Le Mans UK

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Discussion

crb1

Original Poster:

922 posts

249 months

Friday 9th April 2004
quotequote all
Why doesn't someone in the UK organise an equivalent 24 hour race in the UK to be complimentary to the existing race in France. Maybe this has been discussed before?? Perhaps 2-3 weeks after France, also to take advantage of the short nights.
Rivalries from France would spill over into the UK race to add to the excitement.
Am I mad??
Chris.

Silverstone

82 posts

254 months

Saturday 10th April 2004
quotequote all
What circuit would they use though?

nonegreen

7,803 posts

277 months

Saturday 10th April 2004
quotequote all
crb1 said:
Why doesn't someone in the UK organise an equivalent 24 hour race in the UK to be complimentary to the existing race in France. Maybe this has been discussed before?? Perhaps 2-3 weeks after France, also to take advantage of the short nights.
Rivalries from France would spill over into the UK race to add to the excitement.
Am I mad??
Chris.


Yes you are quite mad.

The Uk is run by drug addicts

Cars are bad, this is official acccording to the WGBBC

Motor racing is a minority sport unlike womens curling and tennis which are of course highly topical.

Motor racing is very very very dangerous and should not be allowed like in Switzerland where other drug addicted morons live

Guardian readers don't like cars riiiiiggghhhhtttt????

Culturally the respective reactions to the invention of the car were:


AHahhhh come riynd latoh end bugggoh me, end we ken discuss the red fleg lawh. (UK)


Alors. (lots of donkey noises) we must have a race to celebrate.. (France)

Hence, British public school pooftahs are the problem and we will never compete with the French motoring enthusiasm.

V6GTO

11,579 posts

249 months

Saturday 10th April 2004
quotequote all
Chris, Anybody who owns a Noble must be considered as the exact opposite of mad. I think it's a great idea but fear it would never happen due to bureaucracy (I checked the dictionary) and insurance. Martin.

crb1

Original Poster:

922 posts

249 months

Saturday 10th April 2004
quotequote all
Who would have thought that a small Somerset music festival started by a farmer near Glastonbury would, approximately 35 years later, have created one of the most successful music festivals in the world, and which sells out within a day or so of tickets going on sale. Err... no one. But its true.
It can be done!
So don't lets be negative. Agreed we don't have a circuit like Le Mans (do we??). What it needs is someone loaded (like worth a billion or so) who is a motoring enthusiast to get behind such a project. Anyone with that sort of clout here on PH?
First and foremost is there the interest??
I say there is.
Chris.

neilsie

952 posts

253 months

Sunday 11th April 2004
quotequote all
The UK has seen 24hr races, and long Endurance events too... Ther eused to be a saloon car 24hr at Snetterton, but i think when the title sponsors - Wilhire - pulle dout, so did the race. Silverstone has noise/time restrictions, as i guess others do to....

our beer is a lot more Expensive.... but if you want a race and some partying, just get down to the WSBK weekend at Brands in August: tis the biggest single attended sporting event in the UK, apparantly.... 100k+ peeps?

vetteheadracer

8,271 posts

260 months

Thursday 15th April 2004
quotequote all
I think the Basingstoke Ringroad would be ideal for a 24 hours race.

www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=463000.65075629&Y=152000.841948317&width=700&height=400&client=public&gride=463338.65075629&gridn=151883.841948317&srec=0&coordsys=gb&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=&scale=25000&out.x=10&out.y=11

Basingstoke is about the same size as Le Mans (and about as interesting) if I can persuade the council that the ring road would make an ideal circuit it could be a great new event on the motoring calendar.
They have a big park which would make an ideal campsite, there are some fine pubs and most imprtantly I could rent out my house for huge profit for the week of the event.


>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Thursday 15th April 12:46

DustyC

12,820 posts

261 months

Thursday 15th April 2004
quotequote all
Basingstoke sounds ok to me, but only beacuse Id get free parking!

Roy C

4,192 posts

291 months

Thursday 15th April 2004
quotequote all
Demolish Basingstoke and have a race around the ruins -
Now you're talking!

DustyC

12,820 posts

261 months

Thursday 15th April 2004
quotequote all
Roy C said:
Demolish Basingstoke and have a race around the ruins -
Now you're talking!

V6GTO

11,579 posts

249 months

Thursday 15th April 2004
quotequote all
Race around BASINGSTOKE??!!! They'd fall asleep at the wheel. ( I used to live in Chineham so I know )

vetteheadracer

8,271 posts

260 months

Friday 16th April 2004
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I currently live in Lychpit, but not for much longer!

neilsie

952 posts

253 months

Friday 16th April 2004
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that being demolished too?!

Bobo W

774 posts

259 months

Tuesday 29th June 2004
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I'd of thought the Isle of Man TT would be the UK equivalent.

Mark Benson

7,808 posts

276 months

Tuesday 29th June 2004
quotequote all
Let's just imagine LeMans UK for a second shall we.

For argument's sake, we'll run with the Basingstoke idea.....

The roads would be full of potholes, raised manhole covers and the odd cone, left over from the last Transco mining expedition.

The town council would apply for a restricting order, issued the day before the event requiring silencers to be fitted to all the cars and the race to be suspended outside daylight hours. No car shall exceed 90dB at any time.

The Hampshire 'safety' partnership would lobby to keep the speed limits on the roads and erect scameras to enforce them.

All bars and pubs would quadruple prices for the weekend, camping would be in a field 15 miles outside of Basingstoke with one shuttle bus. There would be one toilet block for the entire weekend, it would not be cleaned or emptied and would overflow on the first night.

The 'fun' fair would be run by 'fairground folk' who would send their young 'uns to rob the campsite while the race was on.

It would rain heavily for the entire weekend, take 3 days to get in ot the campsite and they'd still be towing cars out a week afterwards.

The tickets would sell out within hours, yet would not reach the recipients until after the event.

need I go on.....?

Cabby

3,942 posts

271 months

Tuesday 29th June 2004
quotequote all
Mark Benson said:
Let's just imagine LeMans UK for a second shall we.

For argument's sake, we'll run with the Basingstoke idea.....

The roads would be full of potholes, raised manhole covers and the odd cone, left over from the last Transco mining expedition.

The town council would apply for a restricting order, issued the day before the event requiring silencers to be fitted to all the cars and the race to be suspended outside daylight hours. No car shall exceed 90dB at any time.

The Hampshire 'safety' partnership would lobby to keep the speed limits on the roads and erect scameras to enforce them.

All bars and pubs would quadruple prices for the weekend, camping would be in a field 15 miles outside of Basingstoke with one shuttle bus. There would be one toilet block for the entire weekend, it would not be cleaned or emptied and would overflow on the first night.

The 'fun' fair would be run by 'fairground folk' who would send their young 'uns to rob the campsite while the race was on.

It would rain heavily for the entire weekend, take 3 days to get in ot the campsite and they'd still be towing cars out a week afterwards.

The tickets would sell out within hours, yet would not reach the recipients until after the event.

need I go on.....?





You forgot to add ...... Bernie Eccleston (sp?) would also charge you £500 just to get a peek from some far away viewing area. And as for pit lane access. NO CHANCE. Reserved for the privilaged.

Paul.

BCA

8,651 posts

264 months

Wednesday 30th June 2004
quotequote all
For the genius that decided that basingstoke ring road was a good idea, we are on the same wavelength, but theres a more challenging (at legal speeds) piece of bizarre road thats I want to buy....

Coventrys very own, NurburgRING ROAD. At first I found it the most annoying piece of road ever, signs are all waaaaaaay too late etc etc. Then I drove it in the dark, in the pooring rain on the way back from a littel conference about the uni. Decided I was in no hurry to get back so I just drove around aimlessly, comign off at certain points twisting round pointless on-ramps back on etc etc...

It would certainly make for a very interesting (and fast!) circuit!!

crb1

Original Poster:

922 posts

249 months

Wednesday 7th July 2004
quotequote all
Obviously Ken is getting the idea for London. He just needs to think 24 and not 2 hours. Any offers for the Vingt Quatre Londres 2007, initial route.

Mrs_T

1,533 posts

256 months

Wednesday 7th July 2004
quotequote all
How about the Kingston one way system?
Karen

Pistonfest

838 posts

259 months

Wednesday 7th July 2004
quotequote all
The only CITY in the UK that has a license to run a race is Birmingham. Fact. This I know because it has been found whilst we (a birmingham led consortium) were trying to organise a re-run of the Super Prix.
London , no.
Manchester,no.......and add the rest to the list.
Brum is the only one that could get official govt backing (simply because it has been done before)......and believe me, it's damn hard work to get the local council to see sense, and that's before we even got to the London pen pushers, to get the proposal heard in parliament.