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| Interview: Laguna Seca's Gill Campbell
by dean adams Wednesday, February 28, 2007 The last two years have been marked by amazing success for Laguna Seca Raceway, thanks to the inclusion of the USGP on their schedule. Laguna's MotoGP event is the largest-attended motorcycle race in America. But the track has also seen problems trying to service the huge MotoGP crowd, and most recently, with the racetrack surface deteriorating on the '06 MotoGP weekend. Laguna Seca GM Gill Campbell spoke with Soup this week about MotoGP, problems along the way, solutions, and the future of MotoGP and AMA racing at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. She also answered questions about the heavily-rumored 2008 USGP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Q You've had two years in as a MotoGP promoter. What are your thoughts thus far?A I think it is a wonderful place to be. It is a phenomenal series. It's very exciting. It is the creme de la creme of motorcycle racing. We've learned a lot over the past two years. We had no idea, really, what to expect year one. Year two we had a slightly better idea, and even then, I think, we were so engrossed in making sure that we were paying attention to all the details, that I'm not even sure we totally appreciated the extent of it. I was watching The Doctor, The Tornado and the Kentucky Kid the other day, and seeing it from a perspective that I don't get the opportunity to see, and it's pretty cool. It is pretty cool. Q A television commercial ran a few years ago, it was a bit where a company started an e-commerce site. It went live, and you looked at the people working at the firm's faces as the orders started streaming in. They were all very happy when orders were trickling in. Then they started flowing in, and then suddenly there were tens of thousands of orders, and they just looked at each other and silently wondered, "How the hell are we going to do this?" I think that encapsulates Laguna Seca's experience with MotoGP. Would you agree? A Yes. Absolutely. I mean, it has certainly presented us a lot of emotional rewards, a lot of challenges. It has pretty much tapped every emotion and sense that I think anyone could ever have in this business. Q Could you talk a little bit about the track and the track conditions last year? What was your first indication that, as for the track surface, things were not going to plan. Was there ever an actual cause that was determined? A The first indication, obviously, was the reaction from the riders, because obviously, up until the MotoGP riders were on the track, we'd had cars on the track, and a completely different sensation. Motorcycles are way more sensitive to any track conditions than cars are, so it wasn't really until the riders got on the track that we got a complete picture, and then obviously with the overwhelming heat that we had last year, that created issues that it shouldn't have, but it did. Was there a cause there? Like anything that you have, the only thing I can relate it to is if you're cooking. One bad ingredient could make all of the other ingredients bad, but you just don't know which ingredient it was that was bad to begin with. And there were a lot of elements that go into a resurfacing, everything from the compound design to the polymer binding that is used, to the application process, to the temperature of the oil, to a multitude of other elements. Any single one of those could affect all of the others, and that's kind of what happened. We can't really point our finger and say, "That was the ingredient that sent everything haywire." So we have, as a result of that, and I'll tell you, Dorna and the FIM have just been absolutely wonderful in working with us. They have helped us by bringing in experts from Germany to look at, not so much went wrong last year, but what can we do to make it right. We've got US experts looking at it - because, obviously, tracks in Europe are very different than tracks in the US. The ingredients that go into it, everything from the aggregate to oil, is very different in Europe as it is here. So we've got experts from all sides looking at this thing, and we've gone through a series of tests that take a very long time, I've learned. We've got more tests going on, but we are on schedule on this. We are planning on resurfacing on May 21st. Exactly what that's going to look like right now I don't know. Everything is being thoroughly examined, and everybody's kind of going back and analyzing what was used, is there a way of improving that, was it application, was it all of those things. So it's a huge learning curve for me. I know more about asphalt now than I ever thought I needed to know.
A That's all still being determined. Again, when the Germans were here, they spent five days here. They went to the quarry, they have looked at the sand that goes into it, the aggregate, the oil, the hydrated lime, they've analyzed absolutely every single element. They've looked at the machinery, they've looked at the mixing plants, so I think that by the time we're done, we will have a recipe for this that should work. But exactly how that's all going to happen is all still being worked on right now. Q I'm looking at the tentative date of the re-pave (end of May) and the date of the USGP (end of July). You've got, again, a pretty small window. I'm wondering why that is. A There are two or three different reasons for that. Number one is that it's impossible for us to do it any earlier because this is our rainy season, and May presents us with the first opportunity, because it can't be re-paved in the rain. That's one element of it. The window with - FIM actually only requires a week of curing for a racing surface, so we're good on that end. They have approved this schedule. So we are in compliance with everything that we're supposed to be doing so far. Q Okay. But are you scared? A [Laughing] I ... let me see. What would be the best way to answer that? I'll be glad when it's done. Q I think inherently, trying to get people in and out of Laguna Seca has been a problem since the first motorcycle race in the 1970s. The track is surrounded by little more than glorified wagon trails on all sides. The traffic plan is being upgraded again for this season, correct? A That is correct. And actually, after 2005, the traffic plan fell into two parts, really. It was the traffic flow and then correcting, or addressing, the exiting out of here, when the shuttle bus system was developed. The traffic plan itself worked well. People who had purchased parking passes for inside of the facility got out of here with relative ease. The motorcycle dedicated road in and out worked well, although again, we had issues with the heat on the road, breaking it up here and there. But we've gone out and spent money on repairing all of that. So the one element that failed was the shuttle bus system exiting, primarily on Sunday. And so that's the primary element that we have been working on over the winter. We have made a decision very early on that - we are a non-profit organization that relies on volunteers, and we support about 70 to 90 organizations. For this particular project, we immediately realized we cannot rely on our volunteers. The heat - they were out there standing in the heat dropping like flies. Or they didn't show up. We can't have that happen. So the first thing that we did was to hire a professional organization that we'd actually brought in in 2006 to fix our parking and traffic flow issues, which obviously worked. So we've hired Miller Events Company to come in and oversee the shuttle bus system. That was the first move towards getting this issue fixed. And steps that we have taken to follow through on that - another area that worked really well was the public transportation system. Monterey- Salinas Transportation worked very, very well. And it's convenient for people. They can hop onto it throughout the Monterey area, from their hotel. They don't have to drive to CSUMB parking lot and take a shuttle bus. So we sat down with MST, and they are increasing their bus runs. We've added Carmel Valley as another convenience on that bus route. So they're adding buses, and particularly, again, on Sunday, when the major issue is certainly there. So we are, again, right on schedule on working on this. I actually have another meeting with all of the agencies and the entities involved this coming Saturday. We're just trying to - before we release exactly the details of this, we're trying to fine-tune everything. But in a nutshell, we've added more buses. Last year, for example, when we had volunteers, we were only able to load two buses at a time. Even though we had 15 stations set up to load them, we didn't have the manpower to do it. So obviously, that situation has been addressed. So we'll have the manpower. We'll have the buses. We are creating multiple loading areas, and just devising the best logistical way to communicate that information to our fans.Q Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been in the news for the past month. They've actually been talking about a motorcycle race for more than a year. It's become clear they want a MotoGP race. Whether they're going to get one or not seems to be another matter. Your thoughts on having a possible GP race at Indy, in addition to Laguna Seca. A I guess we can take it that the best compliment we could be served is that everybody's recognized the successes of MotoGP in this country, thanks to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and so everybody wants to see another MotoGP in the country. I think it's a great thing for the sport. MotoGP certainly will have an opportunity to be established as a major, major sport in this country. But we'll see what happens. Q What is Laguna's contractual situation with Dorna at the moment? Is there a contract beyond this year? A Absolutely yes. We have a contract through 2010, and we had an exclusivity contract for three years with Dorna. We've always been advised of the fact that it was a distinct possibility that there could be another US event at some point. But our contract extends through 2010. Q How do you think a second Grand Prix will affect the crowd at Laguna? They're talking an August race next year. A Well, I wouldn't be right if I didn't say that I think it's bound to affect both events. But again, if we can create the dedicated, committed MotoGP fan, then maybe we can create the following. In every other series in this country, people follow the series around. I think we have some of the best fans in MotoGP. They've really shown their dedication to the series over the past couple of years, and I think they will show their support for the series again. Q Regarding the AMA racing on the USGP weekend, I think you've been quite charitable towards the AMA, to let them drag their show along with MotoGP. How much longer do you see that happening? There seems to be a serious outcry every year for the 125s and the 250s to come over, and now you've got the second AMA date. I'm just wondering what the long-term outlook is for AMA racing on the USGP weekend. A Well, our contract, if I remember correctly, our contract goes through next year, I think, with the AMA, so we'll certainly be addressing that aspect at that point in time. But we have a lot of dedicated AMA fans that come here, and obviously, the success of AMA at the MotoGP weekend certainly encouraged us to bring AMA back for a standalone event. They have not failed to put on a good show. So again, it's always tough to cater to everybody's passion, but we're doing our very best. I think always, our bottom line, no matter what event it is that we do, we feel that part of our responsibility is to educate our fans as to what it is. What is MotoGP? What is GrandAm? What is American LeMans Series? So our promotions are twofold, really. It's getting that word out there, and also it's, whether it be for the fans or for the media attention, this is a huge deal, and so our promotions are really geared towards letting everybody know it really is a big deal. "Come and see us."Q How's the overall health of the track at the moment? A We're good. This has certainly, MotoGP has provided an enormous shot in the arm for us to be able to move forward and do a lot of the things that are required of us to do, in order to host a MotoGP event. Every year, we're trying to improve our facility, improve - we've always said that we were a first-class racing facility, but we lacked a lot in fan comfort areas, and so we're working very hard to improve that. As a non-profit organization, we don't have deep pockets, so we have to raise the funds every time we do that. We have some very dedicated supporters, and we're very grateful. Q A critic might say that you lack infrastructure as well because of the non-profit status. Your thoughts on that? A Absolutely. The other part of this that a lot of people don't realize, is that we do not own the property. It is owned by the County of Monterey. So we certainly work within our limitations. It is a wonderful facility because it exists as a park, but that does present us with some challenges, and we work hard to overcome those. Q Where does the US Grand Prix stand in terms of spectators for your facility? Is it the biggest event that you have? A Yes, most certainly it is. We had 47,000 people here on Sunday of last year's event. I don't believe there's another sporting - or motorsports - event, that can host that kind of number. Motorcycle fans are amazing to me. You look at the majority of motorsports events any more. I'm one of those people who don't like to use promoter numbers, I like to use real numbers. Ten thousand people are a lot of people. If you really count what 10,000 people look like, it's amazing. Q Have you had any conversations with World Superbike since the split in 2002? A No, we've not had any conversation. We exchange Christmas cards, but we have not had any conversations. Q Looking at the 2007 World Superbike calendar, there's a huge gap right after Australia. A scheming person could say, if the WSBK bikes are being flown, perhaps, this way anyway, is there any chance of a World Superbike event in the future? I guess you'd say "never say never"? A Exactly. We're certainly not closing any doors on those kinds of opportunities. Q What sort of crowd do you anticipate for the AMA stuff in September? A A good one. [Laughing] I kind of feel a little bit like Rumsfeld. There are a lot of unknowns. But I can tell you that the response thus far has been absolutely wonderful. And we haven't even started really promoting it yet. So I'm encouraged. Q What other series did you look at to fill that date? What competed with AMA for that date, from your perspective? A We were looking at other car events, primarily. Everything from FIA GT to - I'm trying to recall exactly - to A1 GP, to a lot of other car series. We just felt that, again, our motorcycle fans are very important to us, and to give them another opportunity to see all four classes of AMA was something we wanted to do. Q I'm always sort of happily dismayed when I see an AMA event added to a schedule. Because from a business standpoint, it just doesn't seem that there's enough numbers to have it make sense. From your perspective, how do you arrive at that decision in 2007? Is it that car racing right now is so bad, or that bike racing really is healthier than people would like to believe? A I think it's a little combination of all of the above, really. The glory days when TransAm, CanAm, were out there as options, aren't there any more. The big ticket-sellers are very few and far between. And I think, too, I'll know a lot more after this year about how AMA does. And it is a single year contract at the moment. It all depends on how well it does. We are limited to only being able to have five major events at this property, so we have to select very carefully. Q How's the mood in Monterey regarding Laguna Seca and the noise dates? I know there have been some reports in the local press about the noise. A There's always a few people who don't consider our sounds to be music to their ears like we do. They're very vocal. Nonetheless, we're celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, and this community is getting behind us. In fact, we're having an open house on March 10th. We're having Champ Car testing here, and we're inviting our community to come out for a free day, and we're putting on a party to launch our 50th anniversary. I think the fact that SCRAMP has survived 50 years as a non-profit organization with this facility is a tribute unto itself.Q Again on the AMA event, is that going to be a two-day event or a three-day event? There seems to be some conjecture as to what format it will be. A There's a promoter's test day on the Friday, and then the actual event will be Saturday and Sunday. Q A two-day event with two Superbike races, or one Superbike race? A One. Talking about that Superbike race, though, one of the things that we do really want to encourage people to do, when we were talking about exiting traffic, we have purposely scheduled the AMA Superbike race to follow the MotoGP race on Sunday, because what we want to do is to entertain people so that we can slow down our exiting, so that we can take care of our fans. So we're hoping a lot of people stick around for that Superbike race on the Sunday after MotoGP. It should be a good one. And helping us to manage that exiting traffic, that the mass exodus doesn't occur as it has done. Q The heat last year was inhuman. How was that to deal with? A Well, we never have that kind of temperature here. In the 50 years that SCRAMP has been operating, we have never had temperatures - I think it was 30 degrees over normal for that period. In 2005, we were selling sweatshirts like they were going out of style. So it was unanticipated. On the Saturday morning, when we realized how - at 6:00 in the morning when it was as hot as it was, we immediately went into our... Q Triage mode? A Pretty much. We immediately instigated a plan where we were giving away free bottled water with the help of the Sheriff's Department and the Fire Department. We brought in an emergency disaster trailer that was manned by emergency disaster medical folks. We brought in everything that we could. Unfortunately, what we were lacking was the ability to bring in additional shade or misting stations at such short notice. Unfortunately, we had a big water main break in the lakebed area, so we were without running water in the lakebed area, which inhibited us being able to do very much. Our drinking fountains went down, et cetera. So we were declared officially a medical disaster area at 10:00 on the Saturday morning, but we were already in full swing at that time, to address as much as we possibly could. What we have done since that time is met with all of the agencies and developed a heat emergency plan that I hope to God we never have to use again. But at least we will be well-prepared this year. We are bringing in misting stations. We will be putting in shade areas. We're looking into trying to put awnings on the grandstands, for example, to shade there as much as we can. There's tents that people can get comfortable under. Those kinds of things that we'll be addressing. Q I want to get your reaction to something. I read in the British press some time this winter that what brought Indy MotoGP on board was that Dorna told you to hold a proper Grand Prix last year and have no hiccups or problems. The heat and the track were not handled in the way that they wanted them to be. And that, in turn, made them have deeper conversations with Indy. Is any of that true? A Not at all. No such conversations were ever held. In
fact, quite the reverse. Dorna has been very, very supportive of
everything that we have done. Anything that they have asked us to do,
we have complied with. I don't believe anybody could have foreseen
the heat, or controlled it. My name begins with a "G," but it doesn't
end in "OD." But no, quite the reverse. ENDS Post this story to: digg PRIVACY POLICY | HOME | RETURN TO TOP © 1997 - 2007 Hardscrabble Media LLC |
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