Goodwood FoS vs. LeMans - the practical aspects
 

My mom and her husbnad have rented a house in the Dordogne valley in France for the month of June, and I get to go out for a visit to hang out and relax and do whatever. All together, pretty awesome, and I'll bring a bike with me, too (Bike Friday NWT that packs into a suitcase) My girlfriend's schedule means this will be some time in the latter half of June.

I have a couple of very good friends in London who only come to the US every other year, so I plan to visit them at the beginning or end of the trip, unless they can come visit the house in France. This led to me realizing that the Goodwood Festival of Speed is in late June, and hey, I could probably fit that into the trip if I wanted to. Then, today, I realized that Luh Mans is in the middle of June, and that was an option, too. Maybe easier schedule-wise than the FoS.

I have never been to either event, but both are sort of bucket list-level events, so both highly appealing. but since I have never been, I have no idea what the logistics of going to either event are like. Put another way, what is the pain-in-the-ass factor?

If I go to Goodwood or go to London first, I will fly into LHR and then either fly to Bordeaux or probably take a train to Brive-la-Gaillard and rent a car there to drive to the house, near Sarlat-la-Caneda. If I go to LeMans, i would fly into CDG, rent a car there, drive to LeMans and then to Sarlat. Fit London into the end of the trip.

Either event is going to be expensive to get tickets to, but that's fine because hey, you only live once. But I don't want to spend ****loads of money. Like maybe one day of Goodwood instead of two. But is driving there an epic pain?

LeMans seems to have no other option than to drive, but what is it like getting there, being there, and getting around? Can you sleep in your car or something, or just sleep wherever? (I did this at Daytona once, for instance)

I figure there are some number of you who have been to eithe or both events, and can tell me things that will help me make better-informed choices.

Also, I know nothing about what I might need to know about renting and driving a car in France. On all of my trips to Europe, I never drive. The only exception to this was in Poland, where my girlfriend's uncle lent us his Clio to drive to the Baltic coast.

Haven't done Goodwood, but have done LM. There are a ton of very good logistics guides on the LM sub-forum on Ten-Tenths.com. It is an even that benefits from a lot of advance research. There are differences in admission and paying for certain grandstands. You may want to buy tickets for multiple grandstands. There are tricks like joining the ACO which can get you access to some on-site hospitality. Yes, you can sleep in the car. We got a hotel room 20 minutes away, but napped in the car during the race. The span of darkness is short given the time of the year, but don't miss the night time. Some of the most magic moments of my memory were walking around at 3am between the pit exit and Tetre Rouge.

Don't expect to get anywhere near the pits or the cars without special credentials. There is a Friday pit walk, but it is mobbed. Wed and Thursday are great days to there - smaller crowds, easier to get around. There are shuttles during the race to get around the circuit, but they are overcrowded and it isn't easy. There are also a lot of fences, so finding clear viewing or photo points can be a challenge.

PM me if you have more questions.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1460430272.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1460430365.jpg

I'll be at Le Mans this year. Got the tix and my camping. Surprisingly cheap, actually. Had tix in 2006, but got stuck in Germany for World Cup, so I didn't go. If you go, pm, and maybe we can meet up. I'll be there most of the week before hand.

Went to Le Mans Classic a few years ago. Total bucket list experience for me!
I camped near Maison Blanc. Across from Pit in. The scene in the camping area is a fun part of the weekend.

See if you can rent a station wagon, bring some air mattresses and buy a couple of folding chairs and stock a cooler before going to the track.
Driving around the area is fun as it's a rolling car show.

I drove over from central Germany and back and enjoyed the road trip .

Lots of great vantage points you can walk to around the track. I had a seat in the grandstand near the start / finish line, but didn't stay there much. The concrete grandstands on both sides of the track there make for a lot of noise. I much preferred walking to various points around the track.

It's an endurance event for the spectators too. I was glad to be able to duck into the wagon for some shut eye.

Keep us posted on what ever you do.

Cheers Richard

If you need a hotel near Goodwood for the FoS book it last year.

Pretty much will need to drive to FOS. It's in a fairly rural part of the South Downs near Chichester and Arundel. Could take a train to Chichester and rent a car there for the 20 minute drive up to Goodwood, but reserve the car well in advance ! Also, get up early and beat the traffic jams. Gates open at 7 and the line forms about 6:30 am.
FOS is very crowded. Buy a grandstand seat or special enclosure ticket (GRRC). Lots of time between the runs while track workers clear debris from "offs" to see the wide variety of manufacturer and club displays. I prefer the Revival Meeting in Sept over FOS, but then I'm old enough to remember most of the cars at the vintage event.

I've never been to LeMans but IMO there is no need for more than one day at the FOS. Each day is effectively a repeat of the last. Traffic gets bad near the estate and in the parking areas but it isn't too terrible and there are usually some neat cars to see in the lots too.

Went to Goodwood FOS Saturday last year. Took the train from London to Chichester station, then special bus service to Goodwwod. Was fairly painless, and I would imagine far easier than driving. I didn't have grandstand tickets and was disappointed in the viewing opportunities for the hill climb. The lower portions were at least 20 deep with people and you were lucky to see a roof flying past. Further up the hill, near the rally course was much better but you still need to stake out a spot and wait for a car to come by every few minutes. Paddocks are where it's at really, because where are you are ever going to see all those significant cars together? Check out pistonheads.com for the dedicated Goodwood forum. Don't think I'll repeat FOS, but will definitely hit the Revival this year.

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it! I had not thought much about Goodwood until I started planning this trip, and hadn't thought much about whether I would enjoy the FoS or the revival more. If I went to Goodwood I would only drive if there was absolutely no other option. But it sounds like there is (the shuttle bus from Chichester) and from Nate's description it sounds relatively painless.

I am probably going to rent a car for France anyway, and so driving to LeMans would not be too much of a burden.