2006 Honda Grand Prix In Monterey
A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Laguna Seca, California, USA
The most spectacular permanent racing circuit on the West Coast of America, Laguna Seca is hidden away in a natural bowl in the hills which overlook Monterey Bay. It is two hours drive south from San Francisco but the beautiful and rugged Monterey Peninsular provides a wonderful place to spend some time in quaint Carmel, along Cannery Row or in among the cypress trees at Pebble Beach and along Seventeen Mile Drive.
A world-class raceway plus a county park with a lot of room to pitch a tent or park the RV await you at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. Home to the Honda Grand Prix, motorcycle racing, historic auto races, as well as several festivals and concerts each year, Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca is conveniently located halfway between Monterey and Salinas on Highway 68.
The Monterey Peninsula's love affair with world-class racing traces its beginning to 1950 and the inaugural running of the Pebble Beach Road Races. Those sports car events through the winding roads of the Del Monte Forest became immensely popular and brought prestige, fans and money to the area. But as the cars got faster and the crowds grew larger, it was decided that the race was too big for the open road. Rather than see the event, with its fans and financial impact go elsewhere, a group of civic-minded business leaders decided to build a permanent, world-class racing facility.
This was the impetus behind the formation of the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) on November 1, 1956. The non-profit group's mission, which remains unchanged today, is to benefit local charitable and non-profit organizations and to promote the economic vitality of Monterey through motorsports events. The group leased Fort Ord land from the Army, built the circuit and staged its first race on November 9, 1957.
Since that day, events at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca have generated more than $1 billion in revenue for area businesses, while providing over $10 million for more than 100 charitable and civic groups. Today, SCRAMP is the most important economic and charitable organization in Monterey County.
Originally part of the former Fort Ord military base, Laguna Seca was turned over to the County of Monterey in 1974. The County in turn handed its responsibilities to the parks department. SCRAMP operates and maintains the race track, and handles the racing events and track rentals that generate funds of over $1 million for the county parks department.
The SCRAMP "family" consists of thousands of volunteers, including a 25 member volunteer board of directors, whose names are listed below. These dedicated volunteers come from all walks of life and all across the tri-county area to make up the work force needed to stage motor sports events at Laguna Seca. The largest group of volunteers is comprised of over 70 charities and civic organizations with their membership numbering in the thousands.
In 1988, in the hope of attracting Formula 1 racing after the demise of the Detroit Grand Prix, SCRAMP agreed to lengthen and upgrade the circuit from 1.9-miles to the present 2.2. This was done by creating an infield area which did away with the daunting old Turn Two. In the end F1 never went to Laguna but it still remains a popular track for racers and spectators. The access roads are not great and it is a long way from major population but it is a place where racing cars can be seen at their best. There is a 300-ft change in elevation which includes the infamous Corkscrew, an incredible curling downhill series of turns. It was exiting the Corkscrew in 1996 that Alex Zanardi pulled off a breathtaking overtaking maneuver on the last lap of the race to beat Bryan Herta. The death of Gonzalo Rodriguez in 1999 led to major safety changes at Laguna and a naming rights deal with Mazda has provided the funding for other development including new access routes and proper pits.
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