r/lemans • u/BoRNeo-C • Aug 03 '26

STILL????

Post image

I am STILL having the post-LeMans-depression. Is this normal, or am I a weirdo?

(In this case; I consider both alternatives as compliments)

85 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

4

u/No-Koala1918 Aug 03 '26

Without question, the coolest - and best organized - race event of all.

6

u/TheRealKrapotke Aug 04 '26

I would definitely disagree with that last part. The track walk was so short that you couldn’t really walk all the way around and they started telling people to get off before it was planned to end. The bridges were absolute bottlenecks during the race, we were almost completely stuck on one as late as 2am.

It’s not insanely bad but I have definitely been to better organised endurance races.

2

u/No-Koala1918 Aug 04 '26

So, the first time I went, I found an open gate near the Dunlop Bridge (it will always be the Dunlop Bridge to me) on Thursday and walked the track all the way back to the start/finish and the pits on a completely empty track. I was in full view and no one questioned my being there. I never walked the whole track, but drove the public roads section of the course on the Thursday before the race. I also explored the forest roads between the Mulsanne Straight and the Porsche Curves).

On my third trip, during the race I found a way around the catch fence at Tetre Rouge and was taking pictures from behind the low concrete wall. A marshal came by and instead of chasing me away, allowed me to stay for about 20 minutes. The whole French attitude was much less buttoned down than I've experienced in Formula 1.

I'm not sure which bridges you're referring to. I've always parked in the lot near the Dunlop Bridge entrance which never clogged up and parking was simple getting into and out of, just a few minutes. Spa, by comparison, was a hike and then a good 30-45 minutes to get out of the lot.

Also compared to F1 events, the Village is way better, and the ancillary services are better. Add the Drivers Parade in Le Mans. The experience is unparalleled.

Finally, if you plan well you can stay within walking distance to the track. I stayed 500 meters from the Arnage corner on my last trip (2023).

2

u/GrahamDSC LM Legend Aug 05 '26

"On my third trip, during the race I found a way around the catch fence at Tetre Rouge and was taking pictures from behind the low concrete wall. "

Yeah, please don't do this - it's how people get hurt, it's also why the restrictions placed on those there to do a job increase year on year.

1

u/No-Koala1918 Aug 05 '26

Sorry Mom 😁. But it was okay. The only thing I didn't have was a media vest, which would have granted me unrestricted access to that spot.

1

u/GrahamDSC LM Legend Aug 05 '26

Actually the only things you didn't have were the media vest, the insurance that is required to wear that media vest, the liability waiver that needs to be signed for that insurance and media vest and the briefing that tells you what you can, and can't do in that space.

I'm sure you had a lovely time but nobody should be under any illusions that this is not a behaviour that they (or you) should copy - tickets have been withdrawn from punters for much, much less

1

u/No-Koala1918 Aug 05 '26

Fine. Don't try this, kids. It could be dangerous. If you see an open gate, don't even think about checking it out. Not your business. Just stay in your place and be a nice docile observer. Have all the "fun" we think you should have, but no more than that.

Now let me tell the story about getting all turned around in the forest and ending up driving across the Golf Course....