1987 IMSA GTP, Laguna Seca.

Laguna Seca is a bit magical even in its current, MotoGP inspired layout. The original track though, must have challenged Riverside as one of the fastest tracks on the west coast. I was looking for footage of the old track this week, when I stumbled across this broadcast of a GTP race there in 1987. It features the usual gaggle of Porsche 962s, as well as a Group 44 Jag, a Nissan ZX-GTP, and a seriously powerful "Corvette." It also features drivers such as David Hobbs, John Morton, Price Cobb, and even Brian Redman!

The combination of cars with power outputs ranging between 750-1000bhp, and a track layout that's virtually flat out for the first four turns leads to some very quick and exciting racing.

So, without further delay, let's commence!



Did I mention it's 12 clips long? It's the whole race though, so it's worth it.



One of the things thrown into stark relief by all of this, is the extent to which we've become accustomed to tracks that are designed to slow cars down. The pace of this race is furious from green to checker, and far from terrifying, it looks fun, and the drivers seem to really enjoy it. I'm beating a bit of a dead horse here, but modern F1 looks slow by comparison, even though the cars are much faster.

One also suspects that tracks like Laguna Seca don't fit the modern Ecclestonian ideal of "racing stadiums." with guaranteed sight lines only for those who pay extra for grandstand seating, and a clean, almost antiseptic layout. Tracks like this are leftovers, from an era when the people who ran racing liked racing, as well as money...