Aysedasi's Le Mans

Le Mans 2012 - Ayse's Story

Page 19 - Sunday

Arnage, Glorious Arnage......

Everyone has their favourite Le Mans 'bits' and I suspect I can talk for both James and Tony (and possibly Robert as well?) when I say that the trip to Arnage on Sunday morning is one of the real highlights for all of us.  In contrast to the madding crowds that accumulate around the grandstands and elsewhere at the more accessible points of the circuit, 'out in the country', while there are still a lot of spectators there, even at this time of the morning, it is somehow much calmer and with the lower light levels, you can appreciate the sight and sounds of the cars so much better.  If you've never been out there at night, you really must do it.....

Thanks to James' expert navigation we made good time and were able to park up in the main car park near to the entrance right on Arnage corner.  But I had a very important task to undertake before I left the car.  As I reported in my 2011 story, by the time we got to Arnage last year, it was already very cold and as the time went on there into the wee small hours and to the breaking of the dawn, it got incredibly cold.  For me, that was by far the coldest I have ever felt anywhere, at any time at Le Mans. 

My upper body had been warm enough - I was wearing a t-shirt, pullover, bodywarmer and a coat, but my legs, clad only in a pair of light trousers, were absolutely freezing.  And being so cold really takes it out of you, particularly when you're standing still most of the time.  So, in between last year's race and this I had bought myself some heavyweight thermal long johns!  I used to wear them quite regularly back in the mid 80's when I went to a British race circuit most weekends in all weathers, but I'd never before felt the need to do the same at Le Mans in June! 

Even though it was nowhere near as cold this year as last, I was quite determined to stay warm, so that I could enjoy the Arnage experience as much as possible, so while James, Tony and Robert sorted out their gear in the boot, I was in the front seat making an undignified display of myself removing my trousers, and putting on my long johns.  Fortunately the car park is very poorly lit so there was no great cause to preserve my modesty at 3 am on a Sunday morning - not that I was particularly worried anyway - staying warm was far more important!  I was ready in 5 minutes or so and more to the point, my legs were as warm as toast!

As is always the way at Arnage the pressure was on to claim a reasonable spot in the hope of taking a few photographs right alongside the corner apex and Robert, Tony and I did our best (as James does Le Mans now entirely camera-free), but we all three did so in the certain knowledge that the lack of light and inability to use flash here (due to the debris fencing) would ruin most, if not all of our shots.  Of course, alongside the (semi)- serious photographers with their long lenses and SLRs there are now a lot of people with what are now extremely good 'compact' cameras who were able to take what looked to be reasonable photographs and video in the near-darkness.  They also have the advantage of being able to hold their small cameras up above their heads, thereby getting in the way of everyone else!!

We were settled in for a long stint of course, intending, as last year, to see the dawn in here and I confess that my camera arm and my eyes were beginning to tire.  Robert was clearly feeling the pace too.  He'd made a very long journey to get here from Texas and had a couple of fairly hectic days to this point.  Dare I say as well that he had probably imbibed a little more alcohol than the three of us at Saturday's Tenths meeting and in the grandstand early in the race.  Although to some I'm sure it sounds unnecessarily disciplined to many Le Mans fans at the circuit (in fact, total heresy to some, I'm sure!), alcohol consumption in the period prior to race start and in the early hours of the race is something that James, Tony and I watch carefully, as it isn't always conducive to staying awake all night!  And that is something that we always set out to do.  After an hour or so Robert needed a break and headed back to the car to rest up for a while, until it was time to move on to Mulsanne. 

We had been standing there, just taking in the race, listening to Radio Le Mans.  James had wandered off in the direction of Indianapolis.  I received a text from him to say that the view from there was now much improved, as a lot of the trees which had impaired the view from there had now gone.  I wandered on up there and he was definitely right!  At least some of the view that we used to enjoy there years ago was back - we could now see the cars again as they approached the right-hander.  The cars were travelling pretty slowly at this time as a car had gone off and the safety car  was out again, albeit it relatively briefly. 

It was while we were there that Paul Truswell of RLM kindly mentioned our good friend Allon FS.  I've already mentioned our 'hello' to Allon at the Ten Tenths meeting - see page 14.  I had asked Paul if the opportunity did arise, if he would give Allon a mention on the radio, and he duly obliged - at this unearthly hour!  And Ten Tenths got a good mention too!  It was definitely a moment to savour. 

Listen to that snippet of Radio Le Mans commentary....

On the photographic front, sadly my investment in special heat-retaining underwear comprehensively failed to enhance one jot my photographic ability at Arnage and the offerings here represent fairly meagre fare.  I've kept the better ones - which will illustrate just how bad dreadful the majority of them really were - slim pickings indeed!  But the likelihood is that I will go back there in 2013 and take another batch of equally hopeless shots.  I just praise the Lord I don't have to buy film and pay for D&P costs any more!

And so it was that we greeted the dawn at Arnage as the Audi's continued their internecine battle at the front of the field.  We left Arnage and headed back to the car at around 5.30 am, finding Robert enjoying a nice sleep when we got back to the car park.  It was time to press on to Mulsanne and that oh so long walk (it is when you're tired, anyway!) from the car park to Mulsanne corner.