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Laguna Seca
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== History == [[Image:LagunaSecaMay08.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Laguna Seca Raceway from between Turns 1 and 2]] [[File:Mario Andretti 1991 Laguna Seca.jpg|thumb|right|[[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 [[Equestrianism|equestrian]] uses.<ref>''Environmental Site Assessment: Laguna Seca Ranch'', Earth Metrics Inc., on file with the County of Monterey (1989)</ref> 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. 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 Championship|IMSA GT]], [[Champ Car|CART]], [[Indy 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/Moto3 and 250/Moto2 are not admitted). The day-to-day operations of the track, along with the management and promotion of major racing events, are now handled by A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC. John V. Narigi is the General Manager and President. Until January 1, 2020, it was managed by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), which is 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 {{convert|1.9|mi|km|adj=on}} length to meet the minimum-track-length criteria of the FIM for MotoGP events, plus the more recent relocation of [[pedestrian]] bridges and [[Embankment (transportation)|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. Remnants of the old configuration can still be seen from the parking lot between turns two and five. They are found underneath a road leading to the parking area for entrant trailers and RVs. [[Image:Corkscrew Turn, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.jpg|thumb|right|The "Corkscrew" at Turn 8, with gradient up to 16%]] [[Image:Horag Corkscrew.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the "Corkscrew" from the bottom]] {{anchor|Corkscrew}} The famous Turn 8 and 8A combination, popularly referred to as 'the Corkscrew', is considered one of the motorsport world's most challenging turns,<ref name="racingcircuitsinfo">{{cite web |last=Tipton |first=Neil |title=Laguna Seca - RacingCircuits.info |url=https://www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/usa/laguna-seca.html |date=2022 |access-date=4 July 2022}}</ref><ref name="mcgraw">{{cite web |last=Myers |first=Elena |title=Turn by turn guide to MotoAmerica at Laguna Seca |url=https://www.mcgrawpowersports.com/turn-by-turn-guide-to-motoamerica-at-laguna-seca/ |date=27 June 2017 |access-date=4 July 2022}}</ref> due to the {{convert|18|metre|ft|abbr=on|adj=on|order=flip}} drop in elevation as well as its blind crest and apex on the uphill approach.<ref name="racingcircuitsinfo"></ref><ref name="mcgraw"></ref><ref name="googlemaps">{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode&q=Mazda+Raceway+Laguna+Seca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.861942,86.308594&ie=UTF8&ll=36.584244,-121.748887&spn=0,359.997366&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=36.584343,-121.748854&panoid=udrYf4y2Ja8H454cVpYO2w&cbp=12,1.5996056991563416,,0,5|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps}}</ref> {{anchor|Andretti Hairpin}}{{anchor|Rainey Curve}} 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]]. On the last lap of the 1996 CART race, [[Alex Zanardi]] passed [[Bryan Herta]] on the inside of the Corkscrew to take the victory. Uruguayan driver [[Gonzalo Rodríguez (racing driver)|Gonzalo Rodríguez]] died during the practice session of the 1999 CART race after crashing at the same corner. Because of the incident, runoff was installed at the end of the Rahal Straight. 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.<ref>[http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=12226 Champ Car > News Tuesday, September 11, 2007<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916032348/http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=12226 |date=September 16, 2007 }}</ref> But the subsequent merger of Champ Car and [[Indy Racing League|IndyCar]] resulted in the race being canceled. On July 17, 2018, [[Indy Racing League|IndyCar]] announced a return of IndyCars to Laguna Seca, with the event to be held the weekend of September 20–22, 2019. The track is also the site of the annual [[Monterey Motorsports Reunion|Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion]], formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. The event features 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 of Speed|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 [[WeatherTech]] which began in April 2018. As part of the sponsorship, the track is now officially referred to as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Previously, the sponsorship belonged to [[Mazda]] for 17 years with the track being known as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. A 2015 study by [[California State University, Monterey Bay]] and commissioned by SCRAMP states that the raceway generated $62.1 million (2015 USD) to the [[Monterey County]] economy and $5.2 million in state and local taxes.<ref>{{cite web|title=CSUMB Economic Study: Mazda Raceway Contributed $62M To Monterey County In 2015|url=http://www.mazdaraceway.com/homepage-middle-pod/csumb-economic-study-mazda-raceway-contributed-62m-monterey-county-2015|publisher=Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca|access-date=25 November 2015|archive-date=26 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126082835/http://www.mazdaraceway.com/homepage-middle-pod/csumb-economic-study-mazda-raceway-contributed-62m-monterey-county-2015|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
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