At this time of year thoughts turn to the planning of the next trip to the Le Mans 24- hour race. Like a religious observance it comes around once a year, governed by the solar calendar and long summer days. In 2018, the 86th running of the “24 heures du Mans” is being held on the weekend of 16th and 17th of June, in its usual slot of the weekend of the calendar week 24, when the days are longest. This 3-part guide explains how to Plan your trip, Part 2 is a Le Mans Camping Survival Guide and Part 3 is what to do when you get there.

Preparation is like planning military manoeuvres, and now after 15 trips it works like a well-oiled machine. Most important is to ensure you have somewhere to stay, Entry Tickets are available at the gate on the day, but accommodation is much more difficult to arrange the closer you get to the event. The easiest way of guaranteeing the best experience is to buy a package from one of the many official ticket providers, however at this time of year they report around 200% over subscription for their allocations. Don’t be disheartened by this number, although they run a strictly first come, first served policy they are quite adept at finding something out of nothing so don’t ever think you are too late.

The ticket cost of the Grandstands reduces the further you get away from the Start/finish line. If you are planning your first trip I can recommend that the ones opposite the pits are well worth the money. You get the full effect of the noise of the start, you can see the pit crews working away and it gives you a good base from which to manage a group. However, you do not get to choose your row or seat number, the first 5-6 rows can be a poor vantage point, this is because the spectators in the terraces below bring tall step ladders which then restricts the view to the lower rows of the seated areas, although I have been informed that ladders are now restricted to 3 steps. To follow the race more closely select a stand opposite a large screen as you will get to see most of the action from other parts of the circuit. For those on a more restricted budget the answer is to use the qualifying sessions to decide where you want to watch the start and finish from and get there early, it a bit like being first in the queue for the sales make sure there are two of you so one can keep the place safe whist the other is away. Events on Saturday usually start around 09:00 so there is plenty of build up to keep you entertained.

Once the tickets have been confirmed then at this stage there are two further bookings to confirm. First are the channel crossings, this decision is easy, Channel Tunnel, there’s just no competition, cheap, fast, efficient, clean and hassle free. Admittedly there is more driving, but then you are going on a motoring pilgrimage, so why spend it on a boat? The essential booking is the return journey Hotel. I say essential as after many years of trying to get home on race day can become quite dangerous. By the time the race has finished you will have had only a couple of hours sleep in the previous 30 hours, and the previous 2 nights will have been not the most sleep filled, so Drivers and co-drivers can be quite weary once they get back to the tunnel on the Sunday evening. I find things getting a little tired and emotional once the M25 is reached so I highly recommend an overnight stop for those with any more than 3 hours driving once back on home soil.

Cross channel ferries are a good deal more convenient, with the ports of Cherbourg, Caen, Le Harve, St. Malo and Dieppe being within easy reach, you will find that the early evening crossing times do not fit in well with the race finish time, return to port journey time and check in times. This either forces one to book the overnight ferry or just wait until Monday morning anyway. However, convenience comes at a price, for a car with two occupants the long sea ferry crossings can be 3-4 times dearer per person than the tunnel, which makes the additional mileage cost of the short sea crossings look very attractive.

Once the travelling plans have been laid down there is the complex logistical project of what you need for survival whilst at the venue. This is not trekking down the Amazon but it can feel like it for those who have opted for the camping option ....

As with other 24-hour events most qualifying takes place at night with Rookie drivers having to complete their statutory 10 laps, so even with our arrival at the circuit at a relatively late hour, we were still able to enjoy 4 hours of cars on the track whilst having a good wander round the paddock and grandstand areas to get our bearings, find the underpasses and following each car’s progress from the multitude of big screens dotted around the circuit. Making our way back towards the campsite about 23:30 we watched the last throes of the session high-up on the ridge above Malmedy corner where you can also look over the entry into Rivage.