I would like to come along to the party on Friday night is there any thing I need to do ie. Charity donation etc to gain entrance. I was in Maison blanche last year but missed the party due to other commitments any info will be gratefully appreciated.

joe Flay

I shall drive down again for the 25th consecutive year in my little toy.

Many thanks. That clears that up then.

Is it me or my computer both at home and at work that the CA website now only defaults to the forum page ??

Although Adolphe Singer was the president of the ACO he was never a member of the ACO and was therefore not allocated a membership number. Whether being president meant that he was automatically a member I do not know as he is not listed. I dont think anyone will ever answer this question unless they have a copy of the official ACO annuaire from the early 1900's I will therefore answer the question and put the millions of people out of their misery.

And the answer is....................


Albert Arnauld a lowly pharmacist who lived at 72 Avenue Thiers, Le Mans, Sarthe. He just happened to be the first individual to join the ACO and was issued with the prestigious membership number one. You would have thought that the ACO would have allocated it to some notable person but like today the ACO do things their way.  As in the allocation of tickets you never know what you might get when you pay your money.

No but thanks for giving it a go

All hotels within the Le Mans catchment area are normally booked years in advance for the Race weekend. When the Green hotel was being built a few years ago the wife of my friend was adamant that she did not wish to camp the following year. She  tried to book the Just completed  Green hotel and it was fully booked for the next three years for the Le Mans weekend

If you are looking for a hotel you are better looking to an area outside Le Mans like Alencon however at this late stage you may also find  a problem in getting accomodation. Anyway best of luck.

Well here is a question that will run and run. However I am sure that someone will Know the answer.

Who was the first member of the ACO  (given the number one on his membership card) also what was his proffession. Full points if you can give his address in Le Mans at the time of joining.

Who has the old Dutray clock which stood on the startline straight until the old pits were knocked down. 

Incidentally I do not know the answer but I would like to know who has it. 

Peirre Levegh did indeed race  solo in the 1952  le Mans  race and was leading the works  Mercedes by 4 laps in His Talbot when the engine broke with 90 minutes to go he was thus unclassified. It was his  guts and determination and driving skill which he extolled in the 1952 race which was noticed by Alfred Neubauer team manager of Mercedes. Levegh's breakdown gifted Mercedes the win. On the  strenghth of this drive and the fact that his breakdown allowed Mercedes to win  helped land him the the works drive for Mercedes in 1955. The rest is history. To see the pierre Levegh letters to Alfred Neubauer regarding this drive and to view some of the newspapers relating to the accident go to http://www.24heuresdumans.co.uk/content.php/340

I think you will find that it is illegal to set off fireworks on any camp site in France  let alone Le Mans it is just that the ACO or the french police at present decide to ignore it.

If you read my post  and a few of the earlier posts in this thread it will become evident what I am intimating at.

How much money do we pay for Radio Le Mans as  listeners well in case we have forgotten it is free. The cost is nil,nowt,zero it was set up to provide a free service to us the Le mans spectators at the track and has evolved into what we have today.

I could understand the bitching and negative remarks and comments if we were paying subscribers but we are not. The service is free unlike the BBC, Sky and all the other different medias. I am sure that changes will be made for next year with or without our comments.

 Maybe we should all pay a licence fee just for the Le Mans weekend then you could pay your weekend subscription or maybe not bother to listen. Then if it did not meet everyones high standards of preference we could all vote with our feet. Not going to happen but get my point?

I have been to le mans every year since 1983 which was the last year that the screens were widely available (The small monitors that is) they were only useful if you were walking about the place (They did not come to you, you had to go to them unlike RLM)  I do not think that many people would have got up from their viewing position and walked off to a monitor just to have a look at where each car was. If I remember correctly this information was always out of date anyway as it was only updated periodically. The only other way that you could be informed was for 5 minutes before each hour when there was a brief english commentary something which is carried on to this day. However it was always difficult to hear, as it is now, with the noise from a major race going on in the background.

Le Mans would not be the same without RLM and all who listen would be less informed without it. I have had my earphones in for every race from its inception from the time I arrive to the fall of the flag on Sunday afternoon I even have them in whilst I go to sleep in my tent it drowns out the noise of the drunks who want to party all night and then sleep when the race is on.

In an earlier posting I said that I felt that RLM had gone down hill over the last few years and I have thought long and hard over that after reading Hindys comment. I feel that I have probably let the side down. What I meant to say was that I was dissapointed with the way that it has changed whilst comparing it to the early outragious years. Well folks everything changes nothing stays the same, everything can be improved but as sure as hell you cannot please all of the people all of the time and you surely miss the thing that you love once it has gone.

Radio le mans has changed the way that English speaking listeners view the race you only have to look at the faces of non earpiece  touting spectators as they wonder what you know that they dont. Priceless.


Here's to Radio Le Mans and  all its presenters, contributors  both past and present together with the long gone memories and the ones to come.

Long Live Radio Le Mans

There have been fireworks at Le Mans since the first race in 1923 (Although officially organised) Are the huge campsite displays great fun or a disaster waiting to happen?