WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
1021 Monterey Salinas HwySalinas, CA 93908
(831) 242-8201
weathertechraceway.com/
The Monterey Peninsula’s passion for sports car racing traces back to the inaugural running of the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950. Those sports car events quickly outgrew the public roads of the Del Monte Forest, thereby paving the way for a permanent and safer road course.
The original Laguna Seca Raceway was built in 1957 at a cost of $1.5 million raised from local businesses and individuals on part of the U.S. Army’s Fort Ord (a maneuver area and field artillery target range) after the nearby Pebble Beach Road Races were abandoned for being too dangerous.
The 8th Annual Pebble Beach Road Race was the first race and held on November 9, 1957, which was won by Pete Lovely driving a Ferrari 500 TR. In the following years, the track has hosted USRRC, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA GT, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am, Superbike World Championship and MotoGP motorcycle races and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
The track itself has undergone significant changes over the past two decades to meet evolving safety homologation requirements. Changes include the addition of the entire infield area in 1988 (present day Turns 3, 4 and 5, eliminating the straight that started at present day Turn 2 and ended at present day Turn 5) extending the track from its original 1.9-mile length to its current 2.238-mile length, plus the relocation of pedestrian bridges and embankments, and the expansion of gravel pits for additional runoff.
The original media center was demolished in 2006 and replaced by the Hospitality Pavilion (formerly known as the Red Bull Energy Center), a modern entertainment facility with commanding views of the facility.
Perhaps one of the most famous moments of racing took place at the Corkscrew when Alex Zanardi passed Bryan Herta on the inside of the Corkscrew on the last lap of the 1996 CART race to take the victory.
In 2023, Laguna Seca underwent a complete track repaving project and christened the all-new Mission Foods Bridge to ensure its long-term future.