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Now time for some MotoGP pics! Valentino at the 2015 Indy GP race Maverick Vinales at the 2016 GP at the Circuit of Americas in Texas. Cal Crutchlow at Indy (sorry not sure what year...2015?)

I love my 14" Delkevic - makes the V4 sound glorious! Not too loud, especially when compared to the Arrow slip-ons installed on my Ducati S4R. I would not go shorter than the 14" version

Assen MotoGP 2016

Just wanted to share some pics I've taken over the years. Almost exclusively US tracks but maybe I'll throw in some paddock stuff here and there. As I go through my stuff I'll post a few every so often. To start here are some pics from 2011 MotoGP @ Laguna Seca. Valentino Rossi chasing down Marco Simoncelli into Turn 4. The late Nicky Hayden chilling along the pit wall.

OK, this is it, I've saved the absolute worst quality photos of this race for last. I think these are actually photos of slides. I did snap all the photos I've posted though! The two strokes did plug chops at the end of the straight, then had to take the bikes, with engines off, back to the pits at the end of practice, giving us fans on the turn 2 hill a great chance to see the riders. Here's Schwantz, Rainey, Haslam, and Lawson, on his Marlboro branded scooter. And finally, the view from 2 in '88.

Jelorian, your action photos are spectacular--if you said they were by Gold n Goose or Rob Gray I wouldn't doubt it. Yes, Helmut Bradl is father of Stephen Bradl. Likewise Ron Haslam for Leon, and if Wayne Gardner's son Remy continues to perform he will probably move up to motogp next year. And I think you know what Alberto Puig is doing now. As I refuse to move on from 1988, I submit my favorite photo from that race below. Living on the east coast back then, when I heard that my gp heroes were racing in CA I somehow managed to convince my wife that we and our one-year-old should impose ourselves on her sister in Marin and see the race. Early Saturday morning I arrive at Laguna Seca for the first time in my life in my econobox rental and join the endless line of cars looking to park. All the incredibly friendly Californians are yelling and waving at me. As we snake our way along, the huge black Mercedes that has been in front of me for the last 20 minutes turns left, and I see the driver. Eddie Lawson. So to this day my story is that I was right on Lawson's tail at the U.S. grand prix!

Dutchy, that must have been an amazing experience. I remember watching a documentary where an F3 driver took Randy out for a spin and it seems like he was trying to scare him....Randy wasn't fazed at all. Then he returned the favor and took the F3 driver 2 up on his bike and it looks like he scared the living crap out of him. LOL. Randy is a character and local to the SF Bay Area. I hear he used to be a maniac and tear around the local twisties here. It is funny listening to him speak now. He's lived in Europe so long that his english has a slight accent. Hahahha. Awesome! Thanks for the info! I wish I was into racing back then. I would have loved to watch those guys race. I moved to California in 1993 but did not get into racing till 1999. After that I was hooked. You mentioned Bradl. Would he be Stephen Bradl's father? Stay tuned! I have more. Thanks for the tip on 1991 Suzuka. I will take a look.

The other day I went exploring, trying to find the route that the Butler map shows between two points. Edit: it appears I missed an important detail on the map and went the wrong way. We rode a paved mountain trail through tons of tree debris and over fallen trees until we simply ran out of pavement and had to go back. Oh well. At least we got to see this great view.

Yup, Wayne Gardner, the Aussie defending gp champion, on the Honda (had to lead with a Honda, this is VFRD after all). 1988 grand prix, Laguna Seca. First gp in the U.S. since the 60's. Televised live on national tv! Around 100,000 fans, around 100 degrees F. In April! 500cc two strokes. Turns 3 and 4 were brand new, to get the track to a still short but minimum length I believe. Eddie Lawson won, threw his helmet into the crowd at the corkscrew. Jimmy Filice won the 250 race as a wild card. Aside from Gardner and Lawson: Schwantz, Rainey, Mamola, Haslam (Ron), Mike Baldwin (my hero from New England). And the 250 race included names like Kocinski, Puig, Bradl, Mang, Cadalora, and Shobert. Here's Lawson and PF Chili chasing someone through turn 2:

Yes I did, that is me heading into "de Bult" corner with Randy. In the group picture, my wife sits pillion with Randy. Some guests had NEVER been on a motorcycle.... Randy in 2019 at the Austrian MotoGP with our son

I miss Laguna Seca. Have not been since i think 2013. Based on the T shirts. In 2011 Valentino and Nicky were team mates on Ducati. In the closet I have an autographed T shirt from Rainey, the year they named it Rainey curve. And 1 from Doohan another year not long after, and he was retired, iirc. Plus others. And a lot of posters I have not looked at in years.

Alright! Might be my favorite road race I have ever attended, more of this race to follow.

Any contribution to this thread is welcome! I love seeing all the different perspectives and angles. Thanks for sharing as every little bit helps ease the lack of racing this season. Thankfully MotoAmerica started but I haven't got a chance to watch any of those races yet. Here is #58 Eugene Laverty coming out of Turn 11 One of the few circuits where you can get a shot where the riders are spaced out like a fan. #50 Guintoli, #65 Rea, #34 Guigliano, #1 Sykes Michael Hill and the rider download sessions were a huge success! A peek of what it looks like from the top of the Corkscrew looking towards the ocean. The AMA Superbike race start

Fabrizio's English wasn't bad but he refused to speak in anything but Italian, as I recall. Spies did the double but best part was seeing Nori, one of the coolest racers of all time. I can see my role in this thread is to post photos of the worst possible quality, just for contrast. So sticking with WSBK, here's Laguna 2014:

If that can of worms means more pics of racing and everything else about m/c racing then that is a can I would love to open. Podium for Miller Race 2? Spies, Fabrizio, Rea. I was there as well. What a great weekend and I loved these interview sessions after the races.. Michel is such a character and Ben is a real cool cat. At Laguna Seca there are so many vantage points to get great shots from "behind the fence". I've shot with and without media credentials there and I gotta honestly say, aside from getting on the grid before the race, you can take just as good shots without the creds. The Laguna Seca shots in my first 2 posts on this thread were taken from regular spectator access locations. Just gotta have long enough glass and take sharp enough shots that you can zoom and crop. This is the last turn before the front straight at Miller Motorsports Park in 2009. #91 Haslam, #41 Haga, #2 Hacking, #71 Kagayama, #84 Fabrizio Good ol Michael Laverty during the 600 Supersport Race Rear shot of #41 Noriyuki Haga

Well, you may have opened up a racing can of worms here, but fortunately your photography is far better than mine. Can you name the podium from Miller 2009?

Two pics from Turn 9 aka Rainey Curve at the 2018 WSBK races at Laguna Seca #1 Johnny Rea #7 Chaz Davies

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