Ayse's Story - 1989 Updated
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It was shortly after this point, at about 3 p.m. that I became separated from the rest of the team. I had decided I simply didn't want to go charging through the tribunes with Ian, bearing in mind that it was by now close to the start of the race and the tribunes were already very crowded, so I opted instead for a much more comfortable spot at the Ford Chicane, where I struck up a pleasant conversation with a charming French couple - they spoke good English, of course! We had agreed that we would rendezvous at the champagne stall at 6.00 p.m. Unbeknown to me, that was the last I was to see of the others for a very long time!
I watched the start of the race from this point, catching the tail-end of the driver's parade as I waited. Eventually, I moved back along the tribunes to watch some of the pit action, and then on around to the Dunlop Curve. I was able to get some pretty good pictures of the competing cars from there.
By way of an aside, I've always wanted to try and get a picture of every competing car at Le Mans, but every year I fail miserably in this quest. It isn't a question of lack of film or opportunity. The problem actually comes in remembering exactly which cars I've already taken a picture of.
In the end, you think that you're doing pretty well, but when the pictures come back from being developed, I normally find that I have three pictures, from exactly the same viewpoint of one particular car, and no pictures of it's sister car! There is also a tendency to concentrate on the major entries, such as Mercedes, Jaguar and Porsche, to the detriment of the lesser entries, especially the C2 cars. Each year I make the promise, and each year I find myself vowing to try again!
Before 6 p.m., I wandered back in search of the others, but never found them. They may have been there before me, or indeed, after me, but I never saw them. In the end, I gave up, and carried on watching the race - I was perfectly happy......
Evening drew on, and I headed down to the Esses to watch from there, passing through (but not sampling) the delights of the fairground. I went down to Tertre Rouge and under the circuit to the inside, where I wandered up again to the Esses, to watch from the hill directly below the dash down from the Dunlop Bridge. Without doubt, one of the most exciting and evocative places to spectate from.
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