August 4, 2011
By: Kris Hansen
Tickets are on sale now for Petit Le Mans, shop early for the best price. We want to see as many Audi fans there this year as possible when the green flag drops on October 1st!
With Audi riding high on their recent victory at Le Mans, were counting the days till we make the trek to Braselton GA, for Petit le Mans. This year’s race is shaping up to be one to not miss at all costs. With Audi’s spectacularly beautiful R18 TDI racing around the scenic Road Atlanta circuit and the battle with arch rival Peugeot, Petit Le Mans has all of the ingredients for excitement!
We absolutely love Petit le Mans. This is the real deal, honest to goodness European racing, right here in the USA. For anyone who has ever watched Petit Le Mans on TV, its SO much better to be there in person. First timers will require time to adapt to the chorus of sounds and smells at Petit le Mans, and words generally fail to describe the sensory overload one deals with here. Don’t forget ear plugs, some of the cars (Corvette) are LOUD. The Audis of course are nearly silent thanks to their highly efficient diesel engines.
The smell of race gas exhaust permeates the air, and the occasional roasted clutch or scalded tire smell wafts around the track. There are subtle noises the cars make as they scream by that the TV microphones don’t pick up, such as gravel smacking into the belly of the car, or the underbody scraping over the curbing. The TV just doesn’t convey the speeds that the cars attain at Road Atlanta either. Because there are many chances to stand quite close to the track (such as the braking point at turn 6) you can actually feel the cars as they stand on the brakes and shift down through the gears. You just can’t get that through your TV, no matter how good your speakers are.
Our advice: arrive early, watch all of the practices and support races. This will get your brain ready for what’s going to take place. Sort of. When the GT cars roll out for their practice and qualifying, they’ll seem pretty fast. That is until the LMP cars come out, then you will wonder how on earth anything can go that fast. If you manage to find your way out by the fastest part of the track, the area just before turn 10a/b, where the fastest cars flirt with 200mph, the cars scream past faster than anything you’ve ever seen. Just thinking about it as we write this is getting the old pulse rate up.
Thanks to the layout of the track on it’s hilly plot, most of the viewing areas are well above the track. What that means is there are many excellent places to watch the action at Road Atlanta. We usually head directly to Spectator Hill. Located above the Esses, Road Atlantas signature section, Spectator hills grassy slope offers spectacular views of the racing action as the cars flow down hill from turn 3 through turn 5.
We suggest bringing a folding chair, or beach blanket. For people looking for seats, there are concrete bleachers built into the hillsides at the turn 10a/b complex, which offer excellent viewing, and are less of a trek for those parking outside of the event. We recommend the infield parking if for no other reason than the ability to drive to the far end of the track saving the mile plus hike to Spectator Hill. Also, In various locations around the track are gigantic video screens, which show the TV coverage of the race. Dont forget to bring your FM radio or scanner or XM radio so you can listen to Radio Le Mans coverage of the race! And dont forget your sunscreen!
As if the great racing action at Petit Le Mans isnt enough, there are parking corrals for various makes at Petit, which allow car clubs to park in one central location, usually on the hilltop above the start finish area and above 10 a/b. Also in this general area is the vendor village, where one can purchase a variety of racing souvenirs and food. Its worth a stroll through.
Most of all though, we love the atmosphere at Petit Le Mans. Even though this is high stakes racing, the series encourages paddock strolls, and the teams do most of their work in the open. On race morning, the paddock becomes electric as teams ready their cars, and drivers ready themselves for the upcoming 10 hour race. Just prior to the start of the race, when the cars are lined up on the grid, fans are invited onto the grid to mingle with the drivers and cars.
A race like this truly needs to be experienced in person. Get your tickets today, start planning your trip. There’s so much to see and do at Petit Le Mans on top of the phenomenal racing, you will not regret it!
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