24 heures du Mans 2015 (image heavy)

Lightmancer

Legend
Location
Sunny Frimley
Name
Bill Palmer
Or, for those who don't speak French, the Le Mans 24 Hours Race.
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 18 X-T1
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I was fortunate to go this year thanks to a friend who has a house in Normandy; he organised what my wife calls a "jolly boys outing" (none of us is below 50...) I took my X-T1 and the 18-135 and 55-200 lenses. I wanted to take the new 90 but there are none in the wild - yet. The new superzoom would have been handy too, but maybe next year... The 55-200 acquitted itself well, but to be honest some of these are (mild) crops to get just that little bit closer. We had seats at the start, opposite the pits and a fantastic view of the jamboree that is the build up to the race:
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 23 X-T1
par Lightmancer, on ipernity

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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 30 X-T1
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 22 X-T1
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 1 X-T1
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 38 X-T1
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Francois Hollande did a walk through the pits to boos, catcalls and jeers and everyone started singing La Marseillaise - not out of respect, but it called to mind that scene in Rick's Bar in Casablanca...
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 9 Hollande X-T1
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Not everybody was focussed on the race...
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 48 X-T1
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...and there were those who were too absorbed to notice - anything...

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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 35 X-T1
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Once things got going it was great to see (and hear - boy did we hear) the big Aston Martins, Dodge Vipers and the like
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 41 X-T1
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...but it was the petrol hybrid Porsches and Audis that dominated. They make a sound like tearing cardboard as they go past.

After the start, we had a bit of a mooch around; you can get different vantage points, but the mesh fencing is everywhere. With a wider aperture lens I would have fared better, but c'est la vie, as my hosts say...
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 55 X-T1
par Lightmancer, on ipernity

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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 59 X-T1
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 64 X-T1
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 87 X-T1
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This is Nico Hulkenberg, by the way, who eventually won:
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Le Mans 24 Hours Race June 2015 66 X-T1
par Lightmancer, on ipernity
 
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Cool! I was there too, although we didn't have grandstand seats; we were camping at Mulsanne Corner. My pics are still with my dad, hope he'll get around to sending them before he leaves on holiday...

You got some really nice shots from some cool angles! And yes, Le Mans is as much about the different sounds (anything from 4 - 12 cylinders, although this year topped out at 10 for the Viper) as it is about the sights.

I do feel compelled to note that the Porsches have petrol hybids (2L 4 cylinder turbo with double hybrid system), and if I'm being more pedantic, Hulkenberg's first name is Nico (but Porsche's other star with F1 fame is Mark Webber, perhaps causing the mash-up).
 
As a recovering motorhead, I really enjoyed all the shots (hey, why have Patrick Stewart and Stirling Moss never been seen in the same place at the same time?), but I particularly loved the helmet person with the shipping bag!

Cheers, Jock
 
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