"sp1tony" <tony.gixer DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
news:T%Dzc.110$eM3.6@newsfe1-win...
> Those with access to Eurosport or BBC2 will have noticed Wayne Raineys
> interviews at the Catalunya Grand Prix,and heard of his hopes of bringing
> Grand Prix racing back to the United States.
> Now we all know of Waynes love for Laguna Seca in Monterey.Its his second
> home,with his first being a few miles down the road.
> Is Laguna a suitable circuit? The speed of the bikes has increased since a
> GP was last held there.Sure its a great fans track,spectacular views from
> all round the circuit,California weather.Anyone who attends WSBK at the
> track knows of the easy access for fans, to teams and riders.DORNA are not
> so obliging.
> I for one am all for a return to Laguna,preferable either the week before
> or the week after WSBK.That would make for one hell of a holiday..
> If anyone knows where there is any info online about what's been mentioned
> above please post it here.
There has been talk of GP coming back to Laguna, which I think would be
great. The facilities are quite acceptable there, although there will have
to be work done on the track from a safety standpoint. The talk in that
regard has been about turns one and nine, although I don't know that there
would also be requested changes in the corkscrew as well. One has gotten
faster as the result of the lengthening of the pit straight, and the old
500s were going through there at 165 or so anyway. There's not a lot of
runoff there at all, but it's also not exactly a real corner, more of a
bend. But MGP bikes would blast through there. Turn nine really needs to
have the bridge relocated some, or preferably removed altogether (a
pedestrian tunnel between nine and ten and a grandstand on the side of the
hill outside of nine would be a big improvement from a spectating
standpoint), and the embankment on the outside cut back more. All of the
flat, infield corners are adequate, as is turn six.
The track is faster than Barber, and isn't all that slow compared to some of
the GP tracks. In 1989 the winner's average speed was at just under 90 mph,
which was the 2nd slowest GP, but the tracks have generally gotten slower,
and the slowest back then was Jerez (85), places like Le Mans and Donington
not all that much faster, and Assen, the fastest track last year, was at 104
in '89. It's not Road America, but it's probably a better spectator's track,
and the facilities off-track have to be much better.
Anyway, it could be done, but would cost money. A GP is expensive anyway,
the previous ones (93-94) costing $1.5M plus all trackside signage. One old
wives' tale is that GP can't draw sufficient crowds at Laguna, evidenced by
the crowds at the early '90s events. I think that's a product of the GP
experience, which was rather foreign and distant - only three classes, one
great (500), one good (250), one poor (sidecar, 125), and a closed paddock
for all. WSB has worked because of the AMA support races and the open
paddock and the wildcards. The new garages last year pretty much locked out
the fans from the WSB guys and bikes, but an open AMA paddock and at least
some contact with the GP scenery would make a big difference. Wildcards are
unlikely but not entirely impossible. Another general problem with Laguna is
cost, with motel rooms running $150-200 a night or more. But if it's a big
enough event with enough interplay with the participants, it could be much
bigger than WSB.
But if it was the old GP deal - 125s and 250s supporting, no paddock access
at all, riders never seen all weekend - then long-term success is a long
shot, Laguna or anywhere else. And having WSB the week before a GP would
only assure the death of that event here....<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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