The Man with No Time

Earlier today I got back from my second holiday in three weeks, and my third trip to the Le Mans 24 hours. Now that I've recovered (I really needed a nap when I got back to the flat), I wanted to talk about it a bit. There was a new logo for the race this year. But the on-track action was definitely classic. (Credit: David Brown)

In something of a departure from previous years, I've actually managed to get to a race meeting before  I go to Le Mans this year! I suppose that's one of the benefits of living in the West Midlands rather than Fife - lots of tracks in easy range (there are four within an hour's drive of Coventry). Easter weekend is traditionally a busy time for motorsport, with the four day weekend allowing tracks and series to run events over various combinations of Friday to Monday, meaning that if you plan well you can get to see more than one race meeting. This year you had British GT at Oulton Park and BTCC at Donington on the Sunday (both of which I considered going to), and British Superbikes at Brands Hatch on the Monday. But with my love of sports car racing I was always going to go to the endurance double header at Silverstone - European Le Mans Series on the Saturday for four hours, and World Endurance Championship on the Sunday for six hours.  The new pit complex, kn...

A week ago I wondered whether my trip to Le Mans this year would live up to my first visit, just over one year previously. Well it turns out that despite being a very different experience, it definitely could. The whole week seemed to fly by. Yet at the same time it seemed, particularly at the start of the week, to last for ages. I will also say that there are several reasons, both good and bad, for why I won’t be forgetting this year’s event in a hurry. Standing on the track looking down the pit straight towards the Ford Chicanes. Actually being able to get onto part of the track was magical. (Credit: David Brown)

Later today I’m off to Le Mans for the second year in a row. I’m very excited about it, having had such a great time last year, but I’m slightly apprehensive. Partly that’s because of the logistical issues I’ve already alluded to , but partly it’s because I’m not sure it’ll be able to live up to last year’s event. Not many events can be as good at the second time of asking to be fair though. Who's going to stand on top of the famous podium this year? (Credit: David Brown) In P1 the Toyotas look to be further away from Audi than ever, so I think the overall win could be a foregone conclusion.  P2 will be very exciting again though, with its huge field and close competition. The GT categories also look like they could be fun, with essentially five works teams fighting it out in the Pro class. Aston Martin look like they’ll be hard to beat though with their five car effort! We’re arriving slightly later in the week this year, just in time for the first practice ...

WARNING: This is going to be a long post, even by my standards! I've got a lot to say about my trip to Le Mans 2012, so be prepared. But spoiler alert: it was awesome. This post has been delayed by quite some time, partly owing to its mammoth length. But I wanted to fully document my trip, and there's a lot to talk about! The famous podium and clock on the pit straight. (Credit: David Brown)

When this is posted I'll be well on my way to Le Mans for my main summer holiday this year. My housemate John and I are going to the 24 hours of Le Mans this year; it will be my first trip, but John's 4th. I'm very excited about it. It's going to be very helpful going with a veteran. John already knows the schedule, the best places to watch from, where all of the facilities are etc. So there's loads of stuff that I don't need to worry about, which will (hopefully) let me enjoy the atmosphere and the racing. I'm looking forward to seeing the variety of cars on show this year, and to what I hope will be an interesting race. I've already listened to the preview shows put out by Radio Le Mans, which have really built my enthusiasm up for the entire trip. The race isn't for another week, but we're going for the entire week to catch practise, qualifying, scrutineering, the drivers' parade, and all of the rest of the events in the week leading ...

Part 7 of the time-sinks series is here, and it's time to talk about something a bit more stereotypically 'boyish'. Yep, that's right, I'm going to talk about cars (and bikes) of all shapes, sizes and speeds. But mostly the really fast ones driven (and ridden) by professional racing drivers.