SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Feature: Le Mans

It was 2004. The campsites were baking as we rolled in on my first visit to Circuit La Sarthe. We were lucky and found a spot almost opposite the main entrance. As always the facilities left a lot to be desired. The toilets were made from pig sties and dreams such as warm water and dirt free shower blocks were a long way away (to most attending this year’s race it is still a pipe dream!).

Le Mans is an experience more than an event or even a race. Anyone who has seen the seminal Steve McQueen classic movie will know how the circuit seems to dominate the cars drivers and surroundings. For all the fun of the fairgrounds and the incredibly unique feeling of Le Mans week are contrasted by the sheer menacing character of the circuit. Only the old Hockenheim, Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps circuits have the same menacing air about them. Many people have died here and, for all the safety features, this is still a circuit that can kill if it is not shown respect.

If you ever decide to go to the 24 heurs du Mans then the first building you pass as you approach the circuit has to be entered at some point during your stay. The museum of the circuit has a collection of vintage racing cars as good as any and better than most. The Mazda that Johnny Herbert won the race in in 1991 is there as is one of the Sauber Mercedes and such classics as Porsche 917, 906s, Bentley Blowers and any other classic racer that competed at this famous race. Perhaps best of all is a taste of how things used to be — the in-car footage of a lap with Derek Bell on the pre-chicane circuit in a Group C Porsche. I was lucky enough to meet Derek Bell at The Festival of Speed at Goodwood a couple of years ago (something I shall be reporting on after my attendance this year) and the man is a total hero to me after having seen that footage.

Classic cars.

Having entered through the turnstiles the main grandstands stand before you. To my mind these are surprisingly small and these days are surrounded with marshals and police to prevent entry to anyone without the appropriate ticket. On my first visit (in 1998) things were far more lax and, as long as you were up at 2 am, you could sit in the grandstands cheering on your favorite cars and trying to warm yourself up with coffee and fries.

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