Club Arnage

Being going to Le Mans for years, now 62 still able to knock back a few beers tho, question how old is to old to go!

137

Nah, the likes of Delboy and Perdu have been going for bloody aeons longer than that. Since Pontius was a pilot. There appears not to be an upper limit. And if there was I for one would ignore it.....

MG Mark

I'm glad to read that Bob. it means I'm not half way there yet.  :).

t

Les'see.... I'm 60 and have yet to make it across the pond to attend. I guess if I do the math c'rectly, I have 77 years yet to make it. Yahooooo......  ;D ;D ;D

There isn't one, it's just long as you want to go.......& long may that continue!! 

Sadly, I have to announce that the answer to that is, for me anyway, three score and ten.

I went last year which was the 50th anniversary of my first visit, and whilst I still greatly enjoyed it, the combination of several issues forced me to make the decision that it would be my last.

Firstly, these old bones would not let me see and do as much as I used to and as much as I wanted to:

Secondly, the onset of diabetes severely restricts the amount of liquid pleasure that I can consume - doc says I should not drink beer at all, but I do in relatively low quantities:

Thirdly, the pills I have to take to counter diabetes have unfortunate side effects which, without being too detailing, make it necessary for me to be fairly close to some toilet facilities - and when one is living in a field in France among several thousand of other folk who are also trying to use those same (limited) toilet facilities, the result could be rather embarrassing.

I have to say that I am already regretting the decision, as I believe there will be some very good racing over the next few years.  I know there are others who are of an age or older than I and who still make the trip but for me, the medical situation dictates the result!

I still follow endurance racing, and will follow the 24 hours of Le Mans for as long as I draw breath.  Fortunately, Club Arnage provides an excellent platform to keep in the swing of things, but I will have to rely on the telebox for the visuals!!

Del

"The onset of diabetes severely restricts the amount of liquid pleasure that I can consume - doc says I should not drink beer at all, "

That's a bit concerning, I had a blood test this week cos the quack thought I could have diabetes. What happens if you drink too much?  >:D

Del, sorry to hear you won't be there this year, though understandable given the circs. I've said elsewhere that watching it on the telly is great if you are interested in what is going on on the race, you get a much better idea of what's happening. (Did you think of coming down for a few days earlier in the week when there is less pressure/queueing for "facilities"?). Take care of yourself!!!

As the biblical sell-by date is fast approaching, I am trying my best to keep up, but while the spirit is willing the flesh is weakening. In the last three months I have been to church seven times and am awaiting the eighth, and I am not religious in the slightest. So while avoirdupoid is helping keeps the earth in orbit, I feel that lethargy is requiring more attention. But I shall fight to the death, which sadly is statistically getting nearer. Now where's that bottle?

Hmm I  will be 73  this year.
I'll be on Houx from Sunday 7th to Monday 16th and intend to keep it like that until I drop.

I'm damned sorry to hear that news Del, rotten rubbish for you mate   >:(

Me I'm just a slip of a lad, only 67 or 68 (who's counting? :(  ) and Dame Fortune reckons I'm all right for at least a bit longer

So I don't mind hanging on for Bob's appointed time at least and seeing what we get to in the mean time

Lets face it I have a pair of younger knees to wear in walking the line, Tertre Rouge from the Dunlop bridge is one part of this year's plan, been a while since I did that

Del, I will sink a sympathy stubby for you on Saturday night

Then another

Then...

Del,

I'm sorry to hear read you not going to making the trip again. But I've heard that before.  I seem to recall D Bell said that's it but came back a year or two later.


t

Keep going untill the fat lady sings. You know it makes sense.

Geoff - the simple answer is you fall over, whether you have diabetes or not   ;)

If you have diabetes (which essentially means the system to control the amount of sugar entering the bloodstream is knackered), then you can have too little sugar, and you fall over as your muscles stop working, or your blood can have too much sugar, in which case you fall over because all the major organs stop working.  That was how I was diagnosed - I got a splinter in my finger, and it would not heal and the finger swelled up.  Went to the docs and they did a blood check which came out at 37 (normal level is 5 - 7).  Apparently, another few days and my person would have started to close down.  The reason my finger wouldn't heal is that the white blood cells don't do their job of eating the germs when the sugar level gets too high.

Ironically enough, wine is better than beer, and spirits are better still - the stronger the tipple, the less sugar there is.  But I keep my intake to quite a modest level, and test my blood sugar level twice a week, so can reduce/increase the intake accordingly   :)

Hope your test come out clear.

Del

I'm asking exactly the same question.  Two of our team have died in the last year, and we're not sure that the younger generation will  be able to look after us in the manner to which we've become accustomed.  We have diabetes issues too, with two tests a day, but for a scotch drinker, so not too big a problem.

Conclusion, no horizon in sight  ;)  but those portapottys come in handy

Don't worry chaps I've an idea, I'm going to set up a care home in Mulsanne you know the type own room and constant care from a " pit baby "

what a great idea, a balcony over looking the straight, comode seats for convince, a buggy shuttle service to the Guinness bar, perfect.

Fleabay is your friend, portable John, Bog in a bag, it's all there for us....or as posted before, the 99p store 10lt water containers are perfect for night time weewees ( diabetic for 8 years, plan for the consequences)

Great idea - but there'll be competition - isn't that what they're building on Maison Blanche now ??? ;)

MG Mark

A care home down Mulsanne is a great idea. My dads neighbour is in his mid 70s and stays in hôtels now for a bit of peace and quiet at night. I did think a lot of the drivers are over 60!

Andretti was the oldest for a while, with his last appearance at Le Mans in 2000 at the age of 60. Then Jack Gerber topped it in 2013, at the age of 68!

MG Mark

Just an aside along the same note... What about Paul Newman...winner of GTS1 (and third overall) at the Rolex 24, 1995. Only 70 years old.   :o :)

He also rented Lime Rock right after getting out of Sloan Kettering Hospital (cancer treatment) to drive his Trans Am Camaro (i'm pretty sure it was) one more time before he passed shortly after at 83.... :(

As a fellow diabetic I can but pass on the advice given to me several years ago by the specialist nurse at my GP's practice, and that was to drink red wine.

Fortunately France is quite good at producing red wine.

I am very sorry to learn of this Del. You seemed on such fine form last year, certainly roaring with merriment on the Friday night.

I think this is what is called THE END OF AN ERA :(

Or is it a BRM?

(http://imageshack.us/a/img854/3580/lwit.jpg)

As I've gotten older (I'm 53 now) I have found that I have a ever decreasing tolerance for discomfort, roughing it in field, packed in a crowd like sardines, etc. For me that will be what determines when taking in racing in person is no longer in the cards. Fortunately I'm still in good health, been running (going to run a half marathon in the autumn) and actually lost a few kilos over recent months. Road racing I still very much enjoy, sitting on the hillside and enjoying a cold adult beverage is a perfect afternoon for me. Stuffed in the grandstands? Not so much.
My brother, some friends, and I agreed we would make one final trip to the Indy 500 next year, it will be the one hundredth running of the 500, and after forty of those, it'll be a nice way to end my experience of the Memorial Day classic.
Just can't deal with that zoo on race day anymore. Give me a sunny day at Mid-Ohio, or Road Atlanta.
fax

I know exactly what you mean. For the last few years we have been taking a caravan down to make it easier for our ageing bones. When we first started we sniffed at people with tents as we grabbed an hour or two of sleep in the back of the car (if we felt like it). Then we succumbed to tents and now the caravan. My Dad would not approve...

And I was worried it was just me.

A warm shower or a cold beer whenever you want one too, rather than a warm beer and a cold shower

You are certainly not alone Lorry (I am assuming you are the same Lorry from another LM Forum) we took the Caravan for the 1st time last year and we found it by far the most comfortable...Even my son and friends in their 20's thought it was excellent...I mean...Fan for when its scorching...Heater for the cold....Fridge for the Beer and Food...On Board Cooker...Toilet and Washing Facilities....Comfortable Beds...A degree of insulation from Crappy Loud Music....What's not to like?? Well worth the extra expense of getting it there and back.

I used to have a 'van and only got rid of it once LM became the only outing it got each year. It was a bonus there, for all the reasons above.

Today's Good News for me is that the blood & pee test all clear except high cholesterol, no real surprise there though. I hadn't realised how many things they were testing for in the one test till they read out which bits were OK!!

Hey Smokie, I can relate to the high cholesterol problem, got put on Lipitor over the winter. Some of the problem is hereditary, but much of it is also self inflicted. One of the reasons I've started running again.
My camping experiences of Le Mans, and Sebring, have all been with tents, we've had caravans at Daytona, but many of my Indy trips in my teens, twenties, and early thirties involved trying get a couple of hours of sleep in the car while all sorts of hell raising is going on around you. I have fond memories of those days, but have no desire whatsoever to try and reenact them.
Fax

Hi Fax,

the 100th edition of the Indy 500 is on my agenda too - but it will be my first visit. Hope I can ask you some questions about the race

Best

Werner

Hi Werner,
Absolutely, any way I can be of help, feel free to ask. It's going to be quite a celebration next May.
My first year was 1972, the days of unlimited turbo boost, and barn door sized wings. The speeds jumped from the mid 170's in 1971 into the mid 190's by 1972. Remarkable days.
Fax

As long as me bleeding Gout does not flare up whilst I am down there i'll be ok. The thought of trying to walk round the circuit with a throbbing foot give's me shudders.  :-[ . I sound like a right old git..

"A throbbing foot"... bragging or complaining?  ;D... sorry

>Martini...LB

Throbbing foot, aching knees, naff back, I dream of walking the track without an ache!!!
You try and tell the young folk today....and they won't believe you..
Its only my 23rd year. Bring it on

My 50th Le Mans will be in 17 years time when I will be 68, it will also be the 100th Le Mans. once I reach that milestone I will make a decision.

That Pat is because you are an old git. Got your motor fixed yet?

Car fixed & European breakdown cover purchased, it was a bloody sensor problem. See you Wednesday....

The beautifull sexy lady found me a fancy dress outfit. Glad your wheels are fixed .