There is a lot of discussion around what makes a good race track in terms of passing and driver skill, but there is also a lot of thought and design that go into making a good spectator experience. Some tracks are better than others, but most have all the excitement contained in a small area right in front of your $700 bleacher seat.

Some racing like rally and desert racing is a little more spread out. Sometimes a lot more. You might only see the drivers once each, zooming by your corner almost too fast to see who that driver was. It sounds less exciting but it definitely isn’t.

I spent last weekend watching motorcycles navigate the deserts of Southern California at the King of the Motos race in Johnson Valley, and it was one of the best courses to spectate at. You can get there with most any car, but a capable off-road vehicle will really open up the experience. A few of the spectator areas require some steep driving on rocks and sand, although I did see a stock Saturn VUE with all-season tires at the top of one of them, somehow.

There are plenty of areas to watch from, spread out over miles of desert. There are the refueling and pit areas, the rocky inclines, the jumps, and the flat out straights, all a short off-road journey from each other. Interspersed among the spectators were amazing looking custom off-road creations. It might be my new favorite temporary race track.

What is your favorite place to watch a race that isn’t a permanent race track?