There is still something special about being on - or near - the Mulsanne (once was) Straight. In my early years at the race '86 through '89, we ate at what used to be the Restaurant des 24 Heures (now the Chinese) each year. In '86 and '87, we ate in an old barn out back which served as ancillary facilities! But finally in '88, we got to eat our steak and strawberries (separate plates
) actually in the front of the restaurant, looking out on the track. Couldn't have any sensible conversation because of the noise, so I just sat there for the whole meal with headphones on listening to RLM. I was pretty sophisticated, even then.....
As the years moved on, we found other places to go for our Saturday night repast, but we would always pop back, either before or after the meal, to climb up onto the fence/gates there. There were often lumps of concrete or garden chairs left there by other enterprising spectators from which you could hoist yourself up precariously onto the top of the gate/fence. The view and the sound was absolutely mesmerising.
One year there was even an open-topped double-decker bus parked there with free access to the top deck. Not many people up there though, as it was pourring. From my recollection of the weather, I suspect that was '95.
Several years we went out to the restaurants and I went off looking for gaps in the hedges from which to get a closer view. I succeeded a few times, but by now the gendarmerie were getting very hot on this type of behaviour.
But there is a magic to just being out there. A bit like during the night when you pull into the Mulsanne Corner or Arnage car park and get out and hear the noise. It just makes you smile. On the Mulsanne it's different - or was certainly very different prior to the carbuncle chicanes - because even in the car park you could hear the cars for soooooooo long - before you saw them arrive, flash past and then disappear again. It sends the hairs on my neck twitching just thinking about it even now all those years later....
