Mad Friday racing

[stevetav]

I've been searching for the answer to this for a while and cannot so help me out please!

The ACO have released the timetable for the week and it shows there is a support race on Mad Friday in the morning. Will this mean my planned bike ride of the circuit will be off I wonder? Maybe it's the start of things to come at Le Mans. Mad Friday is all about alcohol and good food to me!

[FredericRobinson]

No bike ride, the track is closed from Wednesday, a very poor development in my book, apart from the fans the marshals deserve a full day off, the Mulsanne car show can’t happen on the track and it’s going to cost local businesses

[Truckosaurus]

I thought I saw that the track is actually closed from the previous Sunday when the practice day is.

It's a shame the Friday is no longer a day of rest - was always good to do the pitwalk and stroll on parts of the track.

[LawrieC]

They have to let the locals have access, so I'd have thought the roads would be open Monday and Tuesday, but now they have the garbage van races starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday and running till midnight it creates a bit of a curfew, and traffic jams for us.

I suspect that the odd race on Friday is just an excuse to keep the roads shut all day

[OvalOwl]

I read that it costs them a not inconsiderable sum each time they close the road. So rather than four closures (test qualifying Wednesday & Thursday and the race) they now close it just twice with the added benefit of no morons binning it into the gravel on Mad Friday.

It means I'll have to make my lap of the circuit as I'm leaving on Monday as it will be closed when I arrive.

[LawrieC]

Then there's the broken beer bottles and beer caps in the grass, and the burnout damage to the tarmac.

Every time they reopen the track they have to undo the barriers across peoples drives etc. Perhaps they've stopped complaining, but if someone shut your street for a week for a hockey tournament........

[cn7k7]

I don’t blame them to an extent; perhaps the idea of more racing brings in more entry fees, reduces the opening/closing costs and may reduce the pathetic behaviour of a minority that really is very anti social.....everybody likes a laugh but some seem to think one can go to a france and do what you like.

[Truckosaurus]

LawrieC said:

...
Every time they reopen the track they have to undo the barriers across peoples drives etc. .....

They also did things like put up and take down all the road signs for a few hours each time the road was re-opened - so there's plenty to be saved by keeping it shut.

[//j17]

Also means no lorries on it hours before cars will be hitting 300kph on it. I can still remember following a freshly brimmed 7.5t up the Mulsanne on post-race Monday one year, watching him slosh diesel out his tank and onto the road every time he hit the brakes...