My MotoGP weekend

The highlights, for those who don't want to read it all:

- It was freakin' hot
- I was offered $200 for my worker vest
- I (later) got Valentino Rossi's and Wayne Rainey's signatures on my
vest
- I meatballed Rossi
- Nicky won

It was hot. Just plain hot. I heard it said that this was the hottest
it had been in at least 15 years at Laguna Seca; new temperature
records were set in several bay area cities.

On Friday I was assigned to flag on turn 2.2 (turn 2 apex), and there
was no water for us until lunchtime. If they hadn't had some for us in
the afternoon they'd have started losing corner workers, either from
heat exhaustion or revolt. While on break I ran into former fellow
AFMer Kevin Crowther, who recently hired on as the chief AMA roadrace
tech inspector. I also ran into fellow AFMer and our race announcer
John Fosgate, who just earlier in the week landed the dream job of
co-announcing the weekend events with the guys from Speed. He was
nervous about working with the big boys, but I confidently assured him
he'd do just fine. (And he did!) In the vendor area, some guy walked
up to me and said "I'll give you $100 for that vest!" I said no, and
he said "Okay, $200!" Sorry, how would I work the rest of the weekend?
There was a problem with water seeping through the new pavement in turn
2. SCRAMP officials were baffled; there has never been a water seepage
problem in that turn before. Friday night they worked until after 11pm
installing French drains to try to alleviate it.

On Saturday I was reassigned to turn 2.4 (turn 2 exit) because
apparently Friday's flagger didn't do very well. In addition to my 2.4
MotoGP flag duties I helped with the AMA flagging at 2.1 (turn 2
entrance). We had a corner worker drop out with heat exhaustion before
8am. It was a jam-packed day, with MotoGP practice and qualifying
sessions as well as AMA Supersport and Superstock practice and
qualifying sessions and an AMA race. The water seepage problem in turn
2 returned in spite of the drain construction efforts and more
head-scratching by SCRAMP. While on break I hiked up the hill to watch
the AMA guys rail through the corkscrew. If you think it's impressive
from under the trees, you should see it from the turn 8 comm box!
While there I saw a familiar-looking face wearing a Motorcycle Consumer
News shirt, who turned out to be Dave Searle. Very nice guy.

On Sunday, due to the heat and what it was doing to the new pavement,
the FIM mandated that the AMA could not take their turns on the track
until the MotoGP was done with it. So instead of AMA and MotoGP
practice sessions all morning and an AMA race at lunchtime, there was
only the MotoGP practice and we spent the rest of the morning seeking
shade, napping, wandering the vendor area, chatting with friends, etc.
I took advantage of my worker's vest to go down to the MotoGP garages.
I was in the right place at the right time! Valentino Rossi showed up
for the parade lap, and although his handler told him he didn't have
time, he said "But they asked!" and signed mine and another worker's
vest. Yippee!! I also got Wayne Rainey to sign my vest. He is just
as handsome in person as he appears in photos.

It kept getting hotter. I started hearing reports of spectators
dropping, and seeing ambulances working their way through crowds. I
heard later that the concession service took pity and drove an entire
truckload of bottled water into the crowd and just started tossing
bottles; one of the VIP tents did similarly. This was no small feat
considering that they were originally charging an obscene $4 per 20 oz.
bottle for water and sodas!

Then finally came the MotoGP race. It was pretty exciting on that
first lap after Nicky took the lead, as he charged through turn 2 with
the crowd roaring behind us; even as loud as the GP bikes are, I could
hear the crowd through my comm headphones. Then in the last few laps
after Rossi had fallen back, suddenly his bike started smoking. The
call came for us to show him the meatball flag. He continued around
the track for more than another lap, and finally exited right at our
station! But rather than ride into the gravel trap, he crossed the
track (a big no-no in most race organizations when you may be spewing
oil) and stopped below the comm box. We had barely finished handling
his exit when Nicky took the checkered flag and we all ran out to the
track edge waving all the flags for the MotoGP salute.

Considering how late the FIM mandate pushed the AMA practices and races
out to, I was surprised at how many spectators stayed to watch them.
My MotoGP flagging duties over, I helped with the AMA flagging at 2.1
again. After all was done, flags and equipment turned in and weekend
pay collected, I and two friends left the worker camping area on our
bikes about 8:20pm. After trying two different routes to get home to
the bay area, we finally decided to try Hwy 9 in the dark. Whew! We
had a mountain resident tailgating and high-beaming us most of the way,
but we couldn't tell where to turn out in the pitch blackness so we
just kept going; he finally passed us in a relatively straight area
(over the double yellow). I finally arrived home about 12:15 am,
completely beat.

Can't wait till next year!

 

we had General Admission passes and needless to say were burnt beyond
recognition, despite umbrellas, water etc.
On Race Day our neighbors at the hotel laid two Gold Access passes on us,
which got us into the tower suite seats they had paid MUCHO for. we still
had to pay 6 bucks for lemonade when our supply of ice tea ran out...
But we woulda come home and watched it on TV if we had not had such a
great stroke of luck.
The only bad part was that Pamela Anderson was seated in on our level and
autograph seekers and photographers were all getting on top of chairs etc.
to gawk. What a joke. fabio and whatever, how boring.

The race was awesome! We did see you on one of the corner cams ( there
were 11 monitors in the tower suite! The announcer blew a lot of calls
though, as if he were no paying attention, which was VERY annoying and the
speakers volume was way too loud.
But the AC was Wunnerful!!!!!!!
After spending two days in abject misery, we were rightfully pissed off (
as usual) at laguna seca , who has always treated the "fans" like
livestock.
They could learn a lot from Sears Point.
Highlights:
saying Hi to Larry Lovisone at Bubba Gumps Thursday night
meeting Kenny Roberts Sr. at the "Toasties Cafe" in Pacific Grove
Not getting hit by any deer in our Volvo Wagon ( still out of the saddle
due to recent venison attack)
Getting in to tower suites with AIR Conditioning. Ahhhhh.
Jim Stinnett
YZF R1
R1100RS
NX250
*a bike to be named later*

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just a bit of SouthWest (Phoenix) empathhy for a chance, eh Denise?
Now... maybe you can see a bit of what we put up with, from June
through September?

"Other than that, good report. I was watching the races on TV and got
a call from my buddy's son at the races and even through the
cell-phone filters I could hear those "growler engines" drown every
other sound out!

PS. rode Sunday morning and it was 100 by 9:00AM.


Bob Nixon, Chandler AZ
01 Sprint ST "RED" 54K miles
http://bigrex.net/pictures

 

Listen, I grew up in Missouri where it gets not only as hot as it did
at Laguna Seca but accompanied by 90% humidity and stays that way all
summer. However, nobody goes out and stands in it in full sun for
hours on end.

Why did you move to Arizona, anyway?

BTW, I wore the hat that you gave me all weekend.

 

The other 8 months have better weather than LA! Just look at the
stats. Fastest growest large metro in the USA. Pushing 4 Million now
with bath water temps in our swimming pools this time of year. Think
about that! A hick town 40 years ago that is now bigger than Miami, St
Louis, The twin cities, Seattle, San Diego & Altanta. The only larger
metros anymore are NYC, LA, >SFBA+SJO, DC/Balt, Chicago, Detroit,
Philly, Houston & Dallas.

Cool! We haven't always gotten along so I thought you might have
pitched it. Glad you didn't. BTW, sounds like Apple is doing VERY well
these days. Good to see MS get a bit of competition. Still got the SV
& 929?


Bob Nixon, Chandler AZ
01 Sprint ST "RED" 54K miles
http://bigrex.net/pictures

 

YOu know what, this pisses me off! Seriously. $4 - $6 for drinks? That's
gouging! Anyone who cares about the sport should protest that. It's just
unconscionable, especially in that kind of heat. "We've got 'em all here
in one place, let's gouge 'em!"

I'm sorry, it's just wrong!

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

You're one of those "Growth is Good" people, huh?
What's so good about being bigger than Miami?

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

Doesn't sound out of line with what refreshments cost at other
professional sporting events, or even, Heaven help us, movie theatres
these days. In terms of cost of production, yep, it's gouging. But in
the same sense that 75 mph on the 8 is speeding.

 

LOL...any slower, you become a traffic hazard!

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

Sounds Hot!
Great write up Denise.
That must've been pretty cool to wave the flag at Vale!

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Infant

 

Some of us didn't choose to live in the middle of a scorching desert,
though.

 

All weekend my thoughts alternated between "oh my god, why did I
sign up for this?" and "oh my god, this is great!"

They have a six-year contract, so they will be back next year. The
track wouldn't have spent millions on the runoff improvements and total
repavement otherwise!