5/15/2012American Le Mans Series - Laguna Seca
Our Laguna Seca trip was everything we had hoped for…and mostly that was for good weather. Two years ago at the race…we froze! Not this year…the weather was perfect from start to finish.
On Thursday, most of us gathered at Exit #24, McDonalds to start our journey down to the Monterey area. Colin drove down a day early and Dan also left a day early because he was pulling his trailer and needed a head start. The caravan consisted of Tony and Diane Wiggins, John and Sharon Warren, Jim and Marilyn Pack, Joe and Pat Gran, Phil and Ruby Greer, Bill and Candy Christie. Tony and Diane lead the caravan and as great tour guides told us “tid bits” regarding the “points of interest” we drove past. With radar detectors on high alert and radios chattering all the way down I-5…we arrived Salinas before 5:00PM.
Jim and Marilyn and Sharon and I shared a suite at the Laurel Inn which became the RVC hospitality room and cocktail patio for the weekend. Since Dan arrived early, he and Cyndi had the suite already stocked with adult beverages, soft drinks and goodies to munch on. The Rogue Valley Corvette banner was proudly displayed on the railing of the hotel…very cool!
Tony and Diane had arranged for dinner reservations in downtown Salinas on Thursday and Saturday nights at great restaurants. Most of us attended the Corvette Banquet on Friday night so our evenings were filled with fun also.
All day Friday and Saturday had non stop events scheduled at the track. The first 100 Corvettes to arrive the Corvette Corral on Friday morning were able to drive two laps on the famous Laguna Seca Raceway. I believe that everyone in our club who wanted to drive the track was able to do so. Throughout the two days there were guest speakers inside the Corvette tent talking about tires, engines, race conditions, Corvette racing teams, the factory in Kentucky and the Corvette competitors…all in all…very informative and fun to listen to. Chevrolet Corporate provided lunch for everyone at the Corvette Corral on Saturday and it was a very nice buffet indeed. Following that we had a very informative and humorous talk by Ron Fellows.
Jim anxiously awaiting the track laps
On Saturday afternoon, Dan’s Corvette “The 62” was chosen by the plant manager at Bowling Green, Kentucky as one of the nicest cars on display at the Corvette Corral. What an honor! It’s becoming very clear to me why Dan has such a huge trailer…room for “The 62” obviously, the Harley and all those trophies that he’s been winning!
Famous Cork Screw Curves
And to top off such a fun weekend, the #4 Corvette team of Milner/Gavin placed first in the GT class and the #3 Corvette team of Magnussen/Garcia placed second in the GT class. For more information: http://badboyvettes.com:80/692
Sunday provided yet another great day of weather and a leisurely drive back to southern Oregon. I hope everyone had a wonderful time over the weekend and thanks again to Tony and Diane for helping with restaurants and leading the pack. It was a good time had by all!
Contributed by: John Warren
Written By:
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