Held annually since 1923 for just under fifty years until boring old safety concerns won out in 1970, the start of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance car race was characterised by, at the drop of the French flag, the first driver, (of three per car), charging from one side of the track to the other where their car waited, before leaping into it, starting it up and - all being well - accelerating away.

The fabulous old Le Mans running start
Where's this going? You may wonder. I expect you might have noticed I’m not averse to incorporating a local bike-friendly track known as Barge Walk into some of my rides. Along a stretch of said Walk, over on the north facing bank of Ravens Ait near the wonderfully named Seething Wells^, and covering several hundred yards, are typically moored quite a large number of, erm, barges. The way they sit, angled, reminds me of something, and I eventually realised what it was: The cars at the start of the Le Mans motor race, on water, (obviously).

Moored barges
Imagine it. Each eager racer poised, (conveniently), just out of frame beneath the bushes on the near Middlesex bank, raring to launch into a frantic free-stroke sprint to their barge, start up the engine and hurtle off at speeds approaching 4.2 knots, (4.9 mph, or 8 km/h), on the straight! Marvellous. And all without the aid of a seat belt.

Mercedes concept barge
Spotted lurking in the shadows on the Surrey bank near Hampton Court Bridge
^The name Seething Wells is a gradual corruption of the original Siden Wells which appears on maps from the 18th century. Recorded as the medicinal spring at Soothing Wells in a time-of-construction guide to the South Western railway, it denoted reportedly warm springs of drinkable water.

Red arrow: The barges lined up by Ravens Ait and ready to go
Black arrow: The Mercedes concept barge ...
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