American Le Mans Series | Laguna Seca | Monterey, Californina

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Posted in General Discussion

Clear Skies and Wind for American Le Mans 2009 at Laguna Seca

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve put any new photos up on the blog. I thought it would be cool to show you another interest of mine – auto racing. It all started when I was young and my Dad would take me to the races at Laguna Seca. We’d usually bring my cousin, Dean with us. It was crazy hearing all of those cars race around the track. I think that’s what started my and Dean’s appreciation of what a car is and what kind of freedom it represents to an owner. It had been years since I had been to Laguna Seca to see a race, but Dean and I were talking one day sort of reminiscing about the “old days” when we would have the time to go and see a race there. I did mention that I really wanted to see one of the American Le Mans Series races. One was due in October at Laguna Seca. Perhaps we should try to see it?

Fortunately, Dean was able to get some time off and we made plans to head out there. We were able to get down to the paddock to really get a chance to see the cars and all of the effort that goes into getting them ready for racing. I’m a big Mazda fan as I’ve owned a few over the years, so it was great to see their P2 B09/86 MZR-R Lola getting prepped for racing. Gil de Ferran was the winner of the race, which was also his last as he is retiring this. It’s a great feat to win this challenge as it is an endurance race that requires a lot of skill and a bit of luck. His P1 Acura ARX was actually painted a white color scheme to mimic the old school Chaparral sports cars of the 1960-70 era that were raced by Jim Hall, the first person to give de Ferran a chance to race in the IndyCar Series.

Although it was supposed to rain, we had great weather and had a chance to walk around the track. We had a great time at the races and hopefully, we’ll get a chance to catch some more races next year. Enjoy the photos.