Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > MotoGP and Helmet Advice Please

[JPM]

Well welcome back then firstly

Can't help you so much on the whole lid thing but can help on the Laguna thing...

Laguna Seca is based in a National Park from memory and lies near the coast of Monterey, I would guess that most of the hotels anywhere near the circuit would be fully booked by now, unless you're lucky enough to already have one sorted it'll be a drive in on the day.

When I went several years ago I luckily sorted a hotel out quite a while before hand and stayed somewhere between the circuit and the centre of Monterey, when we were checking into the hotel we got chatting with some American's obviously there for exactly the same reason we were and funnily enough they loved the stalker! getting back to the point they asked if we were going down to the wharf.... wharf I asked? Basically it's like going down to the centre of Douglas on TT week, thousands of bikes everywhere, really good atmosphere, well worth the trip in itself, they're all riding round like loons without any lids, gloves etc stupid but fun to watch them howl through the streets

Race day, well unlike the UK the queues weren't too bad maybe because we were close to the circuit, it was pretty foggy when we got there but soon the sun burns through, so firstly make sure you have enough goose fat to stop you cooking It's quite a big open circuit with good viewing from the open areas (start finish straight up on the banking, after the corkscrew going towards the start finish line). The corkscrew itself doesn't look as daunting in real life and viewing round there is fairly limited as all you can see is the corkscrew, plenty of tree cover though just in case it gets too hot.

The infield is great also, loads of shops and stalls, and plenty of bargains (UK/US Exchange rate etc), if you can get paddock passes they're well worth it simply because it's less crowded and you can get a good look at the bikes and have a few words with the riders (I expect this maybe different being a GP not WSB) there's no viewing area within the paddock though.

Food and drink are plentyful as you would expect.

We flew back the next day from SF and sat in the airport with BB, GSE and several others, sat on the plane chatting to Mrs Hodgson.

All I can really say in remember the goose fat! we drove down from SF in a convertible, by the time we got to Monterey we were toasted, nice drive back up highway 1 also

Enjoy

Oh forgot to add the yanks don't really seem to get into the whole swing of things that much, they all sit down and just watch the racing, no cheering or airhorns (thank god) but it is quite sedate compared to UK and Europe in that respect.

[Edited on 27-5-2005 by JPM]