We are pleased to confirm that the 9th running of the famous Le Mans Classic will take place from the 6th – 8th July 2018. The Le Mans Classic offers a great motor racing retrospective every two years at the historic Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France. The event itself is much anticipated by participants and spectators alike, so booking your place early is highly recommended.
Last July, more than 123,000 spectators made the pilgrimage to Le Mans to witness 550 race cars take to the track as well as an amazing 8500 classic and sports cars from various clubs and organisations gather on the infield.
For the Le Mans Classic 2018 Travel Destinations will also be able to offer our Event Tents (Glamping) and our Flexotel Village (pop-up hotel) in the centre of the circuit. These options will enable all guests to enjoy a little more comfort, whilst still staying on the circuit. All these options can include entrance tickets and paddock access, as well as your choice of channel crossings from the UK if required. Options are also available without travel if required, so please enquire at the time of booking. Grandstand seats, circuit laps/track laps and meals can also be added to bookings on request. All available options and further details are now available on this website.
All these options are available to book now & can be secured today with a deposit. To learn more and to reserve your place please call our experienced team on 0844 873 0203. We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
On Sunday at 4pm, the flag came down on the 8th running of Le Mans Classic. This biennial event celebrates the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours and has grown in stature and crowd numbers on each occasion.
Le Mans Classic Heritage Club competition
This year’s event was blessed by exceptional weather, as crowds in excess of 123,000 witnessed a full weekend retracing the history of the greatest endurance race in the world over the period 1923 to 1993. 550 cars took to the track, with 1000 drivers, including 10 former Le Mans winners, navigated the circuit in race conditions. In addition to the racing cars, a further 8500 cars represented 180 makes’ clubs assembled to display their vehicles around the Bugatti circuit. Important notice was taken of the celebration of BMW’s centenary and the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40’s first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours with appropriate displays. Concourse competitions, the Le Mans Heritage Club, the “Little Big Mans” children’s race, a special exhibition devoted to racing team transporters and a host of other entertainment and activities in the main village meant that all the right ingredients were in place to make this huge celebration of motor sport.
Grid 1 start at the Le Mans Classic
Among the innovations this year was the opening of the circuit on Friday morning representing an additional five hours of track time so that more practice session could be scheduled, as well as the Group C races with an entry of almost 40 cars represented. There was also the magnificent field of the Jaguar Classic Challenge with around 60 cars representing the Coventry make. Victory in this event went to British driver Andy Wallace (19 starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours including outright victory in 1988) at the wheel of the Jaguar D-Type that won Le Mans in 1955.
Group C racing at the Le Mans Classic
At 4pm on Saturday American music star (and motorsport fan) Pharrell Williams waved the French flag to begin the 24hrs of racing around the full 13,629-km circuit. These races were divided in to 6 grids covering the period 1923 to 1981. Each grid took to the circuit in day and night across the Saturday and Sunday.
Glamping at the Le Mans Classic with Travel Destinations
Travel Destinations are official agents for the Le Mans Classic and are proud to have been involved in the Le Mans Classic since its inception in 2002. This year travel Destinations looked after guests from many different car clubs including the MG Owners’ Club, Morgan Sports Car Club, Jaguar Enthusiasts’ club and the TR Register. With 2 private trackside campsites, a further “glamping” site and our Flexotel Village (pop-up hotel) all on the circuit, Travel Destinations also looked after more guests on the circuit than ever at the Le Mans Classic. We extend a big thank you to all those who booked through Travel Destinations & we hope that you can join us again soon.
Travel Destinations’ Hunaudieres campsite at the Le Mans Classic
The 8th Le Mans Classic consolidated the success of the previous events thanks to the attendance of its faithful fans and the beautiful weather. The good news is that the Le Mans Classic will return in 2018 for the 9th edition, but for those that can’t wait that long for your historic motorsport fix, perhaps you might like to join Travel Destinations at the Spa Classic in May 2017.
The Le Mans Classic returns from the 8th – 10th July giving spectators a unique opportunity to see the cars that took part in the Le Mans 24 Hours between 1923 and 1993 back racing at La Sarthe. It is not only the cars that are returning, as many famous drivers also use the Le Mans Classic to get back behind the wheel.
Of the nine former winners down to drive, the man with the highest number of victories is Emanuele Pirro, five-time winner of the race with Audi (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007). The popular Italian has been a regular member of the Peter Auto grids and in the Le Mans Classic he will be driving an Alfa Romeo T33/3 (1969), a Lola T290 (1972) and a Lancia Beta Gr.V (1979). Out on the track he may come across his former team-mate, Marco Werner, three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, who is also entered to drive three different cars: a Lotus IX (1955), a Maserati T63 Birdcage (1961) and a Maserati A6 GCS Barchetta (1954). The most recent winner is current works Porsche driver Romain Dumas who won at Le Mans just a few weeks ago in the Porsche 919. This time he will compete in the Group C grid with a Porsche 962C.
Romain Dumas
In homage to his father Jean-Pierre who died last year, Julien Beltoise will race in grid 6 with Henri Pescarolo (who still holds the record for the highest number of races; 33) in the same Inaltera that he drove with Jean-Pierre in 1976. Another driver who spearheaded the Matra attack in the early 70s, Gérard Larrousse, the current president of the Drivers’ Club, is back at the wheel of a Porsche 550 Spyder (1958). Eric Hélary, a hero of Peugeot’s historic triple in 1993 will share his time between a Chevrolet Corvette C3 (1970), a Lancia Beta Gr.V (1979) and an Alfa Romeo T 33 TT (1971).
Emanuele Pirro
British driver Andy Wallace, who won the race in 1988 in a Jaguar, remains faithful to the make as he will be at the wheel of a D-Type (1955). The Englishman is among the drivers who have raced in the event on multiple occasions with 19 starts. But his former team-mate in 1988 Jan Lammers from Holland, entered in an Austin Healey 3000, has racked up more starts than Wallace as he has 22 to his name. Emmanuel Collard has also reached this number after just competing the Le Mans 24 Hours for the 22nd time this year. At Le Mans Classic he will be tackling the long circuit in a Porsche 908/3 (1971) and a 911 Turbo RSR (1974).
Emmanuel Collard
Other outright winners Jochen Mass (1989) and Gijs van Lennep (1971 and 1976) are back in a De Tomaso Pantera Gr. IV (1971), a Porsche 911 RSR 3L (1974) and a Porsche 908 LH (1968) respectively. A number of class winners will also be on the grid including Casper Elgaard, first in the LMP2 category in 2009, in a 1964 Porsche 904 as well as John Fitzpatrick, Ralf Kelleners and Uwe Alzen, all victorious at the wheel of Porsche 911s (1975, 1996 and 1999 respectively), who remain faithful to the Stuttgart make. Double Grand Touring winner, Raymond Narac, is at the wheel of a prototype, a Group C Porsche 962 (1987).
Gerard Larrouse
Many other well-know figures who have raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours are also expected such as David Halliday (BMW 3.0 CSL), Jean Ragnotti (Alpine M 65, Renault Alpine A443), Paul Belmondo (Ford GT 40), Chris Mac Allister, Eric De Doncker, Gareth Evans, Roald Goethe, Lucien Guitteny, Stuart Hall, Sam Hancock, David Hart, Hans Hugenholtz, Wolfgang Kaufmann, Patrice Lafargue, Franck Lagorce, Michel Lecourt, Erik Maris, Jean-Marc Merlin, Jacques Nicolet, Martin O’Connell, François Perrodo, Christian Pescatori, Frédéric Da Rocha, Lucien Rossiaud, Alain Serpaggi, John Sheldon, Pierre de Thoisy and more. It promises to be quite a reunion.
Marco Werner
The Le Mans Classic takes place on the full Le Mans circuit from the 8th – 10th July. Travel Destinations are official agents for the Le Mans Classic and are proud to have been looking after spectators at the circuit since its inception, offering private trackside camping, pre-erected glamping tents, and our Flexotel Village cabins all on the circuit. For late bookings for the 2016 Le Mans Classic please call 0844 873 0203.
At a press conference in Paris last night, Peter Auto, the organisation behind the Le Mans Classic, confirmed the dates for the next Le Mans Classic. The 8th – 10th July 2016 will see the famous Le Mans circuit host the most anticipated motorsport retrospective event in Europe. 2016 will see the 8th running of this prestigious event.
More than 110,000 spectators watched the last running of the event in 2014, and it is anticpated that 2016 will see an increase in that number. The Le Mans Classic features cars that raced at Le Mans between 1923 and 1979 & a strict scrutineering process means that only past Le Mans entrants are able to compete.
Divided in to 6 grids the cars race throughout the traditional 24 hours, with all cars racing both in the day and at night. Despite the age of the machinery taking part, these are not demonstration laps. All cars will be raced to win and gain the top step on the podium.
Travel Destinations have been the largest travel, ticket and accommodation supplier since its inception. 2016 will be no different. We already have a number of our products on sale via this website, including our on circuit options for those wanting to stay close to the action.
For those not wanting to pitch their own tent, then our Event Tents will proved a more luxurious option. This glamping option provides large bell tents with carpets, mattresses and all bedding. With tables and chairs also in the tent you can arrive in your classic or sports car and not worry about space.
If camping is not your thing, then we also have our Fleoxtel Village in the centre of the circuit. These pop-up hotel style cabins, provide private lockable bedrooms right next to your car. With proper beds and all bedlinen in a convenient location this accommodation solution has always been popular.
Finally we also have our hotels and camping options off circuit so that those that wish to stay off circuit also have a number of options. Hotel rooms for the Le Mans Classic will always be in high demand so it is advisable to book early.
Most prices are already available on this website & our reservations are now open for the Le Mans Classic 2016. To reserve your place please call us on 0844 873 0203 (UK) or +44 1707 329988 (International).
The Le Mans Classic 2016 promises to be bigger and better than ever, so make sure you are there to be part of it!
We are pleased to confirm that the 9th running of the famous Le Mans Classic will take place from the 6th – 8th July 2018. The Le Mans Classic offers a great motor racing retrospective every two years at the historic Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France. The event itself is much anticipated by participants and spectators alike, so booking your place early is highly recommended.
