Yes, about that Dunlop Bridge at Le Mans. Behold a photograph taken by myself in the passenger seat of a racing Renault during a drivers school at Le Mans in December of 1982. I devoted 1-day of a 2-week vacation through central Europe to see how close I could get inside the track. It turns out Very Close!!! No advance planning, A drivers school was in progress. I found the drivers "Lounge", and was told to wait for the boss. When the "boss', or it may have been the Chief Instructor showed up, I politely asked for a lap around the Bugatti Course. He stood there with a unapproving face and said "Vou vant too take a ddrive with meee!!!???!!!" You could hear a pin drop in the room filled with drivers, wives, girlfriends, etc. In less than a nano-second I said "SURE!!!!" And off we went for 2-laps, me taking photos, and the best ones were around the "Ss" turn and the Dunlop Bridge. On the second lap the instructor really let it go. I'm guessing we got up to 140MPH.
Yes, we were close enough to touch the guardrail and yes, one turn to the left at speed scared the crap out of me. The whole experience is something I will Cherish forever.
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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA
