Motorcycle Forum / General / Sportbikes / July 2006

The highlights, for those who don't want to read it all:

- It was freakin' hot
- I was offered $200 for my worker vest
- I (later) got Valentino Rossi's and Wayne Rainey's signatures on my
vest
- I meatballed Rossi
- Nicky won

It was hot.  Just plain hot.  I heard it said that this was the hottest
it had been in at least 15 years at Laguna Seca; new temperature
records were set in several bay area cities.  

On Friday I was assigned to flag on turn 2.2 (turn 2 apex), and there
was no water for us until lunchtime.  If they hadn't had some for us in
the afternoon they'd have started losing corner workers, either from
heat exhaustion or revolt.  While on break I ran into former fellow
AFMer Kevin Crowther, who recently hired on as the chief AMA roadrace
tech inspector.  I also ran into fellow AFMer and our race announcer
John Fosgate, who just earlier in the week landed the dream job of
co-announcing the weekend events with the guys from Speed.  He was
nervous about working with the big boys, but I confidently assured him
he'd do just fine.  (And he did!)  In the vendor area, some guy walked
up to me and said "I'll give you $100 for that vest!"  I said no, and
he said "Okay, $200!"  Sorry, how would I work the rest of the weekend?
There was a problem with water seeping through the new pavement in turn
2.  SCRAMP officials were baffled; there has never been a water seepage
problem in that turn before.  Friday night they worked until after 11pm
installing French drains to try to alleviate it.

On Saturday I was reassigned to turn 2.4 (turn 2 exit) because
apparently Friday's flagger didn't do very well.  In addition to my 2.4
MotoGP flag duties I helped with the AMA flagging at 2.1 (turn 2
entrance).  We had a corner worker drop out with heat exhaustion before
8am.  It was a jam-packed day, with MotoGP practice and qualifying
sessions as well as AMA Supersport and Superstock practice and
qualifying sessions and an AMA race.  The water seepage problem in turn
2 returned in spite of the drain construction efforts and more
head-scratching by SCRAMP.  While on break I hiked up the hill to watch
the AMA guys rail through the corkscrew.  If you think it's impressive
from under the trees, you should see it from the turn 8 comm box!
While there I saw a familiar-looking face wearing a Motorcycle Consumer
News shirt, who turned out to be Dave Searle.  Very nice guy.

On Sunday, due to the heat and what it was doing to the new pavement,
the FIM mandated that the AMA could not take their turns on the track
until the MotoGP was done with it.  So instead of AMA and MotoGP
practice sessions all morning and an AMA race at lunchtime, there was
only the MotoGP practice and we spent the rest of the morning seeking
shade, napping, wandering the vendor area, chatting with friends, etc.
I took advantage of my worker's vest to go down to the MotoGP garages.
I was in the right place at the right time!  Valentino Rossi showed up
for the parade lap, and although his handler told him he didn't have
time, he said "But they asked!" and signed mine and another worker's
vest.  Yippee!!  I also got Wayne Rainey to sign my vest.  He is just
as handsome in person as he appears in photos.

It kept getting hotter.  I started hearing reports of spectators
dropping, and seeing ambulances working their way through crowds.  I
heard later that the concession service took pity and drove an entire
truckload of bottled water into the crowd and just started tossing
bottles; one of the VIP tents did similarly.  This was no small feat
considering that they were originally charging an obscene $4 per 20 oz.
bottle for water and sodas!

Then finally came the MotoGP race.  It was pretty exciting on that
first lap after Nicky took the lead, as he charged through turn 2 with
the crowd roaring behind us; even as loud as the GP bikes are, I could
hear the crowd through my comm headphones.  Then in the last few laps
after Rossi had fallen back, suddenly his bike started smoking.  The
call came for us to show him the meatball flag.  He continued around
the track for more than another lap, and finally exited right at our
station!  But rather than ride into the gravel trap, he crossed the
track (a big no-no in most race organizations when you may be spewing
oil) and stopped below the comm box.  We had barely finished handling
his exit when Nicky took the checkered flag and we all ran out to the
track edge waving all the flags for the MotoGP salute.

Considering how late the FIM mandate pushed the AMA practices and races
out to, I was surprised at how many spectators stayed to watch them.
My MotoGP flagging duties over, I helped with the AMA flagging at 2.1
again.  After all was done, flags and equipment turned in and weekend
pay collected, I and two friends left the worker camping area on our
bikes about 8:20pm.  After trying two different routes to get home to
the bay area, we finally decided to try Hwy 9 in the dark.  Whew!  We
had a mountain resident tailgating and high-beaming us most of the way,
but we couldn't tell where to turn out in the pitch blackness so we
just kept going; he finally passed us in a relatively straight area
(over the double yellow).  I finally arrived home about 12:15 am,
completely beat.

Can't wait till next year!