Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Laguna Seca
Location	Monterey County, near Monterey, California, USA
Time zone	UTC-8 (UTC-7 DST)
Owner	Monterey County Parks Department
Operator	Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula
Opened	1957
Construction cost	$1.5 million USD
Major events	United States motorcycle Grand Prix CART American Le Mans Series Monterey Historic Automobile Races
Surface	Paved
Length	2.238 mi (3.602 km)
Turns	11
Lap record	1'06.309 (Ricardo Zonta, Toyota Racing, Toyota TF106, 2006, Formula 1)

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (previously known as Laguna Seca Raceway) is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA.

The current racetrack is 2.238 miles (3.602 km) in length with a 300 foot (91 m) elevation change. It has eleven turns, including the famous "Corkscrew" at Turns 8 and 8A. A variety of racing, exhibition and entertainment events are held at the raceway, ranging from superkarts to American Le Mans racing to music festivals.

The name Laguna Seca is Spanish for "dry lake". The area where the track is was originally a lake. The course was originally built around the lake, which has since dried up entirely. An artificial pond has since been added.

History

Laguna Seca Raceway from between Turns 1 and 2

Mario Andretti at Laguna Seca, 1991

The earliest development of the local area occurred in 1867 with the founding of the nearby Laguna Seca Ranch, which has operated continuously for 140 years with grazing and equestrian uses.^[1]

The track was built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5 million raised from local businesses and individuals on part of the US Army's Fort Ord (a maneuver area and field artillery target range) after the nearby Pebble Beach Road Races were abandoned for being too dangerous. In 1974, the property was deeded over to the Monterey County Parks Department and continues to be part of the park system to this day.

The first race, held on November 9, 1957, was won by Pete Lovely driving a Ferrari. In the intervening years, the track has hosted USRRC, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA GT, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series, Grand American, Monterey Historic Automobile Races, Speed World Challenge, AMA (American Motorcyclist Association), WSBK Superbike World Championship and MotoGP motorcycle races (but 125 and 250 are not admitted).

The day-to-day operations of the track, along with the management and promotion of major racing events, are handled by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a non-profit organization. With oversight by a board of local residents, SCRAMP operates with a professional staff on-site with the goal of generating income through the operations of the racetrack which is then redistributed to local charities.

The track itself has undergone significant changes over the past two decades to meet evolving safety homologation requirements of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and other sanctioning bodies. Changes include the addition of the entire infield area in 1988 (present day turns 3, 4, and 5, eliminating the straight that started at present day turn 2 and ended at present day turn 5) extending the track from its original 1.9-mile (3.1 km) length to meet the minimum-track-length criteria of the FIM for MotoGP events, plus the more recent relocation of pedestrian bridges and embankments, and the expansion of gravel pits outside turns 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 for additional runoff. The original media center was demolished in 2006 to make way for additional run-off room in Turn 1. Also in 2006, the 'hump' at the top of the Rahal Straight was flattened to accommodate the MotoGP riders, though some claim that this increases the wind effects that can perturb a race motorcycle.

The "Corkscrew" at Turn 8

A view of the "Corkscrew" from the bottom

The famous Turn 8 and 8A combination, popularly referred to as the Corkscrew, is considered one of the motorsport world's most challenging turns, due to the drop in elevation as well as its blind crest and apex on the uphill approach.^[2]

Turn 2, with its difficult and technical double-apex, has been renamed the 'Andretti Hairpin', in honor of former Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti, while Turn 9 has been renamed 'Rainey Curve' in honor of 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion Wayne Rainey, a resident of nearby Salinas, California. Also the straight that runs between Turn 6 and Turn 7 has been renamed the 'Rahal Straight' after four-time consecutive Champ Car race winner Bobby Rahal.

A Champ Car World Series weekend had been a prominent event from 1983 through 2004 when its spot on the calendar was shifted to the San Jose Grand Prix. Perhaps one of the most famous moments of racing took place at Laguna Seca's Corkscrew when Alex Zanardi passed Bryan Herta on the inside of the Corkscrew on the last lap of the 1996 CART race to take the victory. Uruguayan driver Gonzalo Rodríguez died during the practice session of the 1999 CART race after crashing at the same corner. Champ Car announced on September 11, 2007 that they would be returning the Northern California race to Laguna Seca from San Jose over the May 16–18 weekend in 2008.^[3] But the subsequent merger of Champ Car and IndyCar resulted in the race being canceled. A major runoff area has since been added to that area.

The track is also the site of the annual Monterey Historics event sponsored every August by Rolex that sees an extraordinarily eclectic mixture of race cars on the course. Each year features a different marque. Considered one of the two greatest historic racing events (along with the Goodwood Festival in England), attendance often rivals, or surpasses the professional racing events listed above.

There are many permanent dry and hook-up camping facilities located at the raceway, which are available year-round as part of the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, the county park in which the racetrack is set.

The track's primary corporate sponsor is Mazda, who hold some of their own events there and display their products at major racing events. As part of the sponsorship, the track is now officially referred to as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The official track record for the 2.238-mile (3.602 km) course is 1 minute, 07.722 seconds, set in 2000 by Hélio Castroneves while qualifying his Marlboro Team Penske Honda/Reynard for the CART/FedEx Championship Series Honda Grand Prix of Monterey.

The all-time unofficial lap record around the current configuration is 1 minute, 5.880 seconds, set on March 10, 2007 by Sébastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01 Champ Car, beating the previous unofficial record of 1 minute, 6.309 seconds, set by Ricardo Zonta in a Toyota TF106 Formula 1 car during the Historics on August 20, 2006.

Racing

Major events each year include the U.S. Sports Car Invitational featuring the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring a four-hour endurance race for the ALMS, Monterey Historics for classic racecars, and the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring both the MotoGP World Championship and the U.S. AMA Superbike Series. In 2006, the A1 Grand Prix brought international open-wheel racing back to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Formula One

In 1989, the year following the last Formula One race in Detroit, choices for a new location for the United States Grand Prix came down to Laguna Seca and Phoenix. The aforementioned 1988 improvements to the track were made in part to lure the F1 race. In the final decision, Laguna Seca was thought to be too remote and too small for an F1 crowd, and so Phoenix was granted the Grand Prix. It proved to be highly unsuccessful and lasted only three years.

Lap records

On August 20, 2006, Toyota F1 test driver Ricardo Zonta set an unofficial lap record of 1'06.039.^[4] The previous record time was 1'07.722, set by Helio Castroneves in a Penske Champ Car during qualifying for the 2000 CART Honda Grand Prix of Monterey. The unofficial record was re-taken by a Champ Car on March 10, 2007 by Sébastien Bourdais, who lapped in 1'05.880 during Champ Car Spring Training.

Officially, Castroneves is still the recordholder as Zonta's and Bourdais' times were set during exhibition and testing sessions, and official records can only be set in race conditions (either in practice, qualifying, or during a race).

Motor Trend has recently begun to use Laguna Seca as a benchmark in much the same way Car and Driver had used Virginia International Raceway in recent years. The track was the site of their "America's Best Handling Car" and "Best Driver's Car" comparisons. In total, over 30 street legal cars have set laps on the track in the hands of Motor Trend. The 2010 Dodge Viper ACR is the current leader.^[5]

Other use

Automotive

When not being used by the major events the track can be rented. Approximately twice a year the Sports Car Club of America holds regional club races for the San Francisco Region. Various clubs rent the track throughout the year for informal high performance driving schools that allow the public to drive their own cars at speed. The raceway has also played host to prototype testing of the Nissan GT-R in 2007.^[6]

The track is featured in video games such as the Gran Turismo series (including the bike version Tourist Trophy), Forza Motorsport, and the MotoGP series. In a bid to compare real life versus video games, Jeremy Clarkson of the British automotive show Top Gear attempted to beat his Gran Turismo time of 1:41.148 in a Honda NSX by racing the real track in the same car in 2005. During the trials, Clarkson determined that the game omitted a few details of the track, and the game's physics allowed him to brake later when coming into turns than he could in real life. As a consequence, reality prevailed and he managed a best time of only 1:57 on the real course.^[7] However, both he and the track instructor agreed that it is possible to complete the course in 1:41 in a Honda NSX if the driver were sufficiently experienced and talented.

Laguna Seca is home to a branch of the Skip Barber Racing School, which conducts race and street driver training in the paddock area and on the circuit itself on a year-round basis.^[8]

Other non-automotive events

Laguna Seca and the part of the old Fort Ord that is now Bureau of Land Management land annually host the Sea Otter Classic "Celebration of Cycling". As the first major event of the year – typically held in April – it kicks off both the road bike and mountain bike seasons.

On September 17, 1987, Pope John Paul II celebrated mass at Laguna Seca Raceway, where 72,000 people had gathered to see him.^[9]

Laguna Seca has proven popular in computer games in simulations, with over twenty popular packages containing interpretations at the venue.

Laguna Seca was featured in the movie The Love Bug, where Herbie competes in a fictional Monterey Grand Prix, as well as the qualifying sequences in the sequel film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.

On June 24th, 2011, John Mueller of Muellerized Suspension Systems married Sheila Stone on the top of the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. This is the same place that John Mueller's father, 4 time SCCA National Champion, IMSA GTU Champion, 3 time winner of the 24 hours of Daytona, and 12 hours of Sebring winner, Lee Mueller's ashes were spread.^[10]

Races

Major events

• Monterey Sports Car Championships; 1957–present; SCCA Nationals, USRRC, IMSA, American Le Mans Series
• United States motorcycle Grand Prix; 1988–1991, 1993–1994, 2005–present; MotoGP
• Monterey Grand Prix; 1960–2004; USAC Road Racing Championship, Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA, CART
• Marlboro Challenge; 1989, 1991; CART

Other events

A1 Grand Prix

Season	Sprint Race Winner	Feature Race Winner
2005–2006	Salvador Durán	Salvador Durán

Superbike World Championship

Year	Races Winners	Team	Bike
1995	Anthony Gobert Troy Corser	Muzzy Kawasaki Promotor Ducati Corse	Kawasaki ZX-7R Ducati 916
1996	John Kocinski Anthony Gobert	Ducati Corse Muzzy Kawasaki	Ducati 916 Kawasaki ZX-7R
1997	John Kocinski John Kocinski	Castrol Honda-HRC Castrol Honda-HRC	Honda RC45 Honda RC45
1998	Troy Corser Noriyuki Haga	Ducati Corse Yamaha World Superbike Team	Ducati 916 Yamaha YZF750
1999	Anthony Gobert Ben Bostrom	Vance & Hines Ducati Vance & Hines Ducati	Ducati 996 Ducati 996
2000	Noriyuki Haga Troy Corser	Yamaha World Superbike Team Aprilia	Yamaha YZF-R7 Aprilia RSV1000
2001	Ben Bostrom Ben Bostrom	L&M Ducati L&M Ducati	Ducati 996 Ducati 996
2002	Troy Bayliss Colin Edwards	Infostrada Ducati Corse Castrol Honda-HRC	Ducati 998 Honda RC51
2003	Pierfrancesco Chili Rubén Xaus	PSG-1 Ducati FILA Ducati Corse	Ducati 998 Ducati 998
2004	Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen	ten Kate Honda ten Kate Honda	Honda CBR1000RR Honda CBR1000RR

AMA Grand National Roadrace

Season	Winner	Team/Entrant	Bike
1972	Thomas Herman	Harley-Davidson Motor Co	Harley-Davidson
1973	Gary Nixon	Erv Kanemoto/Kawasaki	Kawasaki Heavy Industries
1974	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha Factory Team	Yamaha
1975	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha Factory Team	Yamaha
1976	Steve Baker	Yamaha Factory Team	Yamaha

AMA Superbike

Season	Winner	Team/Entrant	Bike
1976	Reg Pridmore	Butler & Smith BMW	BMW
1977	Steve McLaughlin	Yoshimura	Suzuki
1978	Wes Cooley	Yoshimura	Suzuki
1979	Freddie Spencer	Kawasaki Factory	Kawasaki
1980	Freddie Spencer	American Honda	Honda
1981	Eddie Lawson	Team Muzzy	Kawasaki
1982	Eddie Lawson	Team Muzzy	Kawasaki
1983	Wayne Rainey	Team Muzzy	Kawasaki
1984	Fred Merkel	American Honda	Honda
1985	John Ashmead	Ashmead / Gary Meadley	Honda
1986	Wayne Rainey	American Honda	Honda
1987	Bubba Shobert	American Honda	Honda
1988	Bubba Shobert	Shobert/Honda	Honda
1989–1991: No race
1992	Doug Polen	Fast by Ferracci	Ducati
1993	Doug Polen	Fast by Ferracci	Ducati
1994	Pascal Picotte	Fast by Ferracci	Ducati
1995	Freddie Spencer	Fast by Ferracci	Ducati
1996	Doug Chandler	Team Muzzy	Kawasaki
1997	Doug Chandler	Team Muzzy	Kawasaki
1998	Miguel Duhamel	Erion Racing	Honda
1999	Anthony Gobert	Vance & Hines	Ducati
2000	Nicky Hayden	American Honda	Honda
2001	Eric Bostrom	Kawasaki Factory	Kawasaki
2002	Eric Bostrom	Kawasaki Factory	Kawasaki
2003	Mat Mladin	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2004	Ben Bostrom	Parts Unlimited American Honda	Honda
2005	Eric Bostrom	Parts Unlimited MotoAustin	Ducati
2006	Ben Spies	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2007 July	Ben Spies	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2007 Sept	Ben Spies	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2008 July	Mat Mladin	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2008 Sept	Mat Mladin	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki
2009	Aaron Yates	Michael Jordan Motorsports	Suzuki
2010	Ben Bostrom	Pat Clark Motorsports	Yamaha
2011	Tommy Hayden	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki

Rolex Sports Car Series

Season	Winning Drivers	Car	Team
2005	Luis Díaz / Scott Pruett	Riley Mk XI-Lexus	Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
2006	Max Angelelli / Jan Magnussen / Wayne Taylor	Riley Mk XI-Pontiac	SunTrust Racing
2007	Patrick Long / Jörg Bergmeister	Crawford DP03-Porsche	Alex Job Racing
2008	Ryan Dalziel / Henri Zogaib	Riley Mk XI-BMW	SAMAX Motorsport
2009	Jon Fogarty / Alex Gurney	Riley Mk XI-Pontiac	GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
2010	Event not held
2011	Jon Fogarty / Alex Gurney	Riley Mk XI-Chevrolet	GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing

Trans-Am

Year	Class	Driver	Car
1969	Over 2000cc Under 2000cc	Mark Donohue Peter Gregg	Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
1970	Over 2000cc Under 2000cc	Parnelli Jones Lee Midgley	Ford Mustang Alfa Romeo GTA
1971	Event not held
1972	Under 2500cc	John Morton	Datsun 510
1973–1977	Event not held
1978	Category I Category II	Bob Tullius Greg Pickett	Jaguar XJS Chevrolet Corvette
1979	Category I Category II	Bob Tullius Peter Gregg	Triumph TR8 Porsche
1980		Greg Pickett	Chevrolet Corvette
1981		George Follmer	Chevrolet Camaro
1982		Elliott Forbes-Robinson	Pontiac Trans Am
1983–1999	Event not held
2000		Kenny Wilden	Chevrolet Camaro
2001		Justin Bell	Chevrolet Corvette
2002–2003	Event not held
2004		Tommy Kendall	Jaguar XKR

References

1. ^ Environmental Site Assessment: Laguna Seca Ranch, Earth Metrics Inc., on file with the County of Monterey (1989)
2. ^ Google Street View image
3. ^ Champ Car > News Tuesday, September 11, 2007
4. ^ Zonta breaks the record, part three...
5. ^ Ron Batt (2009-10-29). "Laguna Lap". http://www.motortrend.com/features/laguna_lap/index.html. Retrieved 2009-12-12. 
6. ^ 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R conquers the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca By Ed Hellwig Edmunds Inside Line 2/16/2007
7. ^ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 6 2005.12.27
8. ^ Skip Barber Racing School Mazda Laguna Seca webpage
9. ^ Glick, Shav (October 12, 1987). "Laguna Seca Indy Car Race". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1987-10-12/sports/sp-8841_1_indy-car. 
10. ^ http://www.muellerized.com/about.html

External links

• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca official site
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca official Online Store
• American Le Mans Series
• Sea Otter Classic
• Trackpedia's guide to driving Laguna Seca
• Steve McQueen raced at Laguna Seca in 1959
• Laguna Seca – A Look Back

Coordinates: 36°35′05″N 121°45′10″W / 36.58472°N 121.75278°W / 36.58472; -121.75278