Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
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Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near Monterey, California, USA.
The current racetrack is 2.238 miles in length (3.602 kilometers), has eleven turns, including the famous (and gut-wrenching) "Corkscrew" at Turns 8 and 8A, and a 300 foot elevation change.
A variety of racing, exhibition and entertainment events are held at the raceway, ranging from superkarts to American Le Mans racing to music festivals.
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[edit] History
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][2]
The track was built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5 million raised from local businesses and individuals on property 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 (who still races vintage cars to this day) driving a Ferrari. In the intervening years, the track has hosted USRRC, Can Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA (International Motor Sports Association), Champ Car, American Le Mans Series, Grand American, Monterey Historic auto races, and AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) and MotoGP motorcycle races.
The day-to-day operations of the track, along with the management and promotion of major racing events, is 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) extending the track from its original 1.9 mile length, 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 run off. 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.
The famous, or infamous, 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 apex.
Turn 2 has been renamed the 'Andretti Hairpin', 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 Champ Car race to take the victory.
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 all-time lap record around the current configuration is 1 minute, 5.880 seconds, set on March 10, 2007 by Sebastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01 Champ Car.
[edit] Other use
The track is featured in video games, most notably the Gran Turismo series (including the bike version Tourist Trophy) for Playstation 2 and Forza Motorsport for Xbox. In a bid to compare real life versus Video games, Jeremy Clarkson of the British automotive show Top Gear attempted to beat his GT4 time of 1'41.148 seconds in a Honda NSX-R in 2005, but due to using a standard spec Acura NSX and the Gran Turismo course omitting a few parts of the track, reality prevailed and he managed to get a 1'57 on the real course.[3] However, both he and the track instructor both agreed that it is possible to get a 1'41 if the driver was experienced and talented enough, as Clarkson was unable to brake as late for the Corkscrew as he could in the game.
Also at Laguna Seca is 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.
Laguna Seca and part of the old Fort Ord that is now BLM 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 50,000 people had gathered to see him.
In addition, each summer the track and its environs are given over to a large outdoor Christian music festival, Spirit West Coast.
In 2006 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosted the world's first all-female Formula racing team, which was put together by producer, Todd Baker. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines, and formed for an MTV reality pilot.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Race Winners
[edit] Champ Car
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 |  Teo Fabi |
March | Cosworth |
| 1984 |  Bobby Rahal |
March | Cosworth |
| 1985 | Bobby Rahal |
March | Cosworth |
| 1986 | Bobby Rahal |
March | Cosworth |
| 1987 | Bobby Rahal |
Lola | Cosworth |
| 1988 | Danny Sullivan |
Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1989 | Rick Mears |
Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1990 | Danny Sullivan |
Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1991 | Michael Andretti |
Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1992 | Michael Andretti |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1993 |  Paul Tracy |
Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1994 | Paul Tracy |
Penske | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1995 |  Gil de Ferran |
Reynard | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1996 | Alex Zanardi |
Reynard | Honda |
| 1997 | Jimmy Vasser |
Reynard | Honda |
| 1998 | Bryan Herta |
Reynard | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1999 | Bryan Herta |
Reynard | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2000 | Helio Castroneves |
Reynard | Honda |
| 2001 | Max Papis |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2002 | Cristiano da Matta |
Lola | Toyota |
| 2003 | Patrick Carpentier |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2004 | Patrick Carpentier |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
[edit] Champ Car Marlboro Challenge
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | October 14 | Al Unser, Jr. |
Lola | Chevrolet |
| 1991 | October 19 | Michael Andretti |
Lola | Chevrolet |
[edit] American Le Mans Series
[edit] A1 Grand Prix
| Season | Sprint Race Winner | Feature Race Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 |  Salvador Durán |
Salvador Durán |
[edit] Moto GP
| Year | Race Winner | Team/Bike |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Nicky Hayden |
Repsol Honda RC211V |
| 2006 | Nicky Hayden |
Repsol Honda RC211V |
[edit] Formula One
During an ITV broadcast of a Formula One Grand Prix, a very brief topic arose concerning the possibility of a second United States Grand Prix, and one of the tracks that was mentioned as a possibility for the venue was Laguna Seca.
On August 20, 2006, Toyota F1 test driver Ricardo Zonta set a new lap record of 1'06.309.[4][5] The previous record time was 1'07.722, set by Helio Castroneves in a Penske Champ Car during the 2000 CART Honda Grand Prix of Monterey. The record was re-taken by a Champ Car on March 10, 2007 by Sebastien Bourdais, who lapped in 1'05.880 during Champ Car Spring Training.
Since Zonta's time and Bourdais' time were set in an exhibition and testing (respectively) and official records can only be set in race conditions, either in qualifying or during a race they are unofficial times. The official record remains 1:07.722 set by Helio Castroneves in the 2000 race.
[edit] References
- ^ History of Laguna Seca Historic Cemetary
- ^ Environmental Site Assessment: Laguna Seca Ranch, Earth Metrics Inc., on file with the County of Monterey (1989)
- ^ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 6 2005.12.27
- ^ Zonta breaks the record, part three...
- ^ Videos of the event and record lap at toyota.com
[edit] External links
- Laguna Seca Raceway official site
- American Le Mans Series
- Sea Otter Classic
- Trackpedia's guide to driving Laguna Seca
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