ALMS FINALE // FIRST SHOTS FROM LAGUNA SECA

The final round of the American Le Mans Series for 2009 brings us to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This 2.238 mile, 11 turn circuit is one of the most well known tracks in America, the highlight being the infamous “Corkscrew” of turns 8 and 8A. The race will be run over the course of 4 hours, an hour longer then the standard ALMS race length.  
 
Although I have watched numerous race broadcasts from Laguna This is my first time going here in person. To say that I am excited would be an understatement,  The day started early with a walk to Embassy Suites Hotel to pick up my media credentials. After that it was out to the track. There was a cover of fog over the track in the morning which eventually burned off as the sun came up.  I had a few hours before I needed to attend the photo meeting and get my photographer vest,  so I wandered around the paddock for a while... [read more]

It was early enough that some teams were still going through tech. The Farhnbacher-Loles Porsche RSR gets its rear wing checked and the BMW undergoes a ride  height check.

The #44 Porsche of Flying Lizard Motorsports hides in their garage. The sister car #45 of drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long is leading the GT2 championship over Ferarri boys from Risi Competizione.  The Lizards should be able to clinch their second championship if the just drive a clean race with no incidents.

After a while in the paddock, I headed out towards the Corkscrew. Words can’t explain well enough just how steep the drop is and it’s amazing just how fast the cars can go through it. Here the two cars from Flying Lizard follow each other into the corkscrew.

The Dyson Lola and the Highcroft Acura scream up the hill towards the corkscrew.

The cars come blasting up the hill and into the braking zone which lies over a blind crest. Number boards out of view on the right count down the distance and give the driver something to judge his braking point by.

Trees are always make for good fun obstacles to shoot through.

After the Corkscrew the track sweeps downhill left through Rainey Curve.

The rear engine cover of the Drayson Racing Lola powered by a Judd V10. While not quite as screamingly loud as the older Judd GV4 V10 engine, the sound is a welcome contrast to the uninspiring noise of Acura V8’s. The Drayson Racing team plans to do a full season next year.

Unknown team member, viewed through a set of BBS race wheels.


BMW put their E92 M3 back in their race trailer at the end of the day. This team has come on very strong in the last few races and will certainly pose a big challenge to Porsche, Ferrari, and Chevrolet. 

Be sure and stay tuned for my complete race report later in the week...

Qualifying results can be seen here

Photo/Editorial: Camden Thrasher