Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Caen and Le Havre - Crit'air

« on: February 16, 2025, 09:18:58 pm »

How mean can you get.  I'm mean, but have had 7 years use out of my Crap'air badge.  That's a horendous 50p a trip.

I don't think they have ANPR yet, so rely on plod to spot the stickers, in their usual efficient way.

Caen's Crap'air region seems to be inside the ring-road, so anyone coming off the Ouistreham ferry should be safe.

Its easy to look these things up https://caenlamer.fr/zone-faibles-emissions

2

General Discussion / Re: Is next year our last?

« on: November 07, 2024, 09:33:09 pm »

Plus the campsites are crap, and too far away.  Food, drink and souvenirs are very expensive.  They must make good money out of the corporate hospitality to treat the public so badly.  It was better during the covid years when you could watch on big TV for next to nothing.

Pierre Fillon, hang you head in shame

3

General Discussion / Re: Let's talk about the revised Safety Car procedure for 2024?

« on: January 22, 2024, 06:43:05 pm »

The safety car has corrupted the results in F1 all too often in recent years, as cars run to different pit stop and tyre strategies but can win a free pit stop.  LM is a little simpler, and the old system was about as good as you'll get, but the merge and pass around mean you don't just gain a 20 pitstop, but you can gain up to a whole lap.  I suspect this comes from the Nascar principle of bunching the cars up to create more overtaking, but the whole concept is unfair.  Next clever idea will be having a raffle, and if you win you gain a free lap

4

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: November 19, 2023, 05:52:30 pm »

The agents allocations have been changed yet again, god alone knows why.  So the agents have the problem of telling some customers the bad news.

I get the feeling that (for this and other reasons) the French are starting to hate foreigners.  I look forward to Frexit

5

General Discussion / Re: ETIAS delayed again.

« on: November 11, 2023, 06:25:08 pm »

The delays are only to give us a chance of rejoining the European Union 

6

General Discussion / Re: Aco members benefits

« on: November 03, 2023, 03:44:33 pm »

I'm confused (no change there then)  We use an agency, as the ACO never had much for sale.  We now want to change campsite to one nearer the Tribunes.  If we can, probably 3 of our geriatrics will want to come, so we'll need more pitches, which we probably won't be able to get.

This has been a nightmare for 30 years 

7

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: November 03, 2023, 03:33:18 pm »

Found this on the ACO website, confirms our concerns:

'To ensure that as many people as possible have a chance of using the camping areas, the number of tickets is limited to 3.'

Does anyone understand the logic of this?

Is it just to devalue ACO membership?

8

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: October 28, 2023, 06:47:18 pm »

Sadly, its the way of the world.  I gave up with the Grand Prix, because the best places had gone to hospitality, so you didn't get to see much and it was expensive. It was far better on the television - you saw all the good bits, with replays!

Le Mans seems to be going the same way, and I now watch much of it on the TV, as I did at home during covid.  OK I'm getting old, but even our younger generation watch it on their phones, if they can get some bandwidth, and then want to cast it to my TV!

I find club level motorsport more interesting - you can take a good look at the cars, and talk to the drivers etc.  One of the old gits has resorted to the Sotheby's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.  Oh dear, looks like hospitality could be ruining that too

9

General Discussion / Re: Brittany Ferries 2024 Bookings

« on: October 19, 2023, 09:35:52 pm »

They were good to suspend my ferry for the 2 main years of covid, but asked for a chunk on top, and were even more expensive this year, so, yes the price has doubled 

10

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: October 19, 2023, 09:30:20 pm »

It also looks as though the free grandstand seats (other than T17/T18) for those without GS tickets are a thing of the past now....

Were T17/T18 free?

Wednesday and Thursday they used to be free, if you were an ACO member, you paid for a allocated seat for Sat/Sun.

I've got it! They were reserved for ACO members weds and thurs, but the others are free

Not so sure that is true for next year, ambiguous wording by the ACO.
The wording on the ACO site on a week GE reference grandstands is 'Authorised access only from 12 to 14 June'

Yes and we have absolutely no idea what that means.....

This is what we expect from the ACO.  France has loads of space, but they seem to get it wrong and this is a good example

11

General Discussion / Re: Brittany Ferries 2024 Bookings

« on: October 14, 2023, 12:58:59 pm »

Ferry prices seem to have doubled since pre-covid times, which hurts when you're towing a caravan!  Mind you, hasn't everything

12

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: October 14, 2023, 12:49:10 pm »

It also looks as though the free grandstand seats (other than T17/T18) for those without GS tickets are a thing of the past now....

Were T17/T18 free?

Wednesday and Thursday they used to be free, if you were an ACO member, you paid for a allocated seat for Sat/Sun.

I've got it! They were reserved for ACO members weds and thurs, but the others are free

13

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: October 13, 2023, 05:20:12 pm »

It also looks as though the free grandstand seats (other than T17/T18) for those without GS tickets are a thing of the past now....

Were T17/T18 free?

14

General Discussion / Re: Get ready to be shafted!

« on: October 12, 2023, 09:21:45 pm »

It also looks as though the free grandstand seats (other than T17/T18) for those without GS tickets are a thing of the past now....

If you mean on the days before race weekend, I would agree that's how it looks.

Yes, that's what I meant. 

Will this apply to test day?   

Won't the stands be a bit empty, or will they sell day tickets, and can you go to other stands?

15

General Discussion / Jannine Finally Sells Out

« on: September 10, 2023, 09:46:26 pm »

I've picked up a message on another forum a few weeks back that Jannine has finally retired.  There's confusion about who's bought it.  We assume the ACO, but this is denied.  As its on the other side of the bypass it has little use, other than a bar, but I bet it'll be trashed

Had this message been on FB, I'd never have found it again.

Anyone know any more