This is an excerpt from the scouting expedition report on Thunderhill, made by a few AFM representatives (Barbara Smith, Joe & Wayne Montoya) back in mid-'94... it is the "seat of the pants" report from the first motorcyclists to ever have ridden the new Thunderhill course. The track was described by Joe and Wayne (riding a 550 Seca and a TZ250) as being "part Laguna Seca, part Willow Springs, with a touch of Firebird or SPIR thrown in."

In mid-1994, Thunderhill was found to be kinda' like this...

• A long straight leads into Turn 1, a fast left-hander (like Willow Springs);
  
• Next is a short straight into Turn 2, another fast left-hand sweeper (like Willow Springs but backwards). This turn and the exit is a bit bumpy;
  
• Another short straight leads into Turn 3, a visibly off-camber right-hand sweeper, like nothing you've seen before;
  
• A short chute follows with a left kink (Turn 4) and a small uphill into Turn 5, The Cyclone. This turn is amazingly easy to misjudge, an up and over turn with a very tight blind left hander being the "over" part... the rider must apex before seeing it and the track width at the entrance (i.e. lots of useless track on the right, far away from the line) makes it easy to get suckered into going in way too deep (OH NO!!). Joe says it would more accurate to call it "The Edge"!!! (Take it slow 'til you learn the line.)
  
• After the left-hand drop off, the track goes down into a righthand turn, then into a short straight and Turn 6, a fast left-hander;
  
• A longer straight follows and then Turn 7, a very fast left-kink;
  
• The track goes straight but you must start very hard braking into Turn 8, a slow dual apex hair pin;
  
• This slow turn is followed by another short straight and Turn 9, a fast right-hander leading back to the very, very long front straight.

Some general comments were...

• The back section between about Turn 4 and Turn 8 is relatively tight (i.e. mostly one line apexes) and passing could be challenging, while passing in the fast section from Turn 9 to about Turn 3 should be easier.
  
• Viewing of about 90% of the track is possible from the pits, as the track is in a small bowl like valley. Turn 5, "The Cyclone" (AKA "The Edge") is a prominent feature as viewed from the pits, and looks faster than it really is.
  
• There is plenty of run off room almost everywhere.
  
• The track was tried backwards (clockwise) but wasn't as "friendly" to the bikes, with the bumps in Turns 3 & 2 being more severe and Turn 5 being really strange.