good, perhaps they can take over that one karen that whined about the track noise but not the gun noise.
Photography by J.A. Ackley
The nonprofit Friends of Laguna Seca officially took control of the historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on August 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place August 15. So, what does that mean? We went straight to the top, speaking with Friends of Laguna Seca CEO Lauri Eberhart.
“Laguna Seca is going to remain here for the future,” says Eberhart. “It’s going to be here for decades. With Friends of Laguna Seca being the concessionaire, it allows Friends to bring the physical plant up to international stature. It’s a game changer for Laguna Seca. In the past, the county has had a lot of priorities and hasn’t been able to fund the maintenance and the capital improvement needs of the beloved historic raceway.”
Yes, the County of Monterey still owns the property. Yes, A&D Narigi will continue doing the day-to-day management of the track. However, now Laguna Seca has a group that can provide the strategic vision for the track–and the funding to back up those plans.
While a better fan and competitor experience–such as grandstands, hospitality, camping areas, concessions and bathrooms–is very high on the agenda for Friends of Laguna Seca, Eberhart acknowledges the group may need to focus on other areas first.
“The paddock, the pavement needs to be done, but before the paving needs to be done, there’s $2 million to be spent on drainage,” Eberhart explains. “[With] the infrastructure needs, you are going to spend money that you’re not necessarily going to see. It’s just like building a house. You need to build a solid foundation before we build the house up.”
Currently, FLS is working on assessing the situation at Laguna Seca and determining what should be its next steps.
“We have to have the facility assessment, and that needs to run through the county,” says Eberhart. “The master plan has to have public comment, and that has to be approved by the county. Yes, we will raise the money, build the buildings and invest in the infrastructure, but at the end of the day, the county still owns the real estate. Once the buildings will be built, it will be a gift to the county and a gift to the community.”
Lauri Eberhart, Friends of Laguna Seca CEO
Part of those plans includes a sound assessment as the result of a settlement stemming from a lawsuit filed by the Highway 68 Coalition.
“What we can do is we can live by our restrictions, we can be a good neighbor, and we can make sure we’re operating in a way that’s friendly to our neighbors,” Eberhart explains.
The plan includes possibly having community days, with free or discounted admission for locals to attend events at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“If we’re doing everything right and we’re being a good community neighbor, we’ll have less of those issues,” Eberhart notes.
FLS seeks to fully utilize the facility. The restrictions on the number of days that race cars can run revolves around the sound they produce. The track can only run a certain number of days with a high decibel output.
“We’re restricted in how we can use the facility–and that won’t go away,” Lauri explains. “Those lower-dB days, the 90s, we can do something not as loud that still generates significant returns for the organization. We just have to get creative and do things outside of motorsports. We can do car shows, agricultural trade shows, car clubs.”
But wait, isn’t Friends of Laguna Seca a nonprofit organization? Indeed it is. The entire board for FLS is made up of volunteers. With revenue, though, comes advantages, especially being a nonprofit.
“If you look at Laguna Seca before Friends came over and the way the county was operating it and unable to invest in it, it could go away,” Eberhart explains. “Look at what happened to Riverside. Look at what happened to California Speedway. Look at what’s going to happen to a lot of speedways in urban areas where the price of real estate is going through the roof. The way those other events help, it helps keep the company profitable, which means we can invest in our own future.”
In fact, being a nonprofit organization can provide a significant advantage for the future of FLS and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“We are accepting donations through our website at friendsoflagunaseca.org,” Eberhart says. “We’ve gone through our initial capital raise–we had to raise $6 million dollars to get the concession agreement to go active. We’re continuing to raise funds for these capital investments.
“The big difference [between] being a for-profit and a nonprofit is that in a for-profit organization, the officers are tasked by law to make money for its shareholders,” Eberhart continues. “So the shareholders get all the profit. In a nonprofit, there are no shareholders. All the net operating income that’s generated off the facility has no place to go other than being invested back into the facility. Every dime donated, every profit generated will go back into the facility to build up capital improvement.”
The Friends of Laguna Seca signed a long-term agreement for 55 years. “[The agreement] gives us a very, very long-term view,” Eberhart says. “It’s not, ‘We’ve got to do stuff in three or five years.’ We’ve got 55 years, so it gives us time to do it right.”
A nonprofit organization previously ran Laguna Seca–SCRAMP. It did so for 62 years, in fact. It all came to a crashing halt in 2019, when the County of Monterey took over. Eberhart assures that FLS will operate differently than SCRAMP did toward the end of its tenure.
[Laguna Seca: Explaining the Rise and Fall of SCRAMP]
Eberhart also stressed the quality of the board for FLS. Its lineup consists of racing enthusiasts with strong records of business success. Ross Merrill is a local who is president, director and CEO of Merrill Farms. Bruce Canepa is vice president, director and CEO of Canepa, which specializes in the sale, maintenance and restoration of classic sports cars. Jason Retterer is a secretary, director and partner with JRG Attorney at Law, which has experience advising landowners on compliance with various land use regulations. Jason Feiber is director and general partner of Mohr Davidow Ventures, which invests in technology startups. Gordon McCall is the director of motorsports at The Quail Lodge & Golf Club. Warren “Ned” Spieker is the director and found of Spieker Investments, which specializes in real estate.
And then there’s Eberhart herself, a veteran of operating race tracks. She started out as a media credentials manager for Michigan International Speedway and went on to executive roles at tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway.
With its incredible board, FLS also wants to create a culture that helps WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca thrive for years.
“The board of the Friends of Laguna Seca is dedicated to executing the business plan, which is to invest in Laguna Seca, bring it up to the level of a five-star experience, and make sure it’s around for decades,” Eberhart says. “We have a real opportunity to do something good and give back to the Monterey community and also the motorsports community.”
With the proverbial keys to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Friends of Laguna Seca now has to formally assess the entire facility, master plan it, and have that plan approved by the county. Then the group can start constructing the capital improvements it envisions. What’s the ETA? Expect the extremely thorough assessment to be completed by around this time next year. Stay tuned.
good, perhaps they can take over that one karen that whined about the track noise but not the gun noise.
“Laguna Seca is going to remain here for the future,”
That reminds me way too much of when our company was bought and the CEO's first announcement was that there wouldn't be any layoffs...
In reply to kb58 :
I definitely think it's fair to be cautiously optimistic.
While this might not be everyone's impression, everything I've read and seen so far gives me the impression that the people who see Laguna Seca as a good thing for the area outweigh the people who don't.
Also, it can't really be sold for megamansions as it's not privately owned land. That bodes well. So does the presence of some real motorsport folks on FOLS instead of just dirt pimps and VCs.
It's always felt like a little podunk track that happens to have a massive reputation. Looks like they're trying to bring the reality a little bit into line.
If I had to describe the overall vibe at Laguna Seca this week, it's "reenergized." It also feels a heck of a lot friendlier than in the past. The board for Friends of Laguna Seca has incredible business people who love racing. For Laguna Seca to survive as a racetrack, it needs to focus on the business aspect of this sport. But, you must have a love for it, too, or you risk alienating the racing community. The board of Friends of Laguna Seca seems to have that right mix. We'll see what they come up with in the future, but keep in mind that major changes won't come overnight. If it requires pulling a permit, it'll be a process to do that, but it will be doable because the County and most of the locals seem to support it as well.
Keith Tanner said:... dirt pimps ...
Today, I expanded my vocabulary
Keith Tanner said:It's always felt like a little podunk track that happens to have a massive reputation.
Is it safe to lump Sebring into this category as well?
Love the track, but boy is it isolated from just about everything. (That's probably a good thing.)
In reply to Colin Wood :
I started going to Sebring in '88. If you think it's isolated now...
I get a little worried at all the houses I see near the backstretch now.
In reply to Colin Wood :
I wasn't thinking so much about the location as the nature of it. Not a whole lot in the way of infrastructure at the track, for example. No functioning wifi last time I was there, even in the garages. The difference between Laguna and, say, Le Mans is huge.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
You hit the nail on the head. Laguna Seca is a fine track - when you look at it as purely a racetrack. However, it lacks a lot of the creature comforts that many other facilities have - such as Wi-Fi - and that's just a small thing compared to many other items that major racetracks require these days.
Displaying 1-10 of 15 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
