By J.A. Ackley
Photograph Courtesy HSR
*laughs in Goodwood Festival of Speed*
Seriously, though, I've been going to Laguna Seca since 1984, when Ferrari was the Featured Marque and Steve Earle was still in charge of what were then known as the Monterey Historics (which made the "pre-Historics" a much more clever name than the "pre-Reunion"). They were always wonderful -- cars I'd only read about on a track I'd only read about. I got to see Fangio in his Alfetta, the year he spun it in what was then still turn 9. And a few years later, Fangio made the Mercedes camera car spin at the exit of the new turn 9 when he was following in his W196.
My first wheels-on-a-racetrack experience came in 1989 at Laguna Seca, and shortly after that I had my first SCCA road race there.
For the last two years, I've completed the trifecta by receiving media credentials and getting to hang over the hot-pit wall to cover the event for a couple of publications. And while it was always a magic, special place, I think the organization has become better in the past few years. Plus they FINALLY moved the racing schedule to finish on Saturday, to accommodate guests (or writers) who used to have to choose between the last day at Laguna Seca or Pebble Beach. I used to choose Laguna Seca when it was my own wallet, but I'm grateful for my editor setting me up with the wristband for Pebble.
Still, the track offers the magic of seeing and hearing these cars in motion. I mean, where else can you watch the hot-pit crew making a 250GTO wait to enter the track till a 917 blasts by on the start-finish straight?
