Subject: Instructor Digest Moto GP Plans at Laguna Seca

Fellow Track Junkies:

Many of you may have heard about the coming Moto GP Race at Laguna.
That's the F1 bikes - Valentino Rossi and his buddies. The race has been announced for July 8-10, 2005. Title sponsor is Red Bull. My company has just begun design work for a major safety project required by MotoGP as a requirement for the race. It focuses on rider safety. Here is a summary of the plans:

There will be no changes between the white lines. The track pavement will remain as is. But off the track, big changes are planned:

More runoff room is planned at most corners, particularly driver's right after Turn 1, and driver's right at Turn 9 (Rainey Curve). Most or all of the apex "alligator" curbs will be removed and replaced with a similar, but less aggressive alligator (the better to drag your knee over). Massive gravel traps will be installed at every corner. If you go off track more than a car width at any corner, you will be buried in the "kitty litter". Note to driving school organizers: be sure to have a tow truck available at all future Laguna schools after July '05.

The biggest changes are at Turn 9. First, the bridge will be removed and reinstalled about midway between the exit of 8A and turn-in to 9. I insisted that we remove the existing bridge abutment and fill dirt on driver's left at 9, so as to open up the line of sight through 9. It should help make the corner a a lot less claustrophobic and more user-friendly. The runoff at 9 will be dramatically increased, with a big cut on the right side. Earlier this year, a concept plan for changes to Turn 9 was proposed by some SCRAMP people. It was horrible! It made 9 into a tight left, with the apex about where the corner worker usually sits on driver's right. It probably would have been a second gear corner. I objected to the plan, but was told it was necessary for safety. Later, I happened to be meeting with Wayne Rainey (namesake of Rainey Curve and a client of mine), and I asked him what he thought. He also hated it. He went to SCRAMP and asked them not to destroy his corner. And when Mr. Rainey talks, they listen. So Rainey Curve will not be emasculated.

Four "temporary" garage buildings will be added in pit lane, for the MotoGP teams. These will be simple metal buildings, not an extension of the suite/garage project done in 2002.

Now the bad news: This project will require shutting down the track for
1-1/2 months, starting about May 1. That's going to make it really difficult to get any club dates at Laguna next year. But I will keep trying.

Stay tuned for more news, and make plans to attend the event. If you have never seen a Formula 1 Bike race, you are in for a treat! And the American riders who have raced here previously will have an advantage.