Ayse's 'Occasional Blog'
Wednesday 31st May 2023
Not Long Now...
So, here I am with just four full days to go before leaving again for France. A short pre-departure post. My study and garden cabin are now littered with the things that I intend to pack for the trip. The checklist has been updated and checked over several times to make sure I haven't forgotten everything. After a scare this morning when my camera wouldn't switch on, I'm charging batteries and formatting cards ready to take hundreds of photographs of cars as I do each year... At home the builders are hard at work doing the brickwork for our little extension which is replacing the very tired old conservatory that once stood there. We're looking forward to being able to use that in a few weeks time.
As to Le Mans, I'm once again looking at the various weather reports for next week and race weekend. As usual these vary considerably but I'll maintain my positivity that it will be a lovely warm week and a dry race. Tickets are all in hand, accommodation has long been sorted. The car is all serviced and ready to roll once I've loaded everything up on Sunday evening. I will be travelling over with James and Lauren in their Clio on the 8.15 am ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, hopefully getting in at 3 pm on Monday afternoon. Hopefully this year we won't have the tiresome wait to get through French border control this year.
We're looking forward to finding out if the annoying changes the ACO have made this year will actually be worth it. So many loyal fans have had their normal plans messed around with by changes to parking and camping and for many the difficulty in getting hold of tickets, which has presented profiteers with the opportunity to make some money now on eBay, on which there are now many tickets for sale. Hopefully the ACO will learn some lessons from all this before the whole thing starts up again for next year's race.
It will be strange for us this year and particularly for me as it will be the first time since 2009 that I will not be travelling over with James F. This is not a situation of my making but in many ways it comes as a disappointment. I'm sure we will see him at the hotel and probably at the circuit but it will largely mean a 'family' team this year, at least until Allon joins the three of us on Wednesday.
So I hope all of those who have managed to get hold of tickets have a great time at Le Mans this year - be happy, enjoy yourselves and stay safe!
Ayse
