RE: NASCAR SUCKS (nac)

["TJ" <tj@domain.elided>]

Ron,

Everything you reported is sadly accurate.  But some of what has
happened to Sears Point is the inevitable result of growth, and in some
respects, it's not entirely bad.

I have club raced my Ducati 916 with the AFM http://www.afmracing.org
for the past 6 years.  Sears Point was and is our home track.  The AFM
was one of the tracks most frequent users.

However, the track itself was in extremely poor repair.  The track
surface itself sucked.  There was little to zero runoff in many corners.
Us pokey amateur guys didn't like it, and the AMA boys liked it even
less.  It was right up there with Loudon as being one of the most
dangerous tracks in the nation.  Further, the facilities themselves
sucked.  The grandstands on the start finish, and nearly ever pedestrian
bridge were so rickety you felt like you were more apt to get hurt as a
spectator than as race participant.  There were lousy concessions, no
permanent garages, and horrible restrooms.  Parking too, sucked.
The AMA motorcycle racers were close to yanking it from their schedule.

Enter the new ownership and some $200 million dollars in upgrades, both
safety and convenience related.  I was shocked at the transformation
when I attended the AMA National there a few months ago.  It's
definitely not the old quaint Sears Point of old.  Hell, it's not even
Sears Point anymore, it's Infineon Raceway.  But Laguna Seca is not
Laguna anymore either.  Times change, and we have to deal with it.

At least with the infusion of cash we know it will be around for a
while.  And the track is safer, there is more runoff, and the facilities
will bring more spectators and more money, which will allow the smaller,
more specialized events (ALMS, vintage racing, and of course,
motorcycles) hopefully to still use the track, being partially funded by
the success of the NASCAR guys.

In a time when there are continuing threats to shut down Laguna Seca
(the best track in the whole world with the exception of Monza as far as
I'm concerned) it's nice to know at least one Northern California
racetrack will be around a while.

TJ

"daddy, what were racetracks like?"

TJ Noto		AFM #134  	Cowpoke Racing-"Friends in Slow Places"
95 Ducati 916 Strada
96 Ducati Monster 900 (Chela's)
61 Ducati Falcone 80			
70 Norton Commando Fastback	
73 BMW 3.0 CS ("deviated from museum reliquary standard"-Perez)
97 BMW Z3 (Chela's)
77 Mercedes 280C (Mimosa)	
00 Ford F150 Supercab		
87 Suzuki RG250 (For Sale!)
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