Reported By Nita Le
- In previous years, if you chose to drive into the track area rather than ride, then it was nothing short of aggravating. For most it took nearly four hours just to go a few miles. This year, with 145,111 race fans in attendance for the three day event, car parking was only granted to specific permit holders, in hopes to avoid the inevitable traffic jams. So if you were not on two wheels, you had to catch a Laguna-bound bus from designated stops around the track’s outskirts. I was a bit concerned at first. We were told that there would be one bus per hour. If my calculations were correct, in addition to the long lines that were forming by 8 a.m., we may have been better off in an air-conditioned car for four hours than standing in line for two hours in the hot sun. And for once I was glad to be wrong. The buses ran quickly, frequently and smoothly to and from of the track throughout the day. We never had to wait longer than 10 to 15 minutes between buses; bottles of water were even handed out by medics to those of us waiting in line when leaving the track.
Red Bull energy stations were positioned around the infield. Four-dollar bottles of water were lowered to a buck by Sunday in the hopes that it would encourage spectators to hydrate themselves. If you were lucky enough to be carrying a Red Bull hospitality pass then you were welcomed into an air-conditioned, meal-and-beverage center that was fully equipped with video games, big-screen TVs and a hilltop view. Of course, having the little Red Bull hospitality tag also provided the chance to brush elbows with certain celebrity racers and Hollywood types. But no matter who you are or what your status. We were all here for one thing—the motorcycling Grand Prix experience.
The AMA national series took a backseat this weekend. The seemingly quiet tones of the Superbikes played more like background music or an opening act. Thanks to household names like Hayden, Hopkins and Edwards, who came up through the AMA and are now riding in the International GP circuit, there was still a sense of home pride. All eyes were on the Kentucky Thunder, Repsol Honda rider number 69, Nicky Hayden, who dominated Laguna Seca during his AMA streak as well as at last year’s first annual USGP.
The heat was on, as the track surface temperature reached nearly 150 degrees Fahrenheit by Saturday’s 2 p.m. AMA Superbike race. It brought more concerns for track quality on Sunday as the temperatures rose before the start of the Grand Prix main event. Water was like gold and any sliver of shade was prime real estate. Ambulances spent all weekend carrying heat-exhausted spectators away from the track’s oppressive valley climate. The hills that are typically lined with spectators all day long were instead lined with closed-door RVs and campers, the perfect shelter from the sun’s merciless rays. Still, as soon as the loud roar of the GP bikes rang out through the air for free practice 3 and qualifying on Saturday, so did the fan’s supportive cheers.
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