This year's Ten Tenths meeting seemed to last longer than those in the past and I was quite keen to get some food and water on board and head on up to my seat in the T34 (Pits) grandstand, but before I did both Bernard and I were able to press into service one of the media photographers to take some team photographs - which actually came out pretty well! I finally took up my seat, right at the end of one of the front rows (with thanks to Brian Sheehan at 1st Tickets for that!) at 2.15 - so with only 45 minutes to go before the start.

                   

                   

                   

                             

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

    

As was the case last year, there seemed to be an awful lot of people standing down at the front and in the stairways where they shouldn't have been, making viewing more difficult for those in their seats. The ACO stewards seemed to have no presence here at all! It wasn't long before the prerace activities were finished (the national anthems were long over before I even reached the back of the stand) and the 55 cars (the second AF Corsa Ferrari was unable to take the start after a practice accident) were released on their reconnaissance laps.

         

                   

                   

                   

I eventually spotted James and Tony in their seats in T17, and amusingly right above a banner proclaiming the "Dream Team" of Tom K, Dindo and McNish!

                   

                   

                   

              

                  

 I also managed to spot some of the Tourists over on the tribunes opposite, including Ian, Martyn, Jim, Jeff, Nick and Alan, although they remained blissfully unaware of my efforts to attract their attention. 

         

And the final - and much easier spot - was Paul Truswell and John Hindhaugh up over the other side in the Radio Le Mans studio!

And then, the race was on!