FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Where do I begin? I started going to Road Atlanta in 92′. At that time it was WERA and Formula USA, the AMA didn’t come back for a few more years. It was always great seeing everybody coming up through the ranks. We all would line the fence on the back straight to watch them going into the Gravity Cavity, sometimes just thinking they weren’t going to make it. Oliver was just crazy around there, especially coming out from under the bridge and into Turn 12 on the back tire. Then there was the Aprilia Cup race we ran. A buddy and I got a couple a RS250s, uncrated them, heat-cycled them twice and headed to the race. It was a great time running with Hopkins, Greg White, Ann Yates, etc. Good times. We just have a great time any time we visit Road Atlanta racing or spectating. My daughter started going a few years back and she really has a good time seeing the riders and getting autographs. She still says Josh Hayes need to pay up on the M&Ms he owes her. John Orr Franklin, North Carolina FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I have lived in Atlanta for over 35 years and have many memories of Road Atlanta. Some are both bike and car related but there are two that really stand out over all of the others. The first was almost 10 years ago, 2003 I think. Mat Mladin blew a tire coming into Turn 10A. We were standing just on the outside of that turn, saw him crest the hill and bam here he comes, all over the place only to lose it in the pebbles feet from us at a low speed. He did an awesome job on saving something that could have been very, very bad. He got his bike to the top of the hill and then something jammed in the rear wheel, not letting him finish the race. He made a great effort. Go Mat! The second memory was with cars back when there was Gravity Cavity. I took my grandfather to the race in 1992 there–he was 76 and I was 24. We were just on the outside of the track above the tires when Chip Robinson’s car got airborne at top speed, landed then flipped and burst into flames just in front of us! Then in the same race the second Nissan car (can’t remember the name of the driver) did the same thing. My Grandfather is still alive now at 97 and we still talk about that day. I really miss Gravity Cavity… Keep up the great work. Marc Perrone Cumming, Georgia FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: From the 2002 Big Kahuna. Turn 10 at Road Atlanta, Nicky Hayden celebrates one of his two wins for the weekend enroute to his AMA Superbike title before moving to MotoGP in 2003. Scott Bolton Cumming, Georgia