At 4:30 am we head out for the long drive up to Monterey county. Traveling up highway 101 to Laguna Seca is one of my favorite scenic drives. Rolling hills of the California coast is a sight to see. First things first when I arrive is head straight to the media center. Checking around and seeing if I can grab a vest before tomorrows busy events. I quickly take a walk around the paddock and it seems like teams, track workers, and other personnel just arrived as well to slowly set up their things.
I've been to this track before, so I knew how to get around the track pretty well. Only issue was how hilly Laguna Seca is, so this time around I worked smarter not harder. If you don't have a scooter or mode of transportation to get to trackside locations it sucks big time. The hike up to the corkscrew, carrying 10+ pounds of gear is not fun, and to get from the corkscrew to turn 11 you'll have to walk across the whole paddock, cross over the bridge at turn 1, and down the front start straight.
Friday 6:30am. I take off to the track, set up my gear, and we have a brief media meeting. To get to trackside locations you need gate lock codes. This year they narrowed it down to 2 sets of codes. Last year I believe it was 4. I personally don't like them, but they're to prevent spectators from getting in. The practice sessions I wanted to cover were packed tightly 15 mins between each other. So choosing the corners I wanted to photography were important for me. I chose turns 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 for morning, and the corkscrew area for afternoon practices.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday sessions consisted of following the light, trying new corners I haven't shot before, and going back and fourth to the media center. Great thing about this weekend was the weather. High 60's, with a breeze from the ocean. Overall I had a great time here, and met lots of new people. I also gave a few printed photographs to some of the riders, though I couldn't find some.
I might possibly make it to Barber in a few months... but I'm not so sure about the timing of things. We will see how that goes.
*stay tune for more photos*
