Didn't Paddy source the last ones?   

As a Clerk of the Course within the UK I routinely make the decision about whether to snatch and recover cars under local yellows or whether to use the safety car and risk affecting the race.

For me, tricky conditions make me more likely to use the SC - I've got soft squishy marshals out in the line of fire of the traffic and drivers often on the wrong tyres for the conditions so in those cases I make little apology for using the SC in that scenario.   

The other big deciding factor is whether I need to put a service vehicle on the track.  If there is a snatch vehicle at the incident location then I'm usually happy to snatch under local yellows as I don't have to put a truck/JCB etc. into the track.   I cannot think of any scenario when I would put a service vehicle onto a track without the SC being out.  I know some clerks who do and I know that it's very common in parts of Europe but it is not what I would do as in my view it is much too risky. 

There were clearly snatch vehicles at many locations around LM and where that was the case I saw them snatching vehicles under yellows, it did seem that the SC was used when there was a need to take a service vehicle onto the track which matches my common practice.   

Some of the SC periods seemed extended, especially the last one which seemed to go on for ever.  I was also puzzled by their use of pit exit and operating the old style SC procedures of only releasing cars onto the back of a train of cars.  The regs really didn't help to clarify what was supposed to happen.   

Barriers are a tricky question...the difference between the areas of the circuit where there are huge run off's (ie Dunlop) compared to say Tertre Rouge is fairly easily explained.   Dunlop sits within the area that is owned by the ACO and is permanent circuit, whereas there are of course large areas of the circuit that are public highway.   To some extent, it's the nature of road circuits and part of what makes circuits like Le Mans and in the old days Spa such special and challenging places.   

Now clearly I'm not saying that it's right that drivers are killed and injured and I think there is work to be done on the barriers and it may be that introducing some form of technical energy absorbing barrier like Monaco will be the way forward.   The barriers do look lighter in weight than I am used to seeing at UK circuits. 

Having said that, where there is a very short run off before a barrier, as is the nature of road courses, there is very little opportunity to retard the speed of the vehicle and the impact is always likely to be significant.   You can build bigger and stronger barriers but the stronger the structure you build, the less it actually absorbs energy and the more energy is pushed back into the weakest part of the car and that, inevitably, is the soft squishy person behind the wheel.    The fact that armco "gives" is actually a good thing, it's that give that absorbs some of the energy.  What we didn't see was barrier giving sufficiently that it rolled over and became a ramp as I have seen at times. 

Tyres absorb energy but also have bounce and that can bounce a car back into traffic causing additional risks and generating energy. 

The Eurosport commentators were getting their knickers in a twist in what, to me, was a very ill informed and insensitive way today about barriers.  Including a statement that AS was killed because there was a tree behind the barrier.  There is no point speculating at this stage.  The speed that AS's car went in was always going to generate a very hard stop and, as with jumping out of a plane, it's not the falling that kills you but the stop at the bottom.   

As ever, I think it's easy to criticise.  I've worked with Eduado who is the Race Director and he always seemed a safe pair of hands, not overly cautious so that he wouldn't do anything but not reckless and, having had a driver killed in the first few minutes of the race, I don't find it at all unusual that he may have been more cautious during the rest of the event.

Agreed.    Can we also include our other absent friends, my buddy Simon who we lost nearly two years ago and also Janice Minton who was a great friend of Club Arnage, Radio LM etc.    May the racing always be good at that racetrack in the sky...

Sorry, I missed the response, I've managed to sell it on though....sorry!

We've got the flags up in the garden....Union flag, French Flag, Flying Pig Racing and Club Arnage, the beer is chilling and we'll "do" LM from the sofa...maybe next year...

Count us in this....we were due to leave yesterday but the dog is in the veterinary hospital again with another intestinal blockage so the trip is off   

Managed to flog the GA's for their normal face value and the camping pass for half it's value...nearly cried when I handed it over this morning   

So we're here for the duration. 

Owing to some domestic issues, I may have a MB Camping and 2 x GA's to sell.   Bought at agency prices so around £275 for the lot. 

Will know for sure tomorrow afternoon and can get in special delivery post ASAP. 

Shout if interested.

Thanks Barry, not long now 

Thanks Martin, we're really looking forward to it 

Wednesday afternoon for us - Maison Blanche in and amongst Mal and the Flying Baguettes, hopefully in Tinkerbell the Landrover 

Hmm....that's pretty close to my thinking and the percentages as well.

It's an odd one for me as I spend around 35 days a year at racetracks, including being in the pit lane for F1, so there is very little novelty for me in seeing cars live and actually, if it's all about the race then you get a much better view and understanding of what is going on from home with a couple of TV feeds, RLM and a timing screen!

We've stayed home the last four years mainly because the fun had gone out of the camping, it was getting almost impossible to get reasonably priced pitches on MB and on our last trip I barely slept for the week because of the tossers with the truck who played their music until 5am.  I'm all for everyone having fun but the culture of LM is becoming too much like a stag weekend for for my liking and as this time of year I work bleeding hard and spend most of my free time at race circuits it had all become hard work.  

For me it is a lot about the traditions we've created, scrutineering and lunch in the maitre kanter, pottering around for a couple of days, going to the food market in LM, then LM for the drivers parade although rarely actually seeing any drivers as we'd get bored before they got to us but just enjoying the atmosphere - alternatively a nice lunch on the Friday at a lovely restaurant near a river.    

Race wise, watching qualifying, watching the support race from the MB banking, watching the start of the 24 from the Ford Chicane banking with a bottle of bubbly and plastic glasses - much as I'm used to live cars, the noise of the LM start is something very special.   Wandering around the track, out to Tetre Rouge for midnight and watching the fireworks over the village, sleeping for a couple of hours with the noise of the cars around me, up before dawn to walk along the tribunes, up to Dunlop for sunrise and then up around the Esses before going back for bacon butties.  

We're going back this year and I am looking forward to it, it'll be nice to revisit the places that we love - plus revisiting the location of our wedding party 6 years on!  

There will be a gap in things this year though, my Le Mans buddy Simon died two years ago this July, Simon was very much part of my LM experience and it's a bit of a pilgrimage for all of us this year...

Sorry, that's long!   I'm very much looking forward to seeing all of you, it's been too long....

Nothing of use to add here, but fingers crossed for your sister.   Has anyone spoken to the "Make a Wish" type organisations to see if they have any contacts? 

Good luck, I really hope that this trip can happen for her. Best wishes to you and to your family at what must be a horrible time. 

Liz Haliday is approachable and I think KK has contact with her, she's involved in promoting Women in Motorsport so would probably be happy to comment. 

It didn't look very sunny today!

Ahh you say the nicest things - I'm still not sharing my beer though