This is how the world will end, not with a bang, but a whimper.- T.S.
Elliot
source:
paddocktalk.com ~ Mike Sulka
Another traditional natural-terrain road course is gone, not with a bang... but
with a whimper. The history, we will cherish. The present, we will miss. The
future will be our only hope.
It's a sad story, but Laguna Seca appears to be gone for the forseeable future.
In 2005, Champ Cars will not be racing through the corkscrew, dropping 150 feet
down the mountain-side, and challenging the dusty curbsides that have shaken
many a driver to the core. The Champ Cars will not converge into the Andretti
hairpin (turn two), funnel through and proceed to battle valiantly over narrow
pieces of pavement the remainder of the day.
No the Champ Cars will not be visiting Laguna Seca in 2005.
Over the years, visions of Champ Cars dancing around the circuit have produced
some wild, some memorable, and some great moments. Here are is a brief synopsis
of events that have stayed fresh in my mind from over the years:
"The Pass" occurred in 1996.
On the final lap, of the final race of the '96 season, Alex Zanardi changed the
outcome, and the future officiating rules with his late-braking heroics at the
infamous Corkscrew. Poor ol' Bryan Herta witnessed the feat first hand, and left
the circuit still seeking his first victory.