Aysedasi's Le Mans

We left the circuit bang on time and it took mere moments for me (as usual) to drift off into a deep sleep.  In fact Peter beat me to it, he was well asleep before we even quit the car park!  It was 5.30 pm by the time the coach made a stop at Evreux and I really didn’t want to have to wake up there!  As it was the only chance we were going to get to stop before reaching Le Havre, it did make sense to take advantage of it.  So we all piled off the coach and went in search of a hostelry in which to grab a beer.

In fact, Peter and I did rather better than that, we found a beer all right, but we also managed to obtain for ourselves a very acceptable crocque monsieur.  I say “we”, but it was down to Peter, really, I was completely out of it - veritable walking wounded!  We only had half an hour in Evreux before we all had to pile back on the coach for the remainder of the journey to Le Havre, where we were due to catch the 10.30 ferry back to Portsmouth.

We made good time and were on the outskirts of Le Havre by 9.00 pm, arriving at the terminal about half an hour later.  We had a bit of a wait in the terminal car park and Steve (our wonderful tour “guide” - remember him?), actually managed to excel himself by successfully dishing out the cabin passes.  He had clearly found a job he was good at....  Once again, Peter and I would be sharing with John and Fergus.

We were onto the ferry in good time (actually in the coach this time!), and by 10.40 p.m. the four of us had found our cabin.  I went off in search of a spare cabin pass (as they only provide you with one), and, after two attempts (the first one didn’t work, a not uncommon scenario), we managed to get in and get ourselves sorted out.

Peter and I left John and Fergus to take the first stints in the (very small) shower, while we adjourned to the duty-free shop, where I purchased a large bottle of Archers for Jayne and some bits and pieces for the boys, including a France 98 World Cup football for James.  It was then back to the cabin, where we found that John and Fergus had just finished and Peter and I were able to luxuriate in wonderful showers.

All cleaned up and by now feeling rather peckish, it was time to make for the bar for a few beers and a BLT baguette.  In fact, we met up again with John and Fergus in the bar and shared a bottle of wine with them.  Although we had shared cabins with the two of them, both on the way and on the way back, we knew nothing about them!  They were both making their first visit to Le Mans, and were very interested to learn that we had both been a number of times previously, and particularly that we normally made the trip not on an organised coach trip, but as members of a group.  I got the impression that they had enjoyed their week-end at Le Mans and would be tempted to go again, although perhaps under their own steam, next time!

I suppose it was about midnight by now and having slept for the best part of five hours or more, followed by both food and drink, neither Peter nor I were feeling desperately tired.  It was at this point that John or Fergus mentioned that there was a Le Mans video game machine a couple of decks down in the ferry (which was, I should have said, the same boat as we came across in, the Pride of Portsmouth).  As you can imagine, we needed little persuading to indulge as although I had heard of this video machine, I had never had the chance to have a go on it.

Half an hour or so later, after the four of us had very clearly demonstrated why it was Allan McNish and not one of us who won the race this year, it was time to head back to the cabin for some well-deserved shut-eye. 

No sooner had our heads hit the pillows, than we were being awoken by our morning rallying call at 5.30 a.m. (English-time).  We had barely enough time to get washed, dressed and pack our gear again and to grab half a cup of coffee in the restaurant, before we were being told to rejoin our coach.  This we did and by 6.30 a.m. we were leaving the ferry for the journey back to Southampton.

There really isn’t much more to tell.  We got back to the railway station at 7.00 am and were soon across the road to my office to the car and heading back home.  I decided to call in at home very quickly to catch the boys before they left for school (before taking Peter home).  After some very quick “Hello's”, it was back into the car to take Peter back home to Milford-on-Sea.

That then, is the full and unexpurgated story of the Terrible Twosome visit to Le Mans 1998.  As Le Mans trips go, it rated up there with the best.  Yes, the magic and camaraderie of the full Tourists adventure was missing and it was, in relative terms, a short and sweet trip, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I am sure did Peter.  I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

After returning, it was time to get the hundreds of photographs developed (some of which I think are among the best I have ever taken at Le Mans - I must be getting better!), and into the albums as soon as possible.  There then came the huge task of writing the whole thing up...

I waited for several months for the remainder of my ACO membership pack to arrive, but nothing came.  Tired of waiting, in August I wrote to the ACO, and the missing items (the full results and pit stop details) and the photographs of the winning drivers and the winning car soon arrived.  I then set about re-organising the pit stop information into a comprehensive list for each car, a task which took about three months!

Unfortunately, work-wise things turned sour very shortly after I returned from Le Mans.  My interview for my expected new post of Head of Legal Services was on the Tuesday afternoon after the race week-end, and although I felt that I gave as good an interview as I could possibly have done (I was actually rather impressed with myself!), the job was given to an lesser qualified and experienced outsider.  The decision left me totally nonplussed, numbed in fact, and I think the reaction from my friends and colleagues in the office was much the same (in some cases, it was expressed even more strongly!). Even now, as I complete the 1998 story many months later (and not long before Le Mans 1999), I still seethe at the manner in which I was completely stitched up by the two senior players who clearly didn't want me to have the job. (2021 edit - a fact which was finally confirmed to me by two members of the interviewing panel on the day I retired in 2019).  

Still, this story is not about my work-a-day woes, although I was enormously glad and relieved that I did manage to get to Le Mans this year.  Just imagine how I would have felt if I had decided to stay at home and worry about the interview, instead of going to Le Mans!  It doesn't bear thinking about....

The Hounsome and Dyment 1998 Le Mans Expedition will be long remembered for many reasons; an excellent race with a slightly disappointing result;  a mixture of weather, although the rain was not sufficient to dampen our spirits at all; and best of all, our own excellent company.  Roll on 1999, I hope!!