Laguna Seca change of mgmt
 

Just got an email from Laguna Seca:
"This is a bittersweet time for the SCRAMP organization, which has been manager and operator of Laguna Seca Raceway since its construction in 1957. Our decades of stewardship of the legendary track come to an end on December 31 of this year.

The new Monterey County agreement to manage the raceway with A & D Narigi Consulting, LLC effective January 1, 2020, will ensure the continuation of motorsports at the facility on into the future. "

LOL'd when I looked up the the new company, just started on October to bid on the contract. Newspapers make it sound like a real down and dirty local politics furfight.

Anyone have personal insight into this?

looks even dirtier than my own hometown
https://racer.com/2019/11/19/insight-monterey-county-sham/

(my layman experience from two decades back)

1). Put up freaking signs for spectator parking all the way from Monterey.
It's really not that difficult: Plant post. Attach map sign. Done. That's it.
See how easy that was? Now why didn't you think of it before morans?

2). The Corkscrew is almost the most famous spectator spot on earth. No food or drinks within access. No bench seats above to watch the action. These would not block anything downhill because there wasn't anything downhill. There were a couple trees for spectators to climb but that's about it.

3). I'm sure there are a lot more potential improvements there..

Every time I go there, I see more and more new homes being built. More homes mean more noise complaints. More noise complaints mean... ?

Like enough pit/facility capacity for all 3 classes of MotoGP. And the last time I was there was '06 or '07 and it was hotter than the hinges of Hades. When they decided to stop charging $6 for a bottle of water they literally plopped cases of water at random spots for us to help ourselves. What a mess.

I wonder if the change in management had anything to do with that a$$hat who is/was suing the track because he crashed??

What was it 85 degrees or something?

Try Roebling Road in Georgia, just outside of Savannah. The heat index the day I was there was 135. When I was running at Luguna Secca in June of 2014 I had to go stand in the sun because the pit garage was cold.

It is a shame that like so many airports, the houses are built, and the noise complaints start.

Lexus just had an event at that track this weekend that I participated in. I had never been there before. With Lexus at the helm, my experience could not have been nicer. The F series cars are pretty cool too.

I can see where things could be modernized, but isn't the connection to history part of the tracks allure? That seemed to be what Lexus was pushing.

Not sure that grand changes are going to be an improvement.

I consider Laguna Seca to be my home track. There is a lot of BS going on and from my point of view the county has been there own worst enemy. First the county didn't really see the track for what was or could be, once they did, they wanted all the cash they could out of it without spending a dime. SCRAMP got a new man, a car guy, ran the Black hawk museum, he wanted to spend the money to make the as great as it once was. The county found out he wasn't a "Yes Man" and, well we know the rest. Monterey is a great place I love living in the area. But like anywhere you have money living next to loud cars, you're going to have trouble. Many of whom would love to see the track go away. But what they may not realize is, if the track goes away, the park goes away. That was the condition of the county taking over the land from the military. Laguna Seca must remain a race track.

I find it funny how the county would rather go with a for profit company, with no experience runny a track over a group of "Car Guy" volunteers. I guess that why they make the big bucks.

Noise and home issues are everywhere. I live fairly close to O'Hare and there is plane noise. People are complaining about the plane noise. Which part of buying a home anywhere within 15 miles of O'Hare did you not understand when you signed on the bottom line?
Same with tracks. You bought in the area knowing a track was nearby so quit whining or move. Not sure if Road America has these issues but I am sure there are owners of new homes that object to the beautiful sounds and race weekend traffic.
Hope LS changes pan for the best. Truly an iconic track.

Laguna Seca must remain a race track.

That has been said of many venues. Race tracks, and especially airports. If enough money is spent or promised and litigation is used, nothing is safe. Riverside International Raceway is gone and in a few years you can probably kiss the Santa Monica Airport goodbye as well. Two reasons, money to be made and political reps. who are afraid all the noise complaints will prevent them from being re-elected.

Wow. Got the email today, too, but didn't know this backstory. That's terrible. Small time issue (from the general public's perspective, who gives a schit about some stupid racetrack?), but corruption at its finest. Hopefully the track doesn't get run too much into the ground before the guy retires for good (I'd like to get $229K to go live in semi-retirement) and gives up control.

from this link, thanks!

"The county contract has A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC, earning a percentage of track income, as well as a $275,000 monthly management fee."

hmmm, if true, how long until bankruptcy for the track?

You're not wrong on your points, but re: #2 last race I was at (IMSA, a month ago give or take), there was food and drinks and restrooms up there, even a shuttle to the corkscrew. That was most welcome on all accounts by my tired legs. No seating though, you just pick a dirt spot and feed yourself to the ants... They definitely could invest a little and make it way nicer. Some shade over the stands too would not kill anyone !

Not to change the subject but, I've thought about this before. Where would you put additional seating? Keep in mind, you don't really want to cut down any trees between turns 8 and 9. Personally, I'd like to see seating on the hillside between turns 1 and 2.

I'll give them ten years before the NIMBYs shut them done or they slide into the ocean....

Not a problem with the electrics.

ICE track days are numbered though.

We're having the same problems with Pacific Raceways. Idiots move in next to a track, then complain until it puts in ridiculously early curfews, etc.

Possible agenda: a few years of bad management decisions, losing money, sell property to someone like Penske or, get their inside connections to approve rezoning the property to condos and a shopping mall.