Laguna Seca Pics in the Off Season

[BobbyB]

I visited Monterey, CA, over the weekend, and on Friday I had a chance to drive up the hill to Laguna Seca near sundown. There were a number of racing bikes practicing on the course (not a Champ Car in sight, of course). I was able to drive the roads outside of the course and take a few digital pics which I am posting here for anyone who might be interested. It was a balmy 68 deg F, (20 deg C), and the light was fading.

A side note:
One of the bikers skidded out at turn 5 (coming right at me!) and landed about 50 feet away from my position. Really got my stomach to see a human rolling and sliding on asphalt from about 60 mph to zero, landing in a dust cloud along with his mangled bike on the edge of the course. Because of the armored suit, he was able to slowly stand up and eventually walk away. I didn't see any obvious rips or tears in the fabric- testimony to the technology of the safety equipment they wear.

Here are 4 pics, posted 1 at a time due to the constraints of the allowable image sizes on the forum. Hope you enjoy them! First one is of turn 11 which is the entry onto the main straight in front of the pit area. By the way, there is extensive construction work taking place on the garages- not sure what it looked like before.
Bobby B

[BobbyB]

Here is another pic showing Turn 8 with the Mazda footbridge. The cars come swooping down out of the famous "corkscrew" and then go under the bridge.

[BobbyB]

Here is Turn 8A just after the previous shot, showing a bike at speed.

[BobbyB]

And, lastly, if you have several thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket and you'd like to test your mettle, Skip Barber has a plan for you. Here are some of the student cars belonging to the Skip Barber Racing School located in the Paddock area at Laguna Seca. There was another batch of cars just like this nearby.

[macdaddy]

Wow, Bobby, those were excellent pics! Thanks for taking the time, dude! Your pictures do better justice than TV to the beauty of the track. Wish I could visit there sometime. Maybe. But it's hard to win the lottery when you don't buy tickets!

[BobbyB]

My sister and her husband happen to live on a ridgetop across the canyon from the track (approx. 5 miles as the crow flies), so I just may pay them a visit next June.
The light was not very good as you can see, so I look forward to my next visit under better conditions. The first rains of fall brought out the green grasses here in California (you are probably used to seeing it brown in June on TV)

[Raven]

Thanks for sharing those great shots Bobby! Laguna Seca looks and sounds like a fantastic place. Our commentators often talk about just how steep the corkscrew is when you go and stand there in person. The races there are always a highlight on the CART and WSB calendar for me.

PS Bobby: Have you heard any news on what Townsend might be doing next year?

[BobbyB]

Originally posted by Raven


PS Bobby: Have you heard any news on what Townsend might be doing next year?

No, I'm sorry to say that I haven't heard anything factual. There have been rumours of him joining as a 2nd driver with teams like Herdez, Rocketsports, etc., but so far nothing of any substance. His website says, "Stay Tuned", so I wait patiently to see if Townsend will get the chance I think he deserves. We all have our favorites... he became mine after I met him a year ago and I've followed his career since that time (its been an E-Ticket ride, I must admit!).

By the way, he considers Laguna Seca his "home track". Anyone else heard any news or even credible rumours regarding his plans for the coming season?