www.montereycountynow.com july 18-24, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 For those not particularly interested in motorsports, there are just a few things to know about WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. To start with, the track is on the bucket list of most race car drivers and fans, idolized alongside Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Germany’s Nürburgring, Le Mans in France and the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Its natural terrain layout gives Laguna Seca its signature feature, Turn 8, otherwise known as the Corkscrew. The track is also one of just two major circuits owned by a local government, the other being Portland International Raceway in Oregon. The U.S. Department of Defense deeded Fort Ord land to the County of Monterey for Laguna Seca Recreation Area. For that reason, the track itself is a throwback—which is both positive and negative. There remains a certain oldschool charm about Laguna Seca. Few other tracks allow fans so close to race teams in the paddock area. But while corporate ownership groups have financed upgrades at other facilities, Laguna Seca languished. Necessary improvements alone are costly. The County allocated $14.9 million for a pavement resurfacing and pedestrian bridge replacement project completed in 2023. Quite rightly, county officials over the years have been reluctant to sink taxpayer money into the addition of modern amenities. And renewing short-term contracts with small organizations—for many years SCRAMP, currently A&D Narigi—to operate the facility offers little incentive to change the situation. So when the county signed a 55-year concession agreement with the nonprofit Friends of Laguna Seca in July 2023, it was the best news for the facility, the county and the racing community since the track was completed. While the county still owns the property and A&D Narigi continues to run the show, FLS will take over the role of maintaining the facility. “Will” is the operative word. FLS was originally scheduled to assume management control on Jan. 1. The can was kicked to July 1. The new date is not as firm. According to the agreement between FLS and the county, the organization must have $6 million in the bank before taking the reins. A lawsuit filed by Highway 68 Coalition over alleged environmental and noise impacts has been settled, but FLS claims it set them back 12 months in fundraising. “This is a clean sheet of paper,” says Lauri Eberhart, CEO of Friends of Laguna Seca. “It’s an opportunity to restore, revitalize and reinvent the facility. I want it to be an international showpiece, but I don’t want to lose the flavor of the place.” The course was laid out in 1957, during the heyday of race track construction in the U.S. With youth culture, car culture and the economy on the rise through much of the 1950s, names like Road America, Watkins Glen, Sebring and Daytona joined the motorsports lexicon. Riverside International Raceway in Southern California was built in 1957 but was lost in the late 1980s to urban sprawl. Laguna Seca was being beaten down by long deferred maintenance and the failure to keep pace with amenities. It will take investment— money the county cannot spend—to bring Laguna Seca up to modern standards, and to attract events that will bring greater benefit to the area. According to a 2022 report, the recreation area accounted for $250 million in spending. But FLS knows there is more available, not only through motorsports, but also concerts and other activities. It’s a recreation area, with biking and hiking trails and a hidden gem of a campground. “It’s a community asset,” Eberhart says. “We want a mix of events that will generate the highest return. It can be a tourist destination.” There are few people with Eberhart’s insight into the business side— and tricky legal side—of motorsports, or with her contacts. The County of Monterey has proven a fine racetrack host, but a flawed racetrack manager. That county leaders realized the need for a long-term agreement and is working alongside FLS, allowing them time to regain fundraising momentum after the delay caused by a nagging lawsuit, is encouraging. With the promise of management by FLS and the hospitality sense of A&D Narigi, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the recreation area have a strong future. Dave Faries is the Weekly’s features editor. Reach him at dfaries@montereycountynow. com. On Track Friends of Laguna Seca has yet to take over, but promises a bright future. By Dave Faries Nice Try…Squid has concluded from watching too many episodes of Dateline that in this internet age you can’t get away with anything anymore, from murder down to the mundane, like using traffic as an excuse for being late. Technology makes it too easy to check your alibi. So it was for Neal Kruse of the Carmel Preservation Association who on July 9 was appealing to the Carmel City Council a Planning Commission decision in favor of transforming the dated Hofsas House into a luxury hotel. Kruse told councilmembers his attorney had informed him that he couldn’t be in Carmel that night due to a court case in San Jose. Arguing it wasn’t fair to proceed without his attorney present, Kruse urged a delay to August. Anthony Lombardo, the attorney representing the family that owns Hofsas House—including former councilmember Carrie Theis—followed Kruse at the podium. The case in the Sixth District Court of Appeal finished at 2:27 that afternoon, Lombardo reported. “We watched it. According to Google Maps, it’s one hour and 37 minutes from the courthouse in San Jose to Carmel City Hall. He could have been here at 4:05,” he said. The council heard the appeal that night and Kruse lost by a 4-0 vote. Technology wins again. Case closed. Still Riding…As a well-read cephalopod, Squid understands the concept of empathy, even though, like every predator, Squid is a sociopath of sorts—lunch requires hunting. So Squid turned Squid’s head when the animal rights nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent an email to Squid’s colleague, informing them that PETA had sent an “Empathy Kit” to Keith Urban, a country music star who performed at the California Rodeo Salinas on July 12—PETA urged him to cancel his appearance on animal cruelty grounds. Squid did a double take when Squid read, in the “Empathy Kit,” that Squid should “speak up when someone makes a racist, ableist, speciesist, or otherwise disparaging comment.” Squid can get behind all of that, except the “speciesist” part. Squid often eats shrimp for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Squid isn’t going to be guilt-tripped into putting in a nice word for them—bottom feeders! The “Empathy Kit,” meanwhile, is just a two-page PDF titled “Every Animal is Someone” (is a limpet “someone?”) and is filled with bullet points to soften one’s heart. Squid appreciates the effort, and Squid gets it—Squid has three hearts, hardened though they be. But Urban still performed of course, evidently unswayed by the “Empathy Kit,” though Squid doubts he ever saw it. And Squid will admit—the world could use a lot more empathy right now, but sending emails to country music stars isn’t the way to get there. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “I want it to be an international showpiece.” Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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