John M.
Yelp
In Yelp-speak, 5 stars = "Woohoo! As good as it gets!"
When it comes to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, that's 1 Hell-of-an-understatement. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is, in fact, the baddest ass racetrack in the entire U.S.
Though I've only been to a handful of racetracks & only actually been on a couple (including, now, this 1 thanks to Skip Barber Racing School), I partially base my conclusion on the very telling selection of the baddest ass racing organization on the planet.
Of all the different motorsports, what is the baddest ass racing on asphalt? NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1? Not even close. The baddest ass racing doesn't happen on 4 wheels, it happens on 2 wheels.
Multiple drivers from each of those car racing organizations have commented in interviews that motorcycle racing is just plain insane. Of all motorcycle racing, Moto GP is universally recognized as King of the Hill, baddest of the baddest.
So when Moto GP returned to the U.S. after not racing here at all for a decade, which racetrack did they pick? Oh yeah, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. With the Andretti Hairpin, the World-famous Corkscrew & a deceptively difficult Turn 11, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is 1 of the most technical racetracks on Earth.
Personally, after coming here numerous times for Moto GP since its return & watching Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa & Casey Stoner carve it up, I always suspected that this is the baddest ass racetrack in the whole country.
Now, having driven the track, with the throttle to the floor & the rev-limiter kicking in, with the back end sliding out just the right amount in the Andretti Hairpin & with the feeling of dropping off a cliff in the Corkscrew, I KNOW this is the baddest ass racetrack in the whole country.
Usually a 5 star rating on Yelp means "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" But in the case of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, that 5 star rating means "most baddest ass ever!"