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Rode up from So Cal (Orange County) on a Ducati 749s. Ride up was great (after getting away from the morons in cars in LA). Camped for 4 days at Toro Park. Parties got progressively more “interesting” as each day passed. Made a new friend that rode in from Las Cruces. Hotter than hell and each day got hotter than the previous. Rode the track and even as an amateur it was very obvious the track was in bad shape on Saturday. I couldn’t imagine 130 mph with all the rocks and broken tarmac. Riding in and parking on the track was so easy I couldn’t believe my eyes. I know I was half way to LA on Sunday when some of my friends in cars were just making it out of the track by shuttle bus. I’ve been going to Laguna Seca since I was 6 (I grew up there) and that section of Monterey is always known to be hotter than the rest due to the topology, so I think the race planners have to shoulder some responsibility for providing some man made shade in the future. I’d be curious to hear from a medic that worked the race–I bet they had a rough weekend. Water lines were turned off due to seepage onto the track which put some vendors and many spectators into a bad place. No water is not good. Props to Coca Cola for stepping up and giving away water to those in need and discounting it to near free for those that could pay.

Races were great, if not slow (but that’s Laguna). Mega kudos for all the pilots getting out there and putting on one hell of a entertaining weekend.

A little more education of the “traffic cops” (most were “Explorers”) on where bikes with specific passes can park (and how to get there) would be in order for next year.

In summary, great weekend from a spectator’s perspective since it’s MotoGP and that just cures about anything else short of death at the track, but I left wondering if the renewal of MotoGP at Laguna is at risk. 2 years into a 5 year term and that makes year 3 the must-make year in order to secure a renewal. Track needs to be ready to go (and not a week before the race–give me a break! Who’s running the track maintenance? The AMA?) and the safety issues have to be resolved, or I think the plug gets pulled on renewal. I hear Miller in UT is already pushing for a MotoGP stop.

I did the CITY bus thing back in 2005 and it worked great. We stayed at the HIX on Cannery Row and it was a small hike in the morning, but they dropped us off via a trolley connection literally across the street.

Like you, the wait was minimal.

Sounds like its still the best bet.

My husband and I were back this year with our now 2 1/2 year old daughter. Last year we were able to drive in. The drive took forever. Getting in by bus was way faster. We harldy had to wait at all. Getting out was an utter nightmare. I’m surprised that the crowd of majorly unorganized people didn’t get violent. People were lined up for over a mile standing parallel to long lines of empty buses with just a cyclone fence saparating them. I do not understand what failed. Fortunately they were handing out water as you boarded the buses, but the people (and young infants) a mile back in line were surely suffering. We paid extra for grandstand seats to watch the TV monitor which went out about 10 minutes into the race. The commentary could not be heard either. They did have a play area for children which was great during the races.

All in all, they better improve things next year or we will be at risk of not being able to see the Moto GP locally for years to come.