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heard.
Anything about Le Mans. If you're going to the 24 Heures du Mans in June 2006 or the Le Mans Classic in July 2006 - talk about it here.
Section : Le Mans 24 Hours
The Annual 24 Hour Race, this year over the weekend of 17th/18th June 2006
Posted By : David Styles, 24-Jun-2004,
10:30am
firstly..
just to make this clear BEFORE I type this... I don't condone speeding, braking the law, or being an ass on the roads.
but...
I have a friend who has a rather modified Spitfire capable of speeds in excess of 130mph.
He took it to Le Mans the other weekend for the race.
He's on his way back from the race and he comes to a big downhill straight road, so he decides to see what he can do.. he's doing about 135mph downhill,
passes 2 Porsches, 1 of which decides to see if it can stay with him.
Half way down the Hill they go through a police speed trap.
They get to the bottom of the Hill and there are the Gendarme pulling the cars in, the Porsche and the Spitfire arrive,.. they look a bit confused as they
are pulling them in.. decide to tell my mate to get out of the way, and that they aren't interested in him. (they tell him this in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS.. as
they are about to nick a car for doing 140mph, and thats the highlight of their day probably)
He goes down the road and waits at a petrol station with the other Porsche.
10 - 15 mins later the other Porsche turns up and they are ready to commiserate with him.
but he says.. to my mate..
"You are one of the luckiest blokes alive"
Apparently, the speed trap radioed through..
"There's a green car, dunno what it is, but its doing about 140... make sure you get it"
When they arrive at the roundabout the three cars are doing 10 mph, the police, take one look at the Spitfire and go... well... its not THAT.
and pull the Porsche..
they radio back to the speed trap... "we got it.. its a Porsche .. why the confusion"
the speedtrap radio back...
"No..No.. No... not the Porsches... that green thing in front of them"
So the Gendarme had to send the Porsche chap on his way.. the speedtrap was so over excited about the Spitfire... it didn't bother to clock the Porsches
!
apparently they were still arguing with eachother as he left !!
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Posted By : Colin Wake, 24-Jun-2004,
11:37am
Not that I condone speeding either but........
Exactly the same scenario/location, slightly lower speeds and substitute a Stag and a couple of Peugeots.
VERY late for ferry, flat out convoy heading north.
Hidden speed trap pulls in front Pug, the rest of us keep driving, and pull in 1/4 mile ahead.
15 mins later, Pete, we shall call him that to prevent his identity remaing secret, has not appeared so 2 of us return to the scene of the crime.
Doing approx 90 in a 50 limit.
Pete speaks quite good french, but he is not letting them know that, plod in van speaks good english, but he wasn't letting on at that point.
They are demanding lots of Francs as an on the spot fine, Pete is skint. the 2 of us return to the convoy to get money, after emptying all pockets we
are still a long way short of the fine.
Back we go, note how time is passing, we offer to go to a bank, but they have all shut, we offer travellers cheques, we all stand around shrugging
shoulders. By now over an hour has passed, the radio in the van is going non-stop with details of cars to be pulled over, but they are still talking to
us. The chief on the other end is going frantic, but still they are negotiating with us.
Eventually the guy in the van sticks his head out and says in perfect english...
Don't do it again, now get on your way.
We must have cost them thousands in missed fines.
And saved the skins of countless englishmen.
I was videoing at the time we went through the speed trap, and we still can't see the policeman, we think he was in the middle of a field, hiding in
the crops.
Colin
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Posted By : Philip Willcocks,
24-Jun-2004, 01:33pm
Same scenario, running back from Le Mans to Dieppe with a lot of other English cars, down a long straight hill with a continous white line (same as
our double white), steep up the other side with a bunch of Gendarmes standing just over the brow.
Had been going full tilt in my Lotus following a BMW Z8. Bunches of other cars arsing about and overtaking on the white line, I decided to be a
good boy as the line was probably there for a good reason, got over the top of the hill and found a collection of cars pulled over by the cops!!
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Posted By : Mark Stradling,
24-Jun-2004, 03:01pm
Going up one of the little hills between Rouen and Le Mans in a convoy of
lorry - car - our car - car - 'AC Cobra'
We are 2-up, and I take a peak from the passengers seat. I see the crest not far off, and the road obviously bending to the right on the
crest.
Nice firm 'no' to the driver.
Cobra (RHD, running solo) pulls out, overtakes the lot of us...
Death wish.