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#1
10-07-2013, 09:52 AM
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24 Hours of Le Mans 2013 - Circuit de la Sarthe
I was fortunate enough to be at this years 24 Hours of Le Mans and, as I've seen some interest for GT racing on SES before, I thought I'd chuck a few pictures up.
Despite the size of the tracking I actually found it pretty difficult taking pictures as there are a lot of high fences at Le Mans, so I had a struggle finding some decent view points (and many photos ended up in the recycle bin!). But a few came out OK, so here are some of my faves…     Looking down towards the Ford Chicane and the main grandstands. This was a brilliant spot to watch from as the cars were passing really close to the fence, then braking for the chicane or diving into the pits…  …at such low level and standing behind the cars, it was also a great place to quickly lose your hearing!     On the subject of hearing damage Corvette were back at Le Mans again and, as per my last visit (back in 2008), were by far the loudest cars on track. A lot of cars in the LMP2 class were running Nissan V8’s, but there was no mistaking the Corvette V8 roar.  Aston Martin get runners up spot for engine noise though; the Vantage GTE’s sounded excellent!   Our original camping spot was right in the middle of Maison Blanche and surrounded by other people. Due to a bit of a mix up, half our assigned patch was already occupied so, after a short debate, we were allocated a reserve spot. This turned out to be a massive stroke of luck as, in my opinion, it was one of the best spots there.  See the bank in the background? Well a quick walk up to that and onto it…   …look to the left…  …and that’s our plot, and look to the right…  …that’s the track! From our tents to the track was about 30 feet. The only way we could have been closer is if we were camped in the kitty litter on the corners!     [img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/9247374236_0790619bc0_b.jpg[/img]   Le Mans is a pretty rare race in that every car, in every class, is of interest. Even the “amateur” GTE class is filled with the latest GT machinery…   …and the same applies in the LMP2 class, which had a huge number of entrants this year and a mixture of both open and closed cockpit racers.         The GTE Pro class contained a similar mix of cars as the Amateur class, but with more experienced talent behind the wheel.      Finally, the fastest class, LMP1. LMP1 actually had the least number of entrants, but the quality of machinery and driving talent was very high, from the defending champions…  …to the main challengers…  …and even the British underdogs (who went on to claim a very respectable 6th position).       Audi No. 2, Saturday 16:00. 1 hour down, 23 to go…  …and 23 hours down and 1 away from overall victory.  (Definitely needs a good clean!)   
__________________
"If in doubt... flat out!"
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#2
10-07-2013, 09:53 AM
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The start/finish line at night…
 …have to confess I’m not much of a fan of the start line area during the day, as it tends to be absolutely rammed. At night it empties out though, so you can sit down and watch the cars coming over the line and in the pits. Without the background noise of the big crowd the sound of the cars echoing off the buildings here is awesome.   Ferrari 458 sporting official Ferrari duct tape modification:    Have to confess that I am a massive fan of the look of both the LMP1 and LMP2 cars. Not sure why I prefer the look of closed wheel racing cars, but I find these far more interesting to look at than modern F1 cars.        [img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/9244578719_8136fc99df_b.jpg[/img]           And that’s pretty much the lot! Absolutely fantastic 24 hours of racing and a brilliant weekend. If you are a fan of motorsport in the slightest, I cannot recommend it enough! There was only one negative of the whole thing – and this is a bit of a downer to finish on - which came from an early race incident. The number 95 Aston crashed on the third lap exiting Tertre Rouge, sadly the driver died shortly afterwards.   RIP Allan Simonsen.
__________________
"If in doubt... flat out!"
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#3
10-07-2013, 11:34 AM
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 Must go there one year. Was the delta wing there this year?
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#5
10-07-2013, 06:22 PM
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Quote:
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PS: That Avatar picture of yours is mesmerizing: every time it catches my eye I end up staring at it!
__________________
"If in doubt... flat out!"
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