by Scott Bennett

Created on: February 18, 2007

Camping at Le Mans is a specialist art.

Like much of eastern thought it is about yin and yang, balance. Beer vs food, space vs being popular with the neighbours, power vs weight.

I am a man who strongly believes in 2 things: Traveling Light and the all giving power of the Super U (the hypermarket in the town of Arnage near the circuit).

Bearing these things in mind here is what I hope will be a definitive guide to what you absolutely must take with you. Anything you wish to take over and above these things is at your own loss on the drive down as you slowly drag through France.

1) Tents
Seems obvious eh? I have known of more than one person heading down to Le Mans planning to sleep rough. Rough is the right word. At least 3 Days with the possibility of rain. No tent is foolishness in the extreme.

2) Pre Bought camping tickets
You need to get these in advance or you ain't parking when you get there.

3) Lighting
Lighting should be brought in three types general, personal and intimate.
General lighting could be an electric or petrol powered tilly lamp. Anything to give you a big old light for 3am in the morning when you are all trying to stay awake. Personal is a torch or head torch. Intimate is some softer lighting for the evenings when there isn't several hundred tonnes of car hurtling round a track a few hundred yards away. This is in fact not an absolute essential as the super U will provide candles and wood for campfires.

4) Stake and Tape
Not to be confused with the only meal you will eat over the days you are there (steak et frites). You need to take a number of sticks/stakes/long bits of metal and some sort of tape material in order to claim your territory. Just as Terroir means everything in French wine so Territory means everything at this French motor race. Get there early and get a fence up. If you don't there will be a small dutch family who have parked their campervan IN your tent the first morning you wake up. I stress this is not xenophobia or an insane Englishman's tent is his castle instinct it is simply the way things are done at Le Mans. You fence it you own it.

5) Radios, Heat resistant
Bring one personal radio each and one big one for all to listen to. Be sure they are heat proof. Last year this reader ended Le Mans with melted earphones and a very swish multi frequency radio reduced to a puddle. Personal radios are available on site but are vera vera expensive.

6) Water carrying devices
You need water, not just beer. To this end bring a collapsible water carrier. Do not bring personal water carrying devices. The Super U has plenty of mineral water bottles to get you going.

7) Beer Cooling Equipment
Important one this and thorny. Last year I tried going without and buying cool boxes and constant ice from the super U. This worked OK. Would have been nicer to have a little car powered fridge to go with it though in order to get stuff really cold first then put it in the icebox.

8) Penknife
You're camping. You need a penknife.

9) Rainclothes and Sun Cream
Be ready for both extremes.

10) SOME FRENCH
It amazes me how many people at Le Mans don't bother to learn a word of French. You can get away with this. You will quite rightly be sneered at and treated less nicely by the french though. LEARN SOME FRENCH!

This concludes the essentials Have a great time in Le Mans

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