Series Laguna Seca spotlight - The Corkscrew

ALMS SPOTLIGHT: THE CORKSCREW

A look at the most unique corner in the world

Mention Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to anyone who has been to the famed Monterey circuit, and more often than not two words come to mind.

The Corkscrew!

Year in and year out, the Corkscrew proves to be one of the most difficult corners in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron. It's one-of-a-kind in motorsports, and here is what makes the hard-left, hard- right combination so spectacular:

. At the apex to Turn 8 (the lefthander and entry to The Corkscrew), the elevation change is a 12 percent drop.

. By the time a race car reaches the apex of Turn 8A (the righthander), the elevation is at its steepest - an 18 percent drop.

. The Corkscrew drops 59 feet between the entrance of Turn 8 to the exit of Turn 8A - the equivalent of a 5 ½ story drop - in only 450 feet of track length.

. From Turn 8 to Turn 9, the elevation falls 109 feet, or just over 10 stories

It's hard enough to get right when a car is all alone and in perfect conditions. But with four classes of sports cars, changing conditions and a six-hour run into darkness - all part of next week's American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Tequila Patron - the task becomes that much more daunting!

The American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Patron from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a six-hour endurance race set for 2:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 22. The full race will be streamed live online at americanlemans.com starting at 5:30 p.m. ET in partnership with TodoCast.tv. CBS Sports will broadcast the event from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 29. Live radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche - a production of Radio Show Limited - as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242. Visit the Series' schedule page for ticket and accommodation information. Live Timing and Scoring, track schedule, entry list and much, much more will be available on Racehub at americanlemans.com.

-source: alms