MONTEREY, Calif., July 3, 2017 – The partnership between the County of Monterey and Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) continues to reap benefits for visitors enjoying the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. Eyes from around the world will be tuning in to watch this week’s Motul FIM Superbike World Championship GEICO U.S. Round where 21 riders compete for valuable world championship points on their lone appearance in North America. An additional 94 riders will swell the paddock who are competing in three classes of the MotoAmerica Honda Championship of the Monterey Peninsula.
What many will also see are the wide ranging improvements being made to the entire Monterey County-owned facility. Together, infrastructure improvements are on the fast-track to enhance everyone’s experience.
County Board of Supervisors entered into a three-year management agreement with SCRAMP just six months ago and the results of the newfound partnership are quite evident.
“We have accelerated plans that became slightly dormant but are now being implemented. Perhaps the most notable for fans was the demolition of the paddock restrooms and showers,” said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “In the interim before the new replacement is built, we will have executive washrooms in their place, which are actually far nicer than the wooden building they replace.”
In just six months, the following projects have been started or completed:
Paddock Retrsoom – removed
Paddock classroom – removed
Paddock office – removed
Spectator medical – removed and relocated
Vendor services building – replaced
Marketplace First Aid – removed and replaced
Souvenir Store storeroom – removed and replaced
Tower stairs – being replaced
Campground restroom and shower – removed
South Boundary Road maintenance
Culverts repairs
Painting of all buildings and offices
Among the projects that are on the immediate horizon are:
Paddock restroom and showers
New Start / Finish Bridge
Track surface repaving
Cruisin’ Café replacement
“There are many more projects on the drawing board, but we are very pleased with the progress that has been made in a short period time. It is a thrill to see all the activity, increased number of campers and an overall increase in use of the Laguna Seca Recreation Area,” Campbell said.
The remaining Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca major event season continues with Monterey Pre-Reunion, August 12-13; Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 17-20; Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship), September 21-24; and Pirelli World Challenge, October 12-15.
