Laguna Seca Accounted for $84.4 million in Direct Spending in 2018

[cg_ops]

One of the (many) reasons that the rules are ridiculous: You can drive these cars from the showroom floor to the track, legally, and get black flagged:

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6, C7), ZR1 (C6)
Porsche 911 GT3 (996, 997, 991.1, 991.2) / GT3 RS
Porsche Cayman S/Boxster S/GTS/GT4 (981, 987)
Dodge Viper
Ford Mustang GT350
Nissan GTR (R34)
Ferrari 458
Ferrari F430
Audi R8
Lamborghini Huracan

I used to live near the track, in Corral De Tierra, about a mile away as the crow flies. I loved waking up on the weekends and watching the hot air balloons drifting over our house juxtaposed against the sound of race engines in the distance. It was a longtime dream to grow up and play on that track. But I've grown to almost dislike the whole venue, between the difficulty in getting in/out, the price, and the noise limitations. The draw, to me and many I know, has largely been the (national and international) prestige of the track. To share an experience that the best in the world compete at, which you can't really do at a Football/Baseball Stadium or Basketball Colosseum. Sadly, as the prominence dies down, so does the willingness to deal with the hoops you have to jump through in order to participate at it.

 

[Kornholio]

So your saying that if poor people lived there we would not have the sound restrictions and more racing!???

IME, NIMBY is blind to the amount of money you make. Everyone is going to bitch and moan regardless. :2cents

 

[Junkie]

IME, NIMBY is blind to the amount of money you make. Everyone is going to bitch and moan regardless. :2cents

Could be, but the politicians are more likely to listen to people with money

 

[cencalballer]

One of the (many) reasons that the rules are ridiculous: You can drive these cars from the showroom floor to the track, legally, and get black flagged:

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6, C7), ZR1 (C6)
Porsche 911 GT3 (996, 997, 991.1, 991.2) / GT3 RS
Porsche Cayman S/Boxster S/GTS/GT4 (981, 987)
Dodge Viper
Ford Mustang GT350
Nissan GTR (R34)
Ferrari 458
Ferrari F430
Audi R8
Lamborghini Huracan

It's worse than that. Most bikes won't pass without modification, A stock S2000, nsx etc. won't pass and quite frankly at this point I'm not sure what will?

 

[Johndicezx9]

As I said in the Indy Car thread in the sink the current Board of Supervisors is a little friendlier to the track than the previous Board was.

Dave Potter, the main critic of SCRAMP/Laguna Seca, a friend of Mike Weaver, and the mover behind an attempt to hand control of track operations to NASCAR, lost (surprisingly) his re-election bid to the Board in 2016. His actions against Laguna Seca & SCRAMP were a huge part of that loss. Potter is now mayor of Carmel by the Sea.

When NASCAR didn't want anything to do with running the track it was rather eye opening to the County, as well as the reports like this one on the economic impact.

 

[295566]

It's worse than that. Most bikes won't pass without modification, A stock S2000, nsx etc. won't pass and quite frankly at this point I'm not sure what will?

Idk man, my R1 with aftermarket exhaust + DB killers (still significantly louder than stock) went through a whole day at Laguna Seca no problems... didn't get flagged once. Absolute worst case is you have to lift off through one small section of the track, but it's not like it's a race anyway.

 

[MysterYvil]

As I said in the Indy Car thread in the sink the current Board of Supervisors is a little friendlier to the track than the previous Board was.

Dave Potter, the main critic of SCRAMP/Laguna Seca, a friend of Mike Weaver, and the mover behind an attempt to hand control of track operations to NASCAR, lost (surprisingly) his re-election bid to the Board in 2016. His actions against Laguna Seca & SCRAMP were a huge part of that loss. Potter is now mayor of Carmel by the Sea.

When NASCAR didn't want anything to do with running the track it was rather eye opening to the County, as well as the reports like this one on the economic impact.

Dave Potter is another perfect example of a money-grubbing politician who has never had a real job.

 

[Archimedes]

"But the noise! The noise!" - Rich folks buying properties near a known, pre-existing, loud venue.

Easy to say that, but it massively oversimplifies the reality. The reality is that the land surrounding the track was privately owned, intended to eventually be developed and subject to the same protections an existing residential community would have. The claim is that the original sound studies were flawed and dramatically underestimated the noise impact on the surrounding properties.

I love Laguna, but the argument that it's just a few rich people who built next to the airport and complained is nonsense. And, anyone who has spent any time in the general area, even 3-5 miles away, on an unrestricted noise day will tell you that the sound really carries through the hills and it's not exactly pleasant. The other thing that's causing problems is that, as car track days have grown in popularity, so has the noise, because the cars can cheat the sound check at Laguna very easily and run most of their lap with full exhaust. And they are doing it.

 

[Archimedes]

Dave Potter is another perfect example of a money-grubbing politician who has never had a real job.

And his competitor in the mayoral election was Steve Dallas, a low life in the vein of the fictional Steve Dallas. A real Sophie's choice.

 

[Archimedes]

One of the (many) reasons that the rules are ridiculous: You can drive these cars from the showroom floor to the track, legally, and get black flagged:

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6, C7), ZR1 (C6)
Porsche 911 GT3 (996, 997, 991.1, 991.2) / GT3 RS
Porsche Cayman S/Boxster S/GTS/GT4 (981, 987)
Dodge Viper
Ford Mustang GT350
Nissan GTR (R34)
Ferrari 458
Ferrari F430
Audi R8
Lamborghini Huracan

I used to live near the track, in Corral De Tierra, about a mile away as the crow flies.

And for a couple hundred bucks you can put a GPS driven solenoid that closes the exhaust as you pass the sound booth and pass in just about any of those cars. Guys are driving GT3s and RSs at Laguna without any problem. GPS and exhaust redirects.

 

[Climber]

Easy to say that, but it massively oversimplifies the reality. The reality is that the land surrounding the track was privately owned, intended to eventually be developed and subject to the same protections an existing residential community would have. The claim is that the original sound studies were flawed and dramatically underestimated the noise impact on the surrounding properties.

I love Laguna, but the argument that it's just a few rich people who built next to the airport and complained is nonsense. And, anyone who has spent any time in the general area, even 3-5 miles away, on an unrestricted noise day will tell you that the sound really carries through the hills and it's not exactly pleasant. The other thing that's causing problems is that, as car track days have grown in popularity, so has the noise, because the cars can cheat the sound check at Laguna very easily and run most of their lap with full exhaust. And they are doing it.

Good points. :thumbup

I went to the US GP back in 1990 and I don't remember the bikes being anywhere near as loud as today's MotoGP bikes!

 

[MysterYvil]

Easy to say that, but it massively oversimplifies the reality. The reality is that the land surrounding the track was privately owned, intended to eventually be developed and subject to the same protections an existing residential community would have. The claim is that the original sound studies were flawed and dramatically underestimated the noise impact on the surrounding properties.

I love Laguna, but the argument that it's just a few rich people who built next to the airport and complained is nonsense. And, anyone who has spent any time in the general area, even 3-5 miles away, on an unrestricted noise day will tell you that the sound really carries through the hills and it's not exactly pleasant. The other thing that's causing problems is that, as car track days have grown in popularity, so has the noise, because the cars can cheat the sound check at Laguna very easily and run most of their lap with full exhaust. And they are doing it.

Eventually? Laguna Seca opened 52 years ago.

I'm going to go with rich people whining. As they do...

 

[sf250gto]

I went to the US GP back in 1990 and I don't remember the bikes being anywhere near as loud as today's MotoGP bikes!

Don't recall the 1990 bikes, but the Battle of the Twins in the late 70's and early 80's scrambled your innards. And then there were the CanAm cars.

 

[budman]

Good points. :thumbup

I went to the US GP back in 1990 and I don't remember the bikes being anywhere near as loud as today's MotoGP bikes!

They were 500 two smokes until 2002 and a couple after that.

They were not as loud, but they did sound bad ass!! :thumbup

 

[Archimedes]

Eventually? Laguna Seca opened 52 years ago.

I'm going to go with rich people whining. As they do...

And there were already some houses in the area, including on what is now Pasadera, before the track was opened. The family that owned that land bought it in the early 50's. It was always going to be housing and the owner of that property had a right to develop that and have the value of their land protected. It's not a simple black and white issue. Very grey and many of the opponents claim that the noise studies that were performed (because they were required to prove the track would not be a nuisance to the surrounding properties) were flawed.

 

[MysterYvil]

And there were already some houses in the area, including on what is now Pasadera, before the track was opened. The family that owned that land bought it in the early 50's. It was always going to be housing and the owner of that property had a right to develop that and have the value of their land protected. It's not a simple black and white issue. Very grey and many of the opponents claim that the noise studies that were performed (because they were required to prove the track would not be a nuisance to the surrounding properties) were flawed.

Waah, waah, value of their land. They bought it dirt cheap hoping to score big. Maybe they should have invested in something that added value for many instead of banking on greed and wretched excess.

Too bad their lotto bet didn't pay off. :thumbup


.

 

[clutchslip]

Okay, but Laguna Seca was built on Fort Ord land, which was a darn artillery training center since the nineteen-teens. Supposedly there are still munitions out there somewhere. Not exactly a pristine and quiet neighborhood before the track was opened, if you get my car drift.

 

[MysterYvil]

Okay, but Laguna Seca was built on Fort Ord land, which was a darn artillery training center since the nineteen-teens. Supposedly there are still munitions out there somewhere. Not exactly a pristine and quiet neighborhood before the track was opened, if you get my car drift.

In the early 90s we could hear their live fire exercises clearly in south Salinas.

Now they people who chose to live there complain about motorsport and firing range noise as well as air traffic noise from the Monterey Airport.

 

[Holeshot]

Idk man, my R1 with aftermarket exhaust + DB killers (still significantly louder than stock) went through a whole day at Laguna Seca no problems... didn't get flagged once. Absolute worst case is you have to lift off through one small section of the track, but it's not like it's a race anyway.

They are roving now. Almost always on bikes, it's intake noise not exhaust noise that sets off the sound meters.

 

[Johndicezx9]

And there were already some houses in the area, including on what is now Pasadera, before the track was opened. The family that owned that land bought it in the early 50's. It was always going to be housing and the owner of that property had a right to develop that and have the value of their land protected. It's not a simple black and white issue. Very grey and many of the opponents claim that the noise studies that were performed (because they were required to prove the track would not be a nuisance to the surrounding properties) were flawed.

Huh... regarding Pasadera, Laguna Seca golf course was opened long after the track, in 1970. Pasadera devolopement was initiated by the Lombardos in the 90’s, early ‘00s after they were denied development of Rancho Canada in Carmel Valley, long after the track. Add in developements like Markham Ranch in the 90s, also long after the track was there. Additional developement in the Laurales area also brought in a lot of people that later complained about the track.

What was at the track location before Laguna Seca? A US Army artillery range all the way up to the mid 50s....

The Ryan Ranch area was barely there, York School, a few houses, and offices.