Five days last June

The annual Le Mans excursion has become a firm Bryson tradition over the past five years. And this years one one of the best yet. The atendees of BLM5 were myself: Ads, Tom and Macca, who unfortunately was nursing a smashed ankle following an car accident. He were to be assisted on the trip by crutches and a wheelchair. After two years over at the Expo centre we had found ourselves this year at Maison Blanche, and managed to pitch ourselves in a small clearing of trees just in time for the rainstorm of biblical proportions. It's amazing how vunerable it's possible to feel when you are sheltered by a piece of canvas at the foot of a giant tree.

It had also been quite hairy on the way down, especially on the route from Abbeville to Rouen where at one point I wasn't quite sure whether I had simply missed a sign and driven into the channel. Still the journey was good with the new Peage taking what seemed to be at least 72 hours off the tradidtional journey. All was good until we hit Le Mans and promptly lost the leadcar, contain Tom, Macca and all the groups sense of direction. To cut a long story short lets just say Adam and I know know every town in the Greater LM Area.

That first soggy Wednesday was to be a one off however as the weather soon went from Hot, to Damn Hot, to Sod this I'm Staying in the Bar Hot! After Stocking up at the Carrefour we were set for a lazy day of lazing and general sloth, which happens to be my raison d'etre! And so we drank our beer wall to a foot high before awaiting some news about a Tent with a Satallite dish to catch the Trinidad Game. Obviously Macca had some mobility problems and so we were releaved when the message came through that the place we were looking for was also at Maison Blanche.

Unfortunately it was the other side of the Circuit and the Historics out on track ment taking any form of a shortcut was ill advised.

Now the camp area at Maison Blanche is quite a long way from the Main entrance and the tunnel, and the Match had just kicked off. Tom took off like a man possesed as Adam and I reluctantly stomped along behind, with me moaning about having to do anything in order to watch a soccerball game, especially as the 1960's GT Cars were about to surrender the circuit to the magnificent Thunderous 70's Prototypes.

Thankfully there was another Pedestrian tunnel about half way, which took about an hour off the journey, and we started to make out way away from the paddock area and back down towards the hoards of Identical red pop-tents which symbolise the presence of a Danish tour group. How the hell they ever make it back to the right one after a night on the source, or maybe that's the appeal? I wonder if it's the latest thing in Speed-Dating!

Anyway by now we had noticed a small Crack in the left rear tyre of Maccas chariot had become a big crack that ran all the way around the wheel. Bu the time we had reached the halway point in our journey, Macca had just about capsized... and by now well into the second half of the soccerball it seemd our pursuit had been fruitless. Tom finally had to bow to group pressure and admit defeat... Non of us were amused to discover that the game had been shown on the Big Screen in the middle circuit.

We had lugged that chair 370 Miles, and it had lasted about an hour.

Still I went on to amuse my self with a sign on the side of a restaurant which read "Poulets de Love" which apparently didn't mean what I thought it meant.

Raceday for us starts as ever in the MRI tent with Kerry Dunlop introducing the Pel McCarthy show featuring special guest stars Allan McNish and Johnny Mowlem... and somebody's dad! (An administrative cock up I think!) Anywhoo onto the the champers tent for two bottles of seriously overpriced posh lager and to puff on the stonking great cigars we had purchased at the Carrefour, then to the Grandstand for the off, or as the French would say "le off!"

Later that evening we decided to make our way to the far side of the circuit. To save the hassle of getting Macca on and off the overcrowded public busses we had booked seats for 10:15 to take us down to Arnage. It was a not the best time to go to Arnarge especially as it put me at the opposite side of the circuit to the free Charlatans concert which was due to kick off at at 11.

By now Tom was starting to feel the first effects of something a bit nasty. Whether it was the results of the half a bottle of rum he had drunk to get over missing the football or the curry served to him by the blokes in the tent next door he was certainly not in a good way. And unfortunately for us neither were the roads around Arnage.

Our return bus eventually turned up at about 2:30am

And so for some much needed beers and to catch up on the race it was back to the MRI tent where we were soon joined by Mister McCarthy wondering if we each wanted to buy 14 copies of his book to give as Christmas presents! All those trips I had gone on with that sodding book to try and get it signed, and here was the man with an eager pen and a stack of paperbacks! Macca did buy a personalised copy and PM posed for a few photos with us before we retired outside for more beer. Tom Went back at about 3, Ads and I returned to the Grandstand to watch the clock tick past 12 hours.

By Monday Toms Arnage discomfort had become full on food poisoning which left our planned driving stints in chaos. Tom was certainly in no condition to drive and so Adam first stinted to just before Rouen with Tom jumping in to take us through. When we met up at the services just north or Rouen (The point Adam was supposed to take over my car) it was clear Tom could drive no further... I ws gonna be Triple Stinting! And best of all, I was starting to break out in a cold!!

We eventually arrived home shattered, ill, smelly and cursing that sodding wheelchair! But it's two months later and where already planning Le Mans 2007... and 2008!