Race Cars & Craft Beers Make For A Unique LA Bar Experience
No sooner had I accelerated off the starting line than an overly aggressive driver had spun me into the dirt.
There’s an old adage in racing that there are “no rules on the last lap,” but there certainly are on the first, and I was the obvious victim of a rookie behind the wheel.
I was strapped into a machine at Base 51, a simulation racing venue in Hawthorne, CA. In front of me was a very realistic computer-generated race track and to the side were a dozen other “drivers” and we were all competing on the same track at the same time.
The feeling was real; when I got bumped from behind, the car jumped; I certainly bounced up a bit in my seat. After I returned to the track, I drove up on the rumble strips quite a few times, acting like Alex Zanardi (or more like Paul Tracy) in an effort to regain some lost positions, and I could feel that in my butt, as well.
Race car drivers like to say they “drive by the seat of their pants” and by that they mean they use their rear ends to feel everything the car (or truck) is doing while on the track. And I was feeling a lot of bumps in my butt. The sounds through the sound speakers was just like that at a real track, except it was at a level where you could actually talk to people.
The racing is that realistic at Base 51.
About the only thing that was not realistic about the experience was that I had two beers already and another sitting at the ready, the way pit crews have a back-up car. The venue has brews from neighboring craft breweries El Segundo Brewing, Common Space and also LA Ale Works, which is just about the length of Tommy Kendall’s legs (and I saw TK at the opening night VIP event) from Base 51.
They should have a pit cart to take you back and forth between the two.
Here’s the scoop: It’s $25 per race, and that includes several qualifying laps. In all, it’s at least 10 minutes of being behind the wheel and believe me, you’ll want to pause and have a beer (or two) afterward.
There is also a bourbon drink which is pretty good, but pass on the margarita.
There’s also food – the pork sliders topped with cole slaw are quite good – and with those LA craft breweries being so close, it makes for a great combo LA nightlife experience.
The venue has more than 100 tracks but with so many players at the same time, you don’t get to choose the one on which you race. That was kind of a bummer only when I went into a private instruction room and saw the race course was Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA.
Well heck, I’ve been there 50+ times in my racing PR days and know that track like the back of my hand – the Andretti hairpin, the Dunlop (or whatever tire sponsor is on it now) bridge and, of course, the famous Corkscrew. I could even point out the press room as the car flew by it at the top of the front straightaway.
Had that been our track instead of the European one I did not recognize during our race, then I would have been the one punting others into the dirt.
Once the checkered flag was waved on my night, I left being most impressed with one factor above all else: how well trained and nice the staff was, from the instructors to the bartenders and waitresses. They deserve a place on the podium.
Base 51 Basic Information
• Address & Map: 12831 Cerise Ave., Hawthorne, CA
• Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Phone: (800) 618-1784
• Website: www.base51.com
Thanks for the information, it was very useful.