Would you believe that there’s been Historic racing at the famed Laguna Seca track since 1974? This year will see celebrations of that anniversary, but behind the scenes there’s even more to cheer for.
Laguna Seca hosted its first-ever race in 1957, following the end of the Pebble Beach Road Races. The first Historic racing at the track was the 1974 Monterey Historic Automobile Races, organised by Steve Earle. It attracted a mere 66 entrants, but a preview in Autoweek is said to have given the event just enough publicity to attract a crowd – and from there the meeting continued annually.
This article first appeared in Magneto issue 23.
After circuit management took control of the event from Steve Earle in 2009, it was reorganised and modernised to become the Monterey Motorsports Reunion that we now know, attracting 400-500 cars every year. It’s one of Historic racing’s great success stories, but behind the scenes there have been difficulties for years.
For a while it looked as though motor sport at Laguna Seca could come to an end
The track is owned by Monterey County, which was never in a position to manage or fund a world-class race track, so it was overseen from its onset by SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula). In 2020 the relationship with SCRAMP came to an end, and the track began to rebuild under the new management of A&D Narigi Consulting, which faced infrastructure neglect and then the pandemic.
For a while it looked as though motor sport at Laguna Seca could come to an end. A non-profit organisation, Friends of Laguna Seca, which was originally formed to replace SCRAMP, was invited back by A&D Narigi as a concessionaire for the circuit. The situation was made worse by a lawsuit filed by a group of local residents who were unhappy with noise levels, traffic and other factors said to be generated by events at the now-67-year-old venue.
However, in March 2024 the lawsuit was settled, with an agreement between Monterey County and the Highway 68 Coalition of residents that allowed Friends of Laguna Seca to continue its 2024 season and operations as planned. This was on the condition that Friends of Laguna Seca undertook crucial assessments, including a previously planned sound-impact assessment, to make necessary improvements to the facility.
The good news continued, with Friends of Laguna Seca confirmed as the non-profit concessionaire responsible for providing resources and oversight of the operation, maintenance and improvements of the park going forward, for the next 55 years, and A&D Narigi continuing as the day-to-day management company. Then, in July 2024, Friends of Laguna Seca received a very generous $500,000 donation from the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation in partnership with the Monterey County Parks Foundation.
The upshot of this complicated tale is that racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has been saved, and long-awaited improvements to the facilities continue. Already, the bridge over the start/finish straight has been replaced and the circuit resurfaced.
Visitors to this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, on August 14-17, will see the results – and be able to view the 50th Anniversary Exhibit centrepiece. This massive display will be supported by more than 400 Historic racing cars on track, spread over 13 groupings. It promises to be a fitting celebration of 50 remarkable years.
More about WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca here.
