| Author | Message | ||
     Snowdave |
I am happy to say that the GP race was awesome. I can't wait for the next one. I won't even disclose the winner, but that too was cool. I can only hope that GP never comes back to Laguna Seca. This was the most disorganized event I have ever been to in my life! It took 2.5 hours to park, there was no direction, assistance, etc. and I am still waiting to leave. Haven't even bothered to start the engine. How about Road America or the new track in Birmingham for 2006? I will never come back here. Anyway, I will post more later. Gotta find out about the race on the GP website. | ||
| Ftd |
And whoever sang the national anthem didn't know the words! | ||
| Smitty |
I know it is sad but he may have gotten confused with the delay and echo and lost his place. Barber is the track. http://www.barbermotorsports.com/index.html its more like a GP track than Laguna. Tim | ||
| Macbuell |
I read that they'll never ride at Barber because the track is too short for the speeds of the GP bikes and does not have enough runoff for safety reasons. That's just what I heard. Heck, Laguna had to spend a couple million in safety and track improvements just to come here. It's sad, but the US really does not have any tracks that compare to most of the European tracks. Laguna, even, is a departure from most GP tracks. I don't think the bikes ever got into sixth gear on Laguna. | ||
| Jon |
Laguna is a great spot. The weather is also predictable and the entire region will draw more fans that Barber ever will. It is a scene. First time, so there are bound to be bugs to work out, but yes, the parking situation needs work. That alone, however does not make Laguna "suck". IMHO. So how'd you like Cali lane splittin? | ||
| Jon |
Failing to sing the National Anthem is inexcuseable. | ||
| Snowdave |
Still sitting at Laguna.....Haven't moved one inch! I can't wait to write the Laguna CEO on this horrible experience. I have loved the trip to CA and the race was great, but puuuuuuuhlllleeeeaaaasseeee. | ||
| Jon |
BTW, good to meet you today Smitty! | ||
| Snowdave |
Don't worry, my complaints don't stop with the 1/2 day dealing with parking. No security checks. Wasn't there a terrorist attack just days ago? 2600 volunteers? I saw 6! No one even asked for my ticket until I entered the Paddock. Maps? We don't need to stinkin' maps! National Anthem. Signs. Granted I speak from limited experience, but I would take Road America over this anyday. I gotta corkscrew for ya! | ||
| Snowdave |
Oh yeah.....lane splitting is cool. Not sure if I would have the cajones for it, but cool. | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
Road america doesnt exactly have a ton of runoff room in some of the corners either. And with the limited access via the small roads I would think traffic would probably be worse than what you are currently in. | ||
| Jon |
Snowdave, Were you on a bike or a cage? Makes a HUGE diff. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Snowdave, the parking situation is actually pretty common at any venue that MotoGP appears at. I have been hearing the same complaints from people over seas that I know and I remember the parking from back in the 80's and 90's. That was why they organized the race with Smashmouth to perform at the venue AFTER all the racing was finished. | ||
| Tramp |
Laguna Rocks. Always has, always will. Try attending some of the bigger Euro events for organization. isn't happening. Most Moto-GP events are pandemonious at best. Spending a race on the Corkscrew hill is worth that aggravation alone. I understand your frustration, and I've found that taking a little BBQ time while everyone else is leaving can be the best tack. A year from now, your memories will be more centered around the event itself than the ungainly exodus. | ||
| Rex |
don't expect to get out of there with that kind of crowd...just will not happen. laguna was so good.... you can get right up to the track all the way around, and the sound and the sites are really something. the crowds, I would hope so. without them we would never get them back to the usa... remember, if it had been in alabama this weekend, there would have been a hurricane. laguna is always nice and clear this time of year. drive 10 minutes and you need a winter coat. beautiful oceans, mountains, roads.... Plan to find a spot, sit back and enjoy it and wait till the traffic clears. I cannot believe they run the moto gp bikes so loud....made the ama bikes sound like stockers... ducati island was a trip. what they need to do is make the bus to the track the best way to get there. give the bus their own roads, their own way in and out and make it fast. give the bikes their own road in, and that would be fast. then send the cars in on their own roads and parking. REX | ||
| Jima4media |
Laguna Rocks! I have been going there for more than 20 years, and one of the the things you have to plan on is bad traffic on big race days. This particular race was the largest crowd ever at Laguna Seca. MotoGP will be at Laguna Seca for the next three years at least. That is the contract the Red Bull and Yamaha signed. They do need to improve the roads to deal with the larger than normal crowds though. I like Road American having grown up in Wisconsin, but it is even worse than Laguna Seca as far a infrastructure to handle crowds the size of MotoGP crowds. Blake and I sat around helping Jerry Johnson pack up the Love Shack, toured the vendor areas and paddock, and talked to campers up on Fox Hill, and then left at 9PM, and it only took us 30 minutes to get out of there. Jim (Message edited by jima4media on July 11, 2005) | ||
| M1combat |
Yeah... I don't care if it takes you a day to get in and a day to get out... Leave it at Laguna. | ||
| Sandblast |
The parking was great- I parked right at the Love Shack, and the traffic was not any worse than you would expect. I left right after the GP and it took a while to get out but we knew it so no big deal. There were a lot of workers, but one of them was a fat jerk. The rest were cool though. The track was unbelievably awesome, the venue is perfect, everything was great. Thank you Jerry, Ebear and everybody else for the most awesome weekend ever.- Leah and Shawn  | ||
| Snowdave |
Yes, I was in a cage. I tried to rent a bike for the trip, but they were all rented out. Although it was a nice cage....Jaguar XK8 Convertible. Actually costs less than renting a bike! The final tally was 2.5 hours getting in + 3.25 hours getting out = 5.75 hours spent parking! I am sure it would have been much better on a bike. I noticed several bikers posting from home while I was still sitting in the parking lot. I don't doubt this type of traffic is common at any GP race, but I think that even I could have improved it 100%. (Shuttles, volunteers to direct traffic, using both lanes going one direction, dedicating an entrance to bikes, etc). Oh well, I am still on vacation for a couple of days so I plan on enjoying Monterey. BTW, did anyone else think the bikes sounded similar to the old Thunderbike class? Maybe a little higher pitched due to revs, but similar. | ||
| Chasespeed |
REALLY WANTED TO BE THERE.... BUT, watched it live via satelite...and I think it was on cable as well...(not at my house, at a bar sponsoring a bike show)..... That last lap was surprising, well, what happened....in case no one has had a chance to see the results yet, or the action, I wont post anything as well.... Chase | ||
| Bcordb3 |
The final tally was 2.5 hours getting in + 3.25 hours getting out = 5.75 hours spent parking! Done that good at a Jimmy Buffett concert! | ||
| Tramp |
Incidentally, next time try parking at the Ryan Ranch (on rt. 68 beforre Laguna) and hitching to the bottom gate (holding up a piece of cardboard with the emblem of the scoot of your choice ensures instant pickup), then WALK in. Very "Woodstock" vibe doing it this way, plus you meet more babes.... Bottom line: Laguna kicks A*S!!!!!!!!! been ging there since I was a li'l guy. | ||
| Tramp |
...The more I think about it, the title of this thread could use some tweaking, it's kinda outta line to announce: "Laguna Sucks" on a serious Sportbike site... | ||
| Grndskpr |
The final tally was 2.5 hours getting in + 3.25 hours getting out = 5.75 hours spent parking! Ever been to a Greatful Dead show, thats nothing, i was at the Alpine Valley show years ago, and i would trade times with you any day, especially considering it rained, and we were parked on a golf course, talk about atrain wreck Fun time i will rember for years to come R | ||
| Slaughter |
I hate traffic and hate crowds. I'll drive around town an hour to avoid waiting 10 minutes for dinner... but knew that I'd be looking at 2-hour lines to enter/exit the track on 4 wheels so just had it in my plans. Next year will be the same. Wish I had known it would be so quiet in Cannery Row or I'd have gone. Just figured it'd be twice as nuts as normal and stayed away. Seems about 50,000 other people thought the same thing too. Heard it was really nice down on "the Row" on Saturday. | ||
| José_quiñones |
I waited in a line for more than six hours (9pm to 3 am) to view President Reagan last year at the US Capitol in Washington DC for about a minute. It was worth it. Had I been at Laguna it would have been worth it. | ||
| Dbird29 |
Car Pools! | ||
| Ortegakid |
You should have been there in the early gp days,absolute pandemonium,and the only way to get in or out is on a bike, we used to split all the way to the gate on the wrong side, never had a problem,having a cage one year was the only time it was ever frustrating!Will def be going next year, flying in, rent bike, stay extra day,so cool, such fun, such sights!!! | ||
| BadS1 |
LoL Jose I stepped out of my bar and just watched Bush drive past in the tour bus last summer as waved to everyone. (Message edited by bads1 on July 11, 2005) | ||
| Timbo |
!!!NEWS FLASH!!! Corkscrew Buellers pull off major coup at Laguna Seca Raceway! Race officials were stumped as to how this could have happened, but had no time to do anything about it as it would have caused too long of a delay.  LAGUNA ROCKED!!! Timbo  |
