2008 Red Bull US Grand Prix Adventure

Another Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is in the books and this one may have been the best ever. Without a doubt there are plenty of things that contributed to my epic weekend; a fantastic destination, awesome racing, great roads and terrific weather. It all started on Wednesday when Yamaha's Media Relations Manager, Kevin Foley and I made the trek from Southern California aboard Yamaha R1s. Despite having experienced both World Superbike and MotoGP races at Laguna, I've never actually ridden a motorcycle there. Door-to-door we logged 503 miles during two days, on some of the finest roads the Golden State has to offer.

We left Orange County, California, Wednesday morning and managed to keep freeway riding to a bare minimum. Off of Interstate 5 and onto Highway 126 through Santa Paula. From there it was onto Highway 150 into Ojai. After a quick fuel stop and combining GPS with an old-school map check, we headed north on Highway 33. During weekdays the road has hardly any traffic. There are numerous super long straightaways in which you can really open the throttle. But be careful because those straights eventually turn into fast sweeping corners with little run-off room in case of a miscalculation. For lunch we stopped at a quick and tasty pizzeria at the intersection of Lockwood Valley Road and Frazier Mountain Park Road near Lake of the Woods.

After having our fill of pizza and sugary soda, we continued northwest on Frazier Mountain Park Road climbing high into the mountains. In Pine Mountain we topped off the fuel tanks and after some really hot temperatures in the basin, it was nice to get some cooler, crisper air at elevation. The road eventually T's with Highway 166. We motored through the obscenely hot, oil-rich cities of Maricopa and Taft dreaming of cooler weather near the coast. We hit Highway 58 west which turns into one of the finest tight and technical switchback laden roads we've ever ridden. It's an absolute joy to ride if you dig the slower speed stuff. The road eventually straightens for more top-speed test runs, but again use caution as there are a few rolling hills in the road which at speeds over 130 mph can cause you to air-out motocross style. Consider yourself warned.

Near Santa Margarita we veered off north on Highway 229, which is basically a single lane improvised road. It's super-slow and many of the turns switch camber quickly, so it can cause the chassis to get a bit unsettled. Given the fact locals are coming from the opposite direction and you have to exercise serious caution, as if an accident does happen there isn't a whole lot of help nearby. However, the pavement is fairly smooth and the scenery is more than worth its risk.

From there it was onto Highway 41 west through Atascadero, where we again refueled and took a break in the pleasant ocean blown air. After a quick 30-minute stint we were in Morro Bay and ready to check in at our clean, inexpensive hotel, the Blue Sail Inn. After a quick shower, we walked to the harbor and ate at the Great American Fish Co., one of many great seafood restaurants located near the harbor. The food was delicious and the very reasonably priced.

The next morning we awoke bright and early and were greeted by much cooler, almost brisk temperatures forcing us to put on an extra layer. We headed north on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) for a few miles before exiting on Old Creek Road and onto Highway 46 east. Then we headed onto Vineyard Drive and Adelaide Road, which passes through nearby Paso Robles wine country. It's the perfect road to just drive really slow on and take in all the scenery. Eventually Adelaide turns into County Route G14, which passes right by Lake Naciemento and takes you right to the door step of Fort Hunter Liggett. At the gate you are required to show vehicle registration and a driver's license. Once inside there is a gas station just past the entrance to the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. After we filled up we backtracked a mile and onto the road. Driving in we saw a C-17 Globemaster aircraft parked on an improvised runway, and shortly after gassing up we saw it take off into the sky.

Once on Nacimiento-Fergusson we encountered almost no traffic. In fact, the only thing you really have to look out for is squirrels and rabbits running across the road. Nearby wildfires gave the valley an impressive hazy look and the air had a pleasant smokey aroma.

After exiting the military base, the road really tightens up. It becomes a single paved road and there is quite a bit of gravel in some of the corners. A few of the corners, especially the rights are blind and it's important to stay as far to the right as possible to avoid a possible collision with a motorist heading the opposite way. However, for us we didn't see another vehicle until we exited back on to the PCH.

Another 60 some miles through Big Sur and across the Bixby Creek Bridge and we were in Monterey and heading towards Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway.

The weather at the last three previous USGPs has been pretty toasty - especially in '05, so this year we were pleasantly surprised by the milder temperatures more representative of summertime in the Monterey Peninsula.

After arriving at the track on Thursday we moseyed around the paddock and got to check out Oakley's mobile Rolling O lab. Inside the trick-looking lab on wheels we witnessed some of the testing methods Big O uses to demonstrate the high-level of safety and sophistication of their eyewear. One test actually uses a 1.1-lb steel projective (basically a steel punch) dropped from a height of over four feet directly onto the lens. The test represents a direct blunt force impact and although there was a small divot in the lens, the entire sunglass held together proving its ANSI Z87.1 certification.

Oakley also introduced a new Nicky Hayden signature Oil Rig sunglass model. The ultra-hip shades were designed for motorcycle racing enthusiasts and feature a polished black frame with a cool graffiti-style pink/white/black graphic emblazed with Nick's "69" racing number on either side. The lens is Black Iridium which allows for crystal clear clarity all while reducing glare. A matching cleaning and storage bag is also included.

"The hardest part about picking what I wanted for the glass was to narrow it down," explained Hayden. "I ended up taking what I liked from all of their different design concepts. I know the color pink may seem a little fruity for a bike racer but it's the same pink Alpinestars uses on my boots and gloves so it all ties in and nobody else on the grid uses it. It really stands out. Also, I really wanted to do a glass that could work for both men and women, and this one will look great on either. I just hope my fans like it and I look forward to seeing people at the track rockin' 'em!"

Right on Nick, I for one sure 'em digging them and can't wait to see what other signature models that you have lined up in the future...

Despite the fact that overall attendance was down slightly this weekend (131,250 total as compared to 143,020 last year), the track still looked pretty jam packed, even on Friday. Yet it was actually quite easy getting into the facility. If you were coming in on a motorcycle, parking was pretty abundant and after having a few years to get it dialed, workers had traffic flowing smoothly. Once parked, navigating from area to area inside the sprawling facility was also pretty seamless courtesy of the network of bridges and pedestrian walkways.

All the major OE's had setup gigantic displays, allowing race fans to take a look at new models and some custom hot-roded machines. There were tons of vendors selling everything from helmets and clothes, to bratwursts and ice cold beers. MotorcycleUSA also fielded a booth inside Turn 3 in which we debuted of our new quarterly in-print magazine titled MotoUSA.

Later that evening, we were invited to Yamaha's annual Aquarium party held in the exquisitely kept Monterey Bay Aquarium. The soiree was the perfect opportunity to not only observe some amazing aquatic life but also mingle with fellow industry associates as well as motorcycle racing celebrities from the past and present. We even got a chance to meet both Doug and Stacie Henry. Despite all the hardship that they've endured over the past two years, they remain upbeat as ever and have been keeping busy, even promoting a New England Supermoto Grand Prix race August, 9, 2008. The day after there is a supermoto school instructed by both Henry and supermoto ace Gary Trachy. So if you're in the Northeast, without a doubt it'll be definitely something to check out.

We also met Fiat Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo in the flesh, and despite what you may have read, he is actually really personable and fun to talk to. He was super excited about racing here in the U.S. and even though he suffered yet another vicious high-side during Sunday's 37-lap race, he showed some serious speed qualifying in fifth position at circuit he had never ridden on before. We hope he heals up in time for next round's race at Brno, a circuit in which he won last year in the 250cc class.

We viewed Saturday's on-track events from the oasis-like comfort of the Red Bull Energy Center perched atop the hill adjacent to Turn 1. The Energy Station is one of the best places to view the first five turns of the track as well as providing views of the entire paddock, vendor area and the surrounding valley. In between Saturday's AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport race and MotoGP qualifying we got a chance to see a plethora of bikes on display from the likes of Roland Sands, Jesse Rooke, and Falcon Motorcycles, including their ultra-vintage looking Bullet boardtracker.

Jesse Rooke together with Todd's Cycles also literally built a new custom from scratch. Even the engine was hand assembled onsite. Some of the body pieces received some hand paint work by up-and-coming Southern California artist Taylor Reeve.

Saturday evening, we cruised on over toward Fisherman's Wharf and got to see two new Aprilia streetbikes being offered here in the U.S. for the first time as 2009 models. Introduced as a '07 model in Europe, we've finally been deemed cool enough to receive the Mana 850. Powering the machine is a fuel-injected V-Twin engine mated to a selectable final drive system that allows the transmission to be shifted manually via the toe-shifter or handlebar-mounted paddles. A fully automatic mode can also be selected in which the bike will do all the shifting for you. Read all about the details of this bike here. MSRP is $9,899 and there will be two color choices: Passion Red and Lead Gray.

Joining the Mana 850 on your local Aprilia dealerships floor will be the RS 125 Race Replica. Originally released in 2006 at the Milan motorcycle show, this petite machine is powered by a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, 2-stroke engine. That's right a good ol' fashioned premix sipper. Although Aprilia claims it meets Euro 3 emissions standards it won't be street-legal here in America. Therefore we wonder how successful it will be as it's strictly for closed-course use. No MSRP has been given, but there will be three color combinations: Aprilia Black, Red Fluo and Replica Spain's No. 1.

I awoke Sunday to another cool, foggy morning at the track. In fact the sun didn't burn away the marine layer to right around noon. This spelled even more trouble for the Michelin riders as the French tire company engineered the tires they brought in for the hotter track temperatures that have been typical the last couple of years at the USGP. Since the track temperatures stayed cool, the tires they brought couldn't get up to proper riding temperatures.

We watched the big race from atop the roof in Red Bull's hospitality area. Everyone in attendance was either glued to the flat screen monitors or standing on anything they could get their feet perched on. Together we witnessed one of the finest motorcycle roadraces as Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner and Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi battled head-to-head through the majority of the race. A full MotoGP race recap can be read here. Stoner eventually tipped over in the gravel outside of Turn 11, when he pushed the front tire, thereby sending him off the track. He quickly remounted but had to settle for runner-up, with Rossi taking his first-win ever in America.

The 2005 and 2006 USGP winner, Hayden was the top American finisher and second Michelin finisher behind JiR Team Scott's Andrea Dovizioso who finished fourth. Dovi in turn finished behind MotorcycleUSA's own monthly MotoGP contributor, Chris Vermeulen. Suzuki's Ben Spies finished in eighth and Kawasaki's Jamie Hacking taking the checkers in 11th place.

That evening closing ceremonies were held in typical Red Bull style with a party at Tarpy's Roadhouse, attended by some of the day's racers and team members. The place was full of people and there was a great DJ spinning beats which kept the rosy-cheeked crowd on there feet. It was cool too see some of our motorcycling heroes kick back and relax outside the track before heading home for their quick summer break before resuming at Brno in the Czech Republic next month. We didn't stay out too late, as we knew we had a long ride in store for Monday. We were out the door bright and early the next morning with nothing but pleasant memories and a notebook full of cool new roads which we can't wait to get back on next year.