Once we were back to the track, we started making last minute preparations on the car, and also had a plan to get a view of the track before the next day. We had brought some bicycles along with us to try and ride the track, but as it turned out, only 3 of the 4 were operable. We decided to go 2 at a time, and Ethan and I took the first shift. We rode down to the paddock entrance, half expecting the gate to be closed. But as it turned out, the gates were wide open. Even more interesting, all of the Skip Barber school cars and AMG Academy cars were just out in the open. There were probably 10 C63 AMGs, and 4 or 5 SLS AMGs, along with several other high dollar cars.
After taking that in for a bit, we rode over toward the pit wall, to see if there was a way onto the track.
The first 2 fences we rode by, toward the exit end of the pits, were closed and locked. But then as we made our way down, the concrete wall cutout in the middle of the lane was wide open out onto the pit lane, so we started to make the 2.2 mile journey around the place. We checked out the narrow pit exit lane we would be using the next day, checked the rumbles for traction and height, got a good idea of the banking in some of the turns, and gained a better understanding of the elevation changes. I had to get off the bike and walk for a bit on the way up the Rahal Straight after turn 6, the elevation there is just immense. Then, from the top of the track, before the entrance of the corkscrew, I snapped this shot of the lights of Monterey and the ocean beyond. You really cant see anything, but Ill post it anyway.
Riding down the corkscrew, then through 9 and 10 and into the pit entrance was quite a rush.
