2024 experience

[Blib]

Mrs B says she's having fun.

To be fair, she only arrived in Le Mans on Monday.

[Nosynchro]

Post pandemic LM seems irreversibly changed. Too busy for me up at the village , people and queues everywhere. It won’t go back to the old days though so suck it up. Strangely I have seen the campsites busier. Not sure if huge attendance is mostly French day visitors but disappointing we couldn’t get camp tickets and had to get over priced ones when there was space. Showers were freezing cold. Racing was good, card making some noise, safety procedures seem overly long. Did track cycling again which is great apart from the storm at Mulsanne about 6 pm.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

It isn't French day trippers. It's Corporate. Billy Bob who runs five (count 'em) Cadillac dealerships in Texas and his trophy bride half his age with inflated lips are what is boosting the numbers and pushing up the prices.

Houx is half the size it was. The other half full of American semi trailer campers - not many occupied. The campsites I saw all had spaces left over.

[MiniMan64]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

It isn't French day trippers. It's Corporate. Billy Bob who runs five (count 'em) Cadillac dealerships in Texas and his trophy bride half his age with inflated lips are what is boosting the numbers and pushing up the prices.

Houx is half the size it was. The other half full of American semi trailer campers - not many occupied. The campsites I saw all had spaces left over.

I’d argue it IS French day trippers. If you’d since the size of the parking in Expo and out passed the airport it was massive. Plus far more French in the crowd than I ever remember from before.

Corporate is an issue for sure but it’s not a 329,000 sized issue.

[Chrisgr31]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Houx is half the size it was. The other half full of American semi trailer campers - not many occupied. The campsites I saw all had spaces left over.

I wondered about them as there were also some mobile homes on what I think was Houx. The semi trailer campers appeared to be jammed in though and I thought it wasn’t really glamping so I wondered if they were for the drivers and teams?

Last year there were similar units in a “glamping” area between Houx and Houx Annex. This year the same “glamping” area appeared on,y have one posh camper in it, but security on the gate.

[LM240]

MiniMan64 said:

Jordie Barretts sock said:

It isn't French day trippers. It's Corporate. Billy Bob who runs five (count 'em) Cadillac dealerships in Texas and his trophy bride half his age with inflated lips are what is boosting the numbers and pushing up the prices.

Houx is half the size it was. The other half full of American semi trailer campers - not many occupied. The campsites I saw all had spaces left over.

I’d argue it IS French day trippers. If you’d since the size of the parking in Expo and out passed the airport it was massive. Plus far more French in the crowd than I ever remember from before.

Corporate is an issue for sure but it’s not a 329,000 sized issue.

I’ve never seen Expo as packed as this year.

[Ken_Code]

What’s the “posh” way to do it nowadays?

Twenty-odd years ago I’d assemble at 6pm on the Driday at Canary Wharf McDonakdscwith friends, drive through the night, sleep in awful tents and drink for 20 hours then sober up and come home, but I don’t really fancy that any more.

[butaclor]

LM240 said:

I’ve never seen Expo as packed as this year.

Quite a large amount taken for invited Porsche guests ,but have never seen all the cattle sheds and grass area full.

[MiniMan64]

LM240 said:

MiniMan64 said:

Jordie Barretts sock said:

It isn't French day trippers. It's Corporate. Billy Bob who runs five (count 'em) Cadillac dealerships in Texas and his trophy bride half his age with inflated lips are what is boosting the numbers and pushing up the prices.

Houx is half the size it was. The other half full of American semi trailer campers - not many occupied. The campsites I saw all had spaces left over.

I’d argue it IS French day trippers. If you’d since the size of the parking in Expo and out passed the airport it was massive. Plus far more French in the crowd than I ever remember from before.

Corporate is an issue for sure but it’s not a 329,000 sized issue.

I’ve never seen Expo as packed as this year.

We used to camp there as our go to but now it’s all parking (albeit with plenty ignoring the no camping rule!) but I don’t remember the giant free parking passed the airport. There were vast quantities walking into the circuit Saturday morning and I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from until we drove past it on Sunday.

[Rob P]

Ken_Code said:

What’s the “posh” way to do it nowadays?

Twenty-odd years ago I’d assemble at 6pm on the Driday at Canary Wharf McDonakdscwith friends, drive through the night, sleep in awful tents and drink for 20 hours then sober up and come home, but I don’t really fancy that any more.

Glamping, Flexihotel or offsite chateaux
appear to be the options. Then hospitality for the race, ACO have a couple of options.

[gt6]

Well Terte Rouge was absolutely rammed this year, the site was a little smaller again as the marshalls area expands, but the mix of nationalities has also changed, large increase in French and reduction in danes/norwegians but the majority there were british/dutch as usual. Security was tight and therefore you could not just expand onto spaces next door, and by thursday new arrivals had to squeeze onto odd spaces left.
There was an increase in large campervans but no repeat of the massive rigs that turned up late in the week like last year. Still worry that the site will be "corporate Hospitality" in the future but until then i will do whatever it takes to get my usual plot of land for 1 week in June.

[MiniMan64]

gt6 said:

Well Terte Rouge was absolutely rammed this year, the site was a little smaller again as the marshalls area expands, but the mix of nationalities has also changed, large increase in French and reduction in danes/norwegians but the majority there were british/dutch as usual. Security was tight and therefore you could not just expand onto spaces next door, and by thursday new arrivals had to squeeze onto odd spaces left.
There was an increase in large campervans but no repeat of the massive rigs that turned up late in the week like last year. Still worry that the site will be "corporate Hospitality" in the future but until then i will do whatever it takes to get my usual plot of land for 1 week in June.

There were some stupendously large and organised camps set up along the fence at the back of the bank at TR, I assumed you've got to be one of the first in line to bag such a prime spot.

[RL17]

MiniMan64 said:

I’d argue it IS French day trippers. If you’d since the size of the parking in Expo and out passed the airport it was massive. Plus far more French in the crowd than I ever remember from before.

Corporate is an issue for sure but it’s not a 329,000 sized issue.

Not just French day trippers - hundreds of French near us in Goodyear grandstand when anthem played plus loads in Chappelle area plus loads coming in free parking really early on Saturday or walking in about 8am from tram stops with chairs- all far too early for Les Rosbifs

Plus all seem to have annoying (mainly Toyota flags) sticking out of rucksacks to be wary of in crowds ??

Big French crowds most years I’ve been - loads in 2017 for qualifying cheering Kobayashi and Toyota (to beat Porsche) easier on Sunday as both Toyotas failed in early hours.

Edited by RL17 on Friday 21st June 09:30

[joema]

Chrisgr31 said:

I wondered about them as there were also some mobile homes on what I think was Houx. The semi trailer campers appeared to be jammed in though and I thought it wasn’t really glamping so I wondered if they were for the drivers and teams?

Last year there were similar units in a “glamping” area between Houx and Houx Annex. This year the same “glamping” area appeared on,y have one posh camper in it, but security on the gate.

I think drivers etc. VR46's was parked in there.

[VladD]

RL17 said:

MiniMan64 said:

I’d argue it IS French day trippers. If you’d since the size of the parking in Expo and out passed the airport it was massive. Plus far more French in the crowd than I ever remember from before.

Corporate is an issue for sure but it’s not a 329,000 sized issue.

Not just French day trippers - hundreds of French near us in Goodyear grandstand when anthem played plus loads in Chappelle area plus loads coming in free parking really early on Saturday or walking in about 8am from tram stops with chairs- all far too early for Les Rosbifs

Plus all seem to have annoying (mainly Toyota flags) sticking out of rucksacks to be wary of in crowds ??

Big French crowds most years I’ve been - loads in 2017 for qualifying cheering Kobayashi and Toyota (to beat Porsche) easier on Sunday as both Toyotas failed in early hours.

Edited by RL17 on Friday 21st June 09:30

With both Alpine and Peugeot in the top class I think that the casual French motorsport watcher is more likely to attend. There certainly were a lot of Alpine supporters around me this year.

[FredericRobinson]

I was surprised there wasn’t a more obvious Rossi effect, lots in Alpine F1 gear though

[sahajesh]

FredericRobinson said:

I was surprised there wasn’t a more obvious Rossi effect, lots in Alpine F1 gear though

Alpine seemed to be giving away more stupid flags, given the number of them poking out of people’s backpacks and being a general health hazard.

[mickyfix]

After 20 years sad to say won’t be going again, too busy.

[RL17]

sahajesh said:

Alpine seemed to be giving away more stupid flags, given the number of them poking out of people’s backpacks and being a general health hazard.

Yes - they could have been annoying sticks attached to Alpine flags

No wonder they stayed in their rucksacks all race 😃

[Kev_Mk3]

It is getting mentally busy but due to family commitments didnt attend this year but watched it all at home.

I will return for what is at least my 20th year next year but will have to change things around. Get a grandstand ticket which i've never done, probably going on my own or my mate from Germany will meet me there unsure yet but we will see.