Aysedasi's Le Mans Story - 2000

Le Mans 2000 - Ayse's Story

Page 7 - Saturday 17th June - At the Circuit - Finally!

(Revision note - Having reached this point in updating the 2000 story, I discovered that I have only very limited notes at all of what we did and when we did it once we arrived at the circuit. For some reason I only wrote up the full story in the first volume of my photographs and it seems I never got around to doing the rest. So the rest of the story is likely to be more pictorial and thinner on 'words' than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, I've done the best that I can. As you'll appreciate, undertaking this revision over 23 years after the event, my memory is a little challenged! Ayse - 28.10.23).

When we reached the circuit it was very busy and we made our usual way down to the Garage Rouge only to be declined entry as the car park was full. We were directed to an 'overflow' car park back beyond Tertre Rouge corner which fortunately had a lot of space available. One of our cars had parked in here last year as well. We were parked on grass which, after the hot weather, was fortunately bone dry. What it did mean though was a longer walk in to the circuit in blazing sunshine....

It has always been Ian's 'habit' once tickets were bought and access gained to the circuit to make a beeline for the tribunes in front of the main grandstands. This always involves barging our way through crowds that took up their places there long before. This is, of course, a direct result of arriving so late at the circuit! I made the decision last year that I couldn't face this assault course on the tribunes again so I did the same as last year and walked down to the Ford Chicane to sit on the banking and watch from there. On route, having had no lunch I indulged in a double merguez baguette.

The cars soon left the pits to form up on the grid and I got a few shots of them as they went past me just before the chicane. The GT40 wasn't in the race of course....

And then, the race....