Cask, Case and Chassis

A first-hand account of attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The atmosphere is electrifying. The cars are impressive. The noise is overwhelming. This is what it’s really like to experience the event in person.

The Journey to Le Mans

Le Mans 2023 was the start of a recent fascination with endurance racing. I have always been interested in motorsport. Everyone knows the majesty of the Le Mans 24hr race. The event also has a massive history. I have written my account of what its like as a first timer.

We originally planned to attend in 2022. My father, who has been to many major motorsport events, had never been. It was always something he had wanted to do. So, we get to November 2021, the fallout from COVID was subsiding and we planned to make the visit to Le Mans in 2022. Those who have been, and booked tickets (and we are now in that group) know full well that options for the following year are very limited, almost non existent in late November. At that point we decided it would have to be 2023 instead. At the time we didn’t realise, but that would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first Le Mans. It would also be the much awaited return of Ferrari to the premier class of sportscar racing.

So tickets were booked in advance in 2022 for the following year, and the countdown began. There was an element of excitement, but with it being a step into the unknow, an equal measure of trepidation. Expecting it to be a once in a lifetime event, and having never been before, we booked through motorsport travel destinations, which included the tickets, euro tunnel and glamping accommodation. This was great as it saved a load of hassle, and also came with some fantastic advantages which will become apparent.

Fortunately, a family member has a property outside London, so that was a bonus which didn’t mean the mad rush to the tunnel from where we started (generally a 6hr drive). The tunnel was booked for 10am so gave the us the opportunity to amble to Folkestone from London, the morning of. It was once we landed to check in for the tunnel, the pilgrimage of the ‘British’ to Le Mans I had read about became apparent and the anticipation start to increase. Parked in the check-in were performance cars of all varieties. Ferrari’s, McLaren’s Aston Martin’s, Porsche’s and all manner of performance BMW, Mercedes and Audi. A quick stop at the departure building and a Ford GT40 on show, we knew we were part of something special and significant.

Having only been on ‘The Tunnel’ as a child it was fantastic to experience, and would help future plans (I am in the process of writing the next blog). One thing I had never done was drive in another country, on the other side of the road! It sounds trivial as millions of people have done so, but it was daunting. Once out of ‘The Tunnel’ complex the other side it was like I had been doing it for years. Anyone reading this that has experienced driving in France will know, the roads are absolutely superb. Smooth, easy to navigate and sparsely populated, made it an enjoyable 4hr drive to Le Mans, and our base for the next 4 days. It was supplemented nicely with Radio Le Mans, and the multitude of cars we had encountered at the terminal making the most of the performance of the vehicles, and the quiet roads. I have since listened to numerous podcasts, and one referred to the journey to Le Mans as the best part, I think they might be onto something.

We Have Made It

On arrival, we checked in at the motorsport travel destinations reception tent. We got there on the Thursday, with the race on Saturday, but some people had been there since the beginning of the week. As you would expect there were a number of people all arriving at the same time, but the check-in was quick and efficient. We were given our tent number and off we went. Luckily it was in the first few rows from the entrance so we didn’t have too far to travel. This was our home for the next few nights. More importantly, there was a solar phone charger, although my brother had a power bank that looked like it could power a space station. As part of the welcome pack, we also received a radio each. At this point, I didn’t understand what for, I soon realised it was invaluable.

Our timing was impeccable, we had just arrived in time for the qualifying. It was then explained to me that as part of the booking, we had access to a dedicated area for the travel company only, just on the Porsche Curves. This turned out to be an amazing addition for the booking, as with it being the centenary of the event, over 325,000 people attended, so it was great to have a more private area, in such an iconic part of the track.

After the qualifying there was a night practice to allow the teams to get some valuable time on the track in the dark. At this point we wandered into the main area of the circuit to get an understanding of where everything was. Despite being close to midnight, you would think it was the middle of the day. There were people everywhere, cars everywhere and a festival like atmosphere. It was a great opportunity to find out where all the main areas where for the next few days.

The Friday of the event is generally quieter, ready for the start of the race on the Saturday, so we took the opportunity to spend more time in the fan areas, and also visit the museum. The fan areas were full of anything motorsport related, from stands featuring the manufacturers, merch stalls, hundreds of large screens to watch the racing unfold, live music areas, bars and restaurants.

We decided to visit the museum early, the beat the queues so got there for 10am, and it was a good decision as when we left there was a significant wait to gain entry. It is by far the best motorsport museum I have visited. Although focussed on the history of 24hr of Le Mans, its a must for any racing fan, and entry was included in part of our package. It had the majority of winners of the event for the past 100 years and it was amazing to see the advancement in technology over the years and the the impact the various regulation changes made. There is a great map of the track so you get a feel for the sheer size and difficulty that the drivers face.

That afternoon was the annual pit walk. We were able to meander along the pit area, view the cars that were about to race, get a glimpse of the drivers and appreciate the size of the event. There were 62 cars competing in the event that year, the logistic effort to get all the cars and teams there is astronomical and a feat of human ingenuity. It was great to be able to walk on the track, again to get a fell for the size of event. The well versed visitors have bikes and cycle the full circuit which is something I will definitely do when I visit again.

As mentioned, the Friday is pretty quiet so is great opportunity to spend some time soaking up the atmosphere, taking part in the many events, and visiting the manufacturer stands. Its the calm before the storm that starts at 4pm on Saturday.

Fortunately, as the package we booked has the dedicated area, we didn’t have to worry too much about getting a place early for the start of the race. Saying that, even though we were in private area, we were in our places a good few hours before the start of the race to make sure we got the best view we could. There is no specific racing on the Saturday, however there were a series of processions from historic cars which we had seen just the day before in the museum. It was amazing to see the cars you have read about, going around the track. It helps you understand why the Historic Le Mans event is so popular.

We were ready for the main event. The start of the race is always hectic, packed with incident, and mesmerising in equal measure. The fact that there are 3 different classes in one race (GT3, LMP2 and Hypercar) makes it an absorbing spectacle. The drivers needs to be 100% focussed, 100% of the time, which given its a 24hr hour race is unfathomable. A couple of hours in the race starts to settle down as the field starts to spread out. Luckily for us, but not the drivers, around3 hours into the race the heavens opened up where we were located. On the majority of tracks this would cover the whole track, but due to the sheer size of the circuit at Le Mans, not all areas of the track were affected. This meant cars approaching the area we were located we basically driving on ice, with slick tyres on a drenched track. The result was inevitable and cars were spinning and sliding off track as they tried to navigate the conditions. That was however short lived and the weather returned to the glorious sunshine we had been bathed in for the days previous.

Fortunately we were in view of a large screen to keep up to date with the current events on the track, the cars also having markings so you could see which were leading and which were in pursuit. This has improved even further since then. The radio I eluded to early, was an invaluable piece of equipment. It kept us up to date with the events, interviews with outgoing drivers, and commentary from some of the leading voices in the sport. It was obvious now why we were given one each on arrival.

Next comes the big decision. When to call it a day. Go early, try and get a few hours, then up to to savour the racing in the depths of the night, or try and stick the duration, then some rest to rise again with the sun. I went with the first option. Heading back to the tent around 11pm. The one disadvantage of being so close to the track is the noise. Especially with a Cadillac V-Series.R with a monstrous V8 barrelling around the track, alongside the Garage 56 entry which was basically a NASCAR developed for Le Mans as a special entry. The radio came in handy, and helped block out some of the car noise, to assist with getting at least a few hours or valuable sleep.

The other members of the group went the other way, so in the early hours of the morning I set out on my own to take in the main pit straight of the track in relative peace. There were still plenty of people still enjoying the racing, fuelled by alcohol and energy drinks, but it was great to savour what I can imagine is the most demanding part of the race. The middle of the night when your body is telling you that you should be asleep, to have to keep concentration 100%. The fact that there were also amateur drivers out there is amazing feat.

Sunrise comes and the trials and tribulations of the night come to pass. The end is now in sight and the outcome of the race starts to take shape. Luckily for us, this event it was still up for grabs between Toyota and Ferrari. It was amazing that the Ferrari team, in what was their first year back at the pinnacle of sportscar racing were in with a shot. It went right down to the wire, but the Ferrari came out the eventual winner. Toyota had monopolised the event for a number of the preceding years, so to be at the historical event of a Ferrari win, 50 years after their last attempt and on 100th anniversary of the event was an amazing experience.

We weren’t due to leave until the Monday morning so we still had Sunday evening at the event. With being complete novices, we didn’t realise that it all basically shuts down after the event. A lot of people do leave then and make the journey home. One thing we hadn’t planned for was that everything in France on a Sunday basically shuts down. No supermarkets, restaurant, pubs were open. Fortunately, the group we had booked with had a bar/pub area which served food so we completely lucked out on that.

Monday came and we made the journey back home. No overnight stop off this time, just a 12hr trip back to our loved ones. The French roads were amazing as usual, with the UK roads a depressing place to be. It won’t be the only time I visit the Le Mans 24hr, but it did turn out to be a once in a lifetime experience.

Reflection

For those looking to visit for the first time, I would make these suggestions:

• Book through an authorised travel company. All of the hard work is done, the tent is ready, all tickets etc are sorted and majority have dedicated areas for their clients.
• Get there early. We got there on the Thursday, I think next time I would get there the day before to pick up more of the testing and support racing.
• Come back after the event, or plan what you are doing Sunday evening!