What's is so great about Laguna Seca?

[Jay]

OK, I know your immediate answer is going to be 'the corkscrew'. If you are driving around the circuit yourself that would be true, however, now that they do not allow off-road passes, it is impossible to pass there and adds nothing from a spectators point of view.

The track is one of the ugliest on the Cart circuit, looking more like a quary than a race or dump than a track. The area around the circuit appears to be quite pretty, so it is a mystery to me why they made the circuit so dull and boring.

This is hardly the safesty road course in Cart. For the second year in a row a car flipped over a fence, and into the marshalling area. The gravel traps here are non existent. The area around the track appears to be more comperable to ice than gravel. No grip, but very hard. Anyways, it does nothing to slow cars down.

Now my big reason, is that this "great" circuit seems to be able to produce some of the most boring races on the Cart circuit. Certainly the most boring of all of the road courses, with little to no passing. The races at every other street circuit, Elkhart Lake and Mid-Ohio are almost always a lot more interesting than the races at Laguna. In fact, I slept (litterally) through most of this years race. I woke up to see them making their second pit stops.

I realize this circuit is loved by many in Cart, so I will probably get some harsh responses. However, from a spectators point of view, what is so great about it?

[Liz]

I have never liked this race, because it is too much like an F1 race - a procession. Today when I saw endless footage of Patrick's car flipping over the fence to nearly kill him, and watched Moreno's car skate across the gravel to no effect, miss all the tires and hit the concrete wall, I wondered what the safety crew had actually been doing when they said they had made the track safer - playing cards?

Judging by an announced crowd of 20,000 - which probably means it was less - it sounds as if most people agree with us.

[Heeltoe6]

"the corkscrew"
HA!


Anyways, it's becasue the course is so diffivult that I like it. Not that it is my favorite track. I'd probably rank about equal as RAm. Laguna has not always produced processional racing, and even though it was the case for the lead the past 3 years now, it was not the same trhoughout the field as it was today. Anyways, as far as this year is concerned, the race at MO was just as processional.

Safety. The track is just as safe at Road America or Mid Ohio. Not a doubt in my mind. Laguna has just had the unfortunate fortune of having accidents happen. But, we've sen some scary incidents at RAm(Mi Andretti, Carpentier) and yet no one is calling those tracks "unsafe" as a lot are calling LG.

20,00. God that's bad! Hey, maybe running Sears Pt. isn't as unfeasible as one would think

[Nuvolari]

Not much to like about this year's race. Pretty tiresome watching Helio, Gil and the rest of the freight train. Should have taken my dog for a long walk instead.

[KC]

Laguna Seca offers the CART drivers the same thing that Spa offers to F1 drivers. It is very demanding of the driver and equipment and a major challenge to win a race there. The surrounding area is not very beautiful or scenic, but it is southern California and it is a desert. The whole place looks like it needs about a weeks worth of rain. But, Laguna is one of those tracks that challenges the drivers more than most other natural road courses.

[botsquad]

no, it's not forest green.
but it's a blessing too us alergy sufferers.

and it's got great vantage points all around the circuit.

and it takes a perfectly balanced car and very brave driver to come home first.

[kuchi]

I think laguna is a very hard track for all drivers, but it´s no fun to watch though. We know there are not many passing oportunities, and safety is a big deal, and the corkscrew is really boring without zanardi making a move on herta. But the landscapes are beautiful, if it matters to anyone.

[Jay]

I wonder if they should make some changes to improve safety, and allow more passing. Maybe make the first corner tighter? Make turn 4 a little tighter to allow for more passing?

And if they are only getting 20 000, why do they race there anyway? I can't believe that this is the actual attendance figure. If it is, drop it!

[gomick]

i personally dont like the track...it should be in the series of course but it shouldnt hold world championship events like wsbk or 500cc gp if that goes back to the states, there are better tracks in the US, luv elkhart lake, that place rocks!

[Dave S]

Laguna is neither in Southern California, nor in a desert. It does happen to be in about the dryest area of the Monterey Penninsula however. The location was leased from the Army in the late 50's to replace the street/road course in Pebble Beach after a horrible accident during the annual race there. The original circuit was layed out on existing fire roads for the most part. The last real change came to the track as a result of efforts to get the USGP F1 race when the track was lengthened from 1.9 to it's current size. Mario had quite a bit of input on the redesign, hence the 'Andretti Hairpin'. If you think it's ugly now, you should have been there in the 60's. The lake used to be a mud flat during the spring, then dried out to become parking during the summer. To realy get the full benefit of the cork-screw you need to watch there in person. You can see the drivers really working to hit the combo just right. I think it's high time for the next major revamp, but it should be run-offs, wall changes & safety barriers instead of more grand-stands, etc that all tracks like because they bring in more money. Laguna is my 'Home' track & I'll always love it for that, but they need to make changes, & soon.

[Fiorentina 1]

From KC: "Laguna Seca offers the CART drivers the same thing that Spa offers to F1 drivers..." No! Eau Rouge is a super fast corner, Laguna Seca doesn't really have too many 4th gear plus corners that require balls...turn 6 & 9 are the only fast corner that require in chops...

The Cork Screw sucks, it's way overrated! The special part for the driver, is the braking zone leading to the cork screw. That's where the difference is! The actual cork screw part you see is pretty stupid...1st or 2nd gear.

I like Laguna Seca because of Monterey, if Laguna was in San Jose, I wouldn't have gone so many times. As track lay out, I really don't care for it. I'd wish they would never have changed it (infield section) in 88...The old (T2 to T5, without infield section)track seems really cool. That's a real track, like SPA...

If they never changed it, I'd love it!

Road America is more like SPA then Laguna Seca. Try taking the kink flat...

[KC]

There is no doubt that Laguna Seca and Spa Francorchamps are not even nearly the same as far as tracks go. Bu tmy next sentence explained my point above.

"It is very demanding of the driver and equipment and a major challenge to win a race there."

No other track in the world offers anything close to Eau Rouge, but no other track offers the Lesmos or The Kink or the Parabolica or Curve Grande either. That is part of what makes a track great. Some tracks are more of a personal challenge than a pure race. Monaco is one of these. To set pole at Monaco is more important than the race itself. The drivers love to race there because it is sucha challenge. I think Laguna Seca, with the corkscrew and the Andretti curves and all the dust and sand on the track offer much the same thing.

[Jay]

"No other track in the world offers anything close to Eau Rouge, but no other track offers the Lesmos or The Kink or the Parabolica or Curve Grande either."

There is nothing unique about Lesmos or Curve Grande. Parabolica is debatable. Lesmos are just two 90 degree turns. One is 3rd gear, the other 2nd. Curva Grande is not nearly as fun for the drivers as the curved straights of Suzuka. I don't think too many drivers would talk about Monza being that great of track overall. 130R in Suzuka is what I would call special.

The cork screw at Laguna Seca is very similar to an inverted chicane at Estoril.

Basically what I am saying is that there are very few corners that are actually "unique"

[Crash Test]

Here's a question, which do you prefer, Laguna Seca or Portland?

[Fiorentina 1]

I'm racing at Portland next year, I let you know. I think Sears Point in more challenging then Laguna Seca.

[bella]

i would love to drive laguna seca. the ups and downs and roundy-bouty bits are intreguing. i tried to watch the race, but found myself glued to the track not the racing. added to the fact that the camera work was atrocious. we never did see what happened to tags (well, eurosport didn't).that did the track no favours.
just saying it's great cause of the corkscrew is pants. it's great cause of the changes, and things like that. i enjoyed watching montoya have a minor fight with the car at occasional moments, and it would have been nice to see other cars (but they're not equipped with camera's because they won't pay) doing the same. but there we are. it's still a great track from a drivers point of view. a bit like silverstone. really dull as a race, but great as a driver.

[floid2000]

C'mon guys......I don't think too many of you have been to Laguna Seca. Ive seen Indycars,IMSA,Motorcycles and antiques race there and never been disapointed. I don't know about anyone else but my friends and me always managed to get within a couple of feet from the (dreaded) corkscrew in the woody area up on the hill. It's a lot steeper than it looks on TV and a really cool vantage point. BESIDES........Don't any of you out there care ANYTHING about tradition or letting the fans who built CART see it live.

[Liz]

Well, where were they all? An announced attendance of less than 20,000 sounds to me like most people don't care that much about the place. We get that many to a race at Mosport when nothing is there more important than Motorola Cup. Of course Mosport is a much better track.

Everyone loves his own home track, I understand that. But I've never seen an interesting race from there. I admit I've never been there in person; there are lots of other races I want to go to first.