Le Mans (Not Just) for Dummies
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Le Mans (not just) for Dummies The Club Arnage Guide to the 24 hours of Le Mans 2013 "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines.” Enzo Ferrari - his cars scored 9 overall wins at Le Mans Copyright The entire contents of this publication and, in particular of all photographs, maps and articles contained therein, are protected by the laws in force relating to intellectual property. All rights which have not been expressly granted remain the property of Club Arnage. The reproduction, depiction, publication, distribution or copying of all or any part of this publication, or the modification of all or any part of it, in any form whatsoever is strictly forbidden without the prior written consent of Club Arnage (CA). Club Arnage (CA) hereby grants you the right to read and to download and to print copies of this document or part of it solely for your own personal use. 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The Club Arnage Guide to the 24 hours of Le Mans 2013 2 Table of content Foreword............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Hall of fame........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Call for Donations…………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 6 The Race Le Mans (not just ) for Dummies – A brief history………………………………………………………………………. 7 The “Circuit 24 Heures”……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20 War of the classes………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23 Sporting regulations………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 26 Driver Categories…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 28 Map of the circuit…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 29 Where to watch……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 30 Waving the flags and so much more – The marshals………………………………………………………………….. 34 Radio Le Mans – Tune in at 91.2 FM……………………………………………………………………………………. 36 Race week schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 38 Entry list……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 38 The Support Races.………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 54 Trivia and Fascinating Facts.................................................................................................................................. 57 Other activities in and around Le Mans Administrative Checking & Scrutineering………………………………………………………………………………... 61 The “Ceremony of Hands”………………………………………………………………………………………............... 63 The drivers parade…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 64 The Saint Saturnin Classic British Welcome……………………………………………………………………………. 65 Club Arnage Forum Gathering at Le Mans……………………………………………………………………………… 66 Helicopter flights…………………………………………………………………………………………………............... 67 Mad Friday………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 68 Pit Walk.................................................................................................................................................................. 70 The automobile museum………………………………………………………………………………………................. 71 Useful stuff Transport in Le Mans ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 72 Shopping in Le Mans………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 75 Bars & Restaurants………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 81 The A.C.O. village………………………………………………………………………………………………................ 86 Golf Course............................................................................................................................................................ 86 First aid – the Medical Center…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 86 Karting.................................................................................................................................................................... 86 Funfair.................................................................................................................................................................... 87 Banking services / ATMs at the circuit…………………………………………………………………………………… 87 Internet Access...................................................................................................................................................... 87 Visitors with physical disabilities............................................................................................................................ 87 Before you go How to get tickets…………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 89 A.C.O. Membership………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 90 What to take and what to leave behind …..……………………………………………………………………………... 92 France and the French - Instructions for use……………………………………………………………………………. 94 Driving in France – general information, rules & regulations, preparations………………………………………….. 97 The campsites at Le Mans - General Information.................................................................................................. 103 The official A.C.O. campsites…………………………………………………………………………………………...... 105 Alternative campsites............................................................................................................................................. 120 Campsite Security.................................................................................................................................................. 120 Getting there.….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 123 On the run - Escaping the traffic at the end of the race………………………………………………………………... 132 The Club Arnage Guide to the 24 hours of Le Mans 2013 3 Foreword By January 2013 the Automobile Club de l’Ouest had received 71 entry requests - actually the same number as in 2012, so Le Mans is still very attractive. However, the championship itself seems to be different: looking at the annual dress rehearsal at Spa Franchorchamps, the reduction in numbers of participants was noticeable. From 50+ cars in the pre-WEC era the grid went down to 40 cars in 2012 and even further down to just 35 cars this year. LMP1: From 13 cars in 2012 this class is now down to 8 cars only - never before have I seen so few cars in the top category of a Le Mans grid. One can only hope it gets better with the return of Porsche to LMP1. Audi shows up with a strong 3 car driver line-up, while Toyota seems to be o n a t ighter budget and sends just 2 cars to La S arthe. Compared to Audi, their whole WEC effort seems to be a little bit half-hearted - there was also only 1 car with the latest spec for the dress rehearsal at Spa. The rest of the LMP1 Story is quickly told: we will see the 2 Rebellion Lolas and a single HPD from Strakka Racing. That’s it! Despite the fact that Toyota managed to squeeze an “adjustment of performance” (3 litres fuel capacity extra for petrol engines) out of the A.C.O, I still see Audi as the clear favourite for the overall win. LMP2: With 22 competitors this is once again by far the largest class, we can expect to see some really close racing in this category. Looking back one can clearly state that this class had the best development, a big change from only a few years ago when it was often a “last man standing” story and simply finishing the race could even get you on the podium. The first 2 WEC rounds demonstrated very good reliability, the engine side of P2 being once again dominated by Nissan-powered cars. It will be interesting