Le Mans (Classic) or Bust
Turbo Mini Forums

Well as some may know we decided to go to classic Le Mans rather than Avon this year. In total for me around 1200 mile round trip.

9 of us went in 4 cars, the Sabre Sprint, a Mini, an Irish Clan and a Mk11 Granny. Sadly the Granny failed at east mids airport and was parked up, they continued in a 4-motion Golf.

I don't want this to be a long boring story so I'll stick to the highlights. We all met at Maidstone service and headed off to catch the chunnel at around 13:30, then continued through France wit hno problems until we got to within 1 mile of Le Mans when the front mounting on the Sprints exhaust failed. as we were so close and it was 10pm it sparked it's way to the campsite, and I fixed it the following morning.



It was then a gase of drinking beer and drooling over some awsome motors for 3 days befor the return trip; summerised as follows:

20:00 Left campsite at
20:01 Throttle cable on Sprint broke, shortened it and were on our way after 20 minutes

20:30 Stopped for food in Le Mans (Not enough spaces)

20:31 Eric's Clan gets stuck in reverse
22:00 after food we fix Erics Clan - He now has 4 forward gears but no reverse

02:30 After a Top Gear blast through a tunnel the rear exhaust bobin on the sprint fails and the exhaust is on the floor again

03:00 On our way again
03:30 Ben's Mini loses all its water and gets a bit hot. It's caused by a broken bottom hose (luckily we had a spare)

05:25 Reached the chunnel next train at 08:20 so had a few hours kip
07:20 landed in Uk (lost an hour)
Headded our seperate ways
11:00 My wiper flew off and got run over a few times, drove final hour with limited vision (I was stopping for no-one)
12:00 Got home fell asleep.

All in all a great few days, already planning the next trip (maybe in the Nimbus!!!)

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Sounds like a great road trip. If there were no breakdowns it wouldn't be any fun

P.S. that Clan actually looks good from behind

Edited by GaryOS on 14th Jul, 2010.

On 12th Nov, 2009 Paul S said:

I think Gary OS has taken over my role as the forum smart arse

You can't beat a good long blast around the continent in a car that isn't guaranteed to make it. The break downs are all part of the fun. We changed a radiator in a French service station and a wheel on the hard shoulder of the Autobahn after a high speed blow out. I'd do it again tomorrow!

Wil, you are forgetting Eric's failed fan on the Clan. Limiting the cruising speed to about 65mph. It was a good laugh though. I thought the Mini was going to go fault free, but I was wrong, pitty.

Here are a few more pictures:

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk/TheMans2010/index.html

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

What was also ammusing was the number of people fumbling for their cameras as I drove around.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Been to Le Mans loads of times, but not the classic. Was it decent? Is it as busy as the normal one and have the fair etc?

Any Porsche 917s running?

No where near as busy as the Le Mans, which was good and bad.

There was less going on all night and food was very limited in comparison, but moving around was easy and we camped very near the circuit. Also you could get i n the paddock and up close to the cars.

Yes lots of 917s there, and two racing.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

i was there too with the little big mans cars (usually run something bigger lol) we had the little blue bugatti type 35 with 2 kids in it haha

Speeding is like masturbating, everyone does it, but not all of us film it and put it on the internet

[quote=fab,8th Oct, 2010]fuck off

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Them exhaust bobins, like all rubber these days, are shite!!

I cant think how many I have replaced after the rubber parts company with the metal. Usually its the square block that fails first and then the two just behind the valance. I got round it in the end by using the Special Tuning square block hanger with the hanging stud that passes all the way through the rubber.

Turbo is going well then :)

just like to add I'M ON TV motors tv played highlights of the racing and there is a clip of me of the start line with the little bug :)

Speeding is like masturbating, everyone does it, but not all of us film it and put it on the internet

[quote=fab,8th Oct, 2010]fuck off

This looks like fun, i want to do the same one day, and yeah it wouldn't have been the same without the breakdowns, my uncle went in a morgan left his at home this time, said it was very hot and all round a great time but it was very expensive since last time.

Edited by george91 on 16th Jul, 2010.

this is true since i got in for free i ended up spending over 100 euros on beer and the occasional meal haha

Speeding is like masturbating, everyone does it, but not all of us film it and put it on the internet

[quote=fab,8th Oct, 2010]fuck off

I thought it was stupidly expensive inside. 6 euro for not even a pint of beer. For that in the supermarket we could get 24 bottles.

Not sure I would go again, but I would go back to the proper 24hr race.

The hunt is now on for next years trip. We are thinking Spa for the GP as a possibility.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

Spa is very close, how about the Istanbul!!!!

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

If we went to Spa we could go via the nurburgring, is that better?

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

there is a spa 6 hour classic race later this year that i should be there with an e type thats an amazing place!

Speeding is like masturbating, everyone does it, but not all of us film it and put it on the internet

[quote=fab,8th Oct, 2010]fuck off

I think all my brownie points have been used already this year.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

sounds like you had a great journey, all be it with the problems.
like the look of that TR5 in the second pick!

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

There weren't that many minis either. Lots of Imps though.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

well pleased for you wil and ben

did that 998 cc turbo head i did for you wil make the grade ?

The head is perfect Steve. I ran 8psi to france and back, now running 12psi and it rapid enough, quicker than the wife's Abarth anyway.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph