Oooh Noooo!!!

[BigH]

Found this on the web this morning:

http://www.infoscourse.org/article.php?sid=494&&thold=0

http://www.infoscourse.org/article.php?sid=555&&thold=0

I'm not sure what it all means. I know what some things mean though, which is a start. I know that if a grown man starts holding his winkle in a saloon bar he needs to visit the toilet quickly. Unlike the urchins in caps on the street, holding their winkles, I'm afraid I don't know what that means. It could be Dhobi's Itch, but I don't want to pry.

The ACO seem to have lost their bearings a little, and fax's worst fears have been confirmed, they've even started to put chicanes the public roads. This looks like the road behind the pitstraight grandstands. Maybe it's to slow down the burn outs, or they could be using the extra verge width to plant some geraniums.
Some of the work looks like it's on the Bugatti, but what's going on at the start of the pit straight? They're demolishing a concrete wall, so it's a big wahaaay1 from me, but I'm worried about what they're going to replace it with. A bigger one?

I notice that it's a Caterpillar excavator, and a Volvo dumptruck, so maybe it's part of a dry run in preparation of  the new rules. Not only do the cars have to go round the track very quickly, they have to move 100 cubic metres of earth during the night.

Come on Gilles, get out there and tell us more!
H

[Bob U]

I was always told
"IF IT AINT F***ED DON'T FIX IT"
Translation please for the ACO's benefit

[chrisbeatty]

A quick Google translating seems to say they are doing a few things:
For all you non-french speaking peeps....
http://tinyurl.com/6srch
http://tinyurl.com/5tx4k

1) Creating a new road so there is a footpath to walk along the bottom of the circuit from the Main entrance to the Porsche curves, it seems to read that this road may go all the way to Arnage? (As long as they leave the traffic lights as they are, sitting there watching fabulous cars go by is a good start to any beer trip)  

2) Building a tunnel under the Bugatti circuit  (possibly in addition to the bridges? or maybe in replacement?)

3) It mentions they are going to build 9 new stands & change the village after the 2005 race

There is also something about a tunnel & Technoparc, no idea about that

[Bob U]

Okay so this time maybe they are doing somthing to benefit the spectators, but going by past "improvments" it is hardly surprising that people are scepticle about any changes. I remember the first time I saw "The new and improved" run down from the Dunlop bridge to the Esses. That for me was one of the finest specticlles of Le Mans, Close to the cars glowing brake discs and flaming exhausts.They certainly ballsed that up and made it look like a sanitised Grand Prix circuit.

[pretzel]

Okay so this time maybe they are doing somthing to benefit the spectators, but going by past "improvments" it is hardly surprising that people are scepticle about any changes. I remember the first time I saw "The new and improved" run down from the Dunlop bridge to the Esses. That for me was one of the finest specticlles of Le Mans, Close to the cars glowing brake discs and flaming exhausts.They certainly ballsed that up and made it look like a sanitised Grand Prix circuit.

Just to give the ACO a little bit of credit (but not too much!) I believe the footpath improvements outlined will really benefit us rather than take away from the experience.

Building a spectator footpath out to MB camping and on to the Porsche curves can only be a good thing. In particular is should help relieve the bottleneck that used to exist behind the grandstands around the beginning of the start/finish straight/Ford chicane area.

Not so good news is the bigger gravel trap (bac a gravier) as they say,  presumably somewhere around the Ford chicane again, although fortunately it doesn't say they are moving the chicanes.

Regarding the tunnels, the text says there will be 'several' from the Museum side to the Southern Entry, I presume this will mean crossing the circuit somewhere in the area between the existing tunnel between the main entrance and the top of the village, and the Dunlop bridge. Let's hope the circuit doesn't fall into them while they're being constructed or that will become another 'improvement'

[rcutler]

The picture seems to show that MB has moved to the other side of the road???
 
I hope my eyes are decieving me.!!!!!

[Kpy]

The picture seems to show that MB has moved to the other side of the road???
 
I hope my eyes are decieving me.!!!!!

They are!!

This is what is happening. They are moving the D139, the road which leads from the main entrance towards Arnage, slightly away from the circuit in order to provide footpaths on either side of it and to allow room for a footpath to be built inside the circuit around the back of Maison Blanche grandstand to allow easier access for spectators to the campsites and towards the Porsche Curves. The road itself has already been built, and only the footpaths remain to be finished. The idea is to ease the bottleneck of spectators and to separate those with tickets for the grandstand from the rest of us.
At the same time they are realigning the corner on the Bugatti circuit where it joins the main circuit, and widening the gravel trap on the outside of the circuit.
The two tunnels under the Bugatti circuit are to replace the existing footbridges between the entry to and the exit from Musée corner. There will also be a second (pedestrian) tunnel, in parallel with the already existing tunnel between the interior of the circuit and the southern entry to Technoparc.
9 new pits (not stands) will be built after the 2005 24-hour race, along with what they call the improvement of the Village.

[Steve Pyro]

....along with what they call the improvement of the Village.

They'll be making space for the Red Lorry again then.  

Dick will be pleased.

[jpchenet]

....along with what they call the improvement of the Village.

They'll be making space for the Red Lorry again then.  

Dick will be pleased.

[smokie]

JP with nothing to say for himself? Whatever next...

[Gilles]

Kpy already resume in a better English than mine all these modifications !

[jpchenet]

JP with nothing to say for himself? Whatever next...

Don't know what happened there!!!  I'll try again!  

[jpchenet]

....along with what they call the improvement of the Village.

They'll be making space for the Red Lorry again then.  

Dick will be pleased.

Dick would be happier if it was an historic military vehicle!!!  But I'm sure he'll be happy with anything with a diesel engine!!  

[Snoring Rhino]

 But I'm sure he'll be happy with anything with a diesel engine!!  

Does that include the performers in the red Lorry?

[Mr Toad]

Help please! - I'm still trying to understand this...

The road & footpaths go from the grandstands towards MB - but what happens at MB campsite? - is there any change to the shape/viewing from the campsite? Does the footpath come down this far? If so, is it at the back of the campsite, or next to the track in front of of the present campsite? Yours, preparing to panic, Mr T.