Send your Laguna Seca experiences, comments, suggestions, etc. to: [email protected] Include “Laguna Comments” in the subject line. Include your first and last name, your city and state and your daytime phone number in the e-mail. FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Since I rode a motorcycle to and from the track, my traffic and parking experience this year was MUCH improved over last year. Certainly the water and ice situation could have been improved and, for me, the worst part of the weekend was trying to cross any of the bridges. SCRAMP should seriously consider (if they haven’t already) installing at least one or two large pedestrian tunnels at various locations. Huge kudos to SCRAMP and Laguna Seca for hiring John Fosgate, “The Voice of the AFM”, to announce the races all weekend with Brian Drebber and Chris Ernst. John’s emotion, passion, and excitement were evident throughout the entire event and made my race experience that much more fun. His ability to get the crowds excited and on their feet was fantastic! It was great seeing the huge crowds appreciate what we in the AFM have known all along. Good job John!! David Ben-Jamin Zoom Zoom Track Days Fremont, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: As most people, I will attend again. Hearing the bikes brings goose bumps and the crowd at the corkscrew is top notch. Suggestions… More Big Screens, It shouldn’t cost that much to bring one to almost every corner, this allows viewers to keep tabs on what is going on w/o having to go out and buy a radio. Fix the PA’s. Do it now, you got a year… Listen to your staff. I overheard management telling staffers that the PA’s were broking and the response was: “We know, and are tired of hearing about it” Mini grandstand on the outside of turn 5??? That would be sweet! Add a pathway on top of the corkscrew, we hate having to look at people’s backsides while the bikes go by, especially when Nicky’s passing. (This will also cut down on the testosterone build up) BTW: We asked the Sheriff’s to block off this path 1/3 of the way through the race, it may all of us much happier. Re-seed the main dirt seating areas with dormant grass, much better than those weeds. Install some tall shade trees, they add to the legacy of the track and provide adequate protection. Add real food vendors on the top of the hill, we ran out of the minimal amounts before the race. Establish maximum costs with vendors when they come in to sell their product, I am sure the $4 waters were an oversight and will not happen again, right? Widen bridges. Of course, fix the bumps. Any of the track day attendees will tell you how it is, just ask for suggestions. My last suggestion… Many people that offer services that could help the experience are motorcycle fans. It is in their best interest and in their hearts to help out. Maybe you can post on the website want ads for the above services, I am sure you will get great responses and individuals who will want to do the jobs more for the love of the sport than the money. And no, I’m not saying to get some inexperienced contractor out to fix the track just because they like motorcycles. Jeff Lowery Campbell, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I am a sponsor of an AMA Superbike Team, I thought we were treated like 4th class citizens. Dorna refused to allow any teams to put up canopies on pit lane, so the AMA riders and mechanics had to work in the extreme heat and sun on all 3 days, If Dorna did not like the looks, all he had to do was ask them to fold up the tents when MOTO GP was running, but that made to much sense. The Moto Gp teams had covered garages to work on their bikes, I would have loved to see his teams having to work in 100 degree sun and the riders sit on pit wall while they worked on their bikes. They were only allowed to use their tents after the MOTO GP race was over. Then after the MOTO GP on Sunday they restricted the AMA teams in setting up again on pit lane, I guess it did not look so good for his TV coverage. If that’s the case let MOTO Gp and the 125/250 class race and let the AMA and World Superbike run together on a separate date. Once the Americans see how they are treated on a regular MOTO GP weekend with almost no paddock access etc., the GP will die a slow death after a couple of years. It seems crazy to go to an event that you can see (DORNA) really does not want you there. I will say the riders were fantastic very friendly and so were the teams. It just was the organizers. SECOND- Was Sunday, notifying the teams at the last minute they could not even practice until after MOTO GP because the track was breaking apart on the corkscrew and then have the people sit around doing nothing between one MOTO GP practice at 10 am and the race at 2PM. Third we had a premier suite, both Saturday/Sunday the air con did not work and it got to over 90 degrees in each room, which was better that baking in the sun outside, but this is the second year in a row the suites lost air con, we had asked for fans but no luck , in fact they did not want us to open the doors which was crazy as at least this way we have a small circulation of air. I thought the food was very marginal for the cost of the suites. The food at the California Speedway was by far better than what Laguna charged and was 1/3 the price. Four- We were staying in Monterey and we were riding (our motorcycles) about 30 miles via Reservation rd. etc. through the whole complex to get to the Paddock, where we had paddock parking, Why ???, it would have had made more sense to let us in the main gate. Overall if I was not a sponsor of an AMA team and had to just watch Moto GP, as much as I enjoy MOTO GP, I would have stayed home and watched it for free. David Morro San Francisco, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I brought the wife and 2 kids this year and camped at the track, actually down the hill at the “Ranch” camping area by Archery. We still had to take a bus up the hill to the track which was ok except for 1 time when leaving the track on Saturday around 3pm a SCRAMP official had to commandeer the bus going to Toro park when people had waited for an hour to get to the Archery camping area (we had 1 dedicated bus that was to make rounds every 20 minutes). In this case when we got dropped off we found our bus parked out of the way in the turn around loop with the driver asleep. The one major problem I ran into as well as several thousand of my closest friends and enemies in this case, was the Dunlop and start finish bridge. It took almost the same amount of time as last year, taking 30 or more minutes each to go across. Only thing that made it even harder this year was I was pulling an ice chest cart with my 4 year old son in tow (my wife was keeping hands tight with my 6 year old daughter. Its one thing to push and fight your way with and through the crowd but its altogether different with your family fearing personal harm. My poor son was crying from the Dunlop Bridge all the way to the turn 11A grandstands. Now for the final kicker, the way back towards the paddock via the same start finish bridge was like a D-Day landing at Normandy. About 7-8 lanes of human traffic going to the bridge and 1 lane as a return, not quite the fair ratio. I also noted not a single SCRAMP official anywhere to help traffic control, no cops either. So to make this story even worse was that the heat was a killer (almost literally) or at least turned normal people into careless water seeking fiends. On our down hill run, actually a slow walk from the bridge going to the pits was the VIP raised suites grandstands and they where handing out bottles of water, oh actually I mean mortars of water bottle were raining down on us and one bottle nailed me in the right hand which was just above my sons head (thank God) but he still was knocked down and scraped his knee. Now at this point I was pissed and was yelling at the crowd (VIPer do gooders) to stop throwing water bottles as they just hit my kid. All one jerk could say was “people are dieing for water” so I said then it ok to kill little kids. STOP THROWING THE WATER I kept yelling, I then noticed many other people commenting about the water mortars and some had umbrellas as shields to protect themselves. Note the bottle of water was I think an 8 oz of Dasani. I then made it to the info booth just past the souvenir stand and got a SCRAMP official to do something about the water bottle situation. Which I guess they did but were a little late in my situation as now I had a very upset wife and 2 crying kids that had just seen their Dad go into combat kid protecting mode. Oh and the SCAMP officials did not take our information or assist us in any way, it was hard to get them to do any thing and all they did was say do you want to see the Sheriff. Not like I saw the person throw the bottle and it was the entire front row VIP’s anyway. I even had to ask to get first aid. Not sure if I will attend next year. At least not with how SCRAMP treats the safety of its patrons, I think I would feel safer on the track with Val at the controls. John Colvin Lake Elsinore, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Went into the track on Barloy Canyon, why do the bikes with small gas tanks have to go the long way? We had brought 2 scooters. I had taken Del Rey Oaks/Jim Moore Blvd. No signs, roads with cones like they were blocked. Many motorcycles turning around trying to figure out where to go, map was little help, a compass would have been better. Since I went earlier than the Mrs., I called the wife, told her to take the freeway up, a long way from our hotel at the 1 and 68. Friday we didn’t stay late. Saturday was an endurance test. I had brought a canopy, chairs and cooler, to set up on Turn 2. It was quite a hike from the motorcycle parking to paddock, I had gone to Ducati Island while my wife stood in the long women’s room line, even worse when my wife forgot her cell phone. I went from paddock, to Ducati Island, then to Turn 2, set up the canopy. Then back up to motorcycle parking (past all the automobile parking) is this a car or motorcycle event? That hike back up was a hot one, especially that last set of stairs on the bridge over the AUTO traffic, then back down to the paddock, where she had waited. Of course she asked what took so long, no I didn’t lose it, was way too hot and tired. After that our Saturday was spent 4 hours under the canopy, a small relief from the direct sun. Sunday wife said “No Mas” and opted to stay away from your “World Class Facility” I arrived at 10am, with my weed sprayer full of water, ice for the cooler, and was waiting for the Supersport race. The track integrity WHAT? Racing motorcycles will ruin the track, but cars riding around, stunt riders up and down the track and 2-up rides is OK? Come on, listen to yourselves. I can’t wait to see WSBK again, at least we get 2 races from them guys. At least on scooters the Speed Trap Hospitality Crews were not interested in me. I could have easily spent the same and seen a WSBK event and a GP event in Europe this year. Many have said already the Parking Staff was lost, didn’t have a clue. You CAN load more than one bus at a time; go back to elementary school and watch. I stayed at the Hyatt, no AC in the rooms? $275 a night, room was old, not that nice and HOT. Prices were up, but not the room condition. Did see Rossi getting in a yellow hummer, Colin in front of a restaurant downtown, had some calamari at the track, but I will go Europe next year so I can see WSBK and GP. Troy Woodard San Diego, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I would have to agree with S. Haley the royal coach driver that whatever reports about the buses were not true. I had the greatest bus driver, but I never did get his name. My husband and I decided that we would start walking back to the parking lot and not wait in the line for the buses. As we walked up the road that had all of the buses lined up and waiting, we had a drive tell us that we were crazy to try and walk and put us on his bus (thanks). We got to set and listen to the drives on the radio and how they said how messed up this was. Our driver told us that he has worked a lot of events and has never seen anything like this. Thanks to the sheriffs department for taking over and once they took over several buses were loaded in just a matter of about 10 minutes. I have contacted the raceway and with in less that 24 hrs I received a response form Gill Campbell CEO/ General Manager for Mazda raceway acknowledging the poor execution of the buses. Over all I would not have missed Rossi’s engine going out between turns one and two, then to watch him after one more lap exit the directly if front of Ducati Island bleachers; to then watch Hayden take his 2nd win at Laguna was worth everything that we endured this weekend. Debbie Macias Santa Rosa, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I arrived from the Bay Area on Friday morning. I’ve been in and around the area for 28 years, so I should know my way around – and do! Still, with the theoretically simple but logistically complex parking plan, I had to ask for directions via phone by calling SCRAMP. The only make-shift sign to alert an exit from southbound Hwy 1 at Marina said: Race traffic. Hmm “¦ is that for spectators or participants; bikes or cars? Maybe it’ll become obvious. Let’s see. I knew that Ft. Ord is all but decommissioned now, but had to inquire with a friend to speculate that somewhere in that vast expanse of barracks and on/off base housing lay (at least a part of) the recently oft-mentioned CSUMB. Took that exit and looked for some obvious guidance – not there. A few inconspicuous signs (15%) combined with my area knowledge (85%) got me to right spot, but the passerby from Alberta, having made the pilgrimage on his RK bag equipped R1 all the way to the only North American international race, would have a hard time getting to the right place in the first try. And when he did find it, would anyone there inform him that there was a better way to access by bike, via Reservation Road? Thirty-five bucks to see Friday’s practice. Last year that cost ten dollars. There was ample room to park on that morning at that hour, 7:45 a.m. I walked toward the only tent area, paid the $35 and queued up in a line of about 20 people “¦ and growing. We had to unnecessarily zigzag through some sturdy cyclone fence sections, ostensibly erected during they heyday of the base to keep eager recruits orderly lined up during a mobilization. Speaking of order: There were a total of 3 transportation workers present, sporting walkie-talkies. They would need to increase their numbers or be martial arts experts when the real crowds arrived for the weekend, I thought. One lady worker stood close to us and, through overhearing transmissions, it was apparent that she was as curious as the rest of us as to where the bus drivers were. Indeed, there was a fleet of about 40 buses, but no one to drive them. A fellow in line with me had been there for 35 minutes, so I guess I got lucky when a driver did emerge just eight minutes later “¦ and we were off to the races. As the track had missed their FX practice start, announced at 8:00, we witnessed the first bikes to appear on the track for the meet, at 8:20 a.m. The actual ride to the track had been easy and smooth – no hassles there. The sight of the new and improved track was hampered by the same phenomenon I observed during last years MotoGP and WSC events of recent years. The TV contracts are far more lucrative than the pedestrian observers and no effort has been made to preserve some of the traditionally great view spots a Laguna Seca. Rather, the fences that line the track have been plastered with billboard advertisements, intended as a backdrop for video footage shown in living rooms across the globe. You are hard pressed to walk up trackside and get much of a view – to do that there’s a hefty surcharge for the various hospitality bleachers, platforms and lounges. As such, there are no hidden admission fees per se, but the track itself is hidden until you shell out handsome upgrade charges. The PA system coverage was spotty at best – is it possible that, among the astronomical costs associated with this event, enough potential electricity savings exist to warrant shutting off a good portion of the system for much of the day? Doesn’t seem plausible to me, but what do I know? The highlight for me was that a very good friend had given me an invitation to the Yamaha gathering at the Monterey Aquarium. THAT was a classy affair where I got a chance to rub elbows with greats such as Rainey, Lawson, Mamola, Emde, Checa and a host of MX racers. Rossi was there, too, but he is very difficult to get near. Has to be: He’s constantly being mobbed by fans; I saw the lanky, fleet-footed champion emerging from a paddock lounge area during the afternoon, only to lope at a good pace to another hiding place and quickly duck for privacy cover. The Yamaha Corporation is deserving of the highest accolades in its collective effort to bring this premier level of roadracing to the U.S. A factory race team mechanic in the paddock told me their expenditure was a cool $7 mil. That’s just what the tuning forks bring to the party. The soiree at the big fish tank was splendid. What a classy way to celebrate the USGP and elevate the perception of our favorite sport. Excellent food and beverages were provided by that most gracious host: Yamaha. Thank you so much. For personal reasons I had decided not to get near the track during the weekend. Armchair speculation and, by now, a good measure of Monday morning quarterbacking proved it to be a fairly wise choice, what with the track surface disaster that effectively relegated the AMA to an unimportant sideshow. Mat Mladin has been accused of having a case of sour grapes syndrome, but when he remarked last year that the eeriest thing about the MotoGP bikes was how much noise they made, compared to how fast they were against the AMA Superbikes (Nicky Hayden’s 2005 pole time about two seconds quicker than Mladin’s), I could see his point. I think the AMA deserves its own venue; certainly MotoGP deserves its own and I’m really not sure that this great nation which put a man on the moon, made Hollywood a billion dollar industry and generally super-sized everything has an adequate facility for FIM racing. Having someone criticize your party is a tough thing to swallow, so when Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau complain about the USGP facility as a whole (or did they actually say it was a hole?) we tend to get offended by those f***ing, stuck-up foreigners, but don’t we get the same feedback from the ones perceived to be more likeable, unassuming personalities? I really don’t want the US round to go away, but if IRTA thinks that this meet should be scrubbed, in order to preserve the integrity of this pinnacle of motorcycle racing, why, I wouldn’t judge them harshly for that. Thanks to all who tried to make this event work better!!!!! I appreciate your endeavors. Bo Poulsen Columbia, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: After three years in a row having the same kinds of things happen more than once each time, I have to wonder if SCRAMP is ever going to get its head out of its butt. Okay, they can’t make it not be hot, and maybe they don’t have whatever it would take to keep from confusing people over how to get where, though I don’t see why that would be so hard to do, but maybe they just can’t figure it out. I can live with that. But what they can do and really should do is insist that their workers treat people like human beings. Because one of these times, somebody is going to bust a bottle over one of these parking lot attendant’s heads for yelling at them like they were disobedient children or dogs, and somebody’s going to get hurt, and Laguna Seca is going to get sued over it big time. Some of these A-hole SCRAMP guys just have a real attitude problem, and they need to be straightened out or fired, that’s all there is to it. I can put up with heat and hardships, paying too much for food and water, but not being treated badly. I’m probably not the only one who feels that way about it. Earl Ripley Petaluma, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I love to come to the GP, but started thinking about the expense and considering that there is actually under one hour of racing, to go back next year shall be heavily thought about. I have been attending the track since 1992, as first a working crewman, a fan and also a spotter for Chet Burke Productions and Speed. I have had wonderful opportunities to get to see the riders due to the TV credentials and experience more that most fans can, I saw many races from the timing and press building now torn down I spotted up there for years, I saw Aaron Yates in 03 remove many riders from the superbike race in turn one and watching Frankie Chili sprint back up the hill to fetch his secondary bike to continue on and compete. The dust factor was horrible the Aprilia folks and their display looked like the Dakar rally and Ducati Island like the Oklahoma dust bowl! If I paid to display like these folks I sure would be pissed off for sure! I have been to the track in April of some years back, I say move the venue to a cooler month, but this was by far the worst for the heat factor. Gill Campbell says her heart is broken every time a fan has a bad experience, well it must be made of stone! What kind of moron thinks that the shuttle experience would even be like to which was related the ride for golf fans to Pebble Beach where the temperature is cool to cold to some, and the ride short without fans waiting hours in heat equated to the heat of the planet Mercury or even Hades! Where was this idiot brought up in Australia in the friggin outback mate? Yes it will be a hard decision not to return next year, to sit home and save lot’s of money watch the race with the cold ac on and remember how it was watching the race in a laser beam and observing my fellow fans wither and succumb to the heat provided by the sun which I think moved closer to the earth to punish such idiots who charge such high prices for water only to have people almost pass out waiting like cattle to be taken back to their point of departure. I gave the GP a second chance and there is still a lot of improvement to do be fore I return form mostly sunny but way cooler South Florida. Jeff Foster CCS #175 Oakland Park, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: We were vendors at the Moto GP event. Having participated in the Laguna Seca event for the last four years, I had a good idea of what to expect. Without any hesitation, I believe that SCRAMP/ Laguna Seca did an excellent job of addressing issues and improving the overall experience for all involved. First on my list was the traffic. Quick easy exits to Monterey and to the 101 were so very much appreciated! The official souvenir tent was drastically better than last year, and the lines for concessions were never out of hand. Red Bull was also spectacular in their participation and willingness to spend to make a great experience. From skydivers to airplane aerobatics to after race live music, it really added to the show. Finally, I would like to request that next year SCRAMP applies earlier to Mother Nature for 80 degrees with a light breeze. Obviously, they did not get it in on time this year. Kelcey Gordon NJK Leathers San Clemente, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The Moto GP race was great to watch, of course I watched from my air conditioned room on a nice LCD display with ice cold beer in hand. This was the first year in many I didn’t attend the Laguna Seca round. Why? because of the experience at 2005 event. More specifically from what I remember was the security “Natzi cops”, traffic getting in and out (my bike overheated one of the days waiting in line), lodging – which was cancelled and then the price went up hugely to get another room several towns away, price gauging – local businesses seemingly raising prices for the crowd (which didn’t seem to happen during the world superbike AMA rounds before moto gp) crowds trying to cross the bridges (which helped me practice moshing for the next punk concert) vending food and vendors as a whole (it took a couple hours in line to buy a shirt), Natzi cops, lack of announcer information, the person forgetting the words to our national anthem, down time in between races, the overall cost involved for the weekend (how much money does the event bring into the community?) did I mention the Natzi cops?, etc. etc. etc. After reading the many posts it doesn’t seem like things got much better. This year I saved the money for tires at local club racing and track days. I did miss cannery row festivities and truly love being at the races but not the way they are currently run at Laguna seca. Didn’t tickets sell out early in 2005, but they still had some left for 2006?, if so I probably wasn’t the only one who didn’t return. My biggest suggestion, please have a Moto GP event at Miller Motorsports park so I don’t have to leave the country to see one again. Anthony Lanzara Palmdale, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Well, camping at Laguna is no fun what so ever if you are a person with disabilities. There are NO HANDICAPPED PROVISIONS in the camping area, corkscrew view. No showers accessible to the disabled. If you can get within 100 yards of a portapotty you have a good spot. No easy access to the track, or to rest rooms. They make you stay out in the middle of a field, nowhere near any restrooms on Wed. night. Last year they told me to inform them that I was a person with disabilities when ordering tickets. The only thing that got me was an isle seat, from that seat all I could see was the backs of a lot of people standing in front of me. I couldn’t see the bikes, and I couldn’t see the Jumbo-tron screen. I am thinking about suing them for lack of handicapped access issues. I was told that there is 1 (one) handicapped camping site. It is in the high dollar campgrounds w/hook-ups that cannot be obtained, it is reserved only. So if you are on crutches, or in a wheelchair, camping at Laguna Seca will not be any thing fun to remember, and you might spend most of the time stuck in your camp, not seeing any races. Warren D. Spradlin Jr. WSMC #67 Bakersfield, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I asked for a cup of ice at a food vendor and she declined on the grounds that ice was scarce and for making frozen drinks only: Fair enough, “Can I buy the cup of ice for the price of a slushie?” I was told no again. Then I was so desperate that I had to get childish and pitch a fit and she finally gave it to me. A $5 bill went into the tip jar. Moments later as I sit next to this vendors stand her staff got into an “ice fight” just behind the tent “¦ simply throwing cups of ice at each other, goofing off! I let her know “¦ Mark J. David Birmingham, Alabama FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I have a plan for next year’s trip to Laguna Seca. I will stay in Cambria. Rooms at a great Inn are only $80 or so. The Redwood Cafe in Cambria has EXCELLENT breakfasts. I will make the trip to Cannery Row on Saturday. I will stay in Cambria Saturday night. I will buy a General Admission ticket and a Pit Pass for Sunday. I will ride up to Laguna Sunday at a leisurely pace for a 10-11 am arrival to watch God (Valentino) and I will spend Sunday evening in Cambria again. I will bring a backpack full of water…did you know they had a 24 bottle CASE of bottled TAP water at the grocery store last night for four bucks? …yup, for the whole case. I could be able to finance the whole trip selling water for two bucks a bottle, but I digress… Seeing as only one brand has a chance of winning in each different AMA class, missing the AMA races and riding up and down Highway One will be a great trade. I’ll watch them on tape the following week. I can afford to do what I did this year, but the “Jolly Meter” on my forehead just was too far into the red for me to do it again. Pete Aronson Hyper-Formance Chandler, Arizona FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The comments have confirmed the decision I made last year to attend the MotoGP in Brno, Czech Republic instead of Laguna Seca this year. I can’t speak to what the traffic situation will be like at Brno yet, but I can declare two conditions for certain; the trip will cost me half what it would have cost to travel to Laguna Seca and the beer will be better. Derek Vockins New York, New York FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I had a great time. We flew into San Francisco Thursday night, hit “the” 101 by 1:30 am Friday, got to Salinas about 3:30, camped in the Wal Mart parking lot, bought $100 worth of collapsible chairs, coolers, barbecue stuff and air mattresses as soon as they opened, got groceries, beer and gin at a super market, then headed for the track. We had our campsite set up (in Archery) by 10:30 and made it to the track itself in time for the first MotoGP free practice. I may have been addled by lack of sleep, but I sure was grinning a lot. That night at the campground there was a live band, a Tiki bar, portable showers and surprisingly clean portapotties. Or so they seemed after two hamburgers, three beers and howeverthehell many gin and tonics. Slept soundly, got up, went to the track and realized it was gonna be HOTTTTT. Luckily, we’re good planners, so we brought gallons of water with us. Found a vendor tent with Mohitos. Bought $500 worth of T-shirts. In that order, obviously. Watched the FX race from the Parts Unlimited hospitality tent. Watched MotoGP qualifying from an EZ-Up at the top of the hill looking down on turn 10 (thanks Donny and Tammy, whoever you are! It was great meeting you!). Was shocked to find out Chris to the V had pole when all through qualifying the tower said Nicky was leading. Scouted the rest of the track and determined the Corkscrew was the place to watch Sunday’s events (lots of shade, interesting action; can’t go wrong with an icon). Got up really early Sunday, went to the showers and discovered pretty much everybody else thought of getting up really early Sunday, too. Oh, well. Showers are so frickin’ great. Slung the collapsible chairs over our shoulders, strapped packs on our backs, each of us grabbed a side of the cooler, and we headed to the Corkscrew. Where we found great hordes of people. Still, found an excellent spot. Set up our luxury suite and settled in for the day’s events. Which included a stupendous display of bike control by that German guy, who wheelied up and down the Corkscrew, then went down on his front wheel a few times, but did not include any AMA races. John Hopkins came by in a Miata a threw a Rizzla water bottle directly to my buddy Dave. Finally, the MotoGP gods took to the track at 2:00pm. Wasn’t that bad, only 4 ½ hours after we got there. People waited for busses longer than that. Or so I’ve read. The race was great. Yay Nicky! Well done, Pedrobot. Melandri, you’re growing on me. Got back to the campsite, struck our tents, got the rental car packed and hit the road. We were made to head for Monterey when we exited the track (after absolutely no waiting), pulled a quick u-turn a mile down the road, and made it to the airport by 9:30. Where the pumpkin finally turned into a carriage and our magical weekend was over. Everybody we met, from track management to fellow campers to the shuttle bus drivers (Hey, Tutti Fuiti!) to all the folk with whom we watched the on-track action were really friendly. No assholes anywhere. My only regret? Paying $90 for two paddock passes for the privilege of seeing, well, nothing. No MotoGP bikes, no MotoGP riders, no MotoGP mechanics, no MotoGP umbrella girls. No MotoGP nothing. Well, there were some closed garage doors, so we did get to exercise our imaginations. Jim Michels St. Paul, Minnesota FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Just read through the various comments from last weekend and thought I’d add in my own. The short version is: next year I will watch my DVR recording of the Laguna Seca MotoGP races from the comfort of my living room. If I have any need to take in live racing I’ll either catch the AMA at Infineon, or, even better, fly down to Phillip Island in Australia and catch either WSB or MotoGP there. The long version: a couple years ago I flew down to Oz, rented a bike in Melbourne and caught up with my former riding posse (I lived there for several years in the 90s). We used to do this ride from Sydney every year to catch the WSB down there, and it was always a great time. This last time around I skipped the excellent ride down from Sydney in order to save time, and instead picked up my bike in Melbourne, and still had a nice 2-3 hour ride down to the Island where I met my buddies. They always rent the same house in Cowes, and it’s a short hop to either the track or the village pub. Once at the track, you don’t park your bike (unless you want to). You ride around the track to whatever viewing spot takes your fancy, and watch from the seat of your bike. Or you can sit on the grass along the fence, in some spots about 20 feet from where the bikes are racing past. No hassles, a world-class location along the ocean, great views from all around the track, and a great exchange rate make this one of the best race viewing experiences I’ve ever had. Contrast that with the $4-a-bottle water, stifling heat, heavily restricted viewing areas, outlandishly priced hotels, and difficult-to-get-around track facility at Laguna, and it is pretty easy to see why I will not be back again. And given what I spent this year for the pleasure of sitting in the dirt under a grandstand just to avoid the searing heat, I will gladly pay double that to take in the action downunder next year (or in September for the MGP). Tom Short San Francisco, California