The Stratstone Le Mans experience 2011 is now over,
a great time was had by all. Take a look at what we got up to while
we were out there.
Thursday
Thursday saw the arrival of 200 Stratstone
guest to the 4 star Ashford Hotel, upon arrival the guests were
treated to a complementary valet by the team from Valet King. After
checking in and settling in to their room’s guests then sat down to
a gala dinner and started the first leg of the trip in true
Stratstone style.
Friday
Guests started the 2nd leg of the
trip with an early start with ferries crossings starting from
8:55am. Once arriving in France the 4 hour drive lay ahead to the
exclusive Stratstone Chateau. After driving through the sprawling
countryside guests were greeted with a champagne reception and
evening barbecue. Guests settled in the marquee for the night and
enjoyed a beer tasting hosted by Charlie from Why Not Wines, which
was followed by Hope For Tomorrows Charity auction. Among the items
auctioned off for this worthy cause was a Top Gear experience
package including tickets to the set of the famous TV programme as
well as priceless memorabilia.
Saturday
Saturday brought the start of the famous 24
hour race, the atmosphere at the campsite was full of excitement as
guests prepared to make their way down to the track. After a full
English breakfast supplied at the Chateau, guests boarded the
Stratstone shuttles for the 20 minute journey to the track.
The race wasn’t without its dramas, as both
Aston Martin race cars pulled out of the race after 10 minutes due
to engine failure. There were also some unfortunate accidents
involving Audi and Ferrari. Throughout the days racing Audi and
Peugeot battled it out, separated by only minutes.
As night fell the track came alive, this year
saw Razor Light perform trackside. With the race in full swing it
was still hard to call who would take home the trophy.
Sunday
Sunday was the final push for the drivers;
however Peugeot and Audi still looked to be the favourites. Guests
headed down to the track to find out who would be taking home the
trophy. The race went right down to the wire, but it was Audi who
took first place on the podium.
Guests were then able to relax at the Chateau
with a celebratory glass of champagne and a hog roast prepared by
the team at the Chateau.
Derek Bell MBE and his son Justin were
welcomed as special guests to the Chateau, and entertained the
guests with their motorsport stories.
Guests also had the opportunity to purchase
raffle tickets for some extra special prizes which were kindly
donated by Derek, including a race day with the man himself at
Goodwood, tickets to the BMW hospitality enclosure at Twickenham
and a limited edition Stirling Moss print.
The night was finished off with a film on the
big screen in the gardens of the Chateau, all in all it was perfect
evening to finish off a perfect weekend.