Never been before. Have hotel reservations for Thurs, Fri & Sat nights. What are the best tickets to get? Paddock Pass, Rev Zone ticket? Grandstand Turn 4 or Turn 11 "cruiser" tickets?
To me T4 is better than T11. At T11 all you see is the front straight and the pit garages. At T4 you see the exit of T3, up through 4 and the the straight and entry to T5. T4 also has a big screen. And if you are interested I have a couple of T2 luxury suite tickets for sale since I can't go this year.
Be a corner worker. We need you and you get paid. Can't get a better seat that's for sure. http://www.usarm.org RZ Rob
I've been going to Laguna since the 60's. The last was MotoGP in 2005. During practice sessions I like to walk the hill. During Q and the races, I buy cheapo folding chairs and set up in the braking zone above T2. You get a good view of the infield section (four turns) and enjoy a sense of speed. Plus there is a lot of action in that turn as riders outbrake themselves and run wide. There are concessions and toilets nearby. Pretty short walk across the bridge to get to the paddock or the product displays. If you leave for the track just after seven am you get good parking and no traffic. I usually left after the track goes silent every night. There is a little bit of delay but not bad.
At T4 you can see MotoGP riders practice starts at the end of the practice sessions. Edwards always gets the crowd riled up so its fun. The grandstands between 4 and 5 also allow you to see the riders crest Turn 1 and (depending on where you sit) all of Turn 2. I've had grandstand seats and while it can be a good place to kill some time, I always end up watching the races from some part of the hill. Laguna offers a lot of good viewing areas. The closest you can get to the bikes are is the outside (vendor area) of the entry to Turn 5. Really cool to see them use the curb on the exit curbing of Turn 4 as a berm and rip down the short "straight" never fully upright before braking HARD for Turn 5. Spectacular to watch. Also the exit of Turn 5 is a good place to see how much traction control they are using. You can see the delay between the rider's wrist turning the engine coming on. I always get the paddock pass because I geek out on getting a glimpse of the MotoGP riders and the AMA teams' paddock. Some people think its a waste. Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers, bring earplugs and be sure to walk everywhere you can around the track to take in the whole experience.
Laguna is the only MotoGP race in the USA where you can get a paddock pass without being connected or buying one of the gawdawfulexpensive VIP Village packages. Do it.
Thanks for the info on the paddock pass. Anybody have input on the rev zone pass, let's you watch qualifying from very up close I understand.
That would be fine. The time I had seats, I only used them for an hour or so out of three days. Remember, you will be sitting on the ground or standing for GA. dress accordingly.
I've had better luck seeing the riders in Carmel than I did seeing them in the paddock. But get the pass, you're not as lucky as I am. Spend some time on friday and saturday walking around the track. There's a lot of interesing view points. For sure get up to the corkscrew and watch some from there. I get spell bound watching the riders go through there. The straight between 4 and 5 really do give you a sense of the speed of these bikes. And the sound is spectacular. There's people who find palces to watch over on turns 9 and 10 and enjoy that. I've always gone with the GA tickets. I've never felt that the extras were worth it. YMMV of course. I prefer to spend my money on a nice hotel and dinners in Carmel.
Thanks. Good info. Looks like GA & Paddock Passes. I have never been to a Motorsport event in my life. Figure it may be the last time to see Rossi (maybe not). Been watching MotoGP for about six or seven years. My son just got his first road bike, a Husky TR650, so I figure this is a great road trip up from LA. Motel is set in Monterey. Should be a blast. Friend on another forum suggested bringing a tarp and tent stakes, and staking out a spot on Turn 2, and to leave chairs there while exploring the rest of the place.
Ordered tickets today. We always set up on the corkscrew hill in the shade and explore from there. Seems the last couple of years there's been local service clubs running people up and down the hill in golf carts for a small donation. Saves some uphill walking. No one will mess with your stuff while you are out and about. You can bring coolers with what ever you want, no glass, but no one checks. The closer you get to Monterey watch for law enforcement, don't speed.
You may want to think about using the MTA bus service. It picks up in several places around Salinas, Monterey and Carmel and takes you right into the track free of charge. Check their website for the schedule. Our group enjoys a few beers at the races so the busses are great for getting us back to our hotel safe. We have been going since the 60's and always just purchase General Admission and walk to several different viewing spots around the track. Everyone have a good time!
