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Been away to Le Mans on our yearly pilgrimage and aside from a few showers early on, the weather perked up and we had an absolute ball.

Managed to chat my way into Michelin hospitality Friday afternoon at the drivers parade and got absolutely sh*t-faced :crazy1: at their expense, thanks Michelin 

Watched the start of the race and then a good friend gave me his VIP passes and we wondered around the pits and managed to blagg our way into places I really don't think we should have been  , also managed to blagg some good grandstand seats whihc were great for the finish, albeit the fence got in the way for photos

I took my camera, but to be honest I was concerned that I'd simply be taking the same photo's as I do every year and also I knew I was going to have a beer or 7,600,499 or more, and would almost certainly end up face down in a gutter and have it all stolen from me or I'd leave it somewhere.

As it happened, the gutter experience did happen but thankfully my camera gear was back at base 

Anyway, a few of the images I took, the rest are on my Flickr account


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr


Le Mans 2012 by Martin_Bennett, on Flickr

If you've not been before, it really needs to be on your list of things to do before you die.

If you've been before you'll know the amount of alcohol and rubbish food you eat is enough to make you feel like death!

Wow wow !!!

Fantastic.
You must have some influential friends, or rich friends or both, brilliant!

Sound like an awesome experience and thank you for sharing the pics and story

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

Brilliant Mogs and the pics are way beyond my capabilities mate, lovely.

Glad you had a great time buddy!

Great pictures.

The thing that has always put me off going there is the thought of camping ...  :'(

[quote="pvr"]
Great pictures.

The thing that has always put me off going there is the thought of camping ...  :'(
[/quote]

We don't camp we glamp 

7 berth van with only 4 of us in it - loads of space and we also have room for our bikes so we can get around the circuit rather than either walk or try and drive in what must be the biggest car park in Europe that weekend!

Secure site with power, hot clean showers and loo's. Don't have a wristband - sorry sir, you can't come in. Whilst we take our own BBQ, breakfasts etc., food is available on site as is live TV's in a bar showing football/Le Mans etc. 10 minutes walk from 'The Village' (the main area at the circuit) and it's really quite civilised 

It costs a bit more than some other sites but like you I really don't like getting wet and cold, and then sleeping in a muddy tent whilst at the same time sharing facilities that look like they've been smashed to bits  :'(

Really nice......what lens are you using for the what look like 'longer ranged' shots? 400mm, 600mm? 

I need to invest in one as my current (frankly cheap) non-Canon one just isn't up to the job with these newer high resolution sensors.  I know it's gonna hurt, but good 'glass' is becoming much more important as the pixel counts rise.  I did the Moto GP at Silverstone last year and was not as pleased as I'd like to have been with the results when using the Sigma.

I think I'd attend an event as big as Le Mans in 'hard accommodation' rather than a tent too, and for the same reasons...and I'm getting more picky in my old age too......

We could have the OAP trip to Le Mans

Servants and all of course.

[quote="X5Sport"]
Really nice......what lens are you using for the what look like 'longer ranged' shots? 400mm, 600mm? 

I need to invest in one as my current (frankly cheap) non-Canon one just isn't up to the job with these newer high resolution sensors.  I know it's gonna hurt, but good 'glass' is becoming much more important as the pixel counts rise.  I did the Moto GP at Silverstone last year and was not as pleased as I'd like to have been with the results when using the Sigma.

I think I'd attend an event as big as Le Mans in 'hard accommodation' rather than a tent too, and for the same reasons...and I'm getting more picky in my old age too......
[/quote]

It's a 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L and absolutely bloody brilliant.

All of those are heavily cropped, and if you take the stationary car in the pits, that was about 150 yards from where I was in the grandstand

Not cheap at £1250 or so but worth every penny :yes:

Cheers.... . And shows the advantage of 20+MP sensors beautifully.

It's cheaper than their 1,000mm prime (no longer available new) which was £64,000 ten years ago, and you had to wait 6-months for them to grind the lenses!

[quote="X5Sport"]
Cheers....

It's cheaper than their 1,000mm prime (no longer available new) which was £64,000 ten years ago, and you had to wait 6-months for them to grind the lenses!
[/quote]

Now that IS and expensive lens!

The night shots on Flickr were taken with a 70-200 f2.8 LIS (the 100-400 is also stabilised).

That 2.8 is brilliant at night and I just wish I hadn't have been so pissed, I might have got a few more  :-[

Superb pics and great experience. Have to say it is on my list of things to do but as others, I do not camp. Maybe one year I'll make it out there.

Great pics and good to see the best team won!

PVR does camping it is just the tents that he doesn't like!

[quote="535dboy"]
PVR does camping it is just the tents that he doesn't like!
[/quote]

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