Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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AUGUST 16, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 12 Two problems plagued this year's Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and both came at the end of the weekend. One has already been addressed, the other is much trickier and potentially much more expensive. Second thing first: MotoGP riders were concerned from the minute they first toured Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on scooters. The track was extremely bumpy, especially for a surface that had recently been repaved. The bumps were manageable, but real concerns were raised when the track surface began to rapidly deteriorate in the fast downhill left-hand Rainey Curve during Saturday's AMA Superbike race. So concerned were race officials, that they postponed the AMA Superstock and Supersport practice and races until after Sunday's MotoGP race. That didn't stop the MotoGP riders from issuing scathing post-race criticism. The consensus was that the track would have to be completely repaved. That decision won't be made for weeks, according to track CEO Gill Campbell. "We won't know anything for a while," she said in a telephone interview a day after a track inspection. Officials of Monterey County, which is responsible for the park; Bo Beresiwsky, vice president of facility operations; Graniterock's Pavex Division, the contractor; and the compound designer all got together and walked the track. "They took core samples. We won't have results of those for probably a couple of weeks. We don't know what caused the problem - the compound or the applica- tion of the compound." Another possibility is that the asphalt wasn't given enough time to cure. Dorna, the MotoGP series organizers, and the FIM have offered their help. "Once we get results from the lab, then we'll bring in everybody we possibly can to determine what the fix actu- ally is," Campbell said. "I don't know if it's going to need a repaving, I don't know if it's going to need a resurfacing. Until we get the results from the lab, nobody's going to know. What riders said was, it was very bumpy. The automatic, uneducated response to that is you need a new surface. I don't think anybody will know that until the experts have their say." Because it's a county park, the contract is between the county and the contractor. "We've got to let them do their business first before we know what's happening. It's not going to be an overnight deal. We will have it paved for next year's race. I don't know what has to be done to the track yet. I don't know what the process is going to be. I think we're all pretty much in the dark right now and until we get some of these things answered. Unfortunately, they're going to be unknown for a couple of weeks. "They're not going to know anything until the results come back from the lab - it could be the compound, it could be the application. This is not the first time this has happened anywhere. It's unfortunate, we'd hoped to have gotten it right," Campbell concluded. Ironically, the Rainey Curve problem was the result of work that was done to improve the track. A diamond grinder had been used to flatten a bump on the racing line in turn nine. When the FIM inspected the track on the Thursday, they had the choice of sealing the track or leav- ing it alone. They tried one of two sealers on a test patch and decided to apply it to the bump. By the time the weekend was over, it seemed that it was an unwise deci- sion. The track was breaking up so badly that the MotoGP riders altered their lines to miss the hole. Campbell said the record-setting heat caused track temperatures to reach 152 degrees, the hottest ever at a MotoGP race and contributed to the track's problems. "Those were the areas that were coming up, not the track itself," she said. "The ambient temperature that weekend was 20 degrees hotter than ever recorded in history in Monterey. We don't have those kinds of temper- atures. We live in a Groundhog Day where every day it's 68 inland and 48 at night. We had 107-degree ambient temperature in the shade." The other problem was the three-hour wait endured by spectators waiting for buses on Sunday evening. "The shuttle-bus plan got seized up at the end of the day on Sunday," she said, "and we've got the fix for that. We've got the fix - we have hired a professional. The heat really affected our volunteer force. And they're out there all day in that heat. And we lost a lot. We've had a professional organization that will engi- neer and work on that. It worked perfect until the end of the day on Sunday. They'd been in the sun for two days - it was really hot. Unfortunately, the shuttle-bus system, for a variety of reasons, none of which are excusable, seized up. We weren't able to get the people out of there in the time frame hoped for. It worked fine on Saturday and should've worked on Sunday. We can't afford to have that happen." Campbell wasn't making excuses, but she pointed out that at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez it could take up to five hours to get out. Same for a NASCAR race at Infineon Raceway. Though she didn't mention it, the traffic leaving the AMA Motocross at Washougal, Washington, is some of the worst in racing. "American fans shouldn't have to go through that," she said. "I don't want to put them through that. The compli- cating factor that weekend was the heat. We were giving everyone free water. After a couple of hours in that heat, people's patience waned. And I don't want to put our people through that." "It was a fabulous weekend. It really was," she added. "Other than the track surface, the thing we had control over for the most part worked well. You never saw a line for concession, nobody ran out of food. There was never a line for a porta-potty. The traffic plan worked excellent- ly. "[We] listened to the fans last year. We made correc- tion in the ways we did things. Ninety-nine percent of those things worked. Motorcycles - they were out of there - that aspect of the new traffic plan worked very, very well. The vehicle-permit plan worked well - the buses." Campbell was also pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd. They'd planned to voluntarily limit ticket sales to 48,000, but ended up selling 52,500 tickets for Sunday's race. "I'd projected going into the weekend being 20-per- cent down," she said. "I think we ended up being 12 per- cent. I was very, very pleased." Already plans are being made for next year's race. Campbell hopes that a new bridge over the front straight will be in place in time for the 2007 Red Bull U.S.GP. Henny Ray Abrams The Laguna Problems Y amaha Motor Corporation recently announced the form- ing of a new motocross team that will feature former Supercross Champion Chad Reed and former Lites Supercross Champion Nathan Ramsey. Both will ride the YZ450F. According to a press release from Yamaha, it will support the newly formed L&M Racing team, which will be managed by Larry Brooks. Brooks and Mike Kranyak, friend and busi- ness owner from Bakersfield, California, own the team. Hence, the name: L (Larry) & M (Mike) Racing, not to be con- fused with the cigarette company. "We have the utmost confidence in Larry Brooks, Reed and Ramsey and feel this team will further promote the Yamaha brand," explains Yamaha racing division manager Keith McCarty. "It's another step in the right direction for motocross and we are confident L&M Racing will attract addi- tional outside sponsors that, in turn, will create more interest and visibility for our sport." The L&M Racing Team will concentrate on the AMA and World Supercross Championships and additional stadium races during the 2007 and 2008 series. Team L&M Racing will provide a more detailed racing schedule and list of team spon- sors soon. See Chat Room on page 14 for an interview with Reed. Chad Reed (pictured) will join Nathan Ramsey on the newly formed L&M Racing Team. Reed Joins New Team PROMOTED: Holger Mohr as president of Custom Chrome and acting Custom Chrome Europe managing director, effective immediately, In his new position, Holger will report to John Lott, CEO Global Motorsport. OPENED: Motokazie's track-building website on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: www.motocrosstrackbuilders.com. The new website features pictures from several tracks built in the last year around the United States, as well as informa- tion on Motokazie Motocross Track Builders consulting services. OPENED: Skorbordz's new home page on the World Wide Web. The graphic-design company's site can be found at the following address: www.skorbordz.com. HIRED: Jim Segal, as director of dealer development of Avanti Motorcycles Inc., effective immediately. ETC.