Like London buses

You wait seven months for a race at a local track, and then two come along at the same time. Last time I was at either Laguna Seca or Infineon was for the American Le Mans Series last October. If I hadn't got my fix at the Long Beach ALMS race in April I'd probably be going nuts right now, especially with my Le Mans trip just around the corner...

This weekend sees the Rolex Sportscar Series at Laguna, and the AMA Superbike Championship at Infineon. I went to both last year since they didn't clash but have to sacrifice one this weekend. Since The-Paddock wants me on-site to report on the Rolex event, that's where I'm headed. Luckily I can check out the Superbikes twice this year, when they support MotoGP at Laguna in July, and again for a stand-alone event at Laguna in September.

Last year I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the Rolex race, mainly due to the mellow crowd and the close racing. The cars were still silly and slow, but a day in the sun watching sportscars is never a bad day. Hopefully this weekend will be a repeat, although I'll be burdened with the task of reporting on the event (not a bad thing since it's free admission, all access, a spot in the media center and the opportunity to interview some great drivers).

One final note: there was a fun spot on the morning news on a local TV network, featuring an interview with Steve Rapp, rider for the Attack Kawasaki team in the AMA's Formula Xtreme class. Although most of what was covered was aimed at viewers who didn't know anything about the sport, it was very cool to see our beloved bike racing get some mainstream coverage.