Dear Reader,
It is early morning, the fog hangs low in the Sonoma Valley, just north of San Francisco. I take my foot off of the accelerator, the exhaust brake kicks in, the gate to the race track is in sight. I pull over and wait for the crew to arrive.
The Infineon Raceway Track is an interesting place, off of Lakeview Highway (Lakeview Ranch) it has green rolling hills, a two lane road that is on private property. It can be any where in the world, add artificial snow and you got New England or Germany in the winter. If you are shooting a new car or an A-list celebrity and you need a secluded location without spying paparazzi this is the perfect location. It is out of sight from any major highway or road, yet the race track is only fifteen minutes from Novato or Sonoma. The actual Infineon raceway is made up of two tracks, a drag strip and a road course. It has several huge parking lots with ample parking for any size crew.
They position my motor home off the track next to a straight away, as the stunt drivers whizzed by, tires screeching, engines roaring, I had an uneasy feeling about a runaway test car hitting my motor home. The Producer had that same feeling, after lunch we moved the RV behind a barrier.
As I looked to the south; I could see the fog hanging low towards the southern end of San Francisco bay, at Infineon, it was sunny, clear and warm. The sun was starting to set, the crew was wrapping for the day, I turned the generator off and locked the motor home. A van takes me to my hotel for the evening, the Best Western Plus in Novato (800.625.7466), the perfect place to lodge a crew. The staff is extremely accommodating for large vehicles, just call them in advance and explain your needs. The pricing is very competitive and is only about twenty minutes from the raceway.
If you have any questions about this location or you need a motor home for your shoot call me Mike Green at 415 730 7127.