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 "Corkscrew" at Turns 8 and 8A, and a 300 foot (91 m) 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.
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 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 GT, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series, Grand American, Monterey Historic Automobile 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, 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 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 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, though some claim that this increases the wind effects that can perturb a race motorcycle.
"Corkscrew" at turn 8.
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.
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 Champ Car race to take the victory. 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]
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), attendace often rivals, or surpases 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 course is 1 minute, 07.722 seconds, set in 2000 by Helio 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.
Other use[]
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 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 GT4 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.[4]. However, both he and the track instructor agreed that it is possible to complete the course 1:41 if the driver were sufficiently experienced and talented.
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 television pilot.
Parts of the 1977 Disney film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo were filmed at the track, particularly during the practice and qualifying scenes.
The German automobile maker BMW named one of its colors for the E46 M3 (production years 2001-2006, although this particular color was only offered as a standard option from 2001-2004) Laguna Seca Blue, in honor of the Laguna Seca raceway.
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.
Race Winners[]
Champ Car/CART[]
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Template:Country flagicon Teo Fabi | March | Cosworth |
| 1984 | Template:Country flagicon Bobby Rahal | March | Cosworth |
| 1985 | Template:Country flagicon Bobby Rahal | March | Cosworth |
| 1986 | Template:Country flagicon Bobby Rahal | March | Cosworth |
| 1987 | Template:Country flagicon Bobby Rahal | Lola | Cosworth |
| 1988 | Template:Country flagicon Danny Sullivan | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1989 | Template:Country flagicon Rick Mears | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1990 | Template:Country flagicon Danny Sullivan | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1991 | Template:Country flagicon Michael Andretti | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1992 | Template:Country flagicon Michael Andretti | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1993 | Template:Country flagicon Paul Tracy | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor |
| 1994 | Template:Country flagicon Paul Tracy | Penske | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1995 | Template:Country flagicon Gil de Ferran | Reynard | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor |
| 1996 | Template:Country flagicon Alex Zanardi | Reynard | Honda |
| 1997 | Template:Country flagicon Jimmy Vasser | Reynard | Honda |
| 1998 | Template:Country flagicon Bryan Herta | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth |
| 1999 | Template:Country flagicon Bryan Herta | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2000 | Template:Country flagicon Helio Castroneves | Reynard | Honda |
| 2001 | Template:Country flagicon Max Papis | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2002 | Template:Country flagicon Cristiano da Matta | Lola | Toyota |
| 2003 | Template:Country flagicon Patrick Carpentier | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
| 2004 | Template:Country flagicon Patrick Carpentier | Lola | Ford-Cosworth |
Champ Car Marlboro Challenge[]
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | October 14 | Template:Country flagicon Al Unser, Jr. | Lola | Chevrolet |
| 1991 | October 19 | Template:Country flagicon Michael Andretti | Lola | Chevrolet |
American Le Mans Series[]
| Season | Class | Winning Drivers | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | LMP | Template:Country flagicon JJ Lehto / Template:Country flagicon Steve Soper | BMW V12 LMR |
| GTS | Template:Country flagicon Olivier Beretta / Template:Country flagicon Karl Wendlinger | Dodge Viper GTS-R | |
| GT | Template:Country flagicon Johnny Mowlem / Template:Country flagicon David Murry | Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | |
| 2000 | LMP | Template:Country flagicon Rinaldo Capello / Template:Country flagicon Allan McNish | Audi R8 |
| GTS | Template:Country flagicon Olivier Beretta / Template:Country flagicon Karl Wendlinger | Dodge Viper GTS-R | |
| GT | Template:Country flagicon Hans Joachim Stuck / Template:Country flagicon Boris Said | BMW M3 GT | |
| 2001 | LMP900 | Template:Country flagicon Frank Biela / Template:Country flagicon Emanuele Pirro | Audi R8 |
| LMP675 | Template:Country flagicon Milka Duno / Template:Country flagicon Didier de Radigues | Reynard 01Q-Judd | |
| GTS | Template:Country flagicon Terry Borcheller / Template:Country flagicon Franz Konrad | Saleen S7-R | |
| GT | Template:Country flagicon JJ Lehto / Template:Country flagicon Jörg Müller | BMW M3 GTR | |
| 2002 | LMP900 | Template:Country flagicon Emanuele Pirro / Template:Country flagicon Frank Biela | Audi R8 |
| LMP675 | Template:Country flagicon Chad Block / Template:Country flagicon Steve Knight / Template:Country flagicon Claudia Hürtgen | MG-Lola EX257 | |
| GTS | Template:Country flagicon Tomáš Enge / Template:Country flagicon Peter Kox | Ferrari 550 Maranello | |
| GT | Template:Country flagicon Lucas Luhr / Template:Country flagicon Sascha Maassen | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | |
| 2003 | LMP900 | Template:Country flagicon Frank Biela / Template:Country flagicon Marco Werner | Audi R8 |
| LMP675 | Template:Country flagicon James Weaver / Template:Country flagicon Butch Leitzinger | MG-Lola EX257 | |
| GTS | Template:Country flagicon Jan Magnussen / Template:Country flagicon David Brabham | Ferrari 550 Maranello | |
| GT | Template:Country flagicon Sascha Maassen / Template:Country flagicon Lucas Luhr | Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | |
| 2004 | LMP1 | Template:Country flagicon Johnny Herbert / Template:Country flagicon Pierre Kaffer | Audi R8 |
| LMP2 | Template:Country flagicon Ian James / Template:Country flagicon James Gue | Courage C65-AER | |
| GT1 | Template:Country flagicon Olivier Beretta / Template:Country flagicon Oliver Gavin | Chevrolet Corvette C5-R | |
| GT2 | Template:Country flagicon Timo Bernhard / Template:Country flagicon Jörg Bergmeister | Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | |
| 2005 | LMP1 | Template:Country flagicon Tom Chilton / Template:Country flagicon Hayanari Shimoda | Zytek 04S |
| LMP2 | Template:Country flagicon Sascha Maassen / Template:Country flagicon Lucas Luhr | Porsche RS Spyder | |
| GT1 | Template:Country flagicon Olivier Beretta / Template:Country flagicon Oliver Gavin | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | |
| GT2 | Template:Country flagicon Patrick Long / Template:Country flagicon Jörg Bergmeister | Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | |
| 2006 | LMP1 | Template:Country flagicon Rinaldo Capello / Template:Country flagicon Allan McNish | Audi R10 |
| LMP2 | Template:Country flagicon Romain Dumas / Template:Country flagicon Lucas Luhr | Porsche RS Spyder | |
| GT1 | Template:Country flagicon Stephane Sarrazin / Template:Country flagicon Pedro Lamy | Aston Martin DBR9 | |
| GT2 | Template:Country flagicon Mika Salo / Template:Country flagicon Stéphane Ortelli | Ferrari 430GT | |
| 2007 | LMP1 | Template:Country flagicon Rinaldo Capello / Template:Country flagicon Allan McNish | Audi R10 |
| LMP2 | Template:Country flagicon Romain Dumas / Template:Country flagicon Timo Bernhard | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | |
| GT1 | Template:Country flagicon Oliver Gavin / Template:Country flagicon Olivier Beretta | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | |
| GT2 | Template:Country flagicon Mika Salo / Template:Country flagicon Jaime Melo | Ferrari F430GT |
A1 Grand Prix[]
| Season | Sprint Race Winner | Feature Race Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | Template:Country flagicon Salvador Durán | Template:Country flagicon Salvador Durán |
500cc/Moto GP[]
| Year | Race Winner | Team/Bike |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Template:Country flagicon Eddie Lawson | Yamaha |
| 1989 | Template:Country flagicon Wayne Rainey | Yamaha |
| 1990 | Template:Country flagicon Wayne Rainey | Yamaha |
| 1991 | Template:Country flagicon Wayne Rainey | Yamaha |
| 1993 | Template:Country flagicon John Kocinski | Cagiva |
| 1994 | Template:Country flagicon Luca Cadalora | Yamaha |
| 2005 | Template:Country flagicon Nicky Hayden | Repsol Honda RC211V |
| 2006 | Template:Country flagicon Nicky Hayden | Repsol Honda RC211V |
| 2007 | Template:Country flagicon Casey Stoner | Ducati Desmosedici GP7 |
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 in part made to lure the race. In the final decision, Laguna Seca was thought to be too small for an F1 crowd and too remote, and Phoenix was granted the Grand Prix (which was highly unsuccessful and only lasted three years).
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.[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 Sébastien Bourdais, who lapped in 1'05.880 during Champ Car Spring Training.
Since Zonta's time and Bourdais' times were set during 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 qualifying for the 2000 race.
References[]
- ↑ History of Laguna Seca Historic Cemetery
- ↑ Environmental Site Assessment: Laguna Seca Ranch, Earth Metrics Inc., on file with the County of Monterey (1989)
- ↑ http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=12226
- ↑ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 6 2005.12.27
- ↑ Zonta breaks the record, part three...