The Tracks That Move Us: Laguna Seca
You cannot stand in the eye of a hurricane and live to tell about it, but you might be able to imagine how it feels - a discord of a million raging particles blurred into a singular abyss of raw energy. Kinda how it feels standing alongside Laguna Seca's famous corkscrew as a ribbon of 4,600 horsepower plunges three stories down the track in a spiral of steel and heat.
Two dozen riders fighting for position over a cliff, their bikes at the razor's edge of control. A cataclysm of raw energy amplified by the summer sun reflecting off the tarmac, reflecting back towards the fire-breathing machines, then back again exponentially turning the atmosphere feverish. The track itself seemingly come to life in palpable waves of heat, now a river of molten rubber swallowing a rider whole and tossing his bike aside off its surface in a heap.
I'll never forget that first time watching a motorcycle race live. It was almost too much to process at once, but it was a glorious overwhelm. Some legendary riders were on the grid that day. I was most excited to see Nicky Hayden, the "Kentucky Kid" number 69, the same number his father had used in his racing career, chosen so it could be read upside-down - a tongue-in-cheek nod to how often he up-ended in the dirt. Nicky must have inherited his father's sense of playful humor, but not his propensity for crashing.
As far as I was concerned, Nicky Hayden was the king of Laguna Seca. There are few riders whose careers are more tied to this track. In 2000, at the age of 19, he took first place at Laguna Seca in the AMA Supersport 600 class. In 2002, he was promoted to the AMA Superbike class halfway through the season at Laguna Seca where he took first again. He returned in 2005, taking pole position and the victory to claim his first Moto GP win, and repeated his success the following year en route to the 2006 Moto GP championship.
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I knew Nicky would be great. As soon as the race started, I hiked up the grassy infield to the corkscrew's peak, eyes fixed on number 69, cheering wildly when he passed. From the top of Rahal Straight, I could see the entire track below in a sweeping panorama. There are few sections of tarmac as legendary as the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Riders ascend the steep straight leading to turn 8, but their view of the track ahead is obscured by the hill. As soon as they crest the top, the track suddenly drops to the left, then immediately dips even steeper to the right.
The extreme grade, 18 degrees at the steepest, and the momentary lack of visual reference before the violent left/right plunge make the corkscrew extremely difficult to navigate, but incredibly fun to watch. From the crest at the top of Rahal Straight to the bottom of Rainey Curve, the track descends an incredible ten-stories in elevation. In just turn 8 and 8a alone, riders drop three stories in the blink of an eye.
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Laguna Seca remains on the schedule for the Superbike world championship series as well as MotoAmerica, but 2013 was its last year hosting Moto GP. I'd love to see grand prix bikes descend the corkscrew once again, especially with this current crop of talented riders, but a return seems unlikely due to the lack of a single American rider on the grid and the existence of a much newer venue, the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin Texas. |
For now, we will have to settle for the incredible memories from Hayden's near perfect performances at Laguna Seca, Rossi's legendary overtake of Casey Stoner and Marquez's death defying short-cut through the dirt to pass Rossi. On his victory lap in 2008, overwhelmed by emotion, Rossi stopped at the corkscrew, jumped off his bike and kissed the tarmac. How many pieces of pavement illicit this kind of adoration? That just about sums up my feelings as well.
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Never been, but the nurburgring nordschliefe is the dream! Ripping up the touges has been, and always will be fun, but now, especially after becoming a husband and father... The track is the only place I want to be pushing a ten tenths! For now my local Honjo circuit will have to suffice!
ReplyDeleteMutual feelings, let's go to Germany. I call shotgun. They race bikes at Honjo? You already know, Motegi is on my to-do list for 2022 and I'd like to see an event at Suzuka as well before I croak.
DeleteThey do indeed do bikes at Honjo!! Count me in for Motegi and Suzuki too!!
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