Management continues to evolve at Laguna Seca
LAGUNA SECA >> For all of the new construction, resurfacing and racing that occurs on and around the track, management changes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca also happen quickly. The wheels of business just take a little longer.
Last week, Friends of Laguna Seca and A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC jointly announced the management agreement between the parties will terminate on Dec. 31. A&D Narigi had acted as the day-to-day management company since the Friends of Laguna Seca had formally assumed management this past summer.
Last May, Lauri Eberhart, who ran Charlotte Motor Speedway for three years and served as lead counsel of Speedway Motorsports and Charlotte Motor Speedway for more than a decade, became CEO of Friends of Laguna.
The nonprofit organization, which began in 2016, signed a 55-year concession agreement lease to manage Laguna Seca Recreation Area, succeeding A&D Narigi.
Laguna Seca opened in 1957 and was run until Jan. 1, 2020 by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP). They were succeeded by A&D Narigi.
“I have put a lot of time and effort into Laguna Seca Recreation Area and WeatherTech Raceway, and I am extremely proud of my teams’ efforts, which have yielded impressive results, as well as my personal and professional commitment to its future these past five years,” said John Narigi, president of A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC, in a prepared statement.
Narigi additionally commented that the termination of the management agreement “is the best step forward for Laguna Seca and for Friends of Laguna Seca to execute its long-term vision for the facility.”
Eberhart, who visited Laguna Seca many times before assuming her new responsibilities, said during a telephone interview with The Herald that she had several ideas for changes at Laguna Seca.
“Yes, I do have something in my mind that I would like to see, but we have to do a full assessment of what’s there, what we can use, what we can’t use,” she said.
“There are a lot of permitting issues we have to work through and deed restrictions we have to work through. I don’t want to put anything out there. But it would be something on par with the (international) events at the Monterey Aquarium or in Carmel-By-The-Sea. That’s the three-to-five-year plan.”
Earlier this month, the International Race of Champions (IROC) and WeatherTech Raceway announced the series will be part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca next Aug. 13-16.
After nearly a two-decade absence, the IROC circuit returned last season. It’s never been held at Laguna Seca and not on the West Coast since 2002.
The new event, the “Unser Family Cup” exhibition race will feature authentic IROC race cars, with many piloted by past IROC competitors from NASCAR, Formula One, IMSA, INDYCAR, and Trans-Am racing.
A Formula One exhibition has also been added to the Motorsports Reunion. It will showcase cars through the ages, from the earliest years to contemporary with modern technology. It celebrates the top racing series’ 75th anniversary.
“Since 2020, A&D Narigi, LLC has done a great service to Monterey County and Laguna Seca Recreation Area, including WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in returning the operations of the facility to profitability and in the many improvements made to the park during the past few years, including the new racing surface and Mission Foods Bridge,” said Ross Merrill, president of the Friends of Laguna Seca in a statement. “Friends will take over management of Laguna Seca while retaining all existing employees. We are looking forward to a bright future for Laguna Seca under our new operating structure.”
The raceway recently has made several upgrades including a Turn 3 hospitality structure, restrooms and shower upgrades, landscaping improvements and a remodel of the pit row suites.
In December 2023, a group called the Highway 68 Coalition filed a lawsuit against Monterey County, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the Friends of Laguna Seca. It alleged nuisance issues for local residents, including increased noise and traffic, during racing events an on track days.
A settlement of the lawsuit was announced in March, with Friends of Laguna Seca reiterating in a press release the “long-term plans of Friends of Laguna Seca to conduct a previously planned sound impact assessment at the racetrack and carry out appropriate sound mitigation measures, all as part of being a good neighbor to the surrounding community.”
WeatherTech Raceway officials also recently released next season’s motorsports schedule. The year begins May 2-4 with the Laguna Seca SpeedTour (Trans Am) and continues through GRIDLIFE Laguna, Sept. 26-28. The IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey is scheduled July 25-27.
When asked about additional plans for the facility, Eberhart said: “Anything is possible. What we are going to do is take a look at the physical plant. We are going to assess the property and the facilities. We are going to assess the schedule. We are going to take a look at everything.
“As a nonprofit, we have to make sure we are making as much money as possible to invest in the facility. And we have an obligation to make sure we have the highest and best use of the facility. But everything is on the table.”
