Race Track: Laguna Seca
Location: USA
Race Day: Sunday, 12 March 2006
Click here for
larger image
A fortnight on from visiting Monterrey in Mexico, A1 Grand Prix
movesnorth and west to the Pacific coast of the United States, to
Monterey at the southern end of Monterey Bay. The first ever
capital of California,it's now home to 35,000 inhabitants and is
the largest centre of poulation in the vicinity of the Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca. Some two hours drive south of San Francisco
and an hour or so south of San Jose,Monterey owes its existence to
fishing, as a former fishing and whaling port, with its Cannery Row
made so famous by John Steinbeck from nearbySalinas with his novel
of the same name now a relic of the way it was inthe early 20th
century when it was the world's largestsardine-processing centre.
Today, artists and writers outnumber fishermen, with the annual
Monterey Jazz Festival a major event and the Monterey Bay Aquarium
a particular attraction.
Just south of Monterey lies Carmel, the upmarket, village-sized
resort of which actor Clint Eastwood was so long the mayor. Its a
complete contrast with neighbouring Monterey, with all buildings
kept on a residential scale, mostly surrounded by coastal pines.The
drive along the coast from Monterey, known as 17-Mile Drive, passes
the ultra-exclusive Pebble Beach golf course, home to the world's
mostprestigious concours d'elegance for vintage cars.
For surfing enthusiasts, the Californian coast is a must, with
world famous Big Sur the biggest draw along the rugged
coastline.
California itself was terra incognita to explorers from Europe
until the Portuguese arrived by sea in 1542 in what is now known as
San Diego Bay. Francis Drake was next to arrive, claiming
California or Nova Albion as he called it, for Britain in 1579.
Sebastien Vizcaino landed at Monterey in 1602 and continued the
pattern of simply naming what he'd found, such as headlands and
harbours, then moving on again.Settlement by Europeans took
considerable time to follow, with the King of Spain ordering a
string of Franciscan missions and accompanying presidios for the
troops to protect them along the Californian coast, with Monterey
as the administrative. The first of these was up the coast at San
Diego in 1769. But, sadly, they brought more than religion as the
measles and smallpox that came with them decimated the native
Indian population. By 1776, the United States had elected to break
away from British rule and gained independence after a seven-year
war.
The Monterey Peninsula's love affair with world-class racing traces
its beginning to 1950 and the inaugural running of the Pebble Beach
Road Races. Those sports car events through the winding roads of
the Del Monte Forest became immensely popular and brought prestige,
fans and money to the area. But as the cars got faster and the
crowds grew larger, it was decided that the race was too big for
the open road. Rather than see the event, with its fans and
financial impact go elsewhere, a group of civic-minded business
leaders decided to build a permanent, world-class racing
facility.
This was the impetus behind the formation of the Sports Car Racing
Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) on November 1, 1956.
The non-profit group's mission, which remains unchanged today, is
to benefit local charitable and non-profit organizations and to
promote the economic vitality of Monterey through motorsports
events. The group leased Fort Ord land from the Army, built the
circuit and staged its first race on November 9, 1957.
Since that day, events at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca have generated
more than $1 billion in revenue for area businesses, while
providing over $10 million for more than 100 charitable and civic
groups. Today, SCRAMP is the most important economic and charitable
organization in Monterey County.
Originally part of the former Fort Ord military base, Laguna Seca
was turned over to the County of Monterey in 1974. The County in
turn handed its responsibilities to the parks department. SCRAMP
operates and maintains the race track, and handles the racing
events and track rentals that generate funds of over $1 million for
the county parks department.
The SCRAMP "family" consists of thousands of volunteers, including
a 25 member volunteer board of directors, whose names are listed
below. These dedicated volunteers come from all walks of life and
all across the tri-county area to make up the work force needed to
stage motor sports events at Laguna Seca. The largest group of
volunteers is comprised of over 70 charities and civic
organizations with their membership numbering in the
thousands.
In 1988, in the hope of attracting Formula 1 racing after the
demise of the Detroit Grand Prix, SCRAMP agreed to lengthen and
upgrade the circuit from 1.9-miles to the present 2.2. This was
done by creating an infield area which did away with the daunting
old Turn Two. In the end F1 never went to Laguna but it still
remains a popular track for racers and spectators. The access roads
are not great and it is a long way from major population but it is
a place where racing cars can be seen at their best. There is a
300-ft change in elevation which includes the infamous Corkscrew,
an incredible curling downhill series of turns. It was exiting the
Corkscrew in 1996 that Alex Zanardi pulled off a breathtaking
overtaking maneuver on the last lap of the race to beat Bryan
Herta. The death of Gonzalo Rodriguez in 1999 led to major safety
changes at Laguna and a naming rights deal with Mazda has provided
the funding for other development including new access routes and
proper pits.