333 miles up the Pacific Coast Highway to my first track day at Laguna Seca!

[jmg]

Growing up, Laguna Seca was one of those tracks in Gran Turismo 2 that I both hated and loved. I could never master the corkscrew and it both terrified and frustrated me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get the chance to drive that track in my own car on day. However, a few weeks ago I checked one off the bucket list and took a 333 mile drive from Los Angeles to Salinas, CA, home of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Even more surprising is that it has now become my favorite track!

For those that don't know, Laguna Seca is sound restricted to 90db. My M3 CS has the M Performance Exhaust and I was told from other members with similar setups that they do not pass at this track. You get black flagged for sound 3 times and you are sitting out the rest of the day. Luckily, this was a highly sough after 102db day! Fast Toys Club and Driven By Apex, both organizations I have gone through several times, were hosting. I especially love Driven By Apex because not only are they cool people, but they run low car count events for INSANE seat time. It costs a little more, but I've seen the events that costs half the price with 4 times as many attendees that just cause a lot of traffic on the track. I get enough traffic driving around town, I don't need that on the track. So, low car count, 102db limit, good people.. it's a no-brainer. I signed up right away.



There are 2 ways to get to Salinas from Los Angeles:

1) Take the I5 through Bakersfield, a long straight, drive through 5 hours of mostly featureless flat land.

2) Take the PCH up the coast and through Big Sur, with the ocean on one side, and some of the most beautiful CA has to offer on the other. It would take a few hours more, but the scenery is 10x better.


DAY 1: PCH


I decided to take option 2 of course! I packed my DSLR, a few lenses, an overnight back, my racing gear and headed out! Along the way I took a few pics of the journey, some with my iPhone, most with my DSLR.







The drive was absolutely beautiful:

20210609 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6258_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5548_100 by JMG, on Flickr






My buddy and I hadn’t planned on caravanning, but we ran into each other just north of Los Angeles, so decided to stick together. Our other friends would we leaving at different times, so it was just us.
We stopped somewhere in San Simeon (35.62930929135354, -121.16029621145371) for a few pics:


20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5508-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5506-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5467-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr






We even managed to see some wildlife just a few miles down at the Elephant Seal Vista Point:

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5600_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5568_100 by JMG, on Flickr







I stopped by a Nepenthe, a restaurant my wife and I stopped at nearly 16 years ago one of our newlywed road trips. On that trip, we took my pride and joy at the time, a Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. Today I was able to recreate that photo:

2005:

California Coast Trip 11-03-05 061 by JMG, on Flickr


2021:

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5633-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr


20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5637-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr







The next stop was Big Sur. I really wish I took more picture of the actual drive through here, but I was too busy enjoying the actual drive. It was a tight winding road through of thick pine forests that occasionally opened up to reveal the ocean below. Looking down on the infinite blanket of water from that high was both breathtaking and humbling. It really made me realize how small we really are. Here I was in a tiny metal box on a two lane road squeezed between two massive objects–the Santa Lucia Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.

20210609 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6278_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6276_100 by JMG, on Flickr






The the day was ending, so I pulled over for a sunset pic over the water:

20210609 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6292_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5643-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5654-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6296_100 by JMG, on Flickr






I checked into my room at 9PM, 11 hours after leaving home. It honestly seemed like only a few hours drive. Having skipped lunch, I decided to get some In-N-Out before heading to bed as soon as possible. I needed lots of sleep for tomorrow.

[jmg]

DAY 2: TRACK DAY AT LAGUNA SECA!

For those that are interested, here's my setup:

2018 BMW M3 CS
M Performance Hight Adjustable Suspension
M Performance Exhaust
GC Camber Plates
PFC-08 Racing Pads front and rear
Motul 660 Brake Fluid
RE71R 265/30/19, 285/35/20


It was a diverse group of prepped race cars and street/track cars like me from Miatas to Ferraris. I snapped a few pics, definitely not enough though. There were so many other cool cars there I didn’t get a pic of.

20210610 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6309_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6310_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6317_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Launa Seca - Phone - 6319_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Laguna Seca - 5695_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Laguna Seca - 5685-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr

20210610 - Laguna Seca - 5795_100 by JMG, on Flickr





From here I have to rely on the track photographers for these pics of me driving. Obviously I cannot drive and take a photo of my car at the same time, so none of these pics are taken by me. The credit goes to caliphoto and shutterclick media!


I usually run the intermediate or advanced groups, but today I signed up for beginner group since I have never been to this track and I didn’t want to hold anyone up.

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr




The corkscrew wasn’t as scary/hard as I though it would be. I’m sure it’s a different story during a real race, but I managed to get a pretty good line through there, catching a few cars in the group at the corkscrew through through T9-11 and getting point-by’s on the front straight.

Laguna Seca Corkscrew by JMG, on Flickr

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr

Laguna Seca 20210610 by JMG, on Flickr







I managed to get a point-by from this M8 and the black Lambo soon after these photos were taken:

Beginner Group - Session 3 (Corkscrew) - LS1_3223_Jun1021_219PM_CaliPhoto_100 by JMG, on Flickr

Beginner Group - Session 3 (Corkscrew) - LS1_2910_Jun1021_201PM_CaliPhoto_2448 by JMG, on Flickr




We had no more than maybe 10 cars per group, so traffic was minimal however being in the beginner group, there was no open passing, so I had to scrub my fastest lap, which was a potential 1:48 according to the Garmin Catalyst and RaceChrono app. I settled for a not shameful, but not much to brag about 1:50.16. Lots of room for improvement for sure! Here is a tow hitch cam of my fastest run without traffic:

After 4 sessions the track day had ended, and it was day I will never for get. I can’t wait to come back and get faster. A bunch of us got together for tequila and steaks and talked shop all night. I had wanted to drive down to Pebble Beach and the iconic 17 Mile Dr on the way home, but I was exhausted and anxious to get back home to my family. Maybe next time!

[JamesGames]

Thanks for sharing. Laguna and PCH in-between norcal / socal are quite the combo for drivers. Quite possibly the best track and best scenic drive there is on the west coast.

[zamboni]

JMG,

Nice write and thanks for sharing, what's the camera set up? I did a track day with my E82 few years back loved The Corkscrew so much fun going down and turn 5 is pretty sweet.

[swagon]

Amazing post!

Nothing like a road trip to and back from a track day, all ///M is about.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by zamboni

JMG,

Nice write and thanks for sharing, what's the camera set up? I did a track day with my E82 few years back loved The Corkscrew so much fun going down and turn 5 is pretty sweet.

Thanks! Working on T5 is pretty fun! Getting it just right is very rewarding on the F80, when the apex is so late that you can just hammer it and let the car drift out and catch just as you get all the way over to the right and setup for T6. Its nice to not have to lift or short shift there too, since that's where the sound booth is.

I'm using a Canon 6D with a 135mm F/2L, 16-35mm F/2.8L and a 85mm f/1.8 for the still shots. For the tow cam it's my old GoPro Hero4. Audio is from my helmet cam GoPro Hero8 (not shown in video) with a wireless mic taped to the rear bumper.

[zamboni]

Originally Posted by jmg

Thanks! Working on T5 is pretty fun! Getting it just right is very rewarding on the F80, when the apex is so late that you can just hammer it and let the car drift out and catch just as you get all the way over to the right and setup for T6. Its nice to not have to lift or short shift there too, since that's where the sound booth is.

I'm using a Canon 6D with a 135mm F/2L, 16-35mm F/2.8L and a 85mm f/1.8 for the still shots. For the tow cam it's my old GoPro Hero4. Audio is from my helmet cam GoPro Hero8 (not shown in video) with a wireless mic taped to the rear bumper.

Nice set up for the shoot and video.

[E92 M Sport]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[HTXE93]

Originally Posted by jmg

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5633-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

20210609 - Laguna Seca - 5654-Edit_100 by JMG, on Flickr

These are phenomenal shots and edits.

[knightarmor]

Awesome pics and awesome trip. My buddies and I did the PCH all the way from Washington to Solvang almost a decade ago. Mostly tracked prepped cars with no A/C. It was an unforgettable experience.

[Wanted_M]

^^And yummy burgers

Nice drive OP. Beautiful shots, now I have a new screen saver

[Soul Coughing]

Amazing location, car and photos!

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Wanted_M

^^And yummy burgers

Nice drive OP. Beautiful shots, now I have a new screen saver

Where did you get the burgers? Is there a bomb burger joint along the PCH I should be checking out?!

[knightarmor]

Originally Posted by jmg

Where did you get the burgers? Is there a bomb burger joint along the PCH I should be checking out?!

He's referring to the burgers he made for us on his grille when we dropped by for a visit! If you're in good with Wanted-M he might make you a monster burger too! (we've known each other now for almost a couple decades... Damn has It been that long already!!!???)

[Wanted_M]

Lol, damn I'm getting old. In a few years you'll have to roll me to the track in a wheel chair hahaha!!

[jfritz27]

I'm not sure BMW will ever be able to top the exterior styling of the F80 CS. It's just.... perfect

[Maitre_Absolut]

Is the app correctly calibrated, seems like you are going faster than indicated mph and higher rev than indicated as well.

Great pics. Tow hook is in the way though, do you have that out for the camera attachment or you need that for this track?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Maitre_Absolut

Is the app correctly calibrated, seems like you are going faster than indicated mph and higher rev than indicated as well.

Great pics. Tow hook is in the way though, do you have that out for the camera attachment or you need that for this track?

RPM's and speed are captured directly from the OBD port. Maybe the video is out of sync? My connection is bad right now so I can't check my video. I have a helmet cam and the speed and RPM are spot on in that cam.

Tow hooks were required, but it's a combo tow hook and camera mount from rennline.

https://www.rennline.com/Rennline-Fo...E19.234/168MM/

[FormulaMMM]

Incredible shots, thanks for documenting.

As far as automotive experiences, not sure much tops a combination road trip + track day in an M3. And with an E92 alongside.

Post almost redeems you for taking the L against that 488 Challenge. Almost.

[rufio_F80]

Awesome pics and what looks to be an awesome trip as well!