Tag Archives: Travel Destinations

Le Mans 2017 tickets are on sale

15th December 2016

Le Mans tickets are on sale now , so Motorsport Magazine asked Richard Webb of Travel Destinations for his advice on booking.

Part one: When to book
Le Mans is the pinnacle of sports car racing. It is on the bucket list of spectators and drivers from all fields of motor sport and every June more than 250,000 race fans make the pilgrimage to Le Mans. So why is it so popular, and how can you get the most from your Le Mans experience?

Le Mans is unique. It really has to be experienced to fully appreciate the history, the challenge, the emotion and the atmosphere of the event. It is for this very reason that National Geographic rated Le Mans the number one sporting event in the world; higher even than the Olympics, the Super Bowl or the World Cup. For spectators, such a big event does provide a number of challenges. When to book, where to stay, what tickets are required, how long to stay, where to watch and what to do all needs to be considered. Often there is no right or wrong answer, just a different solution to the same problem. We at Travel Destinations talk customers through the pros and cons of the available options, having been looking after people at Le Mans for more than 20 years now. We have done everything, seen everything and can help from a position of knowledge and experience – and we’re racing fans, too. But each company is different.

We would always recommend booking early. As with any event availability is key, so the earlier you book the more choice that you have. You can turn up on the day at Le Mans and purchase an entrance ticket, but that is all that will be available; campsites and grandstands will always sell out these days. Gone are the days of turning up in your car and pitching a tent in the nearest field. Travel Destinations look after a few thousand customers at Le Mans each year, many of whom are repeat customers, and often these people will re-book immediately on their return or even on their way home from the race, which some people do. However, this isn’t always necessary unless you are particularly forgetful…

We would usually recommend that people reserve the travel, tickets and accommodation before Christmas for the following year. This will usually guarantee you everything that you want. Once the New Year comes around certain things will start to sell out. The more popular grandstands and campsites start to fill up, although there will always be something available until April and May. We do even make some very late bookings in the first week of June, but by then there is no choice – you simply get what is left. So in short, the time to book is now.

Once you have decided that you want to go to Le Mans then you need to act. Now, the first thing most people do is surf the internet. You will find endless forums and message boards offering opinions on where is the best place and who are the best company. However, there are really only two things that you should look for when purchasing tickets for Le Mans.

The first is to look for an official agent logo. You will see this on all pages on our site. The logo means that the company is licensed to sell tickets directly from the race organizers; the ACO. Anyone without that logo is ultimately buying tickets and reselling without authorization. That is ticket touting and is effectively illegal. Not only that but you run the risk of not receiving the correct tickets, or in some cases, any tickets at all. So message one has to be always look for that logo.

The second thing to look for – and this applies for any travel that you may choose to book – is check whether the company is bonded in any way. The most well-known of these is ABTA and ATOL. These logos show that the company you are booking through has been authorized to sell travel packages and that they have all the insurances in place to do so. Sadly there are many companies that will claim your money is safe if you book with them, but ultimately you should ask more questions before you book. Le Mans is a holiday, in the same was a cruise round the Mediterranean, flights around the world, or a week in Majorca. You book your holidays through a specialist travel company & Le Mans should be no different. We recommend looking for the logos – if they aren’t there or you are not sure, don’t book.

The internet is great for many things, but for Le Mans it can cause issues if you don’t know what you are doing, or the website is in a foreign language. Sometimes it is best to speak to someone and ask some questions. We actively encourage our customers to call us even if they have been to Le Mans many times before. Things are always changing at the circuit so you can’t just presume things will be the same as the last visit. In recent years some campsites have been built on and closed or reduced in size. New campsites have opened and others have changed the facilities on offer. All our staff have been to Le Mans so can speak from experience, they are also kept up to date with current events at the circuit so they can pass on that information directly. Ticking a box on a website can’t do that.

Top tips for booking tickets for Le Mans:
• Only purchase from an official agent.
• Check for financial bonding if booking travel (look for the logos!)
• Speak to the company. If they can’t answer the phone or don’t know the answers to your questions, try someone who can.

Travel Destinations are the largest UK Tour Operator to Le Mans.
Travel Destinations are also an officially appointed ticket agency for Le Mans and are a fully bonded ABTA and ATOL tour operator.
All our Le Mans options are available to view on this website or call us now for more details or call 0844 873 0203.

This article first appeared on Motorsport Magazine‘s online content & is the first in a series of guest blogs by Richard about Le Mans.

Le Mans News

Sun shines on the Le Mans Classic

13th July 2016

The sun shines on the Le Mans Classic

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Motorsport News

Le Mans Classic Returns

29th June 2016

Former winners return to Le Mans

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.

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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

Le Mans News

24 things to enjoy at Le Mans 2016

27th May 2016

24 things to enjoy at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2016

(In no particular order)

1. See 60 cars racing on the famous Le Mans circuit. For the first time since the 1950s there will be 60 cars at the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Thanks to the four new pits built in record time 9 LMP1s, 23 LMP2s, 14 LMGTE Pros, 13 LMGTE Ams and the car in the no. 56 garage will be on the grid on the 18th June.
2. Catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt, the honorary starter of the 84th event, as he waves the French flag to unleash the 60 cars.
3. See if Porsche can repeat its 2015 victory. The German manufacturer made its comeback to the LMP1 category in 2014, and took only a year to enjoy a perfect season with a win at Le Mans, and the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the FIA WEC.
4. Share your pleasure between endurance and football. You don’t have to choose between the 2016 Euro Football Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours as all the matches will be shown live in the Le Mans 24 Hours village.
5. See the no-holds-barred battle in LMP1 between Porsche, Audi and Toyota who will each enter two cars. After the first two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship picking the winner of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours is like looking very difficult; especially as you will have to beware of the experienced private teams of Rebellion Racing and Bykolles Racing.
6. See Ford’s return. It is 60 years since Ford’s first victory at Le Mans and the American manufacturer is making its big comeback in the LM GTE Pro category with four cars.
7. See if the Hong Kong team (KCMG) will defend its LMP2 title against a horde of highly-motivated challengers (with Nissan engines) determined to oust them from the top spot and claim the trophy.
8. Enjoy an exceptional view of the track from the new revamp of the Indianapolis/Arnage spectator zone. The cars arrive at full speed and have to round a slightly banked corner. Don’t miss this spectacle – especially during the night.
9. See a home win. While French constructors have virtually no chance of emerging victorious in the overall classification, Alpine, Ligier and Oreca are strong contenders for first place in the LMP2 category in which they represent 18 out of the 23 entries.
10. Enjoy a full week of entertainment. Starting in the Le Mans town centre, numerous forms of entertainment will be on offer for the spectators between 12th & 19th June: scrutineering, Drivers’ Parade, pit and track walks, concerts and autograph sessions.
11. Enjoy the intense and always competitive battle between the five manufacturers in LMGTE Pro: Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin and Ford.
12. Experience the sounds of the three concert evenings on Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th and Saturday 18th June. Included on the bill are: Shake Shake Go, Julian Perretta, The Shoes and The Avener.
13. Cheer on the British drivers at the start. British drivers lead the way in terms of numbers with 38 drivers at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours Next nearest are French drivers with 32 on the grid.
14. Ladies can come and discover the Women’s Pavilion Year that returns this year. In 2015 it was a great success, and this year the venue entirely devoted to women will reopen its doors with several innovations on its programme.
15. Follow the performance of the gentlemen drivers entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours in the LM GTE Am category. This is usually hotly-contested fight that often goes down to the wire.
16. Dive right into the core of the latest virtual reality technologies thanks to the Virtual Room, which will offer a young, connected public a more than real plunge into the thick of the race.
17. Follow the race from the ACO Club zones reserved for the ACO members, which you can join on the day if you wish.
18. See the new LMP3s and GT3s racing on the full Le Mans circuit for the first time. The Road to Le Mans race, a curtain-raiser to the Le Mans 24 Hours, will give these two categories the ideal theatre in which to go head-to-head in a new 1-hour event. There is also the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli to enjoy before the main event begins.
19. Run into the 2016 Miss 24 Heures. 105 candidates from all over France entered but there is only one who can wear the crown. The winner will be chosen on 4th June.
20. Discover the talented endurance drivers from Asia. Beside Toyota in LMP1, several teams and drivers come from Asia like Eurasia Motorsport (Philippines), Baxi DC Racing Alpine (China), KCMG (Hong Kong), Team AAI (Taiwan) and Clearwater Racing (Singapore).
21. Stroll through the Le Mans 24 Hours village and discover the many boutiques, exhibitions, restaurants with varied menus, stands, and activities throughout the race week.
22. Support the two women drivers. The two female drivers will be making their Le Mans 24 Hours debut. 26-year-old Inès Tattinger from France is entered in the Pegasus Racing Morgan in LMP2, and Christina Nielsen from Denmark is in the LMGTE Am class in a Ferrari run by Formula Racing.
23. Visit the ACO Historic exhibition which, this year, will be devoted to Americans at Le Mans, and get close to no fewer than 15 beautiful American cars that have marked the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
24. Enjoy a unique experience at the 84th running of the most mythical endurance race in the world and then begin your planning for the 85th Le Mans 24 Hours with Travel Destinations.

Le Mans News

Introducing the FIA WEC 2016

1st April 2016

The official prologue for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship took place over Easter weekend. This was the first chance for the public to see the new teams and cars in the flesh. Although little can be concluded from lap times at this stage, Stephen Kilbey from Dailysportscar, was trackside at Paul Ricard to give Travel Destinations a briefing on what to expect in the FIA WEC and at Le Mans 2016.

LMP1
Porsche, Audi and Toyota are all back for another season which is posed to be just as enthralling as last year. Each team will be entering 2 cars each in 2016, so there is a level playing field at the front of the grid.

Porsche has opted to tweak its 919 Hybrid for the new season and take lots of small steps in an attempt to improve on performance, and nullify the ACO’s new restrictions on fuel-flow imposed to slow all the LMP1 cars down.

Audi and Toyota meanwhile enter 2016 with entirely new packages. Both the new Audi R18 and the Toyota TS050 are very different to what the teams ran last year, and that’s very apparent not just aesthetically, with new liveries and noticeable aero developments, but also under the covers too. The gamble here is whether the new technology will be as reliable as the tweaked tried and tested formula adopted by Porsche. Porsche topped the time sheets at Paul Ricard, but both Audi and Toyota showed quick sector times, without needing to put them all together. Ultimately the first race at Silverstone will really show us what each car is capable of.

In the privateer subdivision, one of the two teams present – Rebellion Racing – makes a return with two R-Ones, in a very similar package to last season, but a very shiny new livery which up-close is extremely detailed and in some ways mesmerising. The ACO have promised to review this class to try and enable them to be more competitive moving forward. Perhaps Rebellion’s efforts and consistency over the last few years deserves more.

LMP2
There are plenty of new faces in the LMP2 class this year. This is probably the most difficult grid to predict with many similarly powered cars lining up alongside each other. G-Drive Racing, after winning the LMP2 Championship last season, have partnered up with Jota Sport to run a brand new Oreca 05, sporting the team’s standard eye-catching livery.

Aside from that, both Signatech Alpine and ex-F1 outfit Manor have also purchased Orecas for the new season. Alpine’s blue and orange looks just as good on a prototype with a roof, and Manor’s fresh look – conceived by team principal Graeme Lowdon – will certainly stand out in what promises to be a very competitive field.

RGR Morand’s very patriotic livery representing the re-branded team’s Mexican ties on the new Ligier is also one to look out for.
GTE Pro
Much like LMP1 class the GTE Pro grid is oozing manufacturer interest, and the addition of Ford is a testament to the class’ relevancy in global GT racing.

On the subject of Ford, Chip Ganassi Team UK’s pair of GTs look astonishing up close, and with some more development should be in the running for some results throughout the season having already run at Daytona and Sebring in the States this year.

Outside of the Ford’s new car on the grid, the well-established AF Corse squad are back with two brand new Ferrari 488 GTEs which promise to be in contention for the title right away. When has a Ferrari not been in the mix over the last few years?

Aston Martin Racing and Dempsey Proton Racing – Porsche’s only Pro representative this year – meanwhile have revised cars for the season. Aston martin’s Vantages are substantially more meaty in the rear diffuser department, and livery wise, after sporting Gulf colours since 2008, Aston Martin return to the team’s roots by running in a very smart (and British) green.

GTE Am
Although the Aston Martin’s will no longer be carrying the Gulf Oil branding, the famous colours won’t be missing from the grid, as European Le Mans Series graduates Gulf Racing UK are participating in the full FIA WEC season this year with their Porsche. It is certainly a striking car and sure to be a fan favourite.

Top to bottom, GTE Am’s foundations remain unchanged, although 2015 LMP2 runner-up KCMG are also set to run a Porsche in the 2016 FIA WEC championship.

As the clock ticks down to the start of the season at Silverstone from the 15th – 17th April, the work behind the scenes will be ramped up. The official prologue has certainly whetted the appetite for what is going to be another great endurance racing season.

The Le Mans 24 Hours remains the pinnacle in the endurance racing calendar and the jewel in the crown of the FIA World Endurance Championship. For those wishing to watch the racing live, travel, ticket and camping packages are still available from Official Agent Travel Destinations. Availability restrictions for certain areas apply, but it is still possible to reserve your place Le Mans 2016.

Travel Destinations also have exclusive offers to attend the FIA World Endurance Championship rounds at both Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring. Visit our dedicated site for more information and the best prices or call Travel Destinations direct now on 0844 873 0203.

Le Mans News

Porsche Curves Update

4th March 2015

Porsche Curves Update

Last week, works began at the Le Mans circuit to improve driver safety at the entrance to the Porsche Curves section of the track. This planned work was announced by the ACO more than a year ago and will include a wider gravel trap and new energy absorbing barriers. The Porsche Curves is the fastest complex on the famous Le Mans circuit and these works hope to prevent serious injuries in future races. These developments are just a part of a continued safety upgrade to the traditional circuit being undertaken by the ACO.

The Porsche Curves is also the home to our popular private trackside campsite. It will continue to be the home of our campsite for the foreseeable future. This location enables us to offer something unique at Le Mans; a relaxed private camping area, away from other camping areas, with 24 hours security, fully serviced showers & toilets and a hospitality marquee on-site.

Due to the current works at Porsche Curves, regular guests to our campsite will notice a few changes, as we are re-arranging the layout (moving the marquee & showers etc.) compared to previous years. This is to match the new location of water pipes & other services moved by the current developments.

Perhaps the most visible change will be the viewing bank at the rear of the campsite. The extension of the run off area means that the viewing bank is being moved back towards the campsite. In effect, we have had to reduce the size of our campsite as there will be less grass area available for tents. This decision was made in conjunction with the ACO before we went on sale for the 2015 event.

The very good news for all our Porsche Curves & Event Tent customers is that the ACO have confirmed that the newly constructed viewing bank will have direct access only for Travel Destinations customers staying at Porsche Curves and that there will no longer be general public access through our campsite entrance to this viewing bank. We believe that this additional security and private access will be a great benefit for all our guests staying at our Porsche Curves campsite.

The Travel Destinations at Porsche Curves campsite is currently sold out for the Le Mans 24 Hours 2015, although we are also running a waitlist for any possible cancellations. All our customers travelling with us to the Le Mans 24 Hours this year must have paid their balances before the end of March. Please check your individual booking confirmations for your exact date.

If you have yet to make a booking for Le Mans 2015 then there is still time. We have a limited number of camping options available in the circuit-run public campsites & a last few rooms at our Flexotel Village in the centre of the circuit. Please call us on 0844 873 0203 to secure your place at Le Mans.

Thanks to Dailysportscar for photos of ongoing works.