Laguna Seca is a special track and although I have been there to watch many events, I still needed to really drive it. Although technically I had driven a DE event there after the Historics in 1998, it had been my first track event. I had a great time, but don’t remember much about the track other than the Corkscrew was fun and turn 1 was intimidating. I have a lot more track experience now and have been looking to drive there again. So when they announced at the GGR/GPX Buttonwillow Club Race/TT that there was going to be an event at Laguna Seca, Steve Grosekemper and I started making plans to attend. We also started recruiting other drivers. Cathy Young was in along with Ralph Linares and Ethan Dahlkamp.
When the event was finally officially announced, the good news was that it would be a 3-day event with lots of track time for a very reasonable price. The bad news was that it was the same weekend as the SDR Oktoberfest volunteer party, and with the long drive to Monterey, we would be leaving on Thursday and not getting back until Monday. We took some grief from Angela Avitt, but her great event was a sellout without us.
We left from Dieter’s early Thursday morning, meeting up with Cathy and Ralph at Encinitas, and were soon heading up I-5. Ethan was a little behind us as he hit some traffic and was delayed, but we were all together after LA. It was slow going through LA with the usual traffic, but the rest of the trip went smoothly for everyone but Ethan. While we were following Ethan’s trailer, Steve commented that it seemed uneven, and unfortunately, when Ethan stopped at Buttonwillow, an inspection revealed a broken trailer axle mount. The tire was rubbing on the bottom of the trailer and causing damage. He hoped to be able to get it fixed at the truck repair shop and told us to continue on. He turned out to be the only casualty of the weekend, as due to the trailer damage, he decided not to go on to Monterey and headed back home, as he was scheduled to fly to Asia on Monday (his consolation prize was going to the Singapore F1 race).
The caravan was down to 2 trailers and Cathy’s Targa when we started finding out about the great San Diego Blackout. Steve first got a text message from his daughters that they were at the mall and all the lights were out. When he tried to call their cell phones, he was unable to get through. He called home and no answer. I was able to call my office, they were in the dark but the phones were working off of the battery backup. Steve was finally able to contact family who still had old-style phones that plugged into the wall, rather than the portable phones that needed outside power. Over the next few hours, the communication improved as the cell system was no longer saturated. While we were driving north, the rest of San Diego was getting ready for a night of camping.
Speaking of camping, with Ethan out of the picture, we had to make new plans as we had planned to camp at the track in his trailer. I started calling and was able to get rooms in Salinas. We followed the GPS from 1-5 to the 101 and then to the track. We were supposed to be able to come in and drop off our trailers that evening between 5 and 6pm. Ralph was low on gas and stopped just before the track. We went on a little past to get a better price at Del Rey Oaks. By the time we had stopped and gassed up the truck, the 911 and filled the spare gas jugs, then dealt with the evening traffic, it was 6. When we got to the track, we were behind a large RV that was having problems. By the time they had cleared the area for us to go through, the ranger was not sure we would still be able to go in. After a couple of calls and finding out we had a garage, we were waved in. Cathy and Ralph were already there and we ended up with the last garage next to turn 11. We unloaded the Boxster and 911SC and dropped the trailers, and also unloaded equipment into the garage.
After this we headed to Salinas, dropped Cathy off at her hotel, and then checked in at the Good Nite Inn. After a quick shower, we reconvened, picking up Cathy for dinner at the Round Table Pizza before heading back to our rooms to rest before our weekend of driving.
Friday was an early start, and after picking up Cathy we headed back to the track. It was still a work day for most and there was some traffic, but we were at the track about 7am and waited for the gates to open. Since we had dropped off the night before, we were a little ahead of most of the drivers and were able to get over to registration and tech without much delay. It seemed chaotic in the beginning, but the organizers (GGR and Costal Driving School) did a great job getting all the drivers through tech and registration before the driver’s meeting. They also had a very nice continental breakfast to help sustain us through the process. The power was back up in San Diego, which meant that Ralph’s phone was ringing off the hook as his IT customers (and computer networks) were phoning him about their servers being down or having problems after the prolonged power outage. He spent much of the morning putting out fires.
Soon it was time for the drivers meeting, where they reviewed the safety (and noise) issues, flags and passing zones. They were quite liberal with the passing zones, pretty much all of the areas between corners were OK for passing except the Corkscrew between turns 8&9. Noise was a big issue for the weekend as we were limited to 92 dB. Steve had mounted a stock muffler and although we were down on power, we were very quiet. Ralph and Cathy also were using stock exhaust and not too concerned, but some of the other cars were not so lucky. Not only was there the sound meter going up the hill between turns 5&6 on the right side of the track, but the meter also was required to be moved to another location at least once daily. If you were over the limit, you would get a mechanical black (meatball) flag and have to come in to the starter. Then your options were to stop for the session, or to do a test run of 3 laps to try and go by the sound meter without any other traffic and see if you could pass. If you did not pass but showed improvement, you could try another 3 lap test. While walking through the pits, you could see some creative time and energy had been expended on exhaust systems to try and avoid this. Most had their exhaust routed out the driver’s side and away from the sound meter on the right side. Some were successful, but on many of the cars, it was the intake noise that was causing the problems, especially on the Cayman S and Turbos.
After the drivers meeting, it was time to head out on the track. It had been foggy as we arrived, but had slowly been improving. Steve and Ralph were out first in the advanced “Blue” group. Steve had been practicing using computer simulations of Laguna, but after his session, he was still surprised at the blind drop of the Corkscrew and how blind it felt coming up over turn 1 and looking for the Andretti hairpin. He also had some traffic but was able to get down to 1:51 in the fog. There were no transponders for timing but the G2X did provide lap times. I had a short break as the instructors were out in Red and then it was my turn.
We started out with a yellow flag lap and then I slowly started to pick up the pace. The organizers had provided a nice turn-by-turn guide to the track done by Henry Watts, which helped us familiarize and identify landmarks. I knew the track, but driving it at speed was very different than being a spectator or photographer. There was some traffic as I started clearing the slower drivers, but overall the group was courteous and helpful with the point-bys. I followed another winged early 911 for a couple of laps through traffic and then he pointed me by and I was out on my own. With traffic I was only running a 1:57 and too soon we had the checkered and it was time to come back into the garage.
Cathy was out next in her 911 Targa with an instructor. She had started with some classroom time before her session and felt better about hitting the track. The first session did not go so smoothly, as her instructor drove first in her car and by the time they had changed, she had only a few laps before her checkered flag.
Steve was out again, but Ralph was still tied up with work stuff and missed the Blue session. Steve was picking up speed and was down to 1:49 with the traffic. In my next session, I did improve some, but with traffic it was tough to get a completely clear lap. At least the fog had finally cleared out. The hairpin was still a mystery as far as where the correct line was, and turn 6 was getting faster and faster. Cathy had a better session and was feeling her way around the circuit with her instructor, not only in her sessions but also as a passenger in his car.
The last morning session was more eventful for Steve as he had traffic issues. Actually it was just one early 911 in TRG livery that would not give a point-by. After Steve had followed him for a lap, he pointed by a yellow 911 to see if the color change would wake him up. No luck. After another lap of blue flags, Steve came in to let the starter know there was a problem. It apparently worked, as they did bring the car in for a discussion. Steve had been down to 1:47 before the road block. I also had some traffic, but it was more polite. It did cause a lot of variation, as my best lap was a 1:50 but there was also a 2:10 while trying to get through lapped cars. Cathy had another good session and then it was time for lunch.
Lunch for the weekend was catered each day, and on Friday it was tri-tip and salmon along with salads and some excellent fresh fruit and melons. We had some time to compare notes and review some video. We were surprised that with our power down with the added exhaust restriction, we never were fast enough to get into 5th gear. It was mainly a 3rd and 4th gear track.
After lunch, Steve and Ralph were out, but their session was black-flagged as a 993 ended up beached in the gravel outside of turn 11. After the tow truck was able to extricate the car, the group was flagged off to finish their session. Apparently the drivers were already starting to get too comfortable and looking for more speed, as in my run group a Spec 911 went off track at the Corkscrew and backed into the wall. We were also black-flagged and our session ended early while they towed the 911 back to the pits. The rear end and bumper was dinged up but he was running the next day. It was a good reminder to us that we were a long way from home, and we planned on keeping all of our cars clean for the whole weekend.
My session had started out well as I had a good chase with a green Viper ACR. He came out a little late and was on cold tires so he had pointed me by out of turn 3. I stayed ahead for the lap and then pointed him by on the front straight and he rocketed away. I thought that would be the last I would see of him, but with traffic he would get balked and I could catch up until he cleared and pulled away again. He was a good rabbit to chase for the session, at least until the black flag.
After my session, I decided to get some photography done from the Corkscrew. I took the folding pit bike and headed out of the paddock and up the hill. I did not quite make it all the way, walking the last steep section, but was able to shoot Cathy’s run group and then Steve and Ralph’s Blue group. I had thought the instructor’s group was next, but the cars looked too familiar and I suddenly realized it was my run group! Luckily it was faster downhill to the pits and I was soon in the car and heading out for my last session of the day. I came out in the middle of the pack and had another good chase, this time with a 997 C4S. It took a few laps with traffic to finally catch him, and he pointed me by coming out of turn 11 just before the checkered flag. It was a fun way to end the day.
With the track cold, they brought out the adult beverages, and after slaking our thirst we were back at the garage getting ready for Saturday. We had brought 3 sets of used tires to utilize and “win” our DE. So it was time to swap tires from the 17” Toyo RA1’s to the 16” 265/45-16 Kumho 710 rears and 245/45-16 Hankook Z214 front tires, and check the brakes before heading back to Salinas to clean up.
Dinner was at the Black Bear Diner, next to the Laurel Inn where Cathy was staying. It was just a couple of exits north of the Good Nite Inn where we were staying. Prime Rib was the special and it was a good treat. After dinner we did a little video review before turning in early.
Saturday was an easier drive with no traffic heading to the track, although the fog was even heavier. The continental breakfast was another treat, although we were surprised to have another drivers meeting for everyone. It was mostly a review of safety and passing again, with a reminder of passing flags and courtesy. Ralph was much less busy, although he still had a lot going on after the blackout. Part of the length of the meeting may have been hoping the fog would lift, but it had not by the time Steve was scheduled to go out. We could not see from one end of the garages to the other!
Since no one was using the garage next to us, I set up the projector and was showing videos from the day before on the walls to keep us amused until the fog cleared. After missing a complete set of run groups, it was finally lifting and Steve and Ralph headed out. The fog was still present but visibility was much better as they left at 10:20. Steve had a good session, with several laps at 1:48 even with traffic.
By my session, the fog had cleared and there was good visibility. It was a fun session, as I had started near the back and had to work through traffic. My group had an eclectic mix of cars. Along with the Porsches, with early and late 911s and Turbos, 928, 944, 968, Caymans and Boxsters, we had a Mini, BMW M3, 1 Series M coupe and Z4, along with the Viper. Not too many clear laps, but overall good passing courtesy and fun moving up through the ranks. My best lap was a 1:50 when I finally found a clear section.
Cathy was up next and was working with a new instructor. She was learning the track well and had good rapport with her instructor. She was picking up her pace and starting to make more passes and fewer point-bys as the session went on. By Steve’s next session, the sun was shining, and with the dry, warm track and better grip from the tires, he picked up the pace and had several laps at 1:46. There were a few faster cars, but he was passing many more than he had to point by. He was able to go deeper into turn 2 and also felt his line through turn 11 was better. He was still trying to find the right line and speed through turn 6 as he climbed the hill up to the Corkscrew.
My session before lunch went well, but with traffic my best laps were around 1:51. I had a couple of long chases after a Turbo as we worked through traffic. Finally got a point-by coming out of turn 11. He thankfully lifted a whole lot as I pedaled by at full throttle. I was again impressed at how the drivers in the group watched their mirrors and were courteous throughout the session. Since we had missed the first session, it was time for another catered lunch. Today was pasta and more fresh fruit.
After lunch, Steve and Ralph went out for their Blue session. Steve was running well and continued to turn laps at 1:46 while chasing a Boxster Spyder through the session. The weather and track were getting a little warmer, and near the end of the session, so were his tires. He got a warning when he got loose under braking at turn 2, but gathered it up and kept chasing, finally getting pointed by after turn 4. Now he was the hunted. He was a little loose in turn 5 but was running well through turns 6&7, but when he went into the braking zone for the Corkscrew, it all went sideways. He locked up under braking and over-rotated left and then back to the right, with lots of lock in the steering wheel. It was a thumbs-up moment as he did not spin and was able to continue down the hill. When we reviewed the video, he was quite happy to see it was a double thumbs-up and the car was fine, although there was a flat spot on one of the rear tires. An Eagles song seemed to fit the situation:
So put me on a highway, And show me a sign, And take it to the limit one more time…
Between sessions, we were swapping tires again. We put on a set of tires with 245 rears and 225 fronts for the rest of the afternoon. The balance was still good and although they were narrower, the tires were a little fresher and the grip was still good. I was a little late in getting to the grid, so it was another march through traffic. Made for good video, but not great lap times as my best were still at 1:50.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful as we went back to our mantra of keeping it clean. Our last sessions were back to back and I was chasing the green Viper again. The track had cooled off some and after clearing the traffic I was able to keep the Viper in sight, and had my best lap of 1:49 before the checkered flag flew again.
We enjoyed the adult beverages again at the end of the day, and again were reviewing our tire options. We decided to use up the RA1s and mounted them again for Sunday. Then it was back to Salinas and dinner at the Monterey Brewing Company. We reviewed some more video, but it was another early night as we got ready for Sunday.
We found our way back to the track, had a bite and another drivers meeting before heading back out on the track. No fog today but we did have a lot of clouds. With the cool weather, Steve was able to get some fast laps in and had a best of 1:46.09 at the end of the session. Although the tires were going off, the lines were better. Consensus was that there was not a 1:45 in these tires.
My session started out well as I cleared traffic early and had a couple of open laps and was able to get down to 1:48. But near the end of the session there was a spritz of rain on the windshield. Without wipers it was a little distracting, and although the track never did get wet, people were slowing down to be sure they were not caught out by the rain.
Cathy was running solo and continued to improve while enjoying the wonderful track at Laguna Seca. Her session was also made more interesting with a few rain drops.
For the next session, we switched things up a little. Ralph went out in the 911SC and Steve was in the Boxster. Ralph did well for his first time in the car, and even with more rain falling and traffic, he had laps at 1:50. Steve meanwhile was enjoying the ABS in the mid-engine Boxster with the rain.
My next session went well, not too much traffic and no more rain, but my video had died at the beginning of the session as the batteries were done. The Viper was out and I was chasing again, but could only get near if he was held up by traffic.
Steve’s final session of the morning was his best. It was dry and cool and he had several laps at 1:46 and then finally put it all together and crossed the line at 1:45.61. It was just in time, as the tires heated up and became loose on the next lap. Discretion kicked in and he slowed down for the rest of the session, but he had reached his goal, even with old tires.
After lunch, I headed out for my session. It started well but we were black-flagged about 10 minutes into the session. As I was driving back into the hot pits I could see the ambulance heading out. After stopping at the garage, we heard that there had been an accident between turns 4 & 5. We took the bicycles over to check things out. By the time we arrived, the driver and instructor were out and had been up and walking before being taken away in the ambulance. The tow truck was now working on righting the car. It was a 2011 Carrera GTS that had flipped upside down after hitting the tire barrier on the inside of the track. Looking at the skid marks, it appeared he had tracked out wide in turn 4 and as he tried to come back onto the track, he went straight across to the inside and into the tires. The sound made as the car rolled back onto its tires was very expensive. They were able to clear the track and the day resumed, but it was another sobering moment.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, but our fastest laps were now behind us as the tires wore, the track heated up and thoughts of an upside-down car all conspired against us. We enjoyed the track and worked on our lines for turns 2 and 11, and concentrated on turn 6 to maximize our exit speed up the hill. At the end of the day, we all had turned in a great weekend. We regretfully loaded up the trailers and cars to start heading home.
We had decided to split up the drive, so instead of staying in Salinas for Sunday night, we drove on to the Buttonwillow area off of I5 to try out the Best Western Heritage Inn at the Stockdale Highway. It turned out to be a very nice facility and we are planning on using it for the SDR
Buttonwillow event in November. It is just 4 miles and one exit past the Highway 58 exit. Dinner was at the IHOP, and Monday it was time to finish out the trip as we drove home to Dieter’s. It was a long weekend and we did miss a fun Oktoberfest event, but we all felt it was worth the trip. We are looking forward to seeing if it will be put on again next year.
