ISC negotiating to operate Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca (9th Update)

Laguna Seca

Bob Heathcote

UPDATE In a review of the agreement between SCRAMP and the County of Monterey, there is no reference to ISC.

01/31/17 This rumor is downgraded to 'false' today with regard to ISC. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors today voted to accept County Staff’s recommendation to provide a three-year management agreement to the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula to ensure a robust 2017 racing season goes unimpeded and planning for the 2018 season may continue. The management agreement confirms that SCRAMP continues as the day-to-day management arm for the Monterey County-owned facility that SCRAMP built in 1957.

01/10/17 Monterey County officials will pursue a short-term deal with the partnership of International Speedway Corp. and the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula to operate the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, including the iconic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, while talks continue on a longer-term concession agreement with a trio of bidders.

Supervisor Simon Salinas said a short-term deal, expected to span a two-year period, would allow Daytona, Florida-based ISC to experience oversight of the county park in partnership with raceway manager SCRAMP, while the other two bidders, Friends of Laguna Seca and the World Automotive Championship of California, can improve their financial backing proposals in anticipation of a long-term agreement.

Salinas noted that ISC had proposed a short-term deal as part of its management proposal.

"We need to get some short-term management in there because the season is coming up," Salinas said. “This will allow more time to seek a longer-term agreement with (an entity that) has adequate resources."

Salinas said any proposed short-term deal would be subject to a public hearing, likely in the next month or two.

Outgoing Supervisor Dave Potter, who will be replaced by Supervisor-elect Mary Adams next week, said “protracted negotiations left (the county) in the position where (they) need a short-term operating agreement until (they) figure out a long-term agreement," stressing that both the other two bidder groups will still have an opportunity to prove their financial capacity. Jim Johnson/Monterrey Herald

08/25/16 As you can see, a possible ISC interest in Laguna Seca remains very much alive. This rumor is upgraded from 'False' to 'Strong'/

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced that the Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) has recommended the partnership between International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) to earn the concession agreement for its management and that of the Laguna Seca Recreation Area.

The recommendation letter, signed by Theodore Balestreri II, Chair, MCHA, was sent Aug. 10 to the Honorable Jane Parker, Chair, Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

“The Monterey County Hospitality Association strongly recommends that the Board of Supervisors select International Speedway Corporation and Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (ISC/SCRAMP) to manage and operate [Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca] and related facilities," stated Balestreri in the letter to Parker. “We believe their partnership combines a corporation with substantial resources and strong experience in facilities development and management with a well-established local partner that has significant event management experience. It is MCHA’s belief that this partnership offers the best opportunity to assure the long term success of the [Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]."

The letter from the MCHA joins similar recommendations provided recently by Dorna (sanctioning body for Superbike World Championship), IMSA, Pirelli World Championship, the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, and other motorsports industry-related entities and individuals touting the ISC / SCRAMP partnership as preferred to operate and manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Laguna Seca Recreation Area.

“Monterey County Hospitality Association’s endorsement of our partnership with the International Speedway Corporation speaks to their confidence in our new concession proposal to create a bright future for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Laguna Seca Recreation Area," said Michael Smith, Chair, SCRAMP Board of Governors. “SCRAMP has enjoyed a long-standing and successful relationship with MCHA and we look forward to continuing to work together in a new capacity to help drive tourism and economic development."

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to announce its decision in early October 2016.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

09/15/15 The International Speedway Corporation has declined to make a proposal on managing Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca according to Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter.

The county, which owns Laguna Seca, had been in a 90-day due diligence phase with the Daytona Beach-based ISC, a precursor to any potential management agreement. The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula has managed the track since its inception in 1957. But the nonprofit organization has struggled financially in recent years, losing its MotoGP motorcycle race.

County officials said SCRAMP had been managing the raceway on a monthly renewal basis since early last year while the county considered the facility’s long-term future.

Potter says he supports suggestion that a request for proposals be issued for the Laguna Seca raceway management/concession contract.

08/10/15 The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), which currently manages Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, is now taking a grassroots approach in hopes of staying in control of the circuit. In an open letter, the group is imploring people to contact local politicians to keep the circuit from coming under the control of International Speedway Corporation, a company owned by NASCAR's France family. County officials are seriously considering a change in administration at the track and already have a 90-day due diligence deal in place with ISC.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca sits on land owned by Monterey County, and SCRAMP has a deal with the government to manage things. Problems in attendance and the loss of the MotoGP race led the county's Board of Supervisors to start looking around for alternative leadership at the circuit. That was when ISC entered the picture, according to The Salinas Californian.

SCRAMP didn't know about the search until June and was clearly upset. The organization believes that the selection process is being kept hidden, and the county isn't giving equal consideration to all sides. SCRAMP argues that it's helpful to the community and switching to ISC would keep about $250,000 from nearby charities annually. The county doesn't accept those claims, though. "Any actions on a new concession or track management agreement will be subject to a full public process at the appropriate time," Monterey County Communications Coordinator Maia Carroll said in a statement to The Salinas Californian.

"The raceway will continue to be 'local' because Monterey County will remain its owner and continue the county's historic oversight of this important asset." Autoblog

06/26/15 According to AR1.com sources, Laguna Seca might have another bidder to operate the track, Bruton Smith. His SMI company already operates Sonoma and Laguna Seca is not that far away, so some staff could pull double duty. Makes a lot of sense. Lucille Dust reporting from Fontana

06/24/15 A potential three-year deal for International Speedway Corp. to operate Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca does not come with the intention of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing there, a Monterey County Supervisor told NASCAR Talk. Dave Potter, Monterey County Supervisor of the 5th District, which includes the track, said that International Speedway Corp. has 90 days to complete its due diligence before completing a deal with the county to operate the 11-turn, 2.238-mile track.

The Board of Supervisors of Monterey County approved the action Tuesday. Potter said "there is no intent to bring NASCAR racing to Laguna Seca. ISC says the configuration of the track doesn't work for NASCAR.'' An International Speedway Corp. official did not return requests for comment. NBC Sports

Could we be seeing more than sports cars at Laguna Seca and other historic road racing venues in the near-future?

06/23/15 Below, is a very interesting email from a racing industry insider regarding the rumored ISC acquisition of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

"A few years ago, before the merge with ALMS, I sensed a strong interest within ISC to start a road race series under NASCAR or Grand-AM that would run parallel to the Nationwide series using road versions of NASCAR cars, as at Watkins and Sonoma. This seemed to go away when talk moved to bringing a version of DTM to the U.S. That too has gone quiet so maybe this move towards Laguna could be a step towards setting up a new road course series for NASCAR.

"Given how empty the road race schedule is now after the merger to Tudor United Sports Cars and the loss of ALMS dates, the not too distant loss of 18 Trans-AM dates, the demise of AMAPro motorcycle weekends, as well as the now very short IndyCar season, there are more than 30 or so fewer national pro road racing weekends now than just a few years ago. Also most newer events have gone into cities so the major road course tracks need to rebuild their spectator event schedules, but have very few series to feature.

"So a NASCAR stock car road race series would be a fantastic step for racing and would go a long way towards rebuilding the fan base across all forms of road racing. Entries will rapidly outgrow almost all the other series because racing will now appeal across the dividing line between NASCAR and road racing participants and fans.

"It will be very interesting to see what transpires."

Name withheld by request

How long will it be before NASCAR moves its Sonoma race (SMI track) to Laguna Seca (soon to be ISC run track) a few hours away?

06/23/15 A major stock car racing corporation [Editor's Note: ISC] is negotiating a potential deal with Monterey County involving Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

On Monday, Monterey County officials confirmed they are in negotiations with the International Speedway Corporation on a potential concession agreement to operate the raceway, which is a county park but has been associated with the nonprofit Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula since its inception.

According to a statement from county officials, SCRAMP has been retained to manage the raceway on a monthly renewal basis since March 2014 while the county “has been exploring options for the management of the raceway to ensure its long-term success." One of those options is a potential agreement with ISC, which the statement called a “premier operator of motor sports entertainment facilities in the United States."

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider a potential raceway concession agreement with ISC during Tuesday’s closed session. The statement, however, noted that any potential deal would be considered in open session with an opportunity for the public to comment.

ISC was founded in 1953 by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for the construction of Daytona International Speedway, and its primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. In addition to owning 13 tracks hosting more than half of the events in NASCAR’s top level of competition – the Sprint Cup Series – the corporation has also hosted IndyCar races, Grand Am, IMSA GT and SCCA sports car races, WKA go-kart races, and motorcycle races, as well as IROC and ARCA stock car series.

Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, most of the corporation’s stock is traded on the stock market.

The world-renowned racetrack at Laguna Seca was built in 1957 and has been operated by SCRAMP, a nonprofit organization, ever since. It’s credited with distributing more than $12 million to Monterey Peninsula charitable and service groups, along with hundreds of millions in economic benefit to the regional economy. But the organization has struggled in recent years with the loss of MotoGP’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and its Indy Racing League (then known as Champ Car) event.

“Since 1957 SCRAMP has been committed to the successful future of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and, working hand-in-hand with its sponsors, racing organizations, race teams and volunteers, has firmly established it as one of the premier motor sports facilities in the world," said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of the track, in a prepared statement.

ISC didn’t return a late afternoon phone call from The Herald. Jim Johnson/Monterey Herald