Club Arnage Guide 2010

It's what we've all been waiting for........this years Le Mans Guide from the guys at Club Arnage.

As always it's a great read, especially for the likes of Joey !!,

http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide/caguide2010.pdf

Previous years are also here.....

http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide/caguide2009.pdf
http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide/caguide2008.pdf
http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide/caguide2007.pdf
http://www.clubarnage.com/caguide/caguide2006.pdf

Happy reading.

We're in the money!

As we had to buy two tickets per camping pitch this year (and there are only three of us going) I thought it might be fruitful to advertise the spare ticket on EBay.

So that's what I did......

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140411093151#ht_500wt_920

....and guess what? It went for £67.00 so that will feed nicely into the beer and food fund for this year.

8 days to go before lift-off.....

Le Mans 1955

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfptx/The_Deadliest_Crash_the_Le_Mans_1955_Disaster/

Strapline v3

Le Mans 2010 - In a Cavalier Style....

Strapline 2010 v2

What no Roundheads?

Strapline 2010

Come in No5, fatboy Pikey your time is up!

The infamous Le Mans Tram

As we have no motorised transport (other than the Kid) this year we may have to resort to investigating the fine transport that is the Le Mans tram. 

The tram leaflet here shows a map of the trams from the town including track, prices and timetables.

Le Mans 2011

No, that is not a typo !!

I have taken the somewhat bold and, quite frankly, radical move to book the pitches for LM2011 !

As this year's Chairman I am introducing an unheard of level of pre-planning for next year's event even before we have left Blighty for this year's.

Provisionally I have reserved two pitches at Houx (note, NOT Houx Annexe) with 3 grandstand tickets as per this year.  Obviously if we want to increase that  then not only do we have the space to put a tent up but we can also add more tickets too.

Picturesque, eh ?

According to Club Arnage (2010 Guide to be published this weekend) Camping Houx is……..

Situated south east of the main village and inside the circuit, Camping Houx provides one of the quieter camping areas as well as one of the more attractive. It’s just a 10 minute walk from the Village via a footbridge over the permanent Bugatti circuit - this will bring you out in the western corner of the site. Camping is on numbered plots, which prevents campers from cordoning off vast areas of space as seen on many of the other sites. Most of the site is set within tall pine trees that provide a degree of protection from the sun (or rain!). The western side of the site is open fields and is more exposed. The site tends to attract a quieter, more mature crowd. One major downside of Houx is that the size of the pitches is strictly limited to app. 35 sqm. These are all marked out and are only big enough for a decent size frame tent plus the car, or one medium size motor home. There is a good covering of grass across the site and the ground will take a tent peg easily. The big advantage is that you don’t need to worry about finding a place when arriving late, e.g. on Saturday, as you have a reserved pitch. The quickest walking route from Houx to the circuit is back up to the village and onto the pit straight or Dunlop Chicane. Alternatively, exit the campsite via its North Easterly gate and stride out across and beyond Houx Annexe. You will find yourself at the Esses or Tertre Rouge within 15 minutes.

CA member’s comments on Houx:

2006: “We stayed on Houx a couple of years back as we couldn't arrive until Friday so it was good to know we had a guaranteed pitch. The showers and loos are excellent. With only an AH Sprite and a two man tent the pitch size was more than enough. My only beef was that some people spilled off their pitches and blocked the 'alleys' between pitches so you couldn't get your car out / in if you wanted to.”

2007: “lots of the pitches have trees in them and if you get one it's very difficult to get a car and your tent on the pitch”

Access by car: Houx is easy to navigate to and from by car, as it is served by the roads that make up the circuit’s infrastructure. As such they won’t be clogged up with through traffic. The only issue is during Friday afternoon and evening when the Houx Annexe roundabout that lies on one of Houx’s main access routes becomes swamped with inebriated race fans baying for burning rubber and tyre smoke. There is an alternative route out via Karting Nord.

• Ticket: 87 € (compared with 55€ for Houx Annexe)

• Electricity – French plug so UK Adapters are required.

• Permanent shower and toilet block

• Permanent covered outside wash basins

• For cars and campervans

• Numbered pitches

• Campsite café serving hot and cold food as well as alcohol and soft drinks, located in the centre of the site

My tagline suggestion

T-Shirts 2010

Following on from KL's posts I suddenly thought that I don't believe Joey has an official LM24.co.uk t-shirt..........or am I wrong ?

What about an official 'Red 5' t-shirt to support our Nige ?

And Mansell...

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24052010/58/mansell-set-le-mans-debut.html

Strap line.....2010

Has a strap line been determined yet?

Even Posher Now

It just gets better and better - how more upmarket could we get for this year's trip ?

I have managed to procure a high-class gazebo which really does look the business.....

....definitely the ideal location for ice and a slice.......what, what ?!?!

Photos Past and Present

I've finally posted the photos from the last few years Le Mans - some are a combination of Chadders' and mine but mostly they're just mine - apart from 2003 when I've also got some from Joey too !

You can access them from the main blog page - If any of you guys want me to link to your online LM photos or post them here just let me know.

The plan for this year's LM is to post photos during the trip but best laid plans and all that.......

I'll also be putting up some Race of Champions photos for the last few years too when I get around to it.

15 days to go........

Mad Friday

Just in case you've forgotten how stupid it all gets :o)

T minus 3 weeks and counting

Well – three weeks today and Chadders and my good self will be slowly meandering down to Portsmouth in the Sundance Kid.  It has been some time since it was just the two of us on the journey down and it is fair to say that the antics and 'angry rants’ from the member of the Ginger Royal Family that is KL will be sorely missed – let’s hope he makes the journey next year.

There is considerable change this year what with the previous Chairman standing down and not attending and his red-eyed protege, JT, also taking a sabbatical – how will we cope when the Pisstergeist comes a-knocking on Friday or Saturday evening looking for someone to possess and vomit copious amounts of alcohol back up in bizarre and strange places?

If my memory serves me correctly this is the first year when there have only been three people in our LM party (1992 there were only two but that was before Pikey’s recruitment drive) – clearly the credit crunch has bitten hard for some.

Nevertheless, this year promises to be a ‘bobby dazzler’ with some new features and gizmos and some consolidation of our tried and tested favourites.

In summary….

• The motorhome is now the only way to travel – Lucy has been upgraded to a slightly larger vehicle, the Sundance Kid, with additional curves incorporating a lounge area in the rear – Chadders and Sniffer are the nominated drivers once more;
• There is still a television within the Kid, although this year there is no sexy rooftop motorised satellite dish with which to wile away the hours fiddling around to get it to work;
• However, in order to take full advantage of the World Cup Sniffer has purchased his own Portable Digital Satellite System which works a treat;

Also works with a Freesat HD receiver – anyone got one to bring ?

• As there are only three members of the party this year there are no additional cars – Joey is actually meeting us at Portsmouth so will only be making the French part of the journey in the Kid;
• In order to combat this we are all bringing push-irons to put on the back of the Kid to travel around the surrounding area by different means (before anyone asks there is a book already running as to who will fall off first either by being drunk\careless or knocked off by some vein-popping psychopath in a Caterham);
• Draught beer is still being explored although it is likely that we will end up with a combination of supermarket beers (don’t you just love those Red beauties and the sweet taste of a nice cold Desperado……) and a dabble at real ale.  Spirits are likely to make a comeback this year which is always dangerous;
• Two pitches at Houx Annexe have once again been booked so with the help of some Police tape (don’t you dare forget Chadders !!) we will have a spacious area with which to drink, cook, eat AND if last year is anything to go by, sing and dance to some classic 80s music;
• Next year is the year we are planning to go further up market by booking a pitch at Houx in order to guarantee electricity for next year’s ‘lady’;
• Grandstand tickets have been procured once more as they were excellent last year – definitely the future although we should try and make even more use of them this year and watch some of the races on the Saturday morning;
• As you saw in a previous blog post I have decided to rent a Kangaroo TV for this year just to see how good they are – I’ve heard some great feedback from people who’ve used them at some of the F1 races so I’m hopeful it will prove a worthwhile investment this LM;
• It is highly likely that we will resurrect the ‘Guitar Hero’ challenge (kindly arranged by Chadders) as per last year although we will miss the dulcet vocals of JT this time around;
• I suspect it also won’t be the same without watching Pikey’s cum face (sorry driving face) when he’s playing Grid on the Xbox360 driving around the LM circuit (video to be posted shortly).

So, without further ado it’s on to the proposed draft menu for this year’s dining delights.  As well as the usual breakfast and lunch time treats I am proposing the following for evening meals:

• Beef Rendang (staying on the menu by popular demand);
• Sniffer’s Luxury Fish Pie (we can now have fish without Pikey going a strange colour and throwing up his lower intestines bit by bit);
• Thai Chicken Jungle Curry;
• Last, but by no means least, Potato Hash (as if we could forget it !!).

Let me know what you think chaps.

Lastly, a photo to epitomise Les 24 Heures Du Mans….Bring it on !!

The Live Gig !

Apparently there's a French band playing on the Friday night and Saturday night's live band is li'l old UB40 !!

Red, red wiiiiiinnneeee..........

Kangaroo TV

After a couple of years of pontificating (!!) I've decided to reserve a Kangaroo TV for the race at a suitably discounted price.

S0, here's hoping it's as good as it sounds and people tell me......

Excitement definitely mounting now - only a month to go :o)