Club Arnage

this is on the LM website today
http://www.lemans.org/sport/sport/calendrier/pdf/billet24h_2007.pdf

The most interesting aspect of this, fagey, is the new Tertre Rouge campsite with tents provided!  Might be very good for one or two people coming long distances with minimal luggage?

maybe so.. but what quality?? ;)

Probably no worse than the average Supermarket one!  And I see they have 24hr logos on - could they become a collector's item? :)

probably.. cos there will only be 100 of them per year ;)

I have visions of people coming back to the camp site and finding their tents gone.

exactly.. and all the same looking.. imagine after a calvados or three trying to find yours in the middle of the night ???

Now we find ourselves in 2007 the excitement of attending The Great Race again is reallly gathering pace.

Bring it on

Had that same trouble with flotilla sailing.... a whole row of identical yachts lined up!!!!   (Thats my excuse anyway...  ;) )

F

35 square metre per ticket on HA? How on earth are they going to police that? It will be very interesting to see if I still have an area taped off waiting for me on Friday morning

it certainley will be an eye opener this year!!

The new site might be appealing if you are light weight.  But then how do you get your tent back. :-)  At around twice the price of MB and Houx and three times the price of most of the other sites I really wonder if it's good value.  It does have the edge over Houx in that it has a Track view.  I notice it also has Electricity.

On the down side they will rigourously enforce the 30m² area limit as they are putting up the tents.  Note also the space is 5m² less than what your allowed in the other sites. (We know how creative we can be with that. ;D)

There looks like there is a much more comprehensive shuttle service too.

The new BSJ site looks interesting.  3 cars 2 campers or a Bus.  For sure if there is a group of you it may be worth considering. 

105m²  of grass now your talking.   ;D ;D ;D ;D

t

No doubt they'll give us plenty to moan about as ever, but at least some attempt is being made to do new things.
Did anybody see the Audi staff campsite last year?  Will the new one resemble that.. rows and rows of identical little silver tents (maybe the ACO have bought last year's and put their logos on them..)

You can count on me and Bill  ;D

Thank you kind sirs. I'm sure you will be rewarded by way of some form of refreshment, liquid or other

Would spam be appropriate?

As for the marked pitches, it will take them a month of Sundays to mark them out next year, and will need someone who knows how to do it, not just a couple of the local unemployed.  Perhaps they think the groundsman from the new stadium will do it on his day off.

nope.. they will get us bikers to mark them out with our wheelspin burnouts.. and of course our large fires... after the moto gp in may ;)

IMHO.  They do a good job of making out the pitches.  I've stayed on the old Tribunes and the new Houx and I have to say they are well marked and labeled.  Given that most people are reasonable they don't try to take more than they are entitled too.  Since I've not seen anyone attempt to expand their area I don't know how the guys on the gate that show you to your spot would deal with it.

On one occasion on BSJ they had put some guide marks to show the 35m² should be, but, of course no one takes any notice and so it becomes a free for all.  It's no good just making the pitches out they have to be numbered.  Given that none of the sites is a regular shape some pitches are better/bigger than others. 

t.

Oh well, bang goes another decent viewing spot, I wonder if they'll rebuild the banking and/or allow other camperists to access the site like wot they do at Mulsanne?

I had the gnomes babbling on at me last year about how much space we were allowed in Tertre Rouge, referring to the crappy lines they'd spray painted in the dirt and that got washed away the night before we arrived.
Just smiled and nodded until they buggered off.
Think I'll take a tape measure with me this year.

It may be worth those travelling down late who want space saved for them making sure that their pass goes down with the advanced party so that they the early boys can prove they have an entitlement to x amount of space.

I know that makes it a pain in the arse for the late arrivals to get in but if they really are going to enforce this on the ground this year I can't see them allowing people to tape off space they can't show a pass for.

Food for thought perhaps? 

If those prices are right then I've just discovered how much MRI are fleecing us.  For me and the wife MRI are charging £508 for ferry, camping and tickets.

Acccording to the ACO prices the same package would cost €263 assuming £60 for the ferry and that the €81 for camping on MB is per car.  This equates to about £180.  So, MRI are charging us £328 for access to the hospitality tent and a guaranteed spot on MB.  Is it worth it?  I'm begining to think not.  Therefore, rant over, now a couple of questions:

1. Approximately how much is membership to ACO?
2. Is there a step by step guide to applying for tickets direct from the ACO for 2008?

Johne

Your step by step guide is here
http://www.lemanszone.de/caguide2007/c26-tickets.pdf
You do not need to be a member to apply for tickets in advance, but general entrance and camping tickets are cheaper.  You also get cheaper food and access to ACo hospitality areas.  I will look up the cost.
The other thing you get from MRI is the peace of mind - you will not be going through the same process as we direct bookers - ie the anxiety of not knowing whether or not you have got your tickets until around now!
membership costs and on-line application to the club here
http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/live/pages/club24_fr.html

Thanks.  your right about peace of mind, I just didn't realise how much peace of mind costs.  Is it common for people to apply a year in advance and still not get a camping spot though?

Anyway.  Most important thing is we're going.

Hi John, welcome to the world - yes the ticket agencies rip you off! 

But as Mrs Termite says you get peace of mind and the knowledge that if you're prepared to pay their price you've got a ticket. 

And yes, it's very common to appy a year ahead and not get tickets.  Have a look at the thread that's on page three called Maison Blanche zoning (or similar) and read some of the comments about how we believe tickets are allocated! 

Anyway, you've paid your money, you'll get your ticket so go and enjoy it!   Is this your first time? 

I have always got the tickets I have applied for since I first began booking direct - but I do book on practice weekend.  We do not know what is going to happen this year yet - we are all just guessing about the effect of the new zoning system.  But we'll have a pretty clear idea very soon I think and you'll no doubt be able to read all about our experiences any day now! ::)
As ever, watch this space!
I should have said, you'll always get a camping space of some sort, it may just not be on quite the site you anticipated if you're low on the list!

Hi Piglet,

This is our third trip, virgin in 2004, caught the bug so had to come back in 2005, unfortunately a wedding in Canada ruled out 2006 (but managed LMES at Donnington as compensation).  Watched it on MotorsTV last year.  Spent the whole 24 hours misearble 'cause I wasn't there, so had to come back this year.  I also have the added bonus of a wife who's a motor sports nut.

Each time we've gone through MRI. To be fair your guaranteed a spot if you book eary enough and I can't complain about the service.  Don't know what's going to happen for us re zoning on MB.  All I know is that we're on there somewhere.

Don't forget to come and meet us at the 'Poo bar on the Saturday night, John.  Welcome to CA.

I have booked direct for the past 10 years and have always been allocated what I have asked for. I send  my application for the following year off by fax roundabout the end of February. I have always had the same customer/ beneficairy number on the confirmation letter.  Maybe the allocation is linked to this number, ie, the lower the number, the longer the person has been applying and therfore gets preferencial treatment.

Whatever, if you intend going in 2008 don't leave it too long before you apply.

I think Bob you're lucky in that you are on the "magic list" that receives an allocation pretty much whenever they apply.

I've applied around the race date each year for the following year and not been allocated MB, Paddy has the same problem.  It seems they allocate to the "magic list" and then what's left goes to us mere mortals  :(

And he applies in February, Piglet! The ACO tell me that those on the magic list (who have been booking for 15 years or more) come first, followed by everybody else strictly in order of the date on which their application was received.
I'll be going to the office when whatever allocation I get comes through, and I think I'll do my '08 reservations then, if they'll let me!

Hi John

See also here for notes about ACO membership.


http://www.lemanszone.de/caguide2007/c29-acomembership.pdf

Del

I'm sure this is the trick.  You may have to book a certain number of tickets, but once you have a number they will reserve the same for next year.  Only if you want to increase the number of grandstand or camping tickets do you have a problem.

In fact read the whole guide.  You'll be amazed how much you didn't know you didn't know!

We could establish this for sure by gathering some info' when we get our allocations.  Maybe a success rate versus original reservation date and customer number?

Bob U,

Just to clarify, do you mean you booked in Feb 06 for 2007 tickets?

Yes. It's only a fax. You don't have to pay up front and are almost guarenteed to get what you ask for. I always ask for HA tickets but it might be different for MB.You can download the application form from the ACO website and change the year on the top.

Has anyone noticed the new coach park that appears at the end of Maison Blanche, but is at the porsche curves - will MB go that far this year

You gotta love the new campsite with tents provided.

 Quote " At the end of your stay take your tent home with you"

So, not only take your own rubbish with you, take ours too.

I think that there will be a lot of pikeys selling a lot of logoed tents in the following weeks.

Last year Bleu nord was all marked out in 35m2 plots .
Arrived at 5.30 am wednesday, and by 8am I was having arguements with the space police.
Luckily although I did not having all 4 camping passes I did have my invoice stating we did have 4 permits.
This was still a problem, and resulted in threats to have me removed from the site, untill I got out my mobile and said I was calling the ACO office at which point they backed down a little.
There then followed a conversation involving the fact that apparently I had erected my tent and parked my car in the wrong place on the pitch.
At which point I abandoned my poor French, picked up a peg mallet and asked in English if they really wanted me to move the 5 man tent I had just put up myself.
Eureka, this seemed to work, and they left to piss off someone else.
Next year I'm going to get some PL stickers for the car and pretend only to speak Polish.

Not quite true Barry - the section I was in wasnt marked (other than a bit of spray paint showing where the drive-thru had to be kept clear. 

It was marked out on your side of the roadway and beyond - presumably because my area was funny shaped with trees/ditches etc and the area where you were (and beyond) was easier to mark out in straight lines! 

F

It is never easy to mark out straight lines when you are pissed! or even pitch inside them!

Very true Fran, probably didn't realise at the time cos when we came over to yours were totally gobsmacked by the time warped germans with the mullets who were camped opposite you. :)