William Barrett, the grandfather of AMA Superbike points leader Ben Spies, died Wednesday at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, at age 83, after a long illness. A viewing has been scheduled for 7:00-9:00 p.m. Friday at Sparkman-Crane Funeral home on Garland Road in Dallas. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial donations be made to Mr. Barrett’s 501(3)c foundation, Love For Kids, 6260 E. Mockingbird Ln. Suite 230, Dallas, TX 25214, 214-426-5683, www.lfk.cc . Mr. Barrett’s official obituary follows: William D. Barrett Civic Leader and Philanthropist Dies William Durelle “Bill” Barrett, eminent Dallas businessman, civic leader and philanthropist died on July 26, 2006. Bill was born on July 5, 1923 in Buford, South Carolina and was raised by his mother Eugenia Jones Barrett in Meansville, Georgia. He graduated from Gordon Military College and attended Southern Methodist University. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he worked for the F. B. I. in Washington D.C. When he met the love of his life, Margaret “Babe” Powell, he moved to Dallas and went to work for S. H. Lynch and Company. Bill and Babe married on August 22, 1946 and celebrated forty three years of marriage. They had five children and eight grandchildren. His wife, Babe Barrett, preceded him in death along with his two brothers Jack Barrett and Luther Lafayette Barrett. Bill Barrett was renowned in the beer industry. He was president of the Lone Star Beer Distributorship, and in 1966, along with his partner, became the first distributor for the Adolph Coors Company in Dallas. Willow Distributoring, Inc. grew to become one of the largest Coors distributorships in the country, and subsequently acquired S. H. Lynch and Co., where he first started in the beer business. Throughout his life he was involved in numerous civic and humanitarian efforts spanning the globe from Bosnia to the Bahamas and from Mexico to Calcutta. Bill was particularly devoted to civic efforts to improve Dallas. He continued a passion he shared with his wife, Babe, for caring for underprivileged and sick children, particularly children with cancer. Twenty eight years ago he was co-founder of Love for Kids, a charity that annually hosts the largest children’s party in Texas during the Christmas holidays. Throughout the year Love for Kids provides activities and donations for the needy, youth and seniors. The annual Senior Citizens party has provided hours of fun for hundreds of people. Bill generously gave his time and financial support to many local charities including the Children’s Hospital, Southwestern Medical Research, Parkland Hospital, Baylor Cancer Center, the Foundation for Craniofacial Deformities, the Criminal Justice Program and Journey – an anti-gang program. His donation to Dallas County enabled the Trust for Public Land for Dallas County to purchase 225 acres in South Dallas (the Lemmon Lake Preserve) for a development similar to Bachman and White Rock Lake. He was fiercely proud of his country, state and city, and he donated to charities on all three levels including underwriting the Texas Historical Society. In recognition of some of his significant philanthropic contributions, Bill Barrett was awarded many honors including: “The Linz Award” for civic service awarded by the Dallas Morning News and Linz Jewelers; the Catholic Foundation’s “McGill Award”; the Naitonal Association of Social Workers’ “Public Citizen of the Year Award” the “Volunteer of the Year” award presented by the Volunteer Center of Dallas; the “Champion for Children” award presented by the Texas Coalition for Juvenile Justice; and the “Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year” by the National Society of Fundraising Executives. From civic, cultural, historical international and statewide concerns, to medical research and the beautification of Texas roadsides, Bill Barrett left his mark on many. His energy, compassion, faith, charm and his smile will be missed. The world has lost a wonderful true southern gentleman. Two of his favorite biblical quotes were, “What ever you do the least of my brother, you do unto me” and “Love one another.” He leaves behind his beloved family – Children: Bill Barrett, Jr. of Dallas; Margaret McIntyre of Dallas; Mary Spies of Longview; David Barrett of Dallas; and Martha Zamorano of Dallas. Grandchildren: Jennifer Hernandez, Rob Barrett, Michael McIntyre, Nick McIntyre, Lisa Spies, Ben Spies, Nathan Evans, Teresa Evans and Ryan Zamorano. Additional surviving relatives include: Son-in-laws: John McIntyre and Jose Zamorano. Cousin Nelli Ruth McGahee and Brother-in-law William Powell. Nephews: Bob Cross, Charley Cross, Gordon Powell, Clay Powell, John Powell, Paul Michael Powell, Ben Powell, Lewis Powell, Phillip Barrett. Nieces: Jean Cross, Cherie Chenault, Lani Anderson Barrett and Margaret Vallejo. Friends and parents of grandchildren: Lauren Barrett and Henry Spies. Devoted secretary and friend, Beverly Nalley. Visitation at Sparkman/Crane Funeral Home, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Friday. Funeral services will be at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 3815 Oak Lawn, Dallas, Texas at 10:30 am, Saturday, July 29, 2006. Private interment will follow. Pallbearers: Bill Barrett, Jr., David Barrett, John McIntyre, Jose Zamorano, Mike Nalley and Bob Cross. Honorary Pallbearers: Vick Muzzarelli, John Patterson, Marty Davis, John Lee, Gene Emery, Pat Bishop and Ed Campbell. Consistent with his charitable spirit, his final request was that, in lieu of flowers, all donations should be made to Love for Kids, Inc., 501(C)(3), 6260 E. Mockingbird, #230, Dallas, Texas 75214, 214-426-5683. The Love for Kids’ mission is “to enrich the quality of life for the young and young at heart within the Dallas Metroplex who are in need of benevolent services.” Charity is a virtue of the heart, and Bill Barrett’s virtuous heart lovingly embraced those who were in need. He will be missed by those named and unnamed who benefited from his loving gestures. As he was taught from his childhood, he left this place in better condition than he found it. SPARKMAN/CRANE FUNERAL HOME 10501 GARLAND ROAD, DALLAS, TEXAS 75218 214-327-8291

On his return from the races at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca, the Spanish rider discovered a problem with the titanium plate inserted in his left collarbone. Gibernau’s participation in the next MotoGP race at Brno is probable but not certain. The first corner crash at the Circuit of Catalunya on June 18th was the start of a difficult period for the Catalan rider, who is encountering further obstacles on his return to full fitness. Sete broke his left collarbone in the crash, which occurred in the first of 5 races to be held over a period of 6 weeks. He underwent an operation at Barcelona’s Dexeus Hospital where surgeons Xavier Mir and Ignacio Ginebreda removed the plate that had remained from a previous incident and replaced it with a larger titanium one. After going through the necessary period of convalescence and receiving the OK from doctors to race again, Gibernau returned to the track on his Desmosedici GP6 to take part in the German and US GPs. On both occasions Sete realised that his left shoulder was weak, but as he didn’t feel any pain he continued to stoically ride through practice, qualifying and race on both weekends. As soon as he returned from the USA, Sete went to Barcelona for a check-up and an X-ray scan revealed complications, caused by a weakening of the plate itself. To avoid any further problems, Mir and Ginebreda decided to strengthen the main plate bolt and boost the bone healing process with injections of ‘growth factors’ extracted from the rider’s own blood. Yesterday (Wednesday 26th July) Gibernau again underwent an operation on his collarbone and was able to return home today. Gibernau’s convalescence should be quicker than the one following the first operation and Dr. Mir maintains that Sete will be able to take part in the next race but only a medical check scheduled for Wednesday 2nd August will establish whether or not the Ducati Marlboro Team rider can race in the next round of the MotoGP World Championship at Brno, Czech Republic on August 20th.

Send your Laguna Seca experiences, comments, suggestions, etc. to: [email protected] Include “Laguna Comments” in the subject line. Include your first and last name, your city and state and your daytime phone number in the e-mail. FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Since I rode a motorcycle to and from the track, my traffic and parking experience this year was MUCH improved over last year. Certainly the water and ice situation could have been improved and, for me, the worst part of the weekend was trying to cross any of the bridges. SCRAMP should seriously consider (if they haven’t already) installing at least one or two large pedestrian tunnels at various locations. Huge kudos to SCRAMP and Laguna Seca for hiring John Fosgate, “The Voice of the AFM”, to announce the races all weekend with Brian Drebber and Chris Ernst. John’s emotion, passion, and excitement were evident throughout the entire event and made my race experience that much more fun. His ability to get the crowds excited and on their feet was fantastic! It was great seeing the huge crowds appreciate what we in the AFM have known all along. Good job John!! David Ben-Jamin Zoom Zoom Track Days Fremont, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: As most people, I will attend again. Hearing the bikes brings goose bumps and the crowd at the corkscrew is top notch. Suggestions… More Big Screens, It shouldn’t cost that much to bring one to almost every corner, this allows viewers to keep tabs on what is going on w/o having to go out and buy a radio. Fix the PA’s. Do it now, you got a year… Listen to your staff. I overheard management telling staffers that the PA’s were broking and the response was: “We know, and are tired of hearing about it” Mini grandstand on the outside of turn 5??? That would be sweet! Add a pathway on top of the corkscrew, we hate having to look at people’s backsides while the bikes go by, especially when Nicky’s passing. (This will also cut down on the testosterone build up) BTW: We asked the Sheriff’s to block off this path 1/3 of the way through the race, it may all of us much happier. Re-seed the main dirt seating areas with dormant grass, much better than those weeds. Install some tall shade trees, they add to the legacy of the track and provide adequate protection. Add real food vendors on the top of the hill, we ran out of the minimal amounts before the race. Establish maximum costs with vendors when they come in to sell their product, I am sure the $4 waters were an oversight and will not happen again, right? Widen bridges. Of course, fix the bumps. Any of the track day attendees will tell you how it is, just ask for suggestions. My last suggestion… Many people that offer services that could help the experience are motorcycle fans. It is in their best interest and in their hearts to help out. Maybe you can post on the website want ads for the above services, I am sure you will get great responses and individuals who will want to do the jobs more for the love of the sport than the money. And no, I’m not saying to get some inexperienced contractor out to fix the track just because they like motorcycles. Jeff Lowery Campbell, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I am a sponsor of an AMA Superbike Team, I thought we were treated like 4th class citizens. Dorna refused to allow any teams to put up canopies on pit lane, so the AMA riders and mechanics had to work in the extreme heat and sun on all 3 days, If Dorna did not like the looks, all he had to do was ask them to fold up the tents when MOTO GP was running, but that made to much sense. The Moto Gp teams had covered garages to work on their bikes, I would have loved to see his teams having to work in 100 degree sun and the riders sit on pit wall while they worked on their bikes. They were only allowed to use their tents after the MOTO GP race was over. Then after the MOTO GP on Sunday they restricted the AMA teams in setting up again on pit lane, I guess it did not look so good for his TV coverage. If that’s the case let MOTO Gp and the 125/250 class race and let the AMA and World Superbike run together on a separate date. Once the Americans see how they are treated on a regular MOTO GP weekend with almost no paddock access etc., the GP will die a slow death after a couple of years. It seems crazy to go to an event that you can see (DORNA) really does not want you there. I will say the riders were fantastic very friendly and so were the teams. It just was the organizers. SECOND- Was Sunday, notifying the teams at the last minute they could not even practice until after MOTO GP because the track was breaking apart on the corkscrew and then have the people sit around doing nothing between one MOTO GP practice at 10 am and the race at 2PM. Third we had a premier suite, both Saturday/Sunday the air con did not work and it got to over 90 degrees in each room, which was better that baking in the sun outside, but this is the second year in a row the suites lost air con, we had asked for fans but no luck , in fact they did not want us to open the doors which was crazy as at least this way we have a small circulation of air. I thought the food was very marginal for the cost of the suites. The food at the California Speedway was by far better than what Laguna charged and was 1/3 the price. Four- We were staying in Monterey and we were riding (our motorcycles) about 30 miles via Reservation rd. etc. through the whole complex to get to the Paddock, where we had paddock parking, Why ???, it would have had made more sense to let us in the main gate. Overall if I was not a sponsor of an AMA team and had to just watch Moto GP, as much as I enjoy MOTO GP, I would have stayed home and watched it for free. David Morro San Francisco, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I brought the wife and 2 kids this year and camped at the track, actually down the hill at the “Ranch” camping area by Archery. We still had to take a bus up the hill to the track which was ok except for 1 time when leaving the track on Saturday around 3pm a SCRAMP official had to commandeer the bus going to Toro park when people had waited for an hour to get to the Archery camping area (we had 1 dedicated bus that was to make rounds every 20 minutes). In this case when we got dropped off we found our bus parked out of the way in the turn around loop with the driver asleep. The one major problem I ran into as well as several thousand of my closest friends and enemies in this case, was the Dunlop and start finish bridge. It took almost the same amount of time as last year, taking 30 or more minutes each to go across. Only thing that made it even harder this year was I was pulling an ice chest cart with my 4 year old son in tow (my wife was keeping hands tight with my 6 year old daughter. Its one thing to push and fight your way with and through the crowd but its altogether different with your family fearing personal harm. My poor son was crying from the Dunlop Bridge all the way to the turn 11A grandstands. Now for the final kicker, the way back towards the paddock via the same start finish bridge was like a D-Day landing at Normandy. About 7-8 lanes of human traffic going to the bridge and 1 lane as a return, not quite the fair ratio. I also noted not a single SCRAMP official anywhere to help traffic control, no cops either. So to make this story even worse was that the heat was a killer (almost literally) or at least turned normal people into careless water seeking fiends. On our down hill run, actually a slow walk from the bridge going to the pits was the VIP raised suites grandstands and they where handing out bottles of water, oh actually I mean mortars of water bottle were raining down on us and one bottle nailed me in the right hand which was just above my sons head (thank God) but he still was knocked down and scraped his knee. Now at this point I was pissed and was yelling at the crowd (VIPer do gooders) to stop throwing water bottles as they just hit my kid. All one jerk could say was “people are dieing for water” so I said then it ok to kill little kids. STOP THROWING THE WATER I kept yelling, I then noticed many other people commenting about the water mortars and some had umbrellas as shields to protect themselves. Note the bottle of water was I think an 8 oz of Dasani. I then made it to the info booth just past the souvenir stand and got a SCRAMP official to do something about the water bottle situation. Which I guess they did but were a little late in my situation as now I had a very upset wife and 2 crying kids that had just seen their Dad go into combat kid protecting mode. Oh and the SCAMP officials did not take our information or assist us in any way, it was hard to get them to do any thing and all they did was say do you want to see the Sheriff. Not like I saw the person throw the bottle and it was the entire front row VIP’s anyway. I even had to ask to get first aid. Not sure if I will attend next year. At least not with how SCRAMP treats the safety of its patrons, I think I would feel safer on the track with Val at the controls. John Colvin Lake Elsinore, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Went into the track on Barloy Canyon, why do the bikes with small gas tanks have to go the long way? We had brought 2 scooters. I had taken Del Rey Oaks/Jim Moore Blvd. No signs, roads with cones like they were blocked. Many motorcycles turning around trying to figure out where to go, map was little help, a compass would have been better. Since I went earlier than the Mrs., I called the wife, told her to take the freeway up, a long way from our hotel at the 1 and 68. Friday we didn’t stay late. Saturday was an endurance test. I had brought a canopy, chairs and cooler, to set up on Turn 2. It was quite a hike from the motorcycle parking to paddock, I had gone to Ducati Island while my wife stood in the long women’s room line, even worse when my wife forgot her cell phone. I went from paddock, to Ducati Island, then to Turn 2, set up the canopy. Then back up to motorcycle parking (past all the automobile parking) is this a car or motorcycle event? That hike back up was a hot one, especially that last set of stairs on the bridge over the AUTO traffic, then back down to the paddock, where she had waited. Of course she asked what took so long, no I didn’t lose it, was way too hot and tired. After that our Saturday was spent 4 hours under the canopy, a small relief from the direct sun. Sunday wife said “No Mas” and opted to stay away from your “World Class Facility” I arrived at 10am, with my weed sprayer full of water, ice for the cooler, and was waiting for the Supersport race. The track integrity WHAT? Racing motorcycles will ruin the track, but cars riding around, stunt riders up and down the track and 2-up rides is OK? Come on, listen to yourselves. I can’t wait to see WSBK again, at least we get 2 races from them guys. At least on scooters the Speed Trap Hospitality Crews were not interested in me. I could have easily spent the same and seen a WSBK event and a GP event in Europe this year. Many have said already the Parking Staff was lost, didn’t have a clue. You CAN load more than one bus at a time; go back to elementary school and watch. I stayed at the Hyatt, no AC in the rooms? $275 a night, room was old, not that nice and HOT. Prices were up, but not the room condition. Did see Rossi getting in a yellow hummer, Colin in front of a restaurant downtown, had some calamari at the track, but I will go Europe next year so I can see WSBK and GP. Troy Woodard San Diego, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I would have to agree with S. Haley the royal coach driver that whatever reports about the buses were not true. I had the greatest bus driver, but I never did get his name. My husband and I decided that we would start walking back to the parking lot and not wait in the line for the buses. As we walked up the road that had all of the buses lined up and waiting, we had a drive tell us that we were crazy to try and walk and put us on his bus (thanks). We got to set and listen to the drives on the radio and how they said how messed up this was. Our driver told us that he has worked a lot of events and has never seen anything like this. Thanks to the sheriffs department for taking over and once they took over several buses were loaded in just a matter of about 10 minutes. I have contacted the raceway and with in less that 24 hrs I received a response form Gill Campbell CEO/ General Manager for Mazda raceway acknowledging the poor execution of the buses. Over all I would not have missed Rossi’s engine going out between turns one and two, then to watch him after one more lap exit the directly if front of Ducati Island bleachers; to then watch Hayden take his 2nd win at Laguna was worth everything that we endured this weekend. Debbie Macias Santa Rosa, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I arrived from the Bay Area on Friday morning. I’ve been in and around the area for 28 years, so I should know my way around – and do! Still, with the theoretically simple but logistically complex parking plan, I had to ask for directions via phone by calling SCRAMP. The only make-shift sign to alert an exit from southbound Hwy 1 at Marina said: Race traffic. Hmm “¦ is that for spectators or participants; bikes or cars? Maybe it’ll become obvious. Let’s see. I knew that Ft. Ord is all but decommissioned now, but had to inquire with a friend to speculate that somewhere in that vast expanse of barracks and on/off base housing lay (at least a part of) the recently oft-mentioned CSUMB. Took that exit and looked for some obvious guidance – not there. A few inconspicuous signs (15%) combined with my area knowledge (85%) got me to right spot, but the passerby from Alberta, having made the pilgrimage on his RK bag equipped R1 all the way to the only North American international race, would have a hard time getting to the right place in the first try. And when he did find it, would anyone there inform him that there was a better way to access by bike, via Reservation Road? Thirty-five bucks to see Friday’s practice. Last year that cost ten dollars. There was ample room to park on that morning at that hour, 7:45 a.m. I walked toward the only tent area, paid the $35 and queued up in a line of about 20 people “¦ and growing. We had to unnecessarily zigzag through some sturdy cyclone fence sections, ostensibly erected during they heyday of the base to keep eager recruits orderly lined up during a mobilization. Speaking of order: There were a total of 3 transportation workers present, sporting walkie-talkies. They would need to increase their numbers or be martial arts experts when the real crowds arrived for the weekend, I thought. One lady worker stood close to us and, through overhearing transmissions, it was apparent that she was as curious as the rest of us as to where the bus drivers were. Indeed, there was a fleet of about 40 buses, but no one to drive them. A fellow in line with me had been there for 35 minutes, so I guess I got lucky when a driver did emerge just eight minutes later “¦ and we were off to the races. As the track had missed their FX practice start, announced at 8:00, we witnessed the first bikes to appear on the track for the meet, at 8:20 a.m. The actual ride to the track had been easy and smooth – no hassles there. The sight of the new and improved track was hampered by the same phenomenon I observed during last years MotoGP and WSC events of recent years. The TV contracts are far more lucrative than the pedestrian observers and no effort has been made to preserve some of the traditionally great view spots a Laguna Seca. Rather, the fences that line the track have been plastered with billboard advertisements, intended as a backdrop for video footage shown in living rooms across the globe. You are hard pressed to walk up trackside and get much of a view – to do that there’s a hefty surcharge for the various hospitality bleachers, platforms and lounges. As such, there are no hidden admission fees per se, but the track itself is hidden until you shell out handsome upgrade charges. The PA system coverage was spotty at best – is it possible that, among the astronomical costs associated with this event, enough potential electricity savings exist to warrant shutting off a good portion of the system for much of the day? Doesn’t seem plausible to me, but what do I know? The highlight for me was that a very good friend had given me an invitation to the Yamaha gathering at the Monterey Aquarium. THAT was a classy affair where I got a chance to rub elbows with greats such as Rainey, Lawson, Mamola, Emde, Checa and a host of MX racers. Rossi was there, too, but he is very difficult to get near. Has to be: He’s constantly being mobbed by fans; I saw the lanky, fleet-footed champion emerging from a paddock lounge area during the afternoon, only to lope at a good pace to another hiding place and quickly duck for privacy cover. The Yamaha Corporation is deserving of the highest accolades in its collective effort to bring this premier level of roadracing to the U.S. A factory race team mechanic in the paddock told me their expenditure was a cool $7 mil. That’s just what the tuning forks bring to the party. The soiree at the big fish tank was splendid. What a classy way to celebrate the USGP and elevate the perception of our favorite sport. Excellent food and beverages were provided by that most gracious host: Yamaha. Thank you so much. For personal reasons I had decided not to get near the track during the weekend. Armchair speculation and, by now, a good measure of Monday morning quarterbacking proved it to be a fairly wise choice, what with the track surface disaster that effectively relegated the AMA to an unimportant sideshow. Mat Mladin has been accused of having a case of sour grapes syndrome, but when he remarked last year that the eeriest thing about the MotoGP bikes was how much noise they made, compared to how fast they were against the AMA Superbikes (Nicky Hayden’s 2005 pole time about two seconds quicker than Mladin’s), I could see his point. I think the AMA deserves its own venue; certainly MotoGP deserves its own and I’m really not sure that this great nation which put a man on the moon, made Hollywood a billion dollar industry and generally super-sized everything has an adequate facility for FIM racing. Having someone criticize your party is a tough thing to swallow, so when Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau complain about the USGP facility as a whole (or did they actually say it was a hole?) we tend to get offended by those f***ing, stuck-up foreigners, but don’t we get the same feedback from the ones perceived to be more likeable, unassuming personalities? I really don’t want the US round to go away, but if IRTA thinks that this meet should be scrubbed, in order to preserve the integrity of this pinnacle of motorcycle racing, why, I wouldn’t judge them harshly for that. Thanks to all who tried to make this event work better!!!!! I appreciate your endeavors. Bo Poulsen Columbia, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: After three years in a row having the same kinds of things happen more than once each time, I have to wonder if SCRAMP is ever going to get its head out of its butt. Okay, they can’t make it not be hot, and maybe they don’t have whatever it would take to keep from confusing people over how to get where, though I don’t see why that would be so hard to do, but maybe they just can’t figure it out. I can live with that. But what they can do and really should do is insist that their workers treat people like human beings. Because one of these times, somebody is going to bust a bottle over one of these parking lot attendant’s heads for yelling at them like they were disobedient children or dogs, and somebody’s going to get hurt, and Laguna Seca is going to get sued over it big time. Some of these A-hole SCRAMP guys just have a real attitude problem, and they need to be straightened out or fired, that’s all there is to it. I can put up with heat and hardships, paying too much for food and water, but not being treated badly. I’m probably not the only one who feels that way about it. Earl Ripley Petaluma, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I love to come to the GP, but started thinking about the expense and considering that there is actually under one hour of racing, to go back next year shall be heavily thought about. I have been attending the track since 1992, as first a working crewman, a fan and also a spotter for Chet Burke Productions and Speed. I have had wonderful opportunities to get to see the riders due to the TV credentials and experience more that most fans can, I saw many races from the timing and press building now torn down I spotted up there for years, I saw Aaron Yates in 03 remove many riders from the superbike race in turn one and watching Frankie Chili sprint back up the hill to fetch his secondary bike to continue on and compete. The dust factor was horrible the Aprilia folks and their display looked like the Dakar rally and Ducati Island like the Oklahoma dust bowl! If I paid to display like these folks I sure would be pissed off for sure! I have been to the track in April of some years back, I say move the venue to a cooler month, but this was by far the worst for the heat factor. Gill Campbell says her heart is broken every time a fan has a bad experience, well it must be made of stone! What kind of moron thinks that the shuttle experience would even be like to which was related the ride for golf fans to Pebble Beach where the temperature is cool to cold to some, and the ride short without fans waiting hours in heat equated to the heat of the planet Mercury or even Hades! Where was this idiot brought up in Australia in the friggin outback mate? Yes it will be a hard decision not to return next year, to sit home and save lot’s of money watch the race with the cold ac on and remember how it was watching the race in a laser beam and observing my fellow fans wither and succumb to the heat provided by the sun which I think moved closer to the earth to punish such idiots who charge such high prices for water only to have people almost pass out waiting like cattle to be taken back to their point of departure. I gave the GP a second chance and there is still a lot of improvement to do be fore I return form mostly sunny but way cooler South Florida. Jeff Foster CCS #175 Oakland Park, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: We were vendors at the Moto GP event. Having participated in the Laguna Seca event for the last four years, I had a good idea of what to expect. Without any hesitation, I believe that SCRAMP/ Laguna Seca did an excellent job of addressing issues and improving the overall experience for all involved. First on my list was the traffic. Quick easy exits to Monterey and to the 101 were so very much appreciated! The official souvenir tent was drastically better than last year, and the lines for concessions were never out of hand. Red Bull was also spectacular in their participation and willingness to spend to make a great experience. From skydivers to airplane aerobatics to after race live music, it really added to the show. Finally, I would like to request that next year SCRAMP applies earlier to Mother Nature for 80 degrees with a light breeze. Obviously, they did not get it in on time this year. Kelcey Gordon NJK Leathers San Clemente, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The Moto GP race was great to watch, of course I watched from my air conditioned room on a nice LCD display with ice cold beer in hand. This was the first year in many I didn’t attend the Laguna Seca round. Why? because of the experience at 2005 event. More specifically from what I remember was the security “Natzi cops”, traffic getting in and out (my bike overheated one of the days waiting in line), lodging – which was cancelled and then the price went up hugely to get another room several towns away, price gauging – local businesses seemingly raising prices for the crowd (which didn’t seem to happen during the world superbike AMA rounds before moto gp) crowds trying to cross the bridges (which helped me practice moshing for the next punk concert) vending food and vendors as a whole (it took a couple hours in line to buy a shirt), Natzi cops, lack of announcer information, the person forgetting the words to our national anthem, down time in between races, the overall cost involved for the weekend (how much money does the event bring into the community?) did I mention the Natzi cops?, etc. etc. etc. After reading the many posts it doesn’t seem like things got much better. This year I saved the money for tires at local club racing and track days. I did miss cannery row festivities and truly love being at the races but not the way they are currently run at Laguna seca. Didn’t tickets sell out early in 2005, but they still had some left for 2006?, if so I probably wasn’t the only one who didn’t return. My biggest suggestion, please have a Moto GP event at Miller Motorsports park so I don’t have to leave the country to see one again. Anthony Lanzara Palmdale, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Well, camping at Laguna is no fun what so ever if you are a person with disabilities. There are NO HANDICAPPED PROVISIONS in the camping area, corkscrew view. No showers accessible to the disabled. If you can get within 100 yards of a portapotty you have a good spot. No easy access to the track, or to rest rooms. They make you stay out in the middle of a field, nowhere near any restrooms on Wed. night. Last year they told me to inform them that I was a person with disabilities when ordering tickets. The only thing that got me was an isle seat, from that seat all I could see was the backs of a lot of people standing in front of me. I couldn’t see the bikes, and I couldn’t see the Jumbo-tron screen. I am thinking about suing them for lack of handicapped access issues. I was told that there is 1 (one) handicapped camping site. It is in the high dollar campgrounds w/hook-ups that cannot be obtained, it is reserved only. So if you are on crutches, or in a wheelchair, camping at Laguna Seca will not be any thing fun to remember, and you might spend most of the time stuck in your camp, not seeing any races. Warren D. Spradlin Jr. WSMC #67 Bakersfield, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I asked for a cup of ice at a food vendor and she declined on the grounds that ice was scarce and for making frozen drinks only: Fair enough, “Can I buy the cup of ice for the price of a slushie?” I was told no again. Then I was so desperate that I had to get childish and pitch a fit and she finally gave it to me. A $5 bill went into the tip jar. Moments later as I sit next to this vendors stand her staff got into an “ice fight” just behind the tent “¦ simply throwing cups of ice at each other, goofing off! I let her know “¦ Mark J. David Birmingham, Alabama FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I have a plan for next year’s trip to Laguna Seca. I will stay in Cambria. Rooms at a great Inn are only $80 or so. The Redwood Cafe in Cambria has EXCELLENT breakfasts. I will make the trip to Cannery Row on Saturday. I will stay in Cambria Saturday night. I will buy a General Admission ticket and a Pit Pass for Sunday. I will ride up to Laguna Sunday at a leisurely pace for a 10-11 am arrival to watch God (Valentino) and I will spend Sunday evening in Cambria again. I will bring a backpack full of water…did you know they had a 24 bottle CASE of bottled TAP water at the grocery store last night for four bucks? …yup, for the whole case. I could be able to finance the whole trip selling water for two bucks a bottle, but I digress… Seeing as only one brand has a chance of winning in each different AMA class, missing the AMA races and riding up and down Highway One will be a great trade. I’ll watch them on tape the following week. I can afford to do what I did this year, but the “Jolly Meter” on my forehead just was too far into the red for me to do it again. Pete Aronson Hyper-Formance Chandler, Arizona FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The comments have confirmed the decision I made last year to attend the MotoGP in Brno, Czech Republic instead of Laguna Seca this year. I can’t speak to what the traffic situation will be like at Brno yet, but I can declare two conditions for certain; the trip will cost me half what it would have cost to travel to Laguna Seca and the beer will be better. Derek Vockins New York, New York FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I had a great time. We flew into San Francisco Thursday night, hit “the” 101 by 1:30 am Friday, got to Salinas about 3:30, camped in the Wal Mart parking lot, bought $100 worth of collapsible chairs, coolers, barbecue stuff and air mattresses as soon as they opened, got groceries, beer and gin at a super market, then headed for the track. We had our campsite set up (in Archery) by 10:30 and made it to the track itself in time for the first MotoGP free practice. I may have been addled by lack of sleep, but I sure was grinning a lot. That night at the campground there was a live band, a Tiki bar, portable showers and surprisingly clean portapotties. Or so they seemed after two hamburgers, three beers and howeverthehell many gin and tonics. Slept soundly, got up, went to the track and realized it was gonna be HOTTTTT. Luckily, we’re good planners, so we brought gallons of water with us. Found a vendor tent with Mohitos. Bought $500 worth of T-shirts. In that order, obviously. Watched the FX race from the Parts Unlimited hospitality tent. Watched MotoGP qualifying from an EZ-Up at the top of the hill looking down on turn 10 (thanks Donny and Tammy, whoever you are! It was great meeting you!). Was shocked to find out Chris to the V had pole when all through qualifying the tower said Nicky was leading. Scouted the rest of the track and determined the Corkscrew was the place to watch Sunday’s events (lots of shade, interesting action; can’t go wrong with an icon). Got up really early Sunday, went to the showers and discovered pretty much everybody else thought of getting up really early Sunday, too. Oh, well. Showers are so frickin’ great. Slung the collapsible chairs over our shoulders, strapped packs on our backs, each of us grabbed a side of the cooler, and we headed to the Corkscrew. Where we found great hordes of people. Still, found an excellent spot. Set up our luxury suite and settled in for the day’s events. Which included a stupendous display of bike control by that German guy, who wheelied up and down the Corkscrew, then went down on his front wheel a few times, but did not include any AMA races. John Hopkins came by in a Miata a threw a Rizzla water bottle directly to my buddy Dave. Finally, the MotoGP gods took to the track at 2:00pm. Wasn’t that bad, only 4 ½ hours after we got there. People waited for busses longer than that. Or so I’ve read. The race was great. Yay Nicky! Well done, Pedrobot. Melandri, you’re growing on me. Got back to the campsite, struck our tents, got the rental car packed and hit the road. We were made to head for Monterey when we exited the track (after absolutely no waiting), pulled a quick u-turn a mile down the road, and made it to the airport by 9:30. Where the pumpkin finally turned into a carriage and our magical weekend was over. Everybody we met, from track management to fellow campers to the shuttle bus drivers (Hey, Tutti Fuiti!) to all the folk with whom we watched the on-track action were really friendly. No assholes anywhere. My only regret? Paying $90 for two paddock passes for the privilege of seeing, well, nothing. No MotoGP bikes, no MotoGP riders, no MotoGP mechanics, no MotoGP umbrella girls. No MotoGP nothing. Well, there were some closed garage doors, so we did get to exercise our imaginations. Jim Michels St. Paul, Minnesota FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Just read through the various comments from last weekend and thought I’d add in my own. The short version is: next year I will watch my DVR recording of the Laguna Seca MotoGP races from the comfort of my living room. If I have any need to take in live racing I’ll either catch the AMA at Infineon, or, even better, fly down to Phillip Island in Australia and catch either WSB or MotoGP there. The long version: a couple years ago I flew down to Oz, rented a bike in Melbourne and caught up with my former riding posse (I lived there for several years in the 90s). We used to do this ride from Sydney every year to catch the WSB down there, and it was always a great time. This last time around I skipped the excellent ride down from Sydney in order to save time, and instead picked up my bike in Melbourne, and still had a nice 2-3 hour ride down to the Island where I met my buddies. They always rent the same house in Cowes, and it’s a short hop to either the track or the village pub. Once at the track, you don’t park your bike (unless you want to). You ride around the track to whatever viewing spot takes your fancy, and watch from the seat of your bike. Or you can sit on the grass along the fence, in some spots about 20 feet from where the bikes are racing past. No hassles, a world-class location along the ocean, great views from all around the track, and a great exchange rate make this one of the best race viewing experiences I’ve ever had. Contrast that with the $4-a-bottle water, stifling heat, heavily restricted viewing areas, outlandishly priced hotels, and difficult-to-get-around track facility at Laguna, and it is pretty easy to see why I will not be back again. And given what I spent this year for the pleasure of sitting in the dirt under a grandstand just to avoid the searing heat, I will gladly pay double that to take in the action downunder next year (or in September for the MGP). Tom Short San Francisco, California

Team HRC go into the 2006 edition of the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours chasing a record breaking 10th consecutive victory. HRC will enter two Seven Star liveried CBR1000RRW machines in the gruelling high speed-event at the 5.824km circuit. For the race this year the Japanese factories have agreed to race under Japanese Superbike (JSB) regulations rather than World Superbike regulations that allow for more machine modifications than the Japanese series. Spearheading the Honda Seven Star assault will be 23-year-old Japanese star Ryuichi Kiyonari. ‘Kiyo’ aims to repeat his winning ride in the race last year, when paired with the vastly experienced five-time race winner Tohru Ukawa. This time round ‘Kiyo’ will be teamed aboard the fabled number 7 machine by MotoGP rider Makoto Tamada.. Kiyonari, who plies his trade in the ultra-competitive British Superbike Championship, is happy to return to Suzuka hoping to repeat the success of his last visit, in June, when he won the Suzuka 300 Kilometre’s the warm up event for the 8 hours race. That day ‘Kiyo’ was partnered by Yuki Takahashi but Takahashi crashed and broke his arm while testing theCBR100RRW and will not race this weekend. “This year’s machine is JSB specification and is completely different from what I ride for the British Superbike Championship. Engine character is very much different and I feel the difference at the west part of the track, the second half.” Said Kiyonari “However, it is easy to ride this machine as it is well-balanced in every area so the lap time will not be so much different from last year. The biggest problem will be backmarkers. Last year it was easy to pass them at straights but this year, it is harder as top speed is slower now. I won the Suzuka 300km race with Yuki Takahashi in June so I feel sorry for him to miss the 8 hours race but Tamada san is my senior at Team Kotake and I respect him very much so I am happy to be his partner. However, he is very strict in every area so I must try my best to keep up with him. Last year I won the race with Ukawa san and I want to win again this year with Tamada san and make it two in row and contribute to Honda’s tenth consecutive win.” Tamada is eager to get to Suzuka hoping to score his first win in the Japanese classic. “I have a little concern about my condition but every day it’s a little better and I must try to keep improving. My physiotherapist is coming to Suzuka with me and he will help me with my knee problem during then weekend.” Explained Tamada, who sustained leg injuries at the German GP on July 16. “I tested the machine at Suzuka and it is very easy to ride after a MotoGP bike. The handling is very good and I will not have to use too much of my strength to move the bike around. It’s a good bike but difficult to compare with other Superbikes because I did not race in Superbike since Sugo in 2002.The layout of the track has changed a little since I last raced at Suzuka and it seemed it was now a tight track but maybe that comes from my MotoGP experience. The surface is very good, also in the rain the rainy season is just ending and the weather forecast for the weekend seems to be OK. The Suzuka 8 Hours is very important for Japanese riders, it is a great honour to win the race. This year factory teams are entering the JSB machines and this means that a lot of private teams have a good chance to win the race. Kiyo san is a very fast rider and at the Suzuka 300km race he was extremely fast. I have never raced as his partner but as he is also from Team Kotake in Kyushu like me, I am really looking forward to the race.” Concluded Tamada. The Honda Seven Star 7 team will be under the stewardship of 2005 winning team manager Katsunori Suzuki, the vastly experienced HRC staff engineer. Tadayuki Okada and Osamu Deguchi will race the second Seven Star liveried Honda and both have excellent Suzuka track credentials. Okada is a veteran racer who has won races at every level having tasted victory in 250cc and 500cc grands prix as well as the Japanese championship and the Suzuka 8 Hours. Deguchi, now a near veteran at 32-years-old has often featured prominently in the eight-hour sprint on his seven appearances. He finished fourth in the race last year aboard the F.C.C TSR Honda CBR1000RR. Okada, himself an experienced team manager will work under Seven Star 11 team manager Kazuhiko Yamano who led the number 11 squad to second place in the 2005 race with riders Katsuaki Fujiwara and Chris Vermeulen. Tady Okada is well placed to discuss the merits of the Seven Star Honda CBR1000RR in JSB specification as he is currently engaged by HRC as a test rider. Tady said of the machine. “This year we are riding a JSB machine and to win the race with a JSB machine is another challenge for Honda. The JSB spec CBR1000RRW is a fun to ride and is very well-balanced. It is also well-matched with Michelin tyre. Michelin has been working hard with us to develop tyres which are suitable for the machine. For instance, front tyre lasts for almost forty laps. Together with Michelin tyre, the JSB machine is competitive enough to race against the Superbikes. Last year and the year before. I was the manager for Kiyonari in the British Superbike Championship but this year I am working as a HRC test rider so I have been testing almost every week lately. I am more used to riding motorcycle on a race-track than previous years. For past three years, I crashed and I have not won the race since 1999, so I am really looking forward to win the race again this year.” Deguchi is delighted to have the opportunity to race a truly competitive machine at Suzuka. “This is my seventh 8 hours race. Being a member of the Honda Factory team is a great honour for me and I know I must go for a win.” Said Deguchi. “I know Suzuka very well and I think I can perform better as an endurance rider than a sprint rider. The most important thing for the 8 hours race is to keep your concentration for long time and also to keep consistent lap times.” Tsutomu Ishii, General Manager HRC, will have overall responsibility for the Seven Star Honda teams and will settle for nothing less than a repeat performance of last year’s success. Ishii led the team to victory that day but with the teams running under World Superbike rules. Ishii said of Sundays race. “For an engineer the Suzuka 8 Hours is very good race for technical feed back. This year the factories have agreed to race under JSB regulations. HRC do not have so much experience in this class as we don’t enter a team in the Japanese series. But we raced at the Suzuka 300 Kilometres race and gained good technical feed back from our winning team of Kiyonari and Takahashi.” “The most important aspect of the Suzuka 8 Hours is teamwork, mechanics, riders, pit crew, everybody involved is hand picked for the race. We begin our preparations three months before the race testing pit staff for rider change over when we refuel and change tyres. The crew is chosen from the best men from our factories around Japan, a process very much like an audition. When we have the team together we practice pit stops regularly. Race strategy is very important at the 8 hours. You start the race with an ‘Ideal’ strategy but the team have to be prepared change strategy if the weather conditions change, or riders crash and the pace car comes into play, all kinds of things can have an effect on strategy.” Several private Honda teams will look to the race with renewed determination as JSB regulations reduce the advantage previously held by the factory Superbike teams. Chief among them the Masked Rider Honda team, the Moriwaki Honda team and Harc Pro Honda, third in 2005, all three teams aiming for the top step on the podium this time around. The Masked Rider Honda was always in contention for the win last year until race crashes demoted them to a fifth-place finish. This year they will not allow similar mistakes to undermine their efforts to take the biggest prize in Japanese two-wheeled racing. They have entrusted their CBR1000RR to the talents of Tetsuya Yamaguchi and Kazuki Tokudome. Yamaguchi said of the race. “This year we have more chance to win as the factory teams are also using the JSB machines. Last year, I crashed when it started to rain and we had to catch up all the way. It was a shame because we were doing OK till then. The most difficult part of the 8 hr race is when tyres loose grip during the last part of each session.” Team partner Kazuki Tokudome was in confident mood on the eve of the race. “In 2004, we finished fourth but last year we were fifth. So this year, we must get on the podium at least. The 8 hours race is long and you have to be careful when passing the backmarkers. But as this is my third year, I got used to it and I know how to cope with the backmarkers. Till last year, rivals were Superbikes, so we could say they were faster, but this year we are on the equal ground. So for sure we have a good chance. I want to use this race as a stepping-stone for my career as I want to race in a World Championship in near future.” The dark-horse in the race for overall victory could well be the Moriwaki Honda team with Shogo Moriwaki and Leon Camier racing the Motul liveried machine, in the XX-F category. Shogo Moriwaki is steeped in the history of Japanese four-stroke racing. He is the son of Mamoru Moriwaki and grandson of the legendary ‘Pops’ Yoshimura both men renowned four-stroke engine tuners and race machine builders Shogo explained what the race means to his extended family. “This year, instead of taking part in the All Japan Championship, I had been concentrating on developing the 8 hours machine for my dad’s team. The only race I took part in was the Suzuka 300km race, which I qualified second but couldn’t show my full potential during the race. So I am really looking forward to the 8 hours race. I really want to race against big names such as Edwards, Haga, Kiyonari, Tamada-san, Okada-san and Ito-san. My dad always tells me how good Crosby and Gardner were in the old days. However, Moriwaki has not won the 8 hours race, so if I win, that will be great for my dad also. My impression on my partner Leon Camier? He has super long legs and arms, you know!. We are a good pair and the set-up is not so much different. My best finish for the Suzuka 8 Hours was third in 2004 so I am trying to get a better result this year.” Moriwaki’s team mate in the Japanese British squad will be English man Leon Camier making his second appearance in the race. Camier is determined not to repeat the mistake he made in his debut ride at Suzuka and said. “It should be good – I’ve been out there testing and considering that we were concentrating on bike set-up the times were putting in were good, so I am really looking forward to getting out there again. The track, I find is very difficult and physical, and to finish the race, let alone win, is tough on the rider, mainly because the heat is problematic. Last year we were running third, but it rained in my second hour, and I clipped a white line and lost it. I’m going out there looking for a win, looking for a good result, but it is such a long race that anything can happen.” Veteran racer Shinichi Ito, a former 500cc grand prix campaigner and double 8 Hours winner will race for the F.C.C. TSR Honda team together with five-times 125cc GP winner Takeshi Tsujimura. The pairing will be seeking overall victory with a CBR1000RR in the XX-F category. “I am now 39 years old and may be this is my last chance to win the 8 hours race again.” Ito said. “For past three years, I got pole-position but missed the victory. This year, I will win both the pole and the race. My partner Tsujimura is gaining more confidence now and is in great shape. So I can rely on him much more than before. The factory teams are using the JSB machine this year, so there will be more chance for us to win this year.” Harc Pro Honda, third in 2005 have retained the services of Tetsuya Yasuda with Yoshiteru Konishi replacing Haruchika Aoki in the squad. Sakurai Honda will look to the combination of Chojun Kameya and Yoichi Takeda to bring victory to the team. They will be backed-up by Yukio Nukumi and Kazuma Tsuda. The Honda teams face stiff opposition from several quarters, chief among the strong Yamaha teams, the ever-fast Yoshimura Suzuki and Kawasaki. Yamaha have entered Nori Haga and Colin Edwards on the Yamaha. Blue machine. The two men were the youngest ever pairing to win the prestigious race with victory in 1996. Since then Honda have dominated the race but the Japanese American partnership has the talent and determination to beat anybody on their day. The other fast Yamaha pairings is the race will be Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Shinichi Nakatomi, and the very experienced Norihiko Fujiwara teamed with Masayuki Osaki. Yoshimura Suzuki will field the fast pairing of Atsushi Watanabe and Nobuatsu Aoki. The Yoshimura squad gave Honda a difficult time at the Suzuka 300km race and will be a serious threat to the fortunes of HRC on Sunday. Kawasaki have placed their hopes in the hands of Ryuji Tsuruta, a former Japanese Champion and the equally fast Naoki Matsudo. The race promises to be one of the most competitive Suzuka 8 Hours contest of recent years with little chance of delivering a run-away victor.

The first timed sessions of the 2006 Suzuka 8 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship took place this afternoon. Although today’s times do not count towards qualifying, they give a good idea of the performance of the teams entered for the race. The entry is split into two groups A and B for practice and qualifying, in order to reduce the amount of traffic on the circuit. The group A session was dogged by a series of interruptions; the session was red flagged at one point and then the safety cars were called out shortly after the track reopened, to clear another incident. The fastest bike in group A was the No.48 FCC TSR Honda (2:09.637) ahead of the No.101 Toy Story Honda (2:09.997). Suzuki Castrol were the highest placed permanent team, in 7th place with a time of 2:12.178. Yamaha Phase One’s best lap was 2:17.270, in front of Yamaha Acropolis Zone Rouge’s 2:19.101, Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se’s 2:19.743 and Kawasaki Diablo’s 2:20.995. Group B also saw the pace cars out on the track although there were fewer incidents in the second session. The fastest group B bike was also an FCC TSR Honda, the No.778 bike with a time of 2:10.354, in front of the No.7 Seven Stars Honda on 2:10.673. Yamaha Austria (2:16.994) were the quickest permanent team in the group, ahead of Bolliger Kawasaki (2:18.712). Suzuki Endurance Moto 45 lapped in 2:22.583, the Shell Endurance Academy in 2:22.885 and Suzuki No Limits in 2:23.405. Today’s track sessions were really about finding a suspension set-up, tyre and gearing combination that works round Suzuka’s combinations of fast sweeping corners and that also suits all the riders in a team. Timed qualifying to decide the starting grid positions takes place tomorrow, with two sessions for each rider in each team. The fastest ten teams will also go through to the ‘Top Ten Trial’ SuperPole style special stage on Saturday afternoon.

Send your Laguna Seca experiences, comments, suggestions, etc. to: [email protected] Include “Laguna Comments” in the subject line. Include your first and last name, your city and state and your daytime phone number in the e-mail. FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Flagroom Turn Four ticket was $380…it was $140 only a few years ago. They were low on water and soda, both were hot…they were out of ice. The track got greedy. The Hotels got greedy…$300 for a $99 room. Howard Johnsons Express did not sell out. My hotel is 9 miles from the track in Pacific Grove. Why, when exiting thru Fort Ord on Friday did it take me over 40 miles to get back to the hotel? Why were there almost NO signs? Everyone was lost. Fort Ord roads are NOT on any civilian map that I know of. Vendor fees are ridiculous. One of the main reasons I go is to view new trick parts. The last two years there hasn’t been much there. Too expensive for the “little guy” to show off his/her wares. Why was there no water fountains? Why does a 20 ounce bottle of warm water cost FOUR BUCKS? Why does the man in charge of the Flagroom stuff have to say “I NEED A PALLET OF WATER AND A PALLET OF ICE!!!” and they bring in two bags of ice and a single case of water? I should have stayed home and bought a new big screen TV…it would have been cheaper. Cheers, Pete Aronson Hyper-Formance Chandler, Arizona FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The people over at the ROK hospitality area were fantastic – plenty of cold beverages, great catered lunch, fantastic atmosphere. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for general admission race fans with little or no shaded areas and $4 a bottle for water. High hotel prices forced me to stay with friends in Salinas – I couldn’t have paid for a better experience. Home cooked meals, a little wrenching in the garage after the races, plenty of cold beer. I didn’t even mind sleeping on the floor. General admission parking – on that straw covered hill was a bad joke. If Laguna Seca is going to bill itself as a world class facility it’s going to need to take better care of the fans. Anthony Glickman Santa Monica, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: A few things I would like to comment on: Ticket upgrades may have been nearly impossible to do. My buddy tried to upgrade from the Flagroom before they sold tickets on the internet and was denied. My guess is that the people who had them last year renewed them again this year. Yes the feed went down for a few laps…but everyone was hit. We watched the MotoGP race with Corona Suzuki and apparently even Cycle World hospitality (far end by turn 5) lost the feed. I believe that there was an electrical fire during the race so we were fortunate that it was fixed so quickly. I would like to thank all the AMA racers, crew, and track worker volunteers who stuck it out this weekend. Here we are complaining about the heat, but we spectators weren’t turning wrenches or roasting in leathers. They must have been completely frustrated with the decision to delay the race, yet they did their job the best they could. Didn’t BBoz have to go to the first aid tent? I would also like to thank Corona Suzuki for allowing so many people to watch their live feed. It wasn’t the industry big wigs…more like crew and racers that could not even leave the paddock because AMA practice was right after MotoGP. Chuck Forquer, aka Stiffler Chico, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Overall we had a great time on our second trip out to view the AMA and MotoGP races. We brought a cooler with ice and water in an effort to avoid lines at the food and beverage vendors. We were able to get paddock passes and saw some of the current greats including Rossi, Hayden, Edwards, Mladin, Hacking, the Bostroms, Roger Hayden and others. We spent the additional money to purchase a parking pass for Wolf Hill. Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning were effortless getting into and out of the track. Sunday afternoon was horrific at best. An impromptu track crossing would have made things easier when the lines formed to get over the track at the start/finish bridge and then being told we were supposed to stand in line for hours to get over the pedestrian bridge was pitiful. The SCRAMP people and sheriffs we asked for advise by the upper foot bridge were clueless. Improvements were definitely made over last year, but there is still on awful lot of work to be done to make this a fan friendly event. Dean Pariseau Southbridge, Massachusetts FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: How long will it take Laguna Seca to bring the USGP experience, to at least the level of a British or German Superbike race? Some issues are just handled worse than a club-race. The parking situation, the busses, the $4 water (!), all that is ridiculous. Also for the money you charge us, have at least the decency and offer all 3 Moto GP classes, offer a decent programme such as stunt riders or Supermoto, sell water at affordable prices in these conditions, figure out the traffic and crossing the bridge situation that reminded one of the long lines in communist countries to buy bananas. Get it together SCRAMP, we wanna come back! Dino Bez Los Angeles, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I missed last years event choosing to stay home and watch it on TV. With all the ‘pre-planning’ and talk of improvements, I was really looking forward to this event. Everything seemed very smooth as we arrived on Wednesday and the SCRAMP officials moved us into the paddock (two superstock riders, 1 supersport, and 1 FX). Things couldnt have been worse as the event wore on. As the crowds began to pour in, it became obvious that the track was overwhelmed once again. $4 bottles of water with no “free” drinking fountains that I could see. The “food court” just outside the paddock area simply makes no sense. Thousands of people herding over the bridge to get some food, stand around the small confined space, and then back over to the midway. It also makes no sense to put vendors right at the base of the bridge from the paddock to the midway. There is simply nowhere for the mass of people to go. It took nearly 35 minutes to get from the paddock over the bridge. Far too many people were allowed into the paddock area without the proper credentials. Riders/Crew were having difficulty just working their way to the hot pit. 4 toilets and 4 urinals are NOT enough for everyone in the paddock. It might be barely adequate if it were just the teams, but the amount of spectators overwhelmed the facilities. Way too many heat related issues on Friday and Saturday. On both of those days, water was still full price, with no free water in sight, people were dropping like flies. Kudos to the EMT’s and Paramedics for handing out free water to spectators coming down the hill on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Once the MotoGP events were over it seemed like 90% of the officials were no longer around. Where we were pitted was near the paddock entry from the ‘food court’. It was obvious that no one was diligently checking paddock passes about 30 minutes after the MotoGP race ended. As we were going to the grid for the superstock event it was strange to see no one checking credentials for hot pit entry. There were lots of spectators milling around the team areas. Not sure if this was the same for the supersport event that was run a few minutes earlier. Another issue involved team move out procedures. We all received a detailed packet that included maps of how to get in and out of the facility. On move in there were lots of event officials standing by to direct team transporters where to go. Move in was very smooth. It was after 9pm once we were ready to leave. Our instructions told us to depart the same way we came in (South Boundary Rd to Gen Jim Moore to Hwy 218). As we were heading out the main exit was coned off and there was no way to make the tight turn around the tree island at the top of the hill. As we approached South Boundary Road there was an official who stopped us and told us the road was closed and we needed to turn around. I explained that the map told us to go this way, and he said that it was a mistake and the road was closed. Meanwhile, other teams were stacking up behind us. Without anyone to direct us where to go, we worked our way through the parking areas and back around to the main entrance. Once back at the main entrance we could see that Attack was at the top of the hill and moving the cones out of their way to try to make that turn. These types of issues are very easily avoidable with proper planning and proper implementation. Just the icing on the cake I guess. I can honestly say that Laguna will probably be the first event crossed off the list for 2007. I cannot believe that an event of this scale could again have so many of the same mistakes from the previous year. So here’s some advice if you want people to return: 1. Double the pedestrian bridge capacities (or limit attendance). 2. Double the permanent paddock bathroom/shower facilities. 3. Dont issue more parking passes than you have room for. 4. Install FREE drinking water stations throughout the midway and vendor areas. 5. Dramatically limit the number of spectator paddock passes. 6. Have “hot” weather contigency plans (i.e., water mister stations, port-a-cool fans, etc.). Tyson Silva Cascade Tracktime Lake Oswego, Oregon FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I rode my motorcycle in on both days and while there was an improvement, it could be better still: Need more direct access between the hill and Corkscrew and the M/C parking lot without having to wait in line to get over the main straight. Hey here’s a thought, there is a bridge over the track at the corkscrew but you can’t use it unless you are a camper… Then there is the ridicules line to load up the buses – I heard many people waited several HOURS to get on a bus. I know when I left on Sunday the line of people waiting to get on the buses was approaching a 1/2 mile in length as was the line of empty buses waiting to pick up passengers. There has to be a better way! As to the water issue, what is wrong with the track simply making sure that the drinking fountains work and that there are plenty of drinking fountains available… simple, cheap for the fans, I am sure reduced the tracks costs and insurance as you know the track had to pay for all the EMT treatment of heat stroked out fans! I think Laguna needs some REAL experienced operators running this event or at least advising them how to run it. George B. Leavell Gilroy, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Hell is the only way to describe possibly the last time I will attend a race at Mazda Raceway. I’ve attended at least ten races there and I attended the MotoGP last year. I am a MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIST who will put up with almost anything to see a great race. I read everything I can get my hands on about bikes. I own 5 and ride every chance I get. I’ve been attending races as a competitor or spectator for over 30 years. Sunday July 23rd was both one of the best and worst days I’ve ever spent at a track. This year’s Red Bull US MotoGP races at MAZA Raceway Laguna Seca were great right up until we tried to leave on Sunday. It was a page right out of Dante’s Inferno–in a word HELL! I estimate there were 20 to 30 thousand souls trying to leave and we were all standing or squatting many on the side of a hill for three hours awaiting buses. The same buses who were supposed to relieve the traffic nightmares from last year’s race. People were passing out from the 100 degree plus heat standing shoulder to shoulder with nowhere to move for relief. The line was actually a broad swath of people roughly 30 to 40 wide where there was room to cram them in between the fences. Pregnant women and babies in strollers were draped with wet towels over their heads. Their faces as red as the red on the Red Bull logo. Husbands and sons cussing and yelling at the police and anyone with a Scramp t-shirt on who came within ear shot. This did nothing; we could not go anywhere. Many people began begging track workers to show them a direction so they could walk the 10 miles back to their cars. Cases of bottled water were passed out to the crowd around me. The bottles disappearing into the crowd almost as fast as they appeared. This happened many times during our wait and there was never enough water to stop the demand for more. Once THEY did decide to let us move toward the buses there was no plan for loading everyone. At first we were run down the fence line 300 yards to the buses instead of moving them up to us. Then once we got half way there they decided to move the buses up to the front. They stopped the line behind us and let them start boarding. Then opened the fence a hundred yards in front of us and let them across the track. This left the ones in the middle without buses to board. We were left frustrated hot and ill tempered. Finally sending us back down the track to buses we should have already been on. Confused by this, so were we however don’t forget we had been at the track all day and had tried to leave early to avoid the rush (ha). We left before the Supersport race started right after the MOTOGP race had finished. We had tried to leave the track at 3:00pm and finally got back to Monterey at 7:30pm. Our car drive back to the Portola Plaza in Monterey took about 20 minutes. I would never ever go back to Laguna Seca without a Helicopter or a Motorcycle. I live in Florida so both of these options may be hard to come by next year. Sorry…I’ve had enough fun at the dry lake thanks to SCRAMP! Regan Shaw Tampa, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: It was better than last year, but there were still problems that should have been corrected, in particular the issues of incomplete, misleading and/or contradictory directions getting people lost, and surly, rude martinets directing traffic or manning security checkpoints. People go there to have a good time, and they pay through the nose for it, only to have the experience marred by ugly confrontations with Nazi-mentality personnel who act like cops in the advanced stages of steroid psychosis. Not all of them were like that, but all it takes is one to ruin a good time. My friend and I were confronted by one of these, who said we couldn’t go to the Fox Hill camping area, for which we had camping passes, because we had no wristbands. I told him I had not been informed that we needed wristbands when I ordered our camping passes or when I spoke with someone at the ticket office on the phone to make sure I had everything we’d need. This precipitated an escalation in this jerk’s hostility level several light-years beyond anything remotely reasonable, and he became extremely abusive, as if he were about to start swinging. His hostile tirade went on for several minutes, holding up traffic behind us the whole time, in the 104-degree heat, with bikes overheating and people sweltering in riding gear. Another worker eventually interceded when he became aware of this maniac’s foaming at the mouth and yelling in my face, and upon recognizing that our papers were in order, we were allowed to proceed to our campground. AT THE CAMPGROUND, there was table where we were issued wristbands, the ones the security Nazi had said he wouldn’t let us into the campground without. How much sense does that make, not letting us into the campground without wristbands that we could only get once we were AT the campground, which we had passes to get into? Then there was the information specifying that motorcycles could only use the Barloy Canyon route into the racetrack, and the fact that when we followed that direction, as instructed, on our way back to the track after an excursion to Cannery Row, the gate to Barloy Canyon Road was padlocked, forcing us to ride quite a few more miles to the front gate, which was supposed to be locked at midnight. Fortunately for us, we got there with one minute to spare, with my bike almost out of gas. There was another confrontation with a rude SCRAMP worker on Sunday, yelling at me for simply asking whether I could exit through the front gate after the races because I needed to get to the nearest gas station. I suspect these aggressive Nazi types are off-duty cops hired for the occasion, and I strongly recommend that SCRAMP not hire people with such horseshit attitudes in the future. It’s bad enough that police forces hire them and tolerate them. The races are supposed to be fun, enjoyable experiences for those attending, and the people who work there need to be made acutely aware of that. I would certainly like to see SCRAMP and Laguna Seca get their act together, because the international MotoGP people are probably getting a very unfavorable impression of the U.S. when they come here and see how amateurishly things are run at this event. Virgil Elliott Penngrove, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Access to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca raceway via motorcycle has rarely been as easy at it was during the MotoGP weekend in 2006. The dedicated motorcycle-only entry and exit meant that motorcyclists were not subjected to waiting in long lines for cars, trucks, etc., not stuck on hillsides burning out clutches, and far less subject to overheating bikes and riders. It was not uncommon to enter the racetrack facility and not come to a full stop until reaching the parking area. But general admission parking was a sad joke; motorcyclists who arrived after about 8 a.m. found themselves parked on the side of a dirt- and dry grass-covered hillside, leading to numerous tipovers. – Fans desperate for water on the hillside between turns Four and Five in the scorching heat of Saturday took matters into their own hands after noticing that the drinking water fountains had been turned off, but hoses irrigating the landscaping were functioning. Fans disconnected the hoses from faucets on their own, and there were frequently lines of fans waiting to soak themselves in water of questionable cleanliness. – Perhaps one of the more visible non-riding racers at the track this weekend was C.R. “Critter” Gittere, the GEICO-sponsored AMA Superbike racer who has been sidelined for several weeks while he recovers from “a number of busted-up parts,” as he said while signing autographs at the GEICO tent on Saturday. Gittere was signing bright green promotional bandanas, and with the heat, many, many fans could be seen sporting the bandanas, soaked in water, as impromptu headwear. Michael Gougis Long Beach, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I’ve thought about comming to the Laguna races. But after pricing it out (airfare, hotel, etc), I found that I can go to the opening round in Jerez, Spain for equal, if not slightly lesser money. Airfare is a wash since airfare to Cali from where I am usually runs pretty high. I found tix to Seville Spain for $550. As for Hotels and other stuff, the folks in Cali are sticking it to the fan a lot more that the Spaniards are. Guess which race I’m going to next year to get the REAL MotoGP experience? Going to take in the race and all else southern Spain has to offer… Jeffrey Brannen Canton, Ohio FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Contrary to Mr. Purdy’s experience, I was able to purchase, after waiting on the phone for over two hours, a pair of flag room tickets with parking. The early (and patient) bird gets the worm. All I can say is, from my perspective, the organizers did a far better job this year. In 2005, with “regular” tickets, we had to park on Wolf Hill. It took 2+ hours to get into the track via South Boundary Road and about 45-60 minutes to get out (only because we left after the MotoGP events). This year, we arrived at the track at 8:00 a.m. via Highway 68 and was out and about by 8:10. Total travel time (hotel to flag room) was just 25 minutes. The flag room was great! Food, drink and air-conditioned toilets. Around the track, I didn’t see the extreme crowding of 2005 (Dunlop bridge, et al). Egress from the track after the MotoGP race took just 5 minutes. I’d like to thank the organizers, sponsors, and volunteers for making this a great event. Now, if only the weather had been 20 degrees cooler, it would have been perfect! Gerard T.K.Y. Lee Kaneohe, Hawaii FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I’d have to agree that the walkover bridges are GROSSLY undersized and too few in number. I would also have expected the track entrances to be marked much more clearly. The bike entrance was, but I didn’t know I was at the track until I’d almost missed the turn. No big deal after day 1 though. The heat was unbelievable…..and we were in the shade of the ‘flagroom’ tent between turns 4 and 5. I have no idea what our actual grandstand seats in turn 11 were like, we never bothered to check. I know I drank at least 10 liters of water friday and at least that many on saturday and thought seriously about taking a swim in the ice where the water was being kept. $4 for a bottle of water is just plain insane, particularly when it was 114 degrees in the shade around 2pm on saturday. I can understand that they need to make money to keep the GP crowd coming every year, but the whole water situation was ridiculous. Having said that, the 2 water fountains that I saw all weekend both worked and there was no line at either one. Would we go again….probably. Would I like to see some things improved….absolutely. Matt Manspeaker Arlington, Washington FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Geez, guys, pull those tire irons out of your butts and smile! Life’s not that bad!! Yes it was insanely hot, yes the track crossings sucked, and I too had to wait over an hour in the blistering sun for my packed out bus ride back to my truck. Heck, I even got a sore back from carrying a backpack full of water bottles while trudging up and down hills all day. But, you know what? I had fun!! I finally got to see Valentino Rossi in person! I finally got to hear a V-Five Honda shrieking down the track about fifty feet away! I saw Nicky win his home GP and move even closer to becoming the next American World Champion! I thought I would have to fly to Europe to see a GP but I went to one within driving distance of my house. How cool is that? No it wasn’t a perfect event, but I had a good time. We should be happy that we have an opportunity to see this level of racing in the U.S. By the way, put those tire irons in a parts washer for a day or two before putting them back to use…I always recommend Simple Green or Bathroom Scrubbing Bubbles in these situations. Gabriel Trench Sherman Oaks, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: During the 20+ years I’ve attended races at Laguna it’s changed from a volunteer-driven grassroots effort into more of a greed-driven effort on the part of the track, area businesses, and local communities. The Flagroom experience was good, thanks to the hard work of the volunteers and the catering employees. But there have been no improvements to justify doubling the price. Same long wait to check in, same “preferred” parking in the dust and dirt, same lukewarm beverages. Ducati provides similar or better amenities for free and makes their customers feel truly welcome. (Maybe it’s time to go buy a Duc). Local hotels sell rooms at scalper rates. I had a very bad experience with my reservation at a major chain hotel that the corporate office had to resolve. Their letter actually apologized for the hotel’s “dishonesty”! And don’t forget that Embassy Suites suddenly bumped many fans last year, leaving them with no lodging a week before the race. Aren’t hotels in the “hospitality” industry? Traffic flow for motorcycles was greatly improved this year. I was parked within 20 minutes of entering Ft. Ord and exited even quicker. On the other hand, Highway 1 traffic was a nightmare! Local police and CHP efforts were focused on setting up radar gauntlets rather than directing and expediting traffic. Extracting dollars from visitors seemed more important than helping us get to and from the track. (Off topic….I was in line at McDonald’s behind a CHP motor cop who was fiddling with a camcorder. He said that CHP is doing a remake of “Red Asphalt”. HQ in Sacramento sent the camcorder to get accident footage, knowing there would be a lot of motorcycles in the Monterey area. He seemed a little peeved that they did that and said he hoped to NOT get any footage.) A lot of the problems and negative reactions were due to the weather. There didn’t seem to be a contingency plan that could have been put into action based on the weather forecast. They missed the opportunity to proactively prevent heat problems instead ended up hauling people away in ambulances. I wonder what would happen if there had been a brush fire or some other major problem. Despite welcome improvements such as traffic and the merchandise tent, SCRAMP has clearly bitten off more than they can chew. If they expect to charge prices similar to other major sports venues, they need to spend money improving facilities and services. They also need to hire more professional advisors and staff and stop relying so much on inexperienced, overworked, and underappreciated volunteers and management. Many of my friends stayed home this year because it exceeded their budget or has become more hassle than they felt it was worth. SCRAMP and local community need to re-focus on providing value for the money they are extracting from us. They need to remember that they in the entertainment business. The paying customers who make it all possible will choose to spend their hard-eared money and vacation time elsewhere if it isn’t fun and enjoyable. Ken Ishiguro Rancho Santa Margarita, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I flew in from Atlanta, GA on Saturday because a friend had family problems and he offered me his passes and airline ticket. Yes it was dangerously hot. Yes it was a sin to charge $4 for liquids. Yes the porta-johns made you gag. Yes it was sad to see people in the shuttle line wilting in the sun. Yes it was a drag to wait for six hours before the lads turned a wheel in anger. Yes it was frustrating to have everyone in the grandstands rise up out of their seats when the bikes passed by. After the MotoGP race, I spent the last part of the day seated under those twisted oaks at The Corkscrew watching the support races with knowlegable, die-hard race fans and it was all good. Despite some rough edges, nothing and I mean nothing short of being struck by lightning that day would keep me from coming back next year. I sure hope I can snag that sofa space again in Carmel Valley with the Ducati on-line folks. Lloyd Horton Floribama Riders Atlanta, Georgia FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Let me give you my perspective as a longtime Formula One fan attending my first motorcycle event. First, AMA and MotoGP have races that actually involve passing, often more than once in a given lap, and riders who give 110%. This is fantastic and exciting to watch. Second, you have sanctioning bodies that appear to care about the audience and the quality of racing, not just about making money. Third, Laguna Seca is a world-class racetrack, even if the new surface is less than perfect. Yes, four dollars for a bottle of water is steep. On the other hand, I’ve never been to a car race where they dropped concession prices during a race weekend. As I walked under the corporate suites late Sunday, watching folks up there toss hundreds of free bottles down to the fans in line to exit the track, it occurred to me that this would never happen at a Formula One event. Given the heat, the crowd was remarkably good-natured. Certainly there was room for improvement, but it was a great show from where I was sitting (turn 4 grandstand). Next June, when I pay $250 for a ticket and $1700 for a hotel for the F1 race in Montréal, four dollars for a bottle of water won’t seem that bad. Jim Pranger Chicago, Illinois FIRST PERSON/OPINION via e-mail: Reading the comments to date regarding the 2006 Red Bull Mazda Laguna Seca MotoGP event illustrate the Rashamon nature of perceptions dependant on the seating areas (and the incumbent cost differential between Gen Adm and ‘premium seating’), timing, and the various personalities and agendas of those commenting. I had tickets in the flagroom, so while I was there Sat (8-5) and Sun (8-3), I had access to plenty of water and food. The restroom facilities ended up in partial failure on Sunday and I found the one disabled access porta-can locked most of the day. The Jumbotron was repositioned from last year and did not allow for viewing from about 1/2 of the flagroom seating. A one hour waiting line prior to Sun opening of the flagroom allowed access to one of the last available front row tables next to the fence. Great view of the race action coming out of T4 and passing going into T5 made this a decent place to watch the race, and the creature comforts of the chairs & tables, umbrellas, canopies and food and drink are well worth the cost of admission for that area if they are within one’s budget. Traffic for flagroom folks with parking area 2 passes was not too bad going in, and arriving near 7-8 AM all 3 days found us parking near the top of the area with 10 minute max waits at the track entrance and short lines to get up to the actual parking spot near the top of the hill. Exits were quick on Fri and Sat, but Sunday took about 1&1/2 hours to get out right after the MotoGP race. I had no problems visiting the paddock on Friday, a time I prefer because I assume that it is less hectic for all. I only ate food at the concession area on Friday, and there was no wait at 1 PM, with tables available immediately. No wait to cross the bridge to the vendor area around 2 PM, I did my shopping on Friday with the smaller crowds, and visited Ducati Island for about an hour. At around 3:30, it was only 30 minutes in and out for some official items on my short list from the concession tent, which was cool inside. With our parking at the top of the hill, we found that a VA disabled group with electric carts near the #2 parking area entrance would provide rides up the hill to our car. This was very helpful considering my difficulties with mobility due to knee injuries. Donations were made to and appreciated by the volunteers. From what I have read here, it appears that many Gen Adm ticket holders feel they were not afforded the proper value for their money, considering the hassles testified to, whereas my $375 tickets that included gen adm, flagroom access, parking, and paddock access seemed to deliver on their promise for convenience and value. I will be back next year, and assume that this forum will provide some valuable information that may result in remedial efforts by the various governing bodies to make further improvements in the coming years. Problem areas that should be addressed include a resolution to parking on site and/or efficient handling of ticket holder transportation to and from the track; improvements in access from spectator areas to parking and/or transportation areas and between various restricted areas of the facility; construction of reliable and well distributed access to water and waste facilities; and a ticket pricing structure designed to provide more and varied levels of service to those desiring something ‘different’ from their current US MotoGP experience, with the required infrastructure at each level to satisfy the majority of the consumers. John Whiting College Station, Texas FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Laguna MotoGP 06 Comments and observations: I attended the 04 Superbike and 05/06 GPs. I traveled to the Sunday only racing venue by bike in 04 and the GPs by car. I viewed the racing from various vantage points in the Superbike and sat in the turn four grandstand for the two GPs. Last years event was a logistic debacle save for the racing (the reason I came I think). The ingress, egress and food vendor support was crux of the problems as has been reported ad nauseam for the last year. My three buddies and I opted for the car/AC at the last moment after enduring 100-110 temps on my MC trip up from San Diego to Atascadero (2 hours south of the GP on Rt101). I had high hopes for a seamless world class event with the appropriate fan support improvements. We pulled into the designated off site parking in Monterey per the instructions enclosed with my tickets. Signage was barely adequate but worked with the instructions and but the signs were worse leaving. There was a huge parking lot with air conditioned busses ready to go when we arrived sometime after 9:00 am. So far so good!!!! A quick ride to the track followed with minimal delays. One ominous note was interjected by the bus driver, who volunteered when I questioned how it went for Saturdays racing, that the “PLAN” had changed six times already. After we wound our way over the narrow bridges to the track it was apparent that the food vendor problem had been fixed as there were scads of places with no lines. The Official souvenir line was packed. 10 minutes after we get there the MotoGp practice/warm-up started. How great is this!!!!!!!!! Now the whining/complaining starts: The Supersport race was canceled or delayed or something due to track problems but we never really got an update from the track PA system until after the GP. I missed the Randy Mammola two seater Ducati rides as I thought at the time it was a track reconnaissance to see if the repairs worked. This turned out to be the only track event till the GP!!! Plenty of time to see the Vendors this year, I guess! The turn four grandstands worked just like last year till the Widescreen and PA failed. Not happy about this! Sometime around lap 9 they came back but the PA system really does not support the program of telling folks what is going on. Most of what you learned about what was going on at the track depended on hearsay from other fans as the announcers did not tell you kick. I assume track radio was as useless as last year particularly as regards getting out of the place. Grandstands and PA comments: 1. Never heard attendance numbers and any word on exit plans or bottlenecks etc. They talked about how hot it was but never gave the temperature. 2. After the GP, the interview with the winners was on the widescreen but no sound .. but did have Russian Mig 17 pass comments which is great if you are an aficionado of the History Channel 3. No shade in Grandstands (this is a new requirement spawned this year for some reason) 4. I could not see the scoring tower from the grandstands A great race though (fantastic and this is why I came I think) and now for the “Great Escape”. We tried to leave right after the 600 practice. When I got home, I pulled up one of the few photographs I took at about 3:30 pm and zoomed to the track overpasses and the area by the main straight and what do I see but a throng of packed sardines funneling into a maze designed as if to test humanity and the virtues of a civil society. Unknowingly as if a lemming, I went down the same path but there was no alternative. There were thousands and thousands of people standing in line and often the line was not moving at all. The crowd passed the test (because there was no riot) but track management blew it big-time. The US State Department did a better job of getting people out of Beirut with no notice than SCRAMP management did with a year’s “planning”. Exit Comments – 1. 3 Hours to get to the Shuttle Bus. 2. Nobody in Charge and none of the Staff/Volunteers know anything and if they did tell you something it was wrong. Police standing around. At least somebody started passing out free water. 3. Nobody tells you what is going on – how about loudspeakers systems/track radio. It is as if the Fans are mushrooms and have to be left in the dark and fed dhit. 4. Signs were lousy or non existent. 5. At one point an official vehicle drove through the crowd only to park! WTF! I have really enjoyed the MotoGp racing but there is an expression a wise Grandfather used to say…….. Stuff happens, the second time it happens it is their fault but the third time it happens it is YOUR FAULT. I will have to cool down literally and figuratively quite a bit before I consider going back to the GP in Laguna. But the seeing the race is something special but……… Fix this! Todd Hyde San Diego, California

MID-OHIO COMPLETES TRACK IMPROVEMENTS IN ADVANCE OF AMA EVENTS PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 26, 2006) — Officials from AMA Pro Racing and Truesports Incorporated, the managing entity of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, today announced the completion of ongoing track improvements in advance of this year’s AMA and AMA Pro Racing events. The latest upgrades, primarily the reshaping of curbing, are in addition to the ongoing track enhancements performed by Mid-Ohio in conjunction with the AMA over the past two years. A complete track and pit lane resurfacing, reformation of the Turn 1 gravel trap, wall and guardrails, relocation of a permanent wall along the course’s back straight, gravel trap expansion in the Keyhole, catch fencing replacement and the addition and implementation of air module safety barriers have all been part of a comprehensive track improvement plan undertaken by Mid-Ohio. “Mid-Ohio and the AMA have enjoyed a strong partnership for decades and we appreciate the efforts that have gone into upgrading this beautiful, historic track,” said AMA CEO Patti DiPietro. “Their investment in the facility, especially in making it better for motorcycles, should be lauded by both professional and amateur road racers alike.” DiPietro noted that the AMA and AMA Pro Racing will conduct four major events at Mid-Ohio this year. Along with two AMA Superbike Championship events, including the championship finale, the venerable facility will also host the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days as well as the AMA Sports Road Race Grand Championships. “2006 marks our 23rd anniversary of hosting AMA Superbike races,” confirmed Truesports, Inc., President Michelle Trueman Gajoch. “Motorcycle racing is very important to us and certainly part of our track’s heritage. Our ongoing objective has always been to invest in our facility to ensure that it remains one of the premier motorcycle road racing facilities in the United States. These latest improvements are part of that philosophy.” 2006 AMA/AMA Pro Racing Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Schedule Event /Date AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days / July 28-30 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited / Aug. 4-6 AMA Sports Road Race Grand Championships / Sept. 22-24 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited / Sept. 30 -Oct. 1 About Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. About TrueSports, Inc. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship.

Ford Quality Checked-Backed Chris Carr Breaks 300 MPH Barrier @ Bonneville Salt Flats Today! Carr pilots the BUB #7 streamliner in excess of 300 mph for the first time during the practice sessions for the upcoming FIM Motorcycle International Speed Trials by BUB FLEETWOOD, Pa., (July 26, 2006) Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-owned backed Chris Carr, the current Twins division points leader on the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship tour, took some time off this week to stretch his legs a bit to the tune of 300-plus mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats! “It was unreal,” said Carr, the seven-time AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship champion. “It took us 2.6 miles to hit 300, then another mile and three-quarters to slow down.” Carr’s foray into the world of land speed records began earlier this summer with the BUB team, actually towing the streamliner for the first few times out at 60 mph behind a truck just to get the feel of the unique ride. Since then Carr has been back to the Salt Flats on several occasions, gradually making his way up to NASCAR-like speeds before hitting 243 mph early in July. “This week we stepped it up,” said Carr of his 300 mph effort. “The record’s 323 mph and, ultimately, this BUB streamliner has the potential to run in the 330s (mph).” For more information on the Sept. 3-7 FIM Motorcycle International Speed Trials by BUB, link to: www.speedtrialsbybub.com Carr and the Ford Quality Checked team return to action this weekend at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Md., for Round Ten of the 2006 AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship. The current AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track champion, winningest active racer in the sport with 73 wins and seven AMA/Ford QC Flat Track championship titles, the Chris Carr legend continues. For more information on Chris Carr, visit his website at www.chriscarr.com.