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| #1  19-Dec-2005, 18:01 | |||
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| Laguna Seca ... my trip ... words & pics .... UPDATED PICS So how was it
.. ???? Well thats a huge question but the short answer simply fantastic so if thats all you can face reading . then skip the rest and scroll down for the pictures .. It all started Saturday morning, awoke at Red Leaders house (after he kindly let me stay over as he isnt far from Heathrow and allowed me to park my car at his, he also kindly delivered and collected me from the airport, top fella.). Met Andy Ibbott at the airport, shared some banter and made our way to our flight, Andy was going out as he had an appraisal of his coaching skills and needed sign off by Keith Code to attain the next level accreditation, but more about that later. We didnt have seats together so the next time I saw Andy was 12 hours after take off as we strolled to collect our baggage, more banter and we find another member of he CSS party, Ray, in the baggage hall and then locate Paul in the arrivals lounge as he caught an earlier flight so its off to collect he hire car . And we came soooo close to blagging a Hummer but jus as the assistant was about to let us loose in it her boss came by and told her to find the car we should have, still the Lincoln Aviator was nor hardship, more leather than Camilla Parker-Bowles face and comfier than Kelly Brooks cleavage (allegedly). We make our way to Monterey (appx 2 hours drive from San Francisco) and have a quiet meal before crashing out . Sunday we are up reasonably early and Andy says he wants to see the whales in Monterey Bay so after breakfast we take a tour boat out and have a very relaxing three hours out in the bay where we see whales and dolphins which was superb. After getting back to dry land Andy asks if we fancy going out to he circuit to have a look around ahead of Mondays school, we all jump at the chance and 45 minutes later we are ascending (and I mean ascending in a big way) the access road before dropping into the paddock, 1st view of he track is breathtaking and there are a bunch of single seat race cars out as the Skip Barber Race School has a day on . It doesnt take long to realise this is one hilly circuit we take the Aviator to various parts of the circuit (as you all know I walk NOWHERE .. lol) and get o see various corners and stuff, up at turn 7 Greg the marshal asks what we are up to and after explaining he admits to being a bike nut and invites us into his marshals post which is through the fencing and right on the curve leading to he crest that he explains hides the Corkscrew it looks like riding Paddock Hill bend he wrong way ..!!! After having a good look round Andy suggests we make our way to the hotel, chill and then sort dinner out, we all agree, but then, just as we stroll back to the Lincoln two huge trucks come over the hill that is the service road and the huge CSS & Kawasaki logos give the game away, the circus has made it to town. Andy having met most the US guys in the past wants to say hello and thats fine by us .. within minutes Ive met Kobie the chief instructor, Dylan (Keiths son), Keith Code and some 19 year old British guy that looks like he has lost his tricked up Nova ( but more about Leon Camier in a bit ), Will the chief mechanic and Callan and Nikki (both seriously cute . Callan is 23 and drives one of the trucks and Nikki races as well as being Wills assistant .. both were wife material .. ). We then get asked to help unload and thats real fun, the banter is coming and going between everyone and the whole mood is buoyant, they have one seriously impressive set up and the organisation is top notch . After a couple of hours we head off, but not before Keith invites us all to meet him for dinner with some of the gang at his favourite Monterey Chinese restaurant.. so that was dinner sorted .. and very fine it was too. Monday morning and its an early start, the usual 7am sign on, in the Lincoln Andy asks us to tell him when we have found Turn One, we look at him strangely and say ok, we get to the circuit and are greeted like old friends as we join the queue to sign up and the banter from Sunday just continues, the day is a sell out so lots of people a great buzz and its looking promising. I get introduced to Stu, my Level 3 instructor, I then get told that Stu will be looking solely after Leon and myself, so I find myself doing Level 3 with a real racer, this should be fun. Our group is first out and we have 2 sighting laps, off we go . Turns one to four pass without any drama and then you turn left at turn five and it feels like you are riding the wrong way up Paddock Hill, turn six is superb, a 70 degree uphill left hander, still climbing, through the right hand curve that is turn seven and suddenly you are looking at the sky, the mountain range ahead and then the track comes back into view, holy *****, you have crested the hill and turn hard left before being sucked to the right into the kerb on the inside of turn 8A and its all very very down hill to turn 9, a 90 degree left and then to turn ten, a wall of death right that signals the end of the Corkscrew / Rainey Curve combo and you have dropped approximately 200 in no more than 250 of track .. mind boggling, until you get back to pit lane after lap 2 and realise that was just the sighting laps oh boy, this is fun . The first day is excellent, goes with a blur or two but the lasting memories for me on day one are off track, sitting with Stu and Leon between sessions and debdriefing, learning from both and realising that even the balistically quick) have the same issues and see the benefits of what there is to learn at the school .. secondly I find that 2 of my 4 off track drills are delivered by Mr CSS himself, just me, an American guy called Andy (the only other Level 3 student there that day) and Keith Code in a class of our own and Im being taught Attack Angles and the like by the head honcho way too cool .. The 1st day ends all too quickly and before we know it we are back in the Lincoln and telling our stories of the day, and all agreeing that it is without a doubt a top class event, venue and atmosphere . dinner is eaten, drinks are drunk and then its off to bed, to do it all again tomorrow .. Oh, and no sign of Turn One Day two and its my 1st time to experience the tailored training that is Level 4, I meet my Liaison Officer and am introduced to Steve my instructor, an ex US Marine that weighs about 18st and probably doesnt take much crap, I didnt try and find out .. The day is spent getting ever quicker and ever more confident, playing with all the drills, quick turns, two stepping, hook turns, pivot steering and attack angles, confidence is high enough to start trying all sorts of routes through the Corkscrew and trying to find Turn One .. then it happens, session 4, day 2, I exit Turn Eleven onto the start finish straight in 2nd, hook 3rd, nail it, hit 4th, nail it again and then crikey, this left hand kinks approaching quick, turn hard left, lean off a little and sweep through, apply the front brake and it all gets a little loose approaching Turn Two, I give out a huge grin and realise I have found Turn One . how satisfying was that . the whole day was a blast and ends all too soon . There were some great moments, working with and watching Leon out there was an absolute privilege and to top it all off he is a really nice fella, one of my most vivid memories was crossing the start finish straight, session 5 on day 2, going as quick as I had done all day when Leon screams past, smooth as silk, and then 5 instructors all blow past me in hot pursuit, as turn 2 comes into view I see Leon just slam the bike on its left ear and take the corner like he is on rails, same at turn 3, by turn 4 the instructors have all given up . Leon is gone . a dot in the distance I managed to improve my lap times (yes, they have them on transponders in the US CSS) and on Day One I started at 2:35.00 in session 2 (no lap times in session 1) and my best time on Day One was 2:14.51, on Day 2 my worst time was 2:27.43 which was in session two as I found my way round again, by the end of the day the whole of session five was in and around 2:10 with a best lap of 2:09.62 . So all in all a consistent improvement, but just to put that in perspective, Leon managed a best of 1:34 on an identical bike with race rubber ftted and 1:41 with the same tyres as the rest of us . Theres loads more I could write, but the 1st paragraph says it all . Capt Ibbott out whale watching in Monterey Bay  The CSS trucks ..  Taken from the 2nd row of the grid trying to find Turn One  Will Sir be needing a bike ??? Best get one out of the truck .  Now, where should Andy park it ???  The approach to the Corkscrew . Turn six at the bottom ..  Taken from the same spot as the pic above, the rest of the climb to Turn 7 and the crest of the Corkscrew  The entrance to the Corkscrew between the trees  and if you turn round 180 degrees from the same spot as above this is the view .  The little cream colored hut at the top of the hill is just by the Corkscrew entrance high enough ????  And this was what it looked like when we arrived on day 2 .  Well thay should give you a flavour, my own pics are being posted out to me on CD due to some technical issues with the photographer so Ill update it with those . Hopes its not too long a post Pietro [Edited on 1-2-2006 by DIBBLE]  |
| #4 19-Dec-2005, 18:26 | ||||
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| I'm almost pleased you had rain and overcast skies and even fog (in Californye-ay!!!!!_)  Lucky bleeder  Welcome back to Dullsville mate. Gc |
| #10 19-Dec-2005, 21:31 | ||||
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