petit leman camping?

I have been asked what my blog is about, and my answer is anything that I think is relevant. In about a month I am going to be camping at Road Atlanta for the big Petit LeMans weekend. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Fast cars, unpredictable weather, campfires and cigars for four days. What is there not to love? I have noticed on social media a lot of posts and comments for advice for the newbies. Amazingly there is a lot to consider, so I'm blogging my own experiences and tips.

First off, this year the track is making changes, so making sure you have the decision of RV or tent is important. I am a tent camper, so my areas are typically inside turn 10, which I have been told is fairly uneven. The inside of the back straight away, in the bathroom esses area, and behind the reserved RV section near turn 2. The earlier you line up, (the day before or earlier) the better the spot you can get. With this said, wherever you find a spot, it's going to be a fun time. If you hate Joro spiders, do not camp in the woods. If you are a Non-reserved RV, the main area I understand is the large field near spectator hill and along the tree line. If it has a working bathroom, you cannot camp near the bathroom area at the esses. Like I said, they are making changes, but it is to create better structure. By the way I'm just passing the message.

Now that you are set up, make sure you have great walking shoes that you are ok getting dirty or muddy. It's called red clay, and cheap shoes are good for the weekend. There are shuttles that run on race day constantly but before that you will do a lot of walking. The large hill near the esses is called the thigh killer. I personally call it that, but I love it. The two hills near the back straight away isn't too bad and the hill at the entrance is a great way to get the blood pumping at the beginning of the day. If walking is too much, look into a golf cart. They have banned a number of types of vehicles, so anything you bring, must be registered.

Ice, firewood and food in this order and I have a reason for this. Over the four days keeping your food and drinks cold is a priority. You can buy bags of ice from the food vendor at spectator hill, but it can be pricey. I also believe in vendor village you can buy ice. I have a trick that I use, which is I freeze most of my water bottles as well as dumping ice in my coolers. If you have friends coming later in the four days, have them bring bags of ice. Vendor village food trucks are really good, if you don't mind spending. As for firewood, bring as much as you can, and yeah, the dry wood on the ground in the woods is there if you need it. Above ground fire pits only, you cannot dig into the ground and no huge bon fires. I'll save my Mosport stories for another post.

Lastly have fun and get to know the people around you. I have met people from all over the world and have shared so many great stories. This year, I am sponsoring Saito Motorsports in the Mazda MX-5 Cup series. This is my first time doing something like this, and I plan to enjoy it and meet people. Yes, I am camping in a tent even though I am sponsoring one of the Mazda teams. This is who I am, and I look forward to seeing you out there.