for a burger and chips). The breakfast option was really handy and can't complain - full English each day and no issues with portions or waiting around. We were earlyish risers (8am) however I did notice queues from 9.30am. Someone has already mentioned the limited options on Monday morning..it was very much a "whats left only" issue. There were a few times I heard they had run out of chips too through the evenings.
The staff were fantastic. I couldn't fault them...even when something went wrong or order was taking too long, they did what they could to make things right or better. From breakfast to evening, there was good energy and realldrive to make service as good as possible. One of the lads had the joy of the whole tent singing happy 21st birthday on Sunday eve.
My main issue, which someone else has raised too, was the absence of security late at night. The ACO I believe provided the night security however twice we came back late and noticed no security at either Silver or Bronze on race night which needs to be rectified next year.
Spoke to a few on the site who were using TD for the first time but had used 1st Tickets previously - there wasn't a real consensus on which was better, with a few surprised by how good it was.
Booking process - I had no issues from the start, I did book late (Feb) so maybe there was less going on so was easier for them to process and not get lost. General questions when I called were always half answered however - there seems to be a disconnect between TD HQ and the staff on the ground.
We turned up about 7pm on Thursday and were greeted by staff...slight panic at first when they couldn't find our name on the list (literally thought back to this thread and wondered if I was about to get the admin experience others had) however it was between bookings that had already turned up so was harder to spot.Got shown our tent 2 minutes later and had all the gear moved in within 10 minutes. The pre-erect tent was a decent size and came with airbeds (they weren't in ours but after flagging, they arrived 5 minutes later). We were able to park 10m from our tent which was really helpful. Best ting about this was we didn't have to pack up a wet tent on Monday morning.
The site itself is a great location, wake up and can be trackside within 100m. Stayed up till 2am and had no issues sleeping through...the sound of the cars was actually helpful. We could also get within the main circuit setting within 10-15 minutes.
The nearest shuttle access was a bit confusing, there was one stop 5 minutes away but others weren't really walkable but not an issue if you have a designated driver on hand.
No issues with toilets - there is only a single ladies' cabin which some blokes did use periodically so I assume females may gripe about that. The showers were great, always had hot water and never waited more than 60 seconds. They did get "mucky" but that was very much down to the wet weather and stuff getting dragged in. Facilities were still being cleaned post-race.
Friendly crowd at the campsite, it wasn't a party atmosphere nor did it seem anyone wanted that there beyond evenings or England game. The simulators were a nice touch too.
The food offering was decent albeit maybe a tad pricey for what it was (15Euro for a burger and chips). The breakfast option was really handy and can't complain - full English each day and no issues with portions or waiting around. We were earlyish risers (8am) however I did notice queues from 9.30am. Someone has already mentioned the limited options on Monday morning..it was very much a "whats left only" issue. There were a few times I heard they had run out of chips too through the evenings.
The staff were fantastic. I couldn't fault them...even when something went wrong or order was taking too long, they did what they could to make things right or better. From breakfast to evening, there was good energy and realldrive to make service as good as possible. One of the lads had the joy of the whole tent singing happy 21st birthday on Sunday eve.
My main issue, which someone else has raised too, was the absence of security late at night. The ACO I believe provided the night security however twice we came back late and noticed no security at either Silver or Bronze on race night which needs to be rectified next year.
Spoke to a few on the site who were using TD for the first time but had used 1st Tickets previously - there wasn't a real consensus on which was better, with a few surprised by how good it was.
RL17 said:
Thought all the private sites usually hire own security and all the guys and girls we’ve seen in 10 or so LMs and Classics (none with TD) came over with campsite teams from UK. Only ACO involvement is waste trucks I thought and if a major problem with shower blocks arises.
May still be true with some but the ACO controls a lot more than the race..The TD site is also managed by third parties, both from the UK and France. The Security firm that was running the gate were certainly running all the other security that I saw.
It was our first LM and we stayed in the Silver area.
I didn't have any issues with the booking process and when I changed cars, that wasn't problem for them.
Having read the thread I did have misgivings but we were pleasantly surprised by the facilities offered by TD. Tent and the beds were lovely. Food was pretty good albeit pricey but that is the same everywhere.
For a first time I think we chose well in the end. I would book with TD again. Only complaint was the sim rigs disappeared and I wanted to improve my time
Only issue was of my own making - 5 minutes before we were due to catch the train, I shut the keys to the car in the boot
Fortunately, being an old Impreza I was able to bend the rear seats back and root around until I found them
EddScott said:
It was our first LM and we stayed in the Silver area.
I didn't have any issues with the booking process and when I changed cars, that wasn't problem for them.
Having read the thread I did have misgivings but we were pleasantly surprised by the facilities offered by TD. Tent and the beds were lovely. Food was pretty good albeit pricey but that is the same everywhere.
For a first time I think we chose well in the end. I would book with TD again. Only complaint was the sim rigs disappeared and I wanted to improve my time
Only issue was of my own making - 5 minutes before we were due to catch the train, I shut the keys to the car in the boot
Fortunately, being an old Impreza I was able to bend the rear seats back and root around until I found them
Saw your Scooby parked up. There were some nice cars in the Silver car park!I didn't have any issues with the booking process and when I changed cars, that wasn't problem for them.
Having read the thread I did have misgivings but we were pleasantly surprised by the facilities offered by TD. Tent and the beds were lovely. Food was pretty good albeit pricey but that is the same everywhere.
For a first time I think we chose well in the end. I would book with TD again. Only complaint was the sim rigs disappeared and I wanted to improve my time
Only issue was of my own making - 5 minutes before we were due to catch the train, I shut the keys to the car in the boot
Fortunately, being an old Impreza I was able to bend the rear seats back and root around until I found them
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