My first visit to Le Mans was in 1969, the age of the GT40, so I think I can claim to be a seasoned veteran of sorts. The days of straw bales, no safety for the drivers and no facilities started to really change in the 1980's but the circuit has been so modified in the last 15 years as to be unrecognisable to anyone from that era. The new Tertre Rouge is, IMHO, a complete and utter farce as was proved by the Audi. With the changes they can lose it early and hit the new gravel trap or, and this is most likely, lose it on the apex and all that awaits them is the armco. Indianapolis is now much safer with the big gravel trap after the first part, but the second 90 degree left hand bend, where they are braking from 180mph, is still damned dangerous with a minimal gravel trap before the barrier - witness the second Audi that lost a wheel there.
The problem is really health and safety plus the drivers union and overall the great god money. We are no longer allowed to get close to the action in case we get hurt and sue - witness the horrific accident of 1955 with 83 spectators dead when Pierre Levegh's car exploded and the engine went through the crowd like a missile. The photo of a child decapitated still sitting on his father's shoulders still haunts me to this day. Imagine how much that would cost in damages today. Like F1 circuits (Monte Carlo springs to mind where in the old days cars went into the water) life has moved on and we have to move with it. In the 1950's with the full 2.5 mile Mulsanne straight cars hit 180mph, but in 1994 one car (a Peugeot 905) set an unofficial record of nearly 250mph. It was the manufacturers who asked for the chicanes so they didn't have to make a special bodywork just to bring to Le Mans.
Today, I reckon the cars could easily hit 300mph on the old Mulsanne, but in the event of a tyre blow out then death is sure and certain. Do we want that? I don't think so. So, safety has been improved and the circuit modified but as was seen this year the Porsche Curves are still very unforgiving and, as mentioned above, Tertre Rouge. Allso remember that the Peugeot hit 222mph between Mulsanne and Indianapolis in practice too.
Personally I long for the "old days" when we could get close to the action, but frankly it isn't feasable any more. Witness the horrific accident at Goodwood in the Festival of Speed when one marshal was killed and one lost a leg. Incidentally, I doubt that many of you know that there is a brass plaque in his honour at the post just after Arnage. It is on the inside of the armco where he used to marshal and it was his favourite of all marshal's posts anywhere.
I'm afraid we must nowadays understand that, as has always been known, motor racing is dangerous, and live with the changes. I remember at Daytona in 1992 when a Porsche lost its front spoiler on the entrance to pit straight and missed the wall and hit the chicken wire above resulting in one very big wreck. Imagine the catastrophe if there had been no fencing and just the wall? I could go on.
If though, there was one thing I would change it would be the spirit and attitude. Water pistols are fun, but filled with piss? Chavs and bling do not, to me at any rate, form part of the Le Man spirit. I hope you concur.
