When you talk about famous West Coast tracks, the name probably most often mentioned is the home of the 2015 NASA West Coast Championships, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. There is good reason for that, and it begins with the history of sports car racing on the Monterey Peninsula.
History
Road racing on the Monterey Peninsula got started with the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950. After successful runs on public roads around the legendary golf course, the racing moved out to Mazda Raceway in late 1957, making a similar transition to formal road courses as did the racing in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., at Road America and Watkins Glen, N.Y., when the street circuits became too hazardous.
Mazda Raceway has seen nearly every major series in the sports car and motorcycle world and plays host to the famous Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion every year during Car Week, where the finest vintage racecars are used as originally intended in full-blown competition. Mazda Raceway is managed by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula and brings in major revenue to the local economy and the park system as the track is located within the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, a Monterey County park. Uniquely, all profits from the track are donated to other volunteer groups as SCRAMP is a not-for-profit entity.
Getting There
Mazda Raceway lies just east of the city of Monterey, Calif., which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state.
Unfortunately, the airport in Monterey (MRY) has fairly limited capacity, with service from San Francisco International (SFO), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN) and Los Angeles (LAX). Rental also cars go quickly, but reasonable alternatives are just flying into one of the major airports near Monterey and then driving in. San Jose (SJC) is closest, and Monterey is about two hours from the San Francisco Bay Area airports at San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK).
If you’re driving in, access is good from U.S. 101 via Highway 68, which takes you through Salinas and to the front gate of the track.
Staying There
Hotel rooms can be pretty spendy and tough to get on the Peninsula because of the sheer volume of tourists. Hotel rooms are booked up often well in advance, but a good alternative is to look on VRBO or Airbnb to find a rental house that meets your needs. During Monterey Car Week in 2014, I found a nice house that fit my family comfortably for about half of what we would have paid at a hotel.
With regard to what city to stay in, this is a matter of personal preference but the location we had in Pacific Grove was pretty ideal in terms of access to Highway 1 and also an easy stroll to reasonable dining options downtown. A bonus of staying in Pacific Grove is that Asilomar Beach is a very short drive or walk from most of Pacific Grove and there are beautiful views and tide pools to explore all along the Sunset/Ocean View Boulevard route that follows the shoreline. Pacific Grove is also close to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and downtown Monterey.
Because it is in a county park, Mazda Raceway also has plenty of campsites ranging from rustic sites with few amenities to full-service sites equipped with hookups for RVs. Many of the sites have excellent views of the track, so this can be a great option if you don’t mind roughing it a little.
Eating there
The Peninsula is full of excellent dining establishments but several really stand out. One of my favorites close to the track is the Baja Cantina on Carmel Valley Road that has a neat gearhead theme and excellent Mexican food. Another prime choice is to enjoy a meal at Clint Eastwood’s Carmel Mission Ranch Hotel. The scenery and the food are excellent. If you want something a little simpler and more casual, Gianni’s Pizza in Monterey is a great family friendly place to grab a pie or calzone.
You also have a whole host of options in downtown Monterey on the city’s famous Cannery Row. In terms of chain restaurants, there is the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, an El Torito and a Chart House. For world-class steaks, the Whaling Station is a fine choice, but shower up before you go. It’s that nice. The Fish Hopper also is great, with terrific steak and seafood options in a dining room perched over Monterey Bay.
SeeMonterey.comvintadeDriving there
The first time I went around Mazda Raceway, I was in the back seat of a Mercury Grand Marquis driven by a Shelby Club instructor showing the newbies the line around the track. The track is located in a valley surrounded by steep hills that unload and load your suspension in quick succession, which nearly made everyone in the big Merc hurl as we lurched around. The most legendary turn and my personal favorite is the Corkscrew where you aim the nose of the car at a certain oak tree just off the track while you hold on for dear life as you drop five stories through the turn. You also gain some major speed from Turn 11 to Turn 1 after you cross the finish line, which makes for some interesting passing opportunities as you play the game of “who is going to brake first” while you hurtle downhill toward the Andretti Hairpin.
As to services, there are usually tire vendors onsite and the local towns have plenty of auto parts stores and car dealers that can supply spares. Salinas is a better bet than Monterey for finding automotive solutions. There are also specialty automotive shops that can help with welding or other repairs on the Peninsula and in Salinas.
Get your plans arranged soon because the 2015 Western States Championship is going to be a monster and you don’t want to miss your chance to cross another dream track off your bucket list.
The Facts
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway
Salinas, CA 93908
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/parks/lagunaseca.html
831-242-8201
Baja Cantina
7166 Carmel Valley Rd.
Carmel, CA 93923
www.carmelcantina.com
831-625-2252
Carmel Mission Ranch Hotel
26270 Dolores St.
Carmel, CA 93923
www.missionranchcarmel.com
831-624-6436
Gianni’s Pizza
725 Lighthouse Ave.
Monterey, CA 93940
http://mbom1.tripod.com/monterey/giannis.html
831-649-1500
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
720 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-1884
El Torito
600 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-0611
Chart House
444 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-3362
The Whaling Station
763 Wave St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-3778
The Fish Hopper
700 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-8543
Lodging
Laguna Seca Recreation Area
1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway
Salinas, CA 93908
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/parks/lagunaseca.html
831-755-4899
Monterey Marriott
350 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-4234
Embassy Suites Monterey Bay – Seaside
1441 Canyon Del Rey Blvd.
Seaside, CA 93955
831-393-1115
Comfort Inn Monterey Peninsula Airport
1200 Olmsted Rd.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-2945
Quality Inn
2075 N. Fremont St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-5551
Rodeway Inn
2041 Fremont St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-2911
Monterey Bay Travelodge
2030 N. Fremont St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-373-3381
Ramada Limited Monterey
2058 N. Fremont St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-375-9511
Super 8 Monterey
2120 N. Fremont St.
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-6066
Economy Inn
1131 Fremont Blvd.
Seaside, CA 93955
831-899-2700
Discovery Inn Monterey
1106 Fremont Blvd.
Seaside, CA 93955
831-394-3113
