France by Car - Le Mans

Le Mans, in rural Sarthe, is a pleasant, leafy town just 55 minutes west of Paris by TGV. It’s a popular place to live, with a university, excellent transport links and extensive parks offering a good quality of life. For 360 days of the year it has a population of 150,000. For the other five days – from Wednesday to Sunday in the middle of June – this swells to 400,000, with most of les visiteurs being British and all arriving for the biggest sports car race of the calendar; the gruelling 24 Heures du Mans. For some, it’s an annual pilgrimage, but for others, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. Either way, it makes a great start or end to a relaxing holiday in this beautiful area.

Le Mans, the race, is all about endurance, although arguably it’s the drivers (or les pilotes) that get the easiest ride, being the only people at the circuit permitted to sleep during the event, due to the one-on, two-off shift system operated within the teams. In fact, it is the spectators whose endurance is tested (have you ever tried sleeping in a tent within a kilometre of a flying seven-litre V8 engine?). Then there’s the endurance of the cars – winning race distances are often in excess of 3,000 miles – and the engineers, who are on constant adrenalin-fuelled alertness from start to finish.

The race starts at 3pm on the Saturday and for the next 24 hours, 55 cars compete around the 13-kilometre circuit. Technically, the aim is to cover the greatest distance before the finish flag is waved a day later, but in reality it is a race like any other. By the end, where the time differences between them are measured in laps rather than seconds, the atmosphere feels strategic rather than frenetic, while the most work the drivers do appears to be simply staying on the track. The result is 24 hours of relatively relaxed entertainment, juxtaposed with a gut-stirring engine roar that can be heard for many miles around, deep into the unspoilt Sarthe countryside.

Carnival time But forget the cars for a moment, Les 24 Heures, for many, is a unique all-night carnival. There’s good food, good wine, cheap beer, decent campsites, an impressive fairground and thousands of new friends. As with any open-air sporting event, spectators are subject to the elements, be it the almost mandatory BBQwith- sunburn of most previous years, or the heavy rain storm of 2007. Above all, it’s friendly, fun and like nothing else on earth.

So, how easy is it to get there? Flying is certainly an option, and the Eurostar/TGV /taxi combination we chose was relatively low stress, but by far the best way to get to Le Mans is in a sports car, pack-driving with others in Lotuses, Porsches and Ferraris. The camaraderie can start with fellow pilgrims even before the first comfort stop on the two-and-a-half-hour drive from the Normandy ports. Judging by the Ferrari F40 we saw parked on the N138, Eurobreakdown cover with a major firm is certainly advisable. As for accommodation, there are ten campsites at the circuit as well as hotels and chambres d’hôtes in the town and surrounding area, but you need to be quick and organised – planning a year in advance is not unheard of, but six months should suffice.

Wherever you decide to stay, it’s worth arriving in time for the pre-race events. In particular the Grande Parade des Pilotes, on the Friday evening before the race, is not to be missed. Each year more than 100,000 spectators assemble in the old town to applaud and encourage the 55 teams of drivers in modern and classic cars. You need to arrive early to get a spot where you can see, and even earlier if you want to be able to take decent photographs. The town is a sea of people for hours, all vying for a better viewing position.

French institution
Night turns the track into streams of white, yellow and red lights. Different car classes have different colour headlights – white or yellow – so that both spectators and drivers can tell them apart. While it’s great for us to watch, for the drivers hurtling towards one of the Mulsanne chicanes in the dead of night, it’s essential to know if the car behind is faster and likely to zip past. It’s a trancelike spectacle not to be missed.

Les 24 Heures du Mans is quite different from a Formula 1 Grand Prix – for a start, the cars are not the same (see box on right). What’s more, this event is a French institution, with the original race dating back to 1923. The epic event was brought to the silver screen in the 1971 cult classic Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen and widely regarded as one of the best motor racing movies of all time. The 2007 race (the 75th) featured major French team Peugeot (in a V12 diesel) and local heroes, Courage and Pescarolo. Despite the Peugeot being a serious contender, the Audi team reaffirmed their position as les vainqueurs, winning for the seventh consecutive year and the second in the Audi R10 (also a V12 diesel). Unfortunately for both drivers and spectators, the rain returned in earnest for the last two hours of the race, and by the time Audi sailed (quite literally) to victory, the circuit was more like a river than a road.

One thing you can say with certainty about Les 24 Heures is that while rain is rare, the race long and the eyes bleary, everyone enjoys it and most, including us, will be back. Now, where can I hire a Ferrari F430 for next year’s extravaganza?

The circuit and the cars

There are four classes of entrants racing on the same track – a track that includes the famous fast Mulsanne Straight, consisting of five kilometres of the N138 broken up by two third-gear chicanes and ending in the first-gear Mulsanne Corner, plus the tight ‘Indianapolis’ and ‘Arnage’ bends and the sweeping Dunlop Chicane. For the cars, the main attractions are the cutting-edge Le Mans Prototypes Class 1 (LMP1) – 6L petrols, 4L petrol turbos and the ubiquitous 5L diesel turbos of Audi and now Peugeot, and the practically road-legal but race-fast Grand Touring Class 1 (LMGT1) – 8L petrols and 4L petrol turbos. Both categories feature a second class that is generally slower: LMP2 features smaller engines of 3.4L petrols and 2L petrol turbos, and LMGT2, the same engine limits of LMGT1 but less effective brakes. In 2007, Audi continued their winning streak, running the diesel R10 for the second year, albeit losing two out of their three cars to incidents. This allowed the very competitive Peugeot 908 diesel to take second with the local Pescarolo team snatching third. In LMGT1, all six Aston Martin DBR9s (including the four ‘double 0’ James Bond cars) finished, with 009 taking the class victory from the noisy but impressive Corvettes.

The Other Le Mans

While Le Mans is internationally renowned for hosting the world’s greatest endurance motor race, the town has long been ‘on the map’ for other reasons. The site has been occupied since the Romans who erected the impressive ramparts that form a 1,300- metre quadrilateral that has protected the cité for more than 15 centuries. The wall is decorative as well as defensive, and is one of the best examples of ramparts in the Roman Empire.

Le Mans was also the birthplace of the Plantagenet dynasty in the 12th century. Today the cité Plantagenêt in the heart of the town retains many historic features including cobbled streets with half-timbered houses and Renaissance residences. Wander through the old town and you’ll be transported back to the 15th century – many shop façades close to the cathedral retain their medieval carvings and timberwork. This historic setting has inspired the imaginations of film directors and tourists alike and was the setting for Cyrano de Bergerac and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. And there are plenty of hidden treasures to be found tucked away in the historic town such as the restaurant La Cuisine au Grenier, whose modest frontage on rue Saint Martin reveals a friendly restaurant looking out on a courtyard. Here you can sample some delicious homemade lunches and some local specialities such as the famous rillettes – a moreish pâté-like delicacy made from local fowl.

The jewel in Le Mans’ crown has to be its cathedral – cathédrale Saint-Julien – one of France’s finest medieval cathedrals, which stands proudly on a hill. The edifice was built between the 11th and 15th centuries and presents a mixture of styles including Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque. Of particular interest are the impressive collection of stained glass windows and the beautifully painted ceiling of the chapelle de la Vierge which shows musician angels painted in the 14th century. There are 47 heavenly angels in total.

Lady of Le Mans
Geoffrey IV married Matilda, the granddaughter of William the Conqueror, in the cathedral of Le Mans in 1128. Their son, Henry II was born in Le Mans in 1133 and married Eleanor of Aquitaine who bore three sons including Richard the Lionheart. Richard’s neglected wife, Berengaria of Navarre, spent the last 25 years of her life in Le Mans, and is affectionately referred to as the ‘Lady of Le Mans’. She was laid to rest in the beautiful abbaye de l’Épau (her tomb is pictured below) on the outskirts of Le Mans – one of the most lovely Cistercian abbeys in France.

Le Mans offers its inhabitants an excellent quality of life. The departmental capital has many green spaces including a 450-hectare forest, ‘L’Arche de la Nature’, and 50 per cent of inhabitants have a garden. This easy-going and relaxed pace of life is reflected in the surrounding area. Sarthe is a rural département where the roads are quiet and life is calm. The beautiful Sarthe river wends its way across the département and there are many places of interest to discover along its route. One such place is the Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, which dominates the river. Founded in 1010 by Geoffroy le Vieux, the abbey is a centre for Gregorian chanting and there is also an opportunity for the public to take part in the singing (visit www.solesmes.com).

Close by is the quiet and charming village of Asnières-sur-Vègre. With its old houses dating from the 15th and 17th centuries, château, manor houses and picturesque bridge, it’s easy to see why it is often referred to as Sarthe’s prettiest village. Asnières’ greatest asset hides inside the 11th-century église Saint-Hilaire – where impressive medieval murals painted between the 12th and the 16th centuries adorn the walls. These murals were covered in lime plaster which protected them for three centuries. In 1951, work began to uncover and restore the murals and this continues today. Guided visits are available in July and August (contact the tourist office on (Fr) 2 43 92 40 47).

Further upstream lies the village of Malicorne-sur-Sarthe which has been famous for its pottery since the 18th century. At the Espace Faïence museum you can visit a substantial collection of both functional and decorative pottery dating from the 19th century to the present day.

With so much on offer, Sarthe has something for everyone – so whether you’re visiting the world-famous race or want to discover this little-known area, you won’t be disappointed. And what better way to make the most from a trip than to combine both in one visit?

HOW TO GET THERE
By car
From Alençon (Normandy ferries), follow A28 and exit ‘Le Mans Nord’, then ‘Le Mans Centre’, then take the south ring road sign-posted Tours/Angers.

By train
Stephanie and Kevin travelled by train with Eurostar and Rail Europe (there is a regular TGV service from Paris Montparnasse which takes only 55 minutes). A special bus service is available during the race (including practice days) between the place de la République and the main entrance of the circuit, passing by the train station. Eurostar: www.eurostar.com or call 08705 186 186; Rail Europe: www.raileurope.co.uk or call 08708 371 371.

WHERE TO STAY
If you’ve decided not to camp during the race, finding a hotel in Le Mans itself will be difficult as they get booked up well in advance. Call the Le Mans hotel reservation line on (Fr) 2 43 20 07 00. There are many charming chambres d’hôtes in the local area.We stayed at the lovely Les Domalynes in Neuvillette-en-Charnie (40 minutes from Le Mans) run by Pascale Le Breton and Bruno Mika. Dinner is also available on reservation.

Les Domalynes Monquin
72140 Neuvillette-en-Charnie
Tel: (Fr) 2 72 91 68 83
www.domalynes.com
Beautifully decorated chambres d’hôte in the heart of the rural Sarthe countryside. Rate: €40 for single; €50 for two sharing; extra €20 for table d’hôte (dinner, bed and breakfast). This is a good base for discovering the area.

WHERE TO EAT
La Cuisine au Grenier
12 rue Saint Martin
Le Mans
Tel: (Fr) 2 43 51 23 94
This quaint little restaurant overlooks a quiet courtyard in the centre of Le Mans. Only open during the day. Menu: €7 for lunch.

Bistrot des Vignes
15 rue des Vignes 72300
Juigné-sur-Sarthe
As its name suggests, this restaurant serves some great wines to complement the local cuisine. Menus: €18.50, €24, €32.

EVENTS
Le Mans is renowned for hosting reconstructed historical events. Every summer a walking tour, Les Chimériques, is held by actors who retell the history of Le Mans and the saga of the Plantagenets. La Nuit des Chimères takes place in July and August and uses colourful light displays to recount the history of Le Mans at night-time. The Plantagenet cité becomes the setting for a colourful display which tells the story of Le Mans. The medieval houses, cobbled lanes and the mighty Roman wall become illuminated with gargoyles, angels, chimera and Le Mans’ historical figures, accompanied by music.

TOURIST OFFICE
Sarthe Tourist Office 19 bis rue de l’Etoile 72000 Le Mans Tel: (Fr) 2 43 40 22 60 www.tourism.sarthe.com

24 HEURES DU MANS
2008 1 June Test day
11-12 June Practice sessions
13 June Pitwalk (testing)
14-15 June Les 24 Heures du Mans starts at 3pm on 14 June

Ticket prices Enceinte Générale Weekend (test day and race week): €62 Enceinte Générale Dimanche (Sunday only): €40 Pitwalk: €460 (valid for test day and race week and includes permanent access to the paddock and the pit lane from 2-4pm during practice sessions) The Enceinte Générale ticket allows you to go inside the circuit enclosures in the areas open to the public (including the Mulsanne and Arnage curves). This ticket does not give access to the grandstand or paddock. At the time of going to press, tickets were not available to buy but could be reserved at the ACO ticket office. The on-sale date has not yet been confirmed.

Ticket Office
Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) ticket office Tel: (Fr) 8 92 69 72 24 (€0.34 per min)
Email: ticket@lemans.org www.lemans.org