Laguna Seca The Scene

For the eighth consecutive year I have made the journey from Southern Oregon to Monterey for a championship race at Laguna Seca, but this year, things are a little different. In the beginning I was merely a fan. I was armed with a disposable camera at best and I my sole reason for existence was to take pictures of hot chicks and cool bikes so I could flaunt them to my buddies back home who didn't have the sack to ride down there with me. The combined AMA-World Superbike weekends were a Mecca of motorcycling for 100,000 fans, including myself, and in the beginning it was awesome.

The first couple of trips I rode in, always on an uncomfortable machine of one kind or another, first an '89 ZX-7 with all my camping gear and clothes held in place by a bungee net (My propane bottle and Dr. J's didn't make it that first year), then aboard a CBR900RR for the next couple trips. That first stint on the CBR was also the first time I had worn full leathers. I squeezed into a set of matching red-white and blue AGVs and an old Doohan replica lid I bought at a pawn-shop just so I could match the scheme of my bike. It was no problem getting into them at the start, but at the end it was a different story. But, you'll have to wait till later to find out what happened there. As you all know, to many riders these days, appearance is almost as important as getting that premier piece of memorabilia, poster, stickers or the coveted rider autograph – or better yet, autographed memorabilia! Image, as they say, is everything.

Oh, how times have changed. For the past five years I've taken part in covering the event for MotorcycleUSA, so instead of being merely a crazed fan, I'm a crazed fan with full access. Instead of autographs, I have to get interviews. Instead of poaching babes from a distance, I give them a sticker in exchange for posing for a picture. It doesn't seem so perverted that way I guess. Rather than packing a weekend's worth of camping supplies and clothes and surviving the madness of the public shower facilities, we rent a million-dollar house in Pebble Beach to call home base. Somehow, I feel like maybe I'm getting a little soft these days. Oh well… I'll go hop in the hot tub and relax for a few before hitting the MCUSA Fan Party with the Corona Suzuki umbrella girls. Hope to see ya'll there. If you can't make it – check out the gallery. Hell, Pauly from Las Vegas Exteremes was even doing a stunt show on the escalator. Yeah, things are a little better these days.

Back in '04 though, I had actually become a bit bored with the direction things had gone and I think the fans did too. The crowds seemed to shrink year after year and for me, it started feeling more like work than anything else. I had always heard from fellow campers during those first few years about how I had just missed out on the last USGP and how cool it was watching Schwantz drop the hammer on the rest of the world at his home track. I always thought they were crazy – how could the classic World Superbike battles between Haga, Gobert and Corser or the emergence of the Bostrom brothers, or even better, the arrival of Colin Edwards as a force to be reckoned with after his battles with Hodgson and Bayliss in '02 be any less exciting than the precious Grand Prix?

Well, Revvin Kevin is now racing Superkarts at Laguna, not GPs, but there's a quartet of American riders ready to etch their names in the history books by winning the first US Grand Prix in more than a decade and prove me wrong in the process. This is a fact not lost on the fans this year either. So far, the American contingent has represented themselves well during the first couple days. Each but Kenny Jr. has been at or near the top of the time sheets, with Nicky Hayden looking like the most determined Yank of the bunch.

For me, the amazing bikes these guys ride make a huge difference in the event. I haven't even seen a race at this point, yet I can tell it's going to be a sight to behold. But what do the fans think of everything so far?

I took the opportunity on Friday to mill around and blend in with the crowd. My goal was to find out if anything feels different about MotoGP compared to events in the past. How far folks had traveled, if they were happy to see a GP and what the event meant to them were all part of the big question. Ultimately, I got some answers and some quaint photos to back it all up as well.

It appears to me that fans are really excited again, running from turn to turn trying to get the best view possible of practice, kids are geared-up, and there even seems to be a renewed sense of enthusiasm in the AMA paddock as well. How could they not be thrilled with racing on the same card as GP anyway?

On the way to the shaded hospitality area near Turn 5, I crossed paths with an entire family dressed in yellow with #46 logos all over them. I sarcastically asked who they were rooting for and they started talking in Italian with a puzzled look on their faces. I asked them to pose for a photo and they hastily accepted the invite and started shouting Rossi war chants, leaving no doubt that they were here to see The Doctor.

Cars in the parking lot had 'USGP or Bust' and other cunning phrases penned on the windows. Entire families were geared up in the colors of rival clans while dad packed the youngest member around in a shaded baby-backpack and the toddlers with ear-muffs peered out from under the screens in amazement of all the commotion. I stopped a particularly friendly looking couple of young ladies to ask how far they came and it turned out they had just arrived from Ohio. They wanted to see Nicky Hayden and Rossi so bad that their old man paid to fly them here, get a rental car, hotel and a 3-day ticket so that they could have the opportunity to see their favorite MotoGP studs in action. Well ladies, you should be tickled pink with their efforts so far.

A couple from Florida seemed happy to be there, and the husband's answer to why they came to this event in particular was very matter-of-fact: "I wouldn't miss this for anything - are you crazy? I didn't go to the '94 event and have been regretting it ever since." I asked how far they rode and they started laughing as they explained. "We've been on the road all week. Left Florida last weekend, drove through the South and did some sightseeing along the way. We came here from Vegas and we can't believe we're here now." I asked what they rode here expecting it to be a Goldwing or Beemer: "We drove!" Anticlimactic end to a cool meeting – but hey, they're here.

So am I. The time had finally arrived for the start of MotoGP practice. The first bike on the track was the Fuchs Kawasaki of Alex Hofmann. Behind him was Ducati's Loris Capirossi followed by Honda's Nicky Hayden and then Suzuki's John Hopkins. Have you ever heard a MotoGP machine live? If not – you're missing out. I never felt the need to wear earplugs at Laguna in the past but they're a necessity now. The added dimension of world-caliber riders on machines that make more power than we mere mortals can only dream about really ups the stakes.

The raw nasty howl of the Red Bull Suzuki's, Nicky's RC211V or Edward's M1 shakes the foundation of your soul when they blast past. It did mine anyways – my eardrums were shakin' at the very least. The raspy, unrefined exhaust note of these bikes might make you erroneously think they're not finely tuned machines, but they are. These beasts accelerate so rapidly it looks like they are on fast forward and that the pilots are just hanging on for dear life. To say these bikes are merely exciting is an understatement of epic proportions. But there's more to Laguna than just racing. Remember that for the majority of the fans, this is about the sport of riding as much as it is the competition.

That's why hundreds of vendors line the infield known affectionately as 'Vendor Row' to show their wares. Every manufacturer from BMW to Yamaha truck in trailer loads of new bikes to tempt the crowds into upgrading to the latest and greatest version of their favorite models. Every accessory distributor, retail outlet, extreme riding team and moto-related service known to man can be found here – on sale.

Some of the most interesting showcases are set up as a trip down memory lane meant to invoke memories in the hearts of the fans of that particular marque's racing legacy. For those folks who haven't been paying attention to the progression of the Red Bull US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca this year, you might not realize how much effort (Read: money) that Yamaha USA has put into getting the track up to MotoGP specifications during this, their 50th Anniversary. Pull your head out, because without them there would be no 2005 USGP.

On display at Yamaha were some of the bikes entrenched in their proud history. Wayne Rainey's GP championship winning YZR500, Doug Henry's AMA motocross championship winning YZ400F, Rossi's '04 M1, Kenny Robert's vintage TZ dirt-tracker, Lawson's YZR and many more.

In addition to their presence at the track, Yamaha held their 50th Anniversary party at the posh setting of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. At the event, every influential champion they could round up from the past 50 years was on hand and thanked personally by Yamaha's VIP speakers.

Over at the Honda mobile showroom they have the only set-up to rival Yamaha's display. Honda's heritage is deeply entrenched in racing as well and they proudly display it as well. Here you can check out Fast Freddie's NR500, Nicky's RC211V, Johnny Campbell's Baja busting XR650 alongside the early CB racers of the 60s and 70s. If there's one thing Honda cannot stand it's to be one-upped by the competition. You really need to check it our for yourself and decide who throws the bigger party.

Speaking of party, our 4th Annual Party at the Blue Fin Café is going to be off the hook (The pre-party on Friday was, so we can only imagine what Saturday night will be like).

That's just a taste of what's going on at the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Keep checking back as we provide racing coverage, event recaps and the all important photos from the biggest motorcycle event to hit the US in a long time, and some more excerpts from tales of my past Laguna Seca adventures.