Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: WEC back to Silverstone.

« on: July 14, 2025, 05:02:17 pm »

Principally, the WEC’s management team requires confidence that the cost of travelling across the English Channel for a race would be offset, at least in part, via gate receipts.

Which is code for "The BRDC have not agreed to pay us our 'think-of-a-number and double it' hosting fee otherwise they'd be running the event at a loss" - the cost of a channel crossing pales into insignificance compared to sea/air freighting the paddock around the globe.

2

General Discussion / Re: 2025 Experience

« on: July 14, 2025, 04:56:45 pm »

Our third year on BSJ after being evicted from Epi and MB before that - we're now calling it our new home as it's just too much of a faff to get tickets for the other sites.
Arrived early enough to camp at Porsche Curves - a game-changer compared with the rest of the site as it's so much easier to get in/out
New big screen opp PC means little need to even leave the site now if one is feeling properly lazy.
Not enough bogs across BSJ, but especially at PC - it would cost a few grand for the ACO to double the allocation and the goodwill it buys is priceless.
Missed the karting circuit (no more pissed-up racing, the last bastion of the good (bad) old days now gone), but the fan zone they pun on it was pretty good, big enough bar, live music, new viewing ares etc.
Digital ticketing app worked a treat (who knew we'd ever praise the ACO for any technology?), even managed to immediately donate a spare GE to a friend waiting at Entree Sud on Tuesday suddenly realising they had brought a weekend only ticket !!
Navettes from BSJ entry mean it's now easier to get from there to just about anywhere than almost all of the other campsites (again, who knew we'd ever say BSJ was easy to get to anywhere from?!?)
Overall, as good as could be expected (but the fireworks and drone show was rubbish!)

3

General Discussion / Re: Tickets.

« on: June 06, 2025, 12:20:27 pm »

Resale site look to be closed now. I have a now unneeded full week GA if anyone wants it - digital ticket so need to have the ACO app installed for it to be transferred.

4

General Discussion / Re: Who, Where, What When etc 2025

« on: May 07, 2025, 10:05:33 am »

BSJ, probably Porsche Curves but depends upon how arsed I can be to get there early enough or whether just tun up late and enjoy the wilderness of the back end of BSJ.

5

General Discussion / Re: Off track entertainment.

« on: April 25, 2025, 10:40:44 am »

The aco web page shows cool and the gang playing on Saturday night.oh dear.

Saw them a few years back, OMG they are utterly terrible!

6

General Discussion / Re: McLaren back.

« on: April 25, 2025, 10:39:59 am »

Getting it made at Dallara. Bit of a shame.

LMDh is the lower cost option of course

I still struggle to see why anyone would go LMH route when you factor in the costs and delivery time rather than LMDh.

7

General Discussion / Re: Telegram notifications re tickets.

« on: April 25, 2025, 10:38:23 am »

How does this work? I don't know Telegram but it feels like it's a home for Russian hackers?

8

General Discussion / Re: Tickets.

« on: March 19, 2025, 12:10:04 pm »

Seems to be the usual software release 1.0 hick-up! I have downloaded the app but can only see one ticket. 2 GEs and a Parking Arnage are missing.

Update: The Parking Arnage ticket is visible in the app now, 2 GE still missing. Seems to be some step-by-step data migration.

I'll hold off downloading it for a week or so, hopefully all the bugs will have been splatted by then and it may work .....

9

General Discussion / Re: Tickets.

« on: March 18, 2025, 04:43:20 pm »

Wondering if I should be worried that I can see my grandstand tickets in the app but not my GE tickets 

Despite my other comedy post, don't worry, the digital download ones we had last year were combined, so just one ticket for entry and grandstand, so it's probably the same in the app?

10

General Discussion / Re: Tickets.

« on: March 18, 2025, 04:41:48 pm »

Let the carnage of an ACO developed IT system begin ...... Oh wait, it has, sorry to hear about your tix Doris!

11

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

« on: February 15, 2025, 04:39:04 pm »

They are so cheap (approx €3) and easy to order on the French gov't website, it's just easier to get one rather than do the research.

12

General Discussion / Re: ACO ticket app

« on: February 12, 2025, 09:17:52 am »

I'm beginning to think that this app does not exist and never will.
Even if it exists you are going to have to have a function to transfer tickets from the purchaser to people they have bought tickets for.
4am Sunday morning, you get back to campsite and your phone battery is dead?
Personally I think it's a ruse to keep the tickets within the resale site for as long as possible and that we will get an email a couple of weeks before the race saying we can print off tickets that we have bought.

I'm sure it will happen - many sporting events are going that way now, for instance you can't get into Twickenham without their app now. I'm also sure that, because it's the ACO, when (if) it does happen it will be an absolute cluster f***.

13

General Discussion / Re: ACO ticket app

« on: February 12, 2025, 09:16:05 am »

I'd like to think that the delay is because they are doing some rigorous testing, including the expected load on race day.  But somehow I doubt it....

Urm Geoff, this is the ACO remember? "rigorous testing" 

14

General Discussion / Re: CA Gathering 2025 ?

« on: February 06, 2025, 01:27:05 pm »

We've moved from a 'not this year' to a strong maybe too (i.e. have brought tickets). Would be good to try and meet-up because it's been a while and is often piecemeal now when we do.

Just thinking a little out of the box, especially as the ACO are herding us all away form our traditional campsites these days, both BSJ and Epinettes (I think) have fan zones now with big screen TVs and seating. As both are also served by free shuttle busses, perhaps meeting in one of those areas might be an idea?

Good idea, might still be better to do it on Wednesday/Thursday, I saw how rammed the buses were on race days.
The fanzone on Eppi, which did exist in '23, didn't turn up last year, IIRC the ACO have said it would be back for '25, but it is the ACO!

Well, perhaps the BSJ one might be a better option then as it did actually exist the previous two years, lol.

15

General Discussion / Re: CA Gathering 2025 ?

« on: February 06, 2025, 10:37:44 am »

Is was good to see you and the rest of the Le Mans Zone crew last year.
I found this year very tough going, the weather did not help at all.
I've changed from a not going to a maybe, but I've got to see a fairly big improvement in my health  both I could even consider it.
This getting old is a bitch!!!

We've moved from a 'not this year' to a strong maybe too (i.e. have brought tickets). Would be good to try and meet-up because it's been a while and is often piecemeal now when we do.

Just thinking a little out of the box, especially as the ACO are herding us all away form our traditional campsites these days, both BSJ and Epinettes (I think) have fan zones now with big screen TVs and seating. As both are also served by free shuttle busses, perhaps meeting in one of those areas might be an idea?