Laguna Seca trip report
05-28-2008, 03:19 AM
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Laguna Seca trip report
[A bunch of us went down to Laguna Seca from Vancouver/Seattle a little over a month ago. this trip report has been sitting around while we... well... procrastinated. Credit goes to C4S_Fan for writing the section on the track day itself, and to both C4S_Fan and robconnon for reviews and edits. Enjoy!]
Laguna Seca Trip Report - 2180 miles to Laguna Seca and back
For a while it seemed like the first day of our road trip to Laguna Seca would never arrive, and then suddenly it was April 19th and we were off.
The trip actually started on Friday night as one of the cars left Vancouver for Seattle to meet up with the rest of us. On Saturday morning five cars, (two '95 C2's, one '96 C4S, an E39 M5 and an Aston Martin Vantage) 3 of which were driven by rennlisters (rconnon, C4S_Fan, and mpiaseczny) filled up on caffeine, did a quick gut check and left Bellevue. We were understandably very excited and hit the road early. Then within a hundred miles our trip almost came to an untimely end when we ran into a freak blizzard. We pulled into a rest stop and in less than 5 minutes over an inch of snow had built up on the cars. It made for neat pictures but it wasn't very fun to drive in. We got back on the proverbial horse and eventually the snow turned to slush, then rain, and a couple of hours later we were on dry roads again.
Having just beaten nature we were excited to be back on track. Unfortunately we were unable to beat the “law” enforcement in Oregon. In the future we may elaborate on this but for now let’s just say that the three Porsches received speeding tickets which none of us feel are deserved.
The drive through Grants Pass threatened us with more snow but in the end it was uneventful. The redwoods welcomed us and we pulled over a few times to take pictures of these giants.
The previous encounter with the fuzz left us jittery and for the rest of the day we drove like boy scouts: right lane, single file line, never above the limit. Well beyond reproach. We were therefore outright shocked when we were pulled over again after crossing into California. The officer pulled out onto the freeway and aggressively zig-zagged across two lanes in a police SUV in order to stop all traffic, then he hand-picked our five cars to pull over while he let the rest of the traffic go. It turned out that some kids in a Civic were probably the cause of the whole incident as they were taking pictures of us through their sunroof while they weaved in and out to get better shots. Apparently an officer going the other way saw a weaving car, radioed ahead and we were victims of the game of telephone. The whole thing started to get ridiculous when the officer instructed two of the cars to park in a lane of traffic. We thought this was dangerous, but hey, who’s going to tell this cop where to pull us over? Anyway, as we hadn’t actually done anything wrong. The officer offered no apology as he told us he had never pulled over an entire Cannonball Run before. He wouldn’t give us tickets since there was no offense. He actually radioed a nearby officer to check out the cars he had pulled over. Quite pleased with himself, he was. Personally I was livid at being stopped again with such clear discrimination and was half a sentence into tearing this guy a new one but cooler heads prevailed and the situation simmered down. The event wrapped up with some pictures of the cars pulled over and then us getting back on the road.
We hit the north end of Highway 1 at dusk. That section of road is like one of those small streams you see in aerial photos snaking through Florida wetlands: twist after twist after twist. It’s like there are twists inserted in there just for their own sake. It was rare to go into 3rd gear, and it’s not for lack of trying. Having done this road both in the daytime and at night, I think nighttime is safer because you can see oncoming traffic by their headlights. During the day a car can just appear on any corner without warning. On the other hand, there’s more deer at night and yes, they did test our brakes once. The consensus was that this was a track day all in itself.
It was impossible to find a beer that night. Small towns have some serious downsides sometimes.
The rest of Highway 1 to San Francisco was mellower than I remembered it, but it was still every bit as beautiful. Seeing the ocean for the first time in a while is always breathtaking. At one point we saw vultures picking at a carcass on the side of the road. It was something I hadn’t seen before and if this were a film it would have surely been a sign of foreboding, but fortunately it was just reality and nothing more than some birds having dinner.
We didn’t stop in San Francisco and instead went straight to Pong’s place. He received us very warmly. I don’t know if these cars just attract good people, or maybe good people are self-selected via places like Rennlist. Whatever the pattern, we all met Pong face-to-face for the first time and he immediately opened his home to us. Within minutes we were having refreshments, getting to know each other and, of course, admiring the BTR. Very tactfully Pong offered his facilities to wash our now-filthy cars. We’re glad he did because it made for much nicer glam shots of the cars, both at Pong’s place and the next day at the track. His final act of undeserved generosity was to let us drive the Ruf. This is a privilege that carries more responsibility and consequence than most people realize, so that added a whole extra dimension of fear and awe as the tach shredded the sound barrier. Others called the explosive, but I wouldn’t call it that. The 930 is explosive, and in a bad way. On the other hand the BTR was kind of like a nuclear roller coaster. The thrust of the positive feedback loop felt limitless, but controlled at the same time. Just amazing. We had to decline the offer to take the car on the freeway; for a few seconds anecdotes raced through my mind (you broke it you bought it, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, don’t bite off more than you can chew, etc etc) and they all came down to the fact that that car is pretty close to irreplaceable and we had already had more fun than we had hoped. It was a real pleasure to meet Pong and experience his car. Pong, thanks for having us and your incredible hospitality!
April 21st. Our much anticipated track day had finally arrived. The trip was a result of a birthday gift from C4S_Fan's wife - her intent was that he spend some time with Skip Barber, but he suggested the drive down and Porsche track time instead. It was one of his dreams to drive Laguna Seca, and until that point, had only been realized in many hours videos games throughout the years. The driver's meeting in the morning was a bit nerve wracking. For the most part, it seemed that the drivers had a lot of experience at the track and that the rules that defined passing were slightly more lenient than we had been used too - a combination that could lead to some undesired outcomes. Words cannot accurately describe the feeling of the first few laps. Some that pop to mind: exciting, exhilarating, fearful, gut wrenching, amazing, humbling...all of these were felt in just 11 corners and 2.23 miles. The corkscrew - wow. As motorsports fans, I think we all live for the opportunity to drive those series of corners... pointing your car *just* to the left of the right most tree and trusting that the car will drop in the right place. And then you get to do it 50 more times before, suddenly, your day is done. Fortunately, everyone ended with huge smiles and a greater appreciation of the incredible performance these cars are capable of.
Speaking of capable cars... we experienced yet another act of hospitality when we fortunately met Terry early in the day. Terry is local who was familiar with the track, having spent numerous hours testing the noise limits in his Ferrari 355. Terry introduced himself before the driver's meeting and was kind enough to give us a run-down of the track, including sitting (patiently) as a passenger in early sessions.
Interestingly, the brand new Aston Martin didn't fare as well as the 12+ year-old Porsches. The brake pads on that car started to disintegrate and by the end of the day there were chunks of pads embedded in the wheel wells. Those of us driving 993's couldn't help but feel just a little smug about that.
As the track day wound down one of the organizers fired up a Daiquiri Whacker and treated the stragglers to margaritas. There is no better way to combine internal combustion and alcohol.
Two of the guys in our group started the drive back to Seattle that afternoon, while all three 993's stayed the night. On Tuesday morning we had a lazy start, drove back through Laguna Seca (oops - forgot to buy souvenirs the day before!) to the Monterey coast, and did the 17 Mile Drive loop. We rushed through it because time was evaporating, but we still managed to take in some amazing views and stroll through Pebble Beach. Some dude pulled up in an F430 to play a round of golf. How cliche.
Our plans for a repeat frolic on Hwy 1 were scrapped as the weather turned. We skulked along in the rain along mostly major highways for the rest of the trip, staying in ever-crappier motels and generally wishing we were back in California, racing our cars around fantastic tracks in the sunshine.
It's always good to come home but the trip really seemed a little too short: a good indicator that the trip was a success. There was just a perfect amount of drama to make the trip very memorable, but not enough to have left injury or damage. But mostly I think it was a really good mix of guys that made the trip what it was. We were all talking about the next one before we even got home.
I'm looking forward to it already.
Laguna Seca Trip Report - 2180 miles to Laguna Seca and back
For a while it seemed like the first day of our road trip to Laguna Seca would never arrive, and then suddenly it was April 19th and we were off.
The trip actually started on Friday night as one of the cars left Vancouver for Seattle to meet up with the rest of us. On Saturday morning five cars, (two '95 C2's, one '96 C4S, an E39 M5 and an Aston Martin Vantage) 3 of which were driven by rennlisters (rconnon, C4S_Fan, and mpiaseczny) filled up on caffeine, did a quick gut check and left Bellevue. We were understandably very excited and hit the road early. Then within a hundred miles our trip almost came to an untimely end when we ran into a freak blizzard. We pulled into a rest stop and in less than 5 minutes over an inch of snow had built up on the cars. It made for neat pictures but it wasn't very fun to drive in. We got back on the proverbial horse and eventually the snow turned to slush, then rain, and a couple of hours later we were on dry roads again.
Having just beaten nature we were excited to be back on track. Unfortunately we were unable to beat the “law” enforcement in Oregon. In the future we may elaborate on this but for now let’s just say that the three Porsches received speeding tickets which none of us feel are deserved.
The drive through Grants Pass threatened us with more snow but in the end it was uneventful. The redwoods welcomed us and we pulled over a few times to take pictures of these giants.
The previous encounter with the fuzz left us jittery and for the rest of the day we drove like boy scouts: right lane, single file line, never above the limit. Well beyond reproach. We were therefore outright shocked when we were pulled over again after crossing into California. The officer pulled out onto the freeway and aggressively zig-zagged across two lanes in a police SUV in order to stop all traffic, then he hand-picked our five cars to pull over while he let the rest of the traffic go. It turned out that some kids in a Civic were probably the cause of the whole incident as they were taking pictures of us through their sunroof while they weaved in and out to get better shots. Apparently an officer going the other way saw a weaving car, radioed ahead and we were victims of the game of telephone. The whole thing started to get ridiculous when the officer instructed two of the cars to park in a lane of traffic. We thought this was dangerous, but hey, who’s going to tell this cop where to pull us over? Anyway, as we hadn’t actually done anything wrong. The officer offered no apology as he told us he had never pulled over an entire Cannonball Run before. He wouldn’t give us tickets since there was no offense. He actually radioed a nearby officer to check out the cars he had pulled over. Quite pleased with himself, he was. Personally I was livid at being stopped again with such clear discrimination and was half a sentence into tearing this guy a new one but cooler heads prevailed and the situation simmered down. The event wrapped up with some pictures of the cars pulled over and then us getting back on the road.
We hit the north end of Highway 1 at dusk. That section of road is like one of those small streams you see in aerial photos snaking through Florida wetlands: twist after twist after twist. It’s like there are twists inserted in there just for their own sake. It was rare to go into 3rd gear, and it’s not for lack of trying. Having done this road both in the daytime and at night, I think nighttime is safer because you can see oncoming traffic by their headlights. During the day a car can just appear on any corner without warning. On the other hand, there’s more deer at night and yes, they did test our brakes once. The consensus was that this was a track day all in itself.
It was impossible to find a beer that night. Small towns have some serious downsides sometimes.
The rest of Highway 1 to San Francisco was mellower than I remembered it, but it was still every bit as beautiful. Seeing the ocean for the first time in a while is always breathtaking. At one point we saw vultures picking at a carcass on the side of the road. It was something I hadn’t seen before and if this were a film it would have surely been a sign of foreboding, but fortunately it was just reality and nothing more than some birds having dinner.
We didn’t stop in San Francisco and instead went straight to Pong’s place. He received us very warmly. I don’t know if these cars just attract good people, or maybe good people are self-selected via places like Rennlist. Whatever the pattern, we all met Pong face-to-face for the first time and he immediately opened his home to us. Within minutes we were having refreshments, getting to know each other and, of course, admiring the BTR. Very tactfully Pong offered his facilities to wash our now-filthy cars. We’re glad he did because it made for much nicer glam shots of the cars, both at Pong’s place and the next day at the track. His final act of undeserved generosity was to let us drive the Ruf. This is a privilege that carries more responsibility and consequence than most people realize, so that added a whole extra dimension of fear and awe as the tach shredded the sound barrier. Others called the explosive, but I wouldn’t call it that. The 930 is explosive, and in a bad way. On the other hand the BTR was kind of like a nuclear roller coaster. The thrust of the positive feedback loop felt limitless, but controlled at the same time. Just amazing. We had to decline the offer to take the car on the freeway; for a few seconds anecdotes raced through my mind (you broke it you bought it, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, don’t bite off more than you can chew, etc etc) and they all came down to the fact that that car is pretty close to irreplaceable and we had already had more fun than we had hoped. It was a real pleasure to meet Pong and experience his car. Pong, thanks for having us and your incredible hospitality!
April 21st. Our much anticipated track day had finally arrived. The trip was a result of a birthday gift from C4S_Fan's wife - her intent was that he spend some time with Skip Barber, but he suggested the drive down and Porsche track time instead. It was one of his dreams to drive Laguna Seca, and until that point, had only been realized in many hours videos games throughout the years. The driver's meeting in the morning was a bit nerve wracking. For the most part, it seemed that the drivers had a lot of experience at the track and that the rules that defined passing were slightly more lenient than we had been used too - a combination that could lead to some undesired outcomes. Words cannot accurately describe the feeling of the first few laps. Some that pop to mind: exciting, exhilarating, fearful, gut wrenching, amazing, humbling...all of these were felt in just 11 corners and 2.23 miles. The corkscrew - wow. As motorsports fans, I think we all live for the opportunity to drive those series of corners... pointing your car *just* to the left of the right most tree and trusting that the car will drop in the right place. And then you get to do it 50 more times before, suddenly, your day is done. Fortunately, everyone ended with huge smiles and a greater appreciation of the incredible performance these cars are capable of.
Speaking of capable cars... we experienced yet another act of hospitality when we fortunately met Terry early in the day. Terry is local who was familiar with the track, having spent numerous hours testing the noise limits in his Ferrari 355. Terry introduced himself before the driver's meeting and was kind enough to give us a run-down of the track, including sitting (patiently) as a passenger in early sessions.
Interestingly, the brand new Aston Martin didn't fare as well as the 12+ year-old Porsches. The brake pads on that car started to disintegrate and by the end of the day there were chunks of pads embedded in the wheel wells. Those of us driving 993's couldn't help but feel just a little smug about that.
As the track day wound down one of the organizers fired up a Daiquiri Whacker and treated the stragglers to margaritas. There is no better way to combine internal combustion and alcohol.
Two of the guys in our group started the drive back to Seattle that afternoon, while all three 993's stayed the night. On Tuesday morning we had a lazy start, drove back through Laguna Seca (oops - forgot to buy souvenirs the day before!) to the Monterey coast, and did the 17 Mile Drive loop. We rushed through it because time was evaporating, but we still managed to take in some amazing views and stroll through Pebble Beach. Some dude pulled up in an F430 to play a round of golf. How cliche.
Our plans for a repeat frolic on Hwy 1 were scrapped as the weather turned. We skulked along in the rain along mostly major highways for the rest of the trip, staying in ever-crappier motels and generally wishing we were back in California, racing our cars around fantastic tracks in the sunshine.
It's always good to come home but the trip really seemed a little too short: a good indicator that the trip was a success. There was just a perfect amount of drama to make the trip very memorable, but not enough to have left injury or damage. But mostly I think it was a really good mix of guys that made the trip what it was. We were all talking about the next one before we even got home.
I'm looking forward to it already.
05-28-2008, 04:24 AM
#3
Burning Brakes
I feel so strongly about the follow words, that they had to be said again:
"I don’t know if these cars just attract good people, or maybe good people are self-selected via places like Rennlist. Whatever the pattern, we all met Pong face-to-face for the first time and he immediately opened his home to us."
There were many highlights on this trip, but Pong and his generousity was definitely in the top three on my list.
Here are a few others (low res)... what a wonderful trip..
"I don’t know if these cars just attract good people, or maybe good people are self-selected via places like Rennlist. Whatever the pattern, we all met Pong face-to-face for the first time and he immediately opened his home to us."
There were many highlights on this trip, but Pong and his generousity was definitely in the top three on my list.
Here are a few others (low res)... what a wonderful trip..
05-28-2008, 11:50 AM
#6
Anjin San
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It looks like you had lots of fun.
It was a county sheriff that pulled you over in California. lots of them, sorry to say in NoCal, are real idiots when they are out to get some exotic, to them, cars. They do have a hard job but there are ways to make the encounter pleasent rather than "Rambo" stops the hoard from the North
It was a county sheriff that pulled you over in California. lots of them, sorry to say in NoCal, are real idiots when they are out to get some exotic, to them, cars. They do have a hard job but there are ways to make the encounter pleasent rather than "Rambo" stops the hoard from the North
05-28-2008, 12:10 PM
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05-28-2008, 03:40 PM
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Great job, guys! And yes, indeed, Pong is first class all the way ...it has been my true pleasure hanging out with him in the past! Thanks for posting, and glad you all had s great time!
Edward
Edward
05-30-2008, 09:17 PM
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Wow! What an awsome trip! I am headed to Laguna Seca in October for the Monterey Sports Car Championships. Anyone else planning?
These photos have me psyched.
Thanks for sharing.
These photos have me psyched.
Thanks for sharing.
05-30-2008, 09:26 PM
#14
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Great write up, awesome pics thanks!
BTW, in the first set of pics, is that someone relieving themself on the "Speed Checked by Radar" sign after the po-leece left?
If so
BTW, in the first set of pics, is that someone relieving themself on the "Speed Checked by Radar" sign after the po-leece left?
If so
05-30-2008, 10:08 PM
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How very cool. Can't wait to go to LS w/ the POC in August - a dream come true.
Kudos to Pong.
BTW, did you guys bring hand-held radios? A nice accessory to have on a trip like this.
Kudos to Pong.
BTW, did you guys bring hand-held radios? A nice accessory to have on a trip like this.