In motorsport, the drivers are the stars of the show, their skill and courage understandably admired by many. So, when fans have the opportunity of an encounter with their idols, many immortalise the moment with an autograph.

We met two pairs of autograph hunters, Stéphane and Serge, waiting eagerly at the entrance to the drivers’ tent at the scrutineering sessions. and Martine and Philippe, who are lucky enough to have obtained admission to the press area. The friends met at the event many years ago and have an annual rendez-vous to pursue their common goal together.

Autograph hunting is a precision sport. It requires forward planning. First, you find out where the drivers are going to be, and how to get there. Then, you prepare something for them to sign. “I have a sheet with the name of the team, the car number and the names of the three drivers, with a space to sign for each of them”, explains Stéphane. Philippe prints his own photos and has them signed by the relevant driver. Serge has been collecting autographs since 1966. He follows Formula One, rallying, and of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I’ve got about four thousand autographs,“ he says proudly. There are different schools of thought. Serge collects one autograph per driver, but his friend asks for a signature every time he sees the driver. Techniques differ too. Martine recommends calling out to the drivers by their first names and to never be aggressive, on the contrary.

The precious signatures are stored carefully. To be rediscovered with glee later. Often, the sight of the autograph brings a host of memories flooding back. “It’s a personal thing”, says Martine. “Some guard them jealously, others like to show them off, to friends or fellow collectors.” You can keep them in albums, or stick them on the wall. The hall of Martine’s home is decked out with autographs, while Philippe’s are carefully filed in alphabetical order. None of the collectors we met sell their bounty, although they occasionally swap when they have the same driver twice.

“The autograph is the cherry on the cake. The real pleasure is chatting to the drivers”, says Philippe as he adds another signature to his collection. Selfies are also a popular way to collect souvenirs of encounters with racetrack idols. Philippe is not convinced. “In 20 years time, whoever finds my album is not going to care about the other guy in the photo. They'll only be interested in the driver.”

Martine has the last word: “I think selfies are nice to have too. I collect both.”