Laguna MotoGP
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:06 pm
Quick report on the MotoGP this past weekend at Laguna Seca...
This was my first race experience of any kind and it was worth it despite the baking heat (110 on Sunday). Getting into the track was quick and easy: park the cage, catch the bus, and walk down the hill to the track. Getting out was a different story, but more on that later.
I spent the first half of Saturday looking at all the vendor exhibits and checking out the paddock area. All of the major manufacturers had big tents set up with their full line on display. Most had special sections for owners where they gave out free food and drinks. Ducati had a special parking area where you could ride your bike right in and park in their "island". Good reason to buy a Duc for next year...
The paddock was a sight to behold. I wandered around there while the AMA events were in progress. There were riders and mechanics everywhere pushing (and riding) bikes right throught the big crowd. You had to pay attention or risk getting run over. Several of the MotoGP riders were out signing autographs and Colin Edwards was launching T-shirts into the crowd with a compressed air gun. In general, the MotoGP riders are small. They look like jockies. Only Rossi and Edwards seem normal sized.
One of the coolest things I saw in the paddock was a demonstration of how easy it is to turn a motorcycle through a tight circle when it's done right. One of the superbike mechanics had to turn a Honda 1000RR around through 180 degrees, so he stood on the left side of the bike holding the bars, turned them to full lock, and then leaned the bike way over and pushed it around him. I thought, "damn, this guy's going to drop a $100K bike right in front of me!" But no, he didn't drop it, he just pushed it right around leaned over around 45 degrees and picked it back up. Smoothest (and coolest) think I've ever seen. It just goes to show that slow speed turns on a bike are 99% technique and 1% effort.
I watched the MotoGP practice, qualifying, and race from atop the hill that overlooks the corkscrew. I had a good view of about 75% of the track and all turns except for 5-7. Man, those GP bikes are LOUD! Hayden was setting some really fast times throughout the weekend. Rossi never seemed to be on pace, even during qualifying, as his speed through the turns was never as fast as Nicky's.
By the time the race started on Sunday afternoon, the hill has packed with spectators, many of them drunk, and whatever hearing I had left was gone once the airhorns started blasting. It was clear that the crowd was strongly pro-Hayden, dispite a strong showing by yellow-clad Rossi fans. Big cheers went up every time Nicky passed someone, and everyone went nuts when he won.
Getting out was a nightmare. SCRAMP didn't learn their lesson from last year. This year, instead of sitting in a car for 3 hours waiting to get out, we stood in line for 3-1/2 hours in the hot sun waiting for the bus. Several people passed out from sunstroke and had to be carted away by paramedics. People were so mad I though a riot would start any minute, but it didn't.
I'll probably go again next year, but I hope SCRAMP learns something about crowd control and logistics and is able to hand the crowd better. Their showing this year was disgraceful.
This was my first race experience of any kind and it was worth it despite the baking heat (110 on Sunday). Getting into the track was quick and easy: park the cage, catch the bus, and walk down the hill to the track. Getting out was a different story, but more on that later.
I spent the first half of Saturday looking at all the vendor exhibits and checking out the paddock area. All of the major manufacturers had big tents set up with their full line on display. Most had special sections for owners where they gave out free food and drinks. Ducati had a special parking area where you could ride your bike right in and park in their "island". Good reason to buy a Duc for next year...
The paddock was a sight to behold. I wandered around there while the AMA events were in progress. There were riders and mechanics everywhere pushing (and riding) bikes right throught the big crowd. You had to pay attention or risk getting run over. Several of the MotoGP riders were out signing autographs and Colin Edwards was launching T-shirts into the crowd with a compressed air gun. In general, the MotoGP riders are small. They look like jockies. Only Rossi and Edwards seem normal sized.
One of the coolest things I saw in the paddock was a demonstration of how easy it is to turn a motorcycle through a tight circle when it's done right. One of the superbike mechanics had to turn a Honda 1000RR around through 180 degrees, so he stood on the left side of the bike holding the bars, turned them to full lock, and then leaned the bike way over and pushed it around him. I thought, "damn, this guy's going to drop a $100K bike right in front of me!" But no, he didn't drop it, he just pushed it right around leaned over around 45 degrees and picked it back up. Smoothest (and coolest) think I've ever seen. It just goes to show that slow speed turns on a bike are 99% technique and 1% effort.
I watched the MotoGP practice, qualifying, and race from atop the hill that overlooks the corkscrew. I had a good view of about 75% of the track and all turns except for 5-7. Man, those GP bikes are LOUD! Hayden was setting some really fast times throughout the weekend. Rossi never seemed to be on pace, even during qualifying, as his speed through the turns was never as fast as Nicky's.
By the time the race started on Sunday afternoon, the hill has packed with spectators, many of them drunk, and whatever hearing I had left was gone once the airhorns started blasting. It was clear that the crowd was strongly pro-Hayden, dispite a strong showing by yellow-clad Rossi fans. Big cheers went up every time Nicky passed someone, and everyone went nuts when he won.
Getting out was a nightmare. SCRAMP didn't learn their lesson from last year. This year, instead of sitting in a car for 3 hours waiting to get out, we stood in line for 3-1/2 hours in the hot sun waiting for the bus. Several people passed out from sunstroke and had to be carted away by paramedics. People were so mad I though a riot would start any minute, but it didn't.
I'll probably go again next year, but I hope SCRAMP learns something about crowd control and logistics and is able to hand the crowd better. Their showing this year was disgraceful.
