Wacky Races - Midlands to Le Mans
Gordon's Tuscan
Thursday - Classics pit walk, afternoon and evening practice
in the general car park near the classics
paddock....
A beautiful GT-40 replica, built by a company in South Africa
This example could be yours for
£80k - not bad being as it was re-engineered from scratch - no donor
car parts
the floorpan has also been dropped 2",
making teh cockpit positively roomy.
The view most people would have had of it as
it was driven down from UK by the company owner!
more from the classics
paddock...
more from the classics
paddock...
and this beautiful painting
of a GT-40 was on sale in the village
Afternoon practice, and first slight of the
snarling Astons
and the view down Tertre Rouge esses
Evening practice, Tertre Rouge again
and over towards the outfield
Shapes and patterns
Friday - Arnage, Chartre, Pitwalk and Drivers Parade
Friday morning gathering at Arnarge
Lemons...
There are more loonies than just Rich..
is this the automotive equivalent of two girls wearing the same dress to
a party?
The BBWF squadron Wedge as seen on the S-club raid - and a different
type of raid coming in behind...
Cobra squad arriving "nothing to see here - move on
please"
aha, ahem, not quite so serious
LOL
Sunbeam Alpine, like Leisl's Mum's, but redder!
Off to lunch at the cafe in La Chartre-sur-le-Loire where the GT40s were
based in years gone
Al bringing up the rear
Our own blue Chim comvoy
Ahead Roger's VX in a Tuscan Sandwich
Gordon looking surprised that we are so close in his mirrors
Pitwalk and Lawrence's lot's Panoz laid out
Looking down the pitlane
David Brabham is an Aussie -although he didn't respond to Leisl's
rallying call of "Aussie Aussie Aussie" later in the drivers
parade!
Spyker nose
and bonnet badge detail
The new pit exit - note the "GLF" sign at the end of the pit
lane
You got the feeling that Audi are putting a bit of money into this
race...
The flying sofa was back...
with a neat overtaking manoeuvre on this Porsche
this dickhead was Danish
Spyker in Drivers parade
SLR in Drivers parade
Vantage in Drivers parade
Invicta inDrivers parade
GT40 in Drivers parade
Drivers parade
Drivers parade
Porsche in Drivers parade
Drivers parade
Drivers parade - another PH stickered 'vette
Drivers parade - PH'er Phil Bennett was one of the few to respond to the
"rev it" call - although we did make the shout to Mark Busby
(how were we to know he was the co-pilot??)!!
welllll, helllooooooo!
Saturday - Le 24 Hrs du Mans
Rolling start - LMP Cars
quickly followed by
the GT cars
Friday afternoon, the beer wall is starting to take shape
By Saturday evening, we'd made a 3 letter word....
The Beer wall contributors from the NYTVRCC:
(thanks to Pikey for taking the photo for us - and indeed for the starting point for this website's format - imitation / flattery etc..)
Meanwhile Houx was taking on Saharan proportions
and Liz was looking a bit mucky
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
Evening shots at Tertre Rouge
Evening shots at Tertre Rouge
Evening shots at Tertre Rouge
Evening shots at Tertre Rouge
Unintended consequences of standing next to a 'pro' with a powerful
flash gun
Makes for an interesting
effect though
Grandstand at Midnight
Looking across to the Pits
Sunday - Le 24 Hrs du Mans
and the Audis are still running then...
and both....
.....Astons
And the Pesky Rolos
Gulf liveried Porsche, coming out of the Porsche curves
so good I took it twice
And Team LNT's Panoz still running
Big wheel was in a different place this year
Richard Sail's lot were also there
Meanwhile, on Maison Blanche, some people will do anything to avoid
paying for a grandstand seat (note the hammock and bar area on the rear
one)
Beermountain.com taking it very seriously
But more of a beer hillock - very disappointing
Prize for the most impressive beer sculpture
and most planned one - to bring an action man, with his own tent
shows a slight vein of over-planning
Hmmm, still can't quite get my head around the 'diesel sports car'
thing
Meanwhile back at the North Yorks beer wall...
TVR Ted reading sprint in a challenging place...
Last lap
The formation finish for Audi
and then the camera batteries went...
Bugger!
The return to civilisation - rest and recuperation on the way home
Next day, we headed off to our country retreat in the Loire valley -
Chateau
Bourdaisière
All of the rooms are named - we were in Diane de Poitiers - the one
with the balcony in the centre of the 1st floor.
Obligatory
'TVR in front of Chateau' shots....
The French do 'do good bridge' - the Pont de Normandie
and the
reassuring and jolly British sight of the white cliffs of Dover as we
return to port.
spotted at the
services - Corin's Cerbera, turned back into a pumpkin
One for Gordon - this 'lady' spotted on the way home, took purple
shag pile to a whole new level....
You can just make
out the purple fluffy dash-top, sun visors, headrests, steering
wheel.....
And there can be no more complaints about not having enough space in a Chim... the stuff we brought back was:
List
of major items;
1 'single garage'
sized tent + poles,
2 clothes holdalls,
1 shoe bag,
1 spare pair of
driving shoes,
1 backpack for 'stuff',
1 map bag,
1 Palm TX with TomTom loaded
1 eskie*,
1 'le monde de nemo' cool bag*,
1 inflatable
mattress & pump,
2 folding chairs,
1 umbrella + 2 rain jackets,
1
small bucket, sponge, leather and car shampoo*,
3 boxes of spares -
fuses, bulbs, otter switches, belts, fluids etc.,
1 tyre pump,
1 warning triangle,
1 jack & wheel change kit + 2 cans of
tyreweld,
1 copy of 'bible',
3 bottles of water*,
20 bottles of
wine*,
2 wine glasses,
3 loo rolls,
15L of Mobil 5W40 *,
1 bag of food
from Leclerc*,
1 crepe pan*, 3 blankets,
1 straw hat (the famous one wot stayed on
with the roof off!),
Items marked * were bargain purchases out there...
and no, Leisl didn't get the train back - but it might explain why we had the roof on most of the way home...