After receiving recommendations from county staff, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors agreed that the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula will manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the next three years.
“We have been working very closely with County Staff over the past several months to develop a plan that builds upon this iconic facility’s heritage,” said Michael Smith, president of the SCRAMP board of governors.
The agreement confirms that SCRAMP will continue to manage the Monterey County-owned facility built in 1957 and allows the group to resume 2018 scheduling that draws events to the Monterey Peninsula to continue a 60-year tradition benefiting race fans, sponsors, charitable organizations and the community as a whole.
Other groups, including the International Speedway Corporation arm of NASCAR, had been considered to take management of the history raceway.
A 2015 study conducted by California State University, Monterey Bay College of Business reported the economic impact of the five major events held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was $62.1 million in direct spending by visitors and produced $5.2 million in state and local taxes. According to the report, those numbers come from non-county attendees’ spending on lodging, food and dining, and retail.
“We will celebrate this heritage throughout the year with 60th anniversary celebrations, culminating in a Racing Through the Decades feature at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August” Smith said.
The remaining 2017 event season includes the Ferrari Challenge, May 12-14; Spring Classic vintage car and motorcycle races, May 19-21; Superbike World Championship, July 7-9; Monterey Pre-Reunion, August 12-13; Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 17-20; Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, September 21-24; and the Pirelli World Challenge, October 12-15.
