Aysedasi's Le Mans

We ended up spending far longer in the ACO members enclosure than any of us had expected and after having sat for a while I realised just how much my back and legs were now aching by the time we set off again. We finally left the enclosure, saying farewell for the time being to Andy and Julie and went back up and through the underpass near to the Dunlop Curve before pausing opposite the pit exit once more, just after 1 am. It has always been a good place to watch, both by day and by night, and another 20 minutes was spent in this spot.

We were beginning to think in terms of taking a trip out to Arnage and Indianapolis, but before that we walked down to the Ford Chicane, where I realised (with some delight) that I could shoot directly through the single layer fencing, which made our stay there slightly longer than it might have been!

One of the things about the 24 Hours is that the night always passes much faster than you want it to, so eventually, with 2 am just a few minutes away, we decided that we'd better get off to Arnage.  Fortunately the car was only 5 minutes walk away - and so was a pullover in the car - I really needed it by now!

James had no trouble navigating to the Arnage/Indianapolis complex and we were soon parked up and walking into the Arnage entrance. There were still quite a lot of people there when we arrived at 2.40, although most were grouped around the Arnage corner itself. It's one of those sights that you can stand and watch for hours. The sound of the cars here was completely different from say, Tertre Rouge, much more powerful and resonant - a joy to listen to - and we did for some time. I was also able to get quite a lot of entertaining video footage while I was here.

It was certainly getting a lot cooler now and although James still looked fighting fit, both Tony and I were beginning to feel the strain of standing for so long. My legs and back were now crying foul and my camera bag felt like a dead weight. But there was another visit we needed to make while we still had the full night, so we left Arnage at around 4 am for Mulsanne Corner where, after parking up and taking that long walk to the corner itself, we arrived at about 4.45.

As with all my night-time photographic efforts at Le Mans, it remains a case of press the shutter button and hope for the best!  It's tough for the amateur photographer at Le Mans at the best of times, but the night brings even more problems - like not being able to use flash due to the debris fencing reflections.  I didn't take as many night shots this year as I've sometimes done in the past, and, I have to say, my efforts weren't the best I've ever managed.  I did take a bit of video, some of which I hope to put up here - as and when I find the time to edit it and find a suitable host.   

Somehow it didn't feel quite so cold at Mulsanne, but the weariness had definitely set in my legs and back and I regretted having bought an ordinary camera bag in 2009 instead of one of the backpack variety. I only took a handful of photos at Mulsanne Corner as, despite my great love of Le Mans at night, I needed a break. James was quick to sense that both Tony and I were struggling and we decided to go back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up to wake us up again. So we departed Mulsanne Corner at about 5.15, arriving back at the hotel at 6-ish.