After what appeared like an eternity of discussions and proposals to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, adopted by a protracted authorized problem, Mates of Laguna Seca was lastly in a position to announce on April 4 of this yr that every one the obstacles had been cleared. Within the technique of dotting i’s and crossing t’s, the non-profit group will assume a historic long-term settlement to take over operation of the Laguna Seca Recreation Space and its signature WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mates of Laguna Seca was fashioned by native enterprise homeowners Ross Merrill (beneath, proper), Bruce Canepa (beneath, left) and Jonathan Feiber in 2016 as a solution to a plea by the county to discover a higher answer to working the ability. Since then, different enterprise leaders like Ned Spieker and Gordon McCall have offered one other layer of perception. What introduced them up to now of turning into the custodians of Laguna Seca’s future is ardour. What’s going to see them succeed going ahead is enterprise acumen.
“We took a have a look at the county’s request for a proposal and thought that to protect and save Laguna Seca for future generations, we should always strategy this as an all-volunteer non-profit,” mentioned Merrill, an avid historic racer, in addition to CEO of Merrill Farms LLC, a fourth era produce-growing firm primarily based in Salinas, Calif. His earliest recollections of the observe stretch again to driving his bike to the again gate as a boy from the farm the place he was raised.
“We pledge to spend money on the ability, replace the enterprise mannequin and do all of it on our personal dime and relieve the county of its burden,” he added.
Within the run-up to the takeover, County Supervisor Mary Adams was quoted as saying of the venue: “It’s a valuable gem and I don’t suppose it’s ever been correctly managed.”
The the explanation why are many and assorted, however suffice it to say that Laguna Seca, together with Portland Worldwide Raceway and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, are the one municipally-owned race tracks in North America. Within the case of Laguna Seca, that meant layers of paperwork and diverging priorities. Which isn’t a criticism, merely a actuality.
“I can’t think about having to run my enterprise the place each resolution wanted to be run via a number of committees, however that’s precisely what’s occurred beneath the entire prior working agreements,” says Canepa, who started racing sports activities vehicles on the observe within the late Nineteen Seventies, whereas additionally constructing his enterprise into one of many world’s most revered sellers and restorers of pedigree sports activities vehicles and racecars.
Lovely and difficult WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s long-term future is wholesome, because of an settlement between the Mates of Laguna Seca and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. The enduring Corkscrew (above) is among the observe’s defining sections.
“Our concession settlement comprises three vital factors,” he explains. “First, now we have the authority to run the ability as we see match with out county oversight. Second, now we have a 50-year settlement, which is not like any of the earlier agreements, and third, it locks the ability into being a race observe, so there’s no likelihood it will likely be anything.”
The truth that prior working agreements for the observe have been short-term (three to 5 years) has been a big a part of the issue traditionally, in accordance with Merrill.
“SCRAMP (a previous operator) put the entire buildings on wheels as a result of they didn’t know the way lengthy they’d be there. That’s what explains points like all of the deferred upkeep and lack in infrastructure funding,” he says. “We’re turning a brand new web page, however we additionally don’t have the luxurious of dropping cash. Meaning now we have to run occasions – skilled race sequence and extra – that may put a reimbursement into the ability. We’re not about making a revenue, however we do must generate the income wanted to be reinvested.”
To realize that, Mates of Laguna Seca are poised to embark on a journey of renewal that may finally see the venue attain its full potential. As they do, race followers, lovers and the County of Monterey would be the actual winners.
Go to and observe weathertechraceway.com for updates on upcoming occasions together with the 2025 occasion schedule.
