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<\/a>President ? General Manager<\/p>\n
Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
JN<\/b> \u2013 I\u2019m John Narigi, president and general manager of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Laguna Seca Recreation Area.<\/p>\n Director of Marketing and Communications<\/p>\n Event Manager Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Barry Toepke – Director of Heritage Events and Public Relations.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Enhancing the Laguna Seca experience for spectators\u2014I know that\u2019s always been a goal of the track and it kind of fell behind a little bit before you guys came on. What are you doing to enhance the spectators\u2019 experience\u2014coming in, walking around the track, where you park, where you find a restroom, the food?<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 I took over on January 1, 2020, and then we all know what happened a couple of months later [referring to the COVID-19 pandemic]. That lingered and kept the track closed until June 1, 2020, when we reopened track rentals under very strict health and safety protocols. [After] June 15, 2021, we were allowed to open with spectators but with restrictions on hospitality services, yet we introduced a kids\u2019 zone with three or four different types of activities, which were well received. We now offer go-karts at all race events. And [we\u2019re] reviewing the potential of starting a karting program.<\/p>\n As for food and beverage, we will be upgrading the offerings and service in 2022. If there was one item that really stood out, we didn\u2019t have enough vendors, and some of the vendors had a very tough time delivering what they needed to produce at the standard requested, mainly due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n We are also upgrading the Flag room hospitality area and rebranding it to The Legends Club, offering a superior experience for guests. As it relates to other experiences, we have some great plans regarding the (Rolex) Reunion. We\u2019re looking at how to layout our paddock for all our major races. That would be from the Turn 3 structure through the entire paddock area, to make it more welcoming and not just a place where a race is being set up with the transporters and all the vendors in one place.<\/p>\n Although, there are a lot of people, racing professionals and racing enthusiasts, who love to experience the behind-the-scenes action. They like to see tires being changed and mechanics working on the race cars. Guests enjoy the excitement of an open paddock.<\/p>\n Laguna Seca, as we all know, is an iconic, world-renowned race track. It has a huge draw and an impressive history. As it relates to some of the key projects, I\u2019m very thankful to the County of Monterey, the owners of the park and track. The County has approved two major projects\u2014a complete track resurfacing, which will also take care of curbing around the track. The track has not been resurfaced since 2007.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also going to begin construction on a new start\/finish bridge, which will allow for golf carts and ADA access, both of which are critical. Additionally, interior upgrades will occur in our Turn 3 hospitality pavilion.<\/p>\n Another critical project and a necessity for all races is the need for additional permanent restrooms. There\u2019s ARPA money available to assist in the funding through the County of Monterey. The plan is to add two new permanent, large restrooms. They will be in two key areas; one will be built right outside the paddock, which will be easily accessible for those who love our Corkscrew location. The other in the lakebed. We have newer restrooms in the Newman Building that are right in the paddock and can handle significant traffic.<\/p>\n My firm has a very good relationship with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and staff. They understand that over the years, there hasn\u2019t been a lot of capital investment put back into Laguna Seca\u2014the track nor the park. And as a result, the facility is showing its age. Receiving funding for capital improvements is critical.<\/p>\n Another objective in a year or so would be to develop a bond measure initiative for Monterey County Parks and include all County Parks. The park with camping is open year-round. There is good demand for daily use of the park and a strong upside versus relying mainly on just the major events for use.<\/p>\n Laguna Seca is in a beautiful location 20 minutes from the Monterey Peninsula. We\u2019re in the Sunbelt, so our temperatures are 10 to 20 degrees higher than what you experience on the Monterey Peninsula. And Laguna Seca is in the heart of a world-renowned tourist destination offering restaurants, wineries, lodging, and shopping. Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, the Salinas Valley as the agricultural capital of the world, and the world-famous Cannery Row in Monterey are easily accessible. We\u2019re in the middle of it all.<\/p>\n Twenty minutes to a half-hour, you can be anywhere, whether you\u2019re here because of a race, or because you want to enjoy Monterey County and\/or the coastline of the Monterey Peninsula.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 What about an Area Development relationship with various sanctioning bodies? Are you thinking about bringing anybody new in?<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 We have. Last year, we signed a new three-year deal with INDYCAR. We\u2019re their season finale this year in September. We moved the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship from fall to spring as there was a lot of doubling up with current events. Difficult on the staff and volunteers and challenging at times for ticket sales. So IMSA is now in the spring, following the Trans Am Speed Fest. We are focusing our efforts on ticket sales and promoting all our events.<\/p>\n Moto America will become the premier annual motorcycle event. And then, of course, we have our Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, followed by the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale and Velocity International closing out our 2022 season. So, I guess to answer your question, Dennis, I\u2019m not looking at any other major sanctioning bodies to come in at this time.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 But you know, look at how many dates we can provide unlimited sound dates. So, we have to prioritize who and what we\u2019re going to be doing.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 It sounds like you\u2019ve got the main events people want to come to see.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 The main ones, and we are trying to provide variety. For 2022, we are working extremely hard to make it a banner year for the track.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Is there any interest or any contact with Porsche about Rennsport?<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Coming back?<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Can you share anything?<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 Can we? Not really. We are one of a limited few at the top of the list.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 The first year Porsche came here for Rennsport, they had Porsche executives driving photographers around to different shooting locations in Porsches. I had a guy from Porsche Performance Parts out of Atlanta. He couldn\u2019t get over the experience of seeing a few hundred Porsches lined up in the lakebed. They really drew nobody the first couple of Rennsport events back east. And they were just blown away. Rennsport and Laguna Seca are just a natural fit.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Yeah, 2018 was spectacular. In terms of attendance and just what Porsche brought to the show. Porsche hasn\u2019t informed us of any decision, but we sure would love to have Rennsport return. And the other big draw\u2014it\u2019s on the Monterey Peninsula.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 I think previous management forgot about the Monterey Peninsula, because that\u2019s a draw, even for our track rentals that we sell out every year. As it relates to the noise levels, we are controlled on unlimited sound and 105 DBs because we\u2019re literally adjacent to neighborhoods. So, we must be very cautious on managing the sound levels for all track use. We want to be good neighbors.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 What\u2019s the INDYCAR event look like this year? How many days and how many cars? I have not been to Indy here in 10 years.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Maybe come back, then.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 I am. SCD is covering it. I\u2019m coming back.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 I was not here in 2019 when it was the season finale. I understand it went very well. Last year was a bit slower on Friday and Saturday. But on Sunday, I walked out of the media center and the hillsides were filled. The Corkscrew was filled. It\u2019s like the old days of wow, look, and listen. Sunday was a big day here.<\/p>\n Romain Grosjean was on fire, making repeated passes, working his way up to a podium finish, and the drivers loved it. We expect to be bigger this year, being the season finale. It\u2019s not the back-to-back John alluded to\u2014with IMSA the first weekend and INDYCAR the following weekend. A spectator may have to make a decision, perhaps of \u201cwhere am I going to spend my money? I\u2019ll go to IMSA or I\u2019ll go to INDYCAR.\u201d So, we\u2019re expecting a very good year with INDYCAR, and they\u2019re very supportive. They\u2019ve got a great team of people, and they want to be here. Hopefully, we can keep them as a season finale each year.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Trans Am is coming back with SVRA. And with them comes Historic Trans-Am too. What kind of event is that?<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 It\u2019s a mix between a pro series and a vintage race. Obviously, they have the historic Trans-Am, plus other historic groups that they\u2019re running. They run hard, vintage racing, and they award first, second and third place to the victors\u2014which we don\u2019t do for the Rolex Reunion. In the Trans Am series, those guys are going at it hard. Those cars are loud, and the racing is intense.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 They drive hard and bring a lot of cars. We are supporting Tony Parella and his team. We have not really, because of COVID, had a real SVRA event, although they\u2019ve been on track now twice, because of the no spectator rule. But Tony\u2019s doing a major car corral; kind of a car show. We will have our food and beverage vendors. But we\u2019re working hard to see what kind of attendance we can draw.<\/p>\n 2019 was not a good year for SVRA and Laguna Seca\u2019s partnership. It’s a new era as far as our team is concerned. So, we\u2019re putting a lot of effort into promoting this event. It\u2019s our first professional race of the year. Then IMSA is the weekend right after, so we have two totally different styles of cars back-to-back, which might be interesting as well.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Speaking about the market, we\u2019re looking at the drive market. The Central Valley has a lot of car fanatics and a deep racing history. We\u2019re also exploring the fly markets where there are direct flights into Monterey. For instance, Dallas is a growing market for Monterey visits, so we\u2019re looking at what we can do in that area to promote WeatherTech Raceway events. To grow, we need to open our vision and not preach to the choir. And as John said about the entertainment and family activities, we want to provide an entertaining experience, and hopefully, they\u2019ll get hooked on racing as well.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Yeah. I\u2019m from Turlock over in the Valley. When I was in grammar school, the first couple of years of high school, my family and I would come and we\u2019d be on the hill behind what is now Turn 1. And that whole hill would be Turlock, Modesto, Atwater people. I mean, a few hundred people up there, they would just migrate over for the races, but no more. So, if you can pull those people back, that would be great.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 As Barry knows, we need to be in markets where there\u2019s interest in racing. I don\u2019t necessarily think that\u2019s the Monterey Peninsula. Northern California, up in Redding, and those types of areas provide new opportunities. We are redefining where the race fans really are, the people who love to watch and enjoy the excitement of racing.<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Interestingly, INDYCAR came out with their TV numbers. The Sacramento\/Modesto market was in the top 10 and was massive year-round. So really, that\u2019s a market where we need to be doing promotions, we need to be getting into that market. Not just peripherally; we need to be active. There is a big market.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 I used to be the IMSA series photographer. Twenty years ago, maybe. So, it\u2019s changed. What is an IMSA event at Laguna Seca like today, for both cars and competitors?<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Manufacturers are coming back in. The Roar Before the 24 is this weekend, and then Daytona. IMSA has a solid package with NBC, so they\u2019re doing a good job. And John Doonan is from the Mazda days and a close friend of ours. It\u2019s a series that is continuing to go up.<\/p>\n The different groups and categories are a little bit confusing, especially to a new person, but IMSA is doing a great job at telling its story and making it relevant to the audience.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 Automakers seem to be supportive, and they\u2019re getting additional automakers on board. So, going back to the April dates, it\u2019s going to be our second race of the season. ALMS, the precursor to IMSA, used to run in April with good crowds. We weren\u2019t competing with football or high school sports. So yes, we believe late April is going to be a good move for IMSA.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 Le Mans Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It\u2019s going to run Wednesday through Saturday. Why is it only running through Saturday? What is going to draw people to this event?<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 We have a very esteemed group of advisory council members. We have been talking to them about how Sunday has been a tough day because a lot of people go to Pebble Beach, or people want to go home. So, we\u2019ve been talking about it for a little over a year now, of what it would look like Wednesday through Saturday for the Rolex Reunion as we all know it.<\/p>\n Then on Sunday, what can we do that\u2019s involving the community? We can\u2019t yet announce confirmed plans, but we have some great ideas that we\u2019re honing in on, opening it up to a variety of activities. So, the people who are not going to go to Pebble Beach have another place to go.<\/p>\n I think we\u2019re going to get a lot of day-trippers, like Cars and Coffee, for instance. The type of thing where people can come out to the peninsula and enjoy the spirit of what\u2019s going on. But they are not ticket purchasers per se, for a vintage race or a Concours or a car show. So, we wanted to try this out.<\/p>\n Our goal is to continue upgrading the Rolex Reunion on every level, every touchpoint, so that when you come in, off Highway 68, or up to South Boundary Road, we want a visual statement that says, \u201cWow, I\u2019m somewhere special.\u201d The Advisory Council and team here are committed to bringing the best of the best into Monterey.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 What\u2019s been the response from iconic European Historic manufacturers, like Jaguar<\/a>, Mercedes<\/a>, Bentley<\/a>, or whoever?<\/p>\n BT<\/b> \u2013 Very good, very positive. In fact, Steve Fields, our sales director, and myself are working with various automakers on plans. Now that we\u2019ve announced Le Mans<\/a>, people are contacting us. I\u2019ve had a conversation with one driver who asked, \u201cWhen am I going to get my invitation? I\u2019m a six-time Le Mans Driver.\u201d I\u2019m excited because it\u2019s not only about the cars, it\u2019s about the people who made them famous. And the feedback has been very, very good.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 Yes, we have some new sponsors that we\u2019re talking to that are committed. You know, you hear a lot about lifestyle experiences. And we\u2019re going to change up the paddock and how we get the cars on track. Food and beverage will be a big push, especially the hospitality component.<\/p>\n In 2021, we were judged on performance when we had a month and a half to sell tickets after California finally re-opened. We didn\u2019t know if we could even do a Reunion in 2021 with spectators, so our focus was on the participants.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 There had been a lot of rumbles with me being the new operator coming in. 2018 and 2019 were tough years for the Reunion and the track. I\u2019m from the hospitality industry. That\u2019s my business. That\u2019s Guest experience and services, and I was in it for 38 years. So we focused on the participants with the Advisory Council highly involved, and people left happy.<\/p>\n We brought in a new sanctioning body, HSR, who made tremendous strides in really bringing it back to what we believe a lot of the participants want. It\u2019s a social gathering. They want to talk to their friends and enjoy the beauty and performance of the unique vintage racing cars.<\/p>\n We also returned to strict authenticity and period correctness with the entrants. That\u2019s what this event is about. We can\u2019t allow the non-compliant cars in; [we] must remain focused on the original intent of the event and our title sponsor, Rolex. And we\u2019re well on our way for 2022, and we\u2019re very excited for what the Reunion will look like. We must make a statement.<\/p>\n But we\u2019re sticking to the niche of historic racing because that\u2019s our focus. When Barry talks about Pebble and Quail, each major event is three players working to produce an overall excellent \u201ccar week\u201d for our residents and visitors. Our part is, we have the iconic world-renowned WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and we will execute a professional first-class historic race with gentlemen racing. That\u2019s the focus, while implementing several upgrades to the facility and guest experience.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 We will also be celebrating our 65th anniversary.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 My first race was in 1959. When I was in grammar school.<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 You weren\u2019t a racer?<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 No, I did own a Lotus 11 Le Mans Series Two<\/a>. David Love brought five or six of us down to run demo laps during one of the Can-Am races to explore interest in maybe having historic cars run here.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 With Laguna being unique to the U.S. racing scene, can you give me an idea of what our readers can expect from a Laguna Seca event? What can they expect when they come here?<\/p>\n JN<\/b> \u2013 Most important is the Corkscrew. You need to see the Corkscrew with cars dropping down the track to understand why we say it\u2019s a \u201cunique racing experience.\u201d Very good, competitive racing on a classic road course. Our goal is to give the spectator good, competitive, racing supported by a professional management team, excellent seasoned volunteers, and service clubs. With the guest\u2019s experience being a major priority.<\/p>\n This year, \u201cBring the Family\u201d is a major objective to build on that next generation of racing fans. The previous management never looked at what other sports were doing to bring the family experience to their spectators. We are introducing a Kids Zone, Go-Karts, and other kid-friendly events for all our major events in 2022. We will also have a variety of quality vendors involved in retail as well as food and beverage offerings.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s still Laguna Seca. It still has that vintage, historic feeling with numerous racing attributes. We need to address restrooms within the park and track and continue to make capital improvements. We need to continue to improve upon our guest experience touchpoints and keep the track and park clean.<\/p>\n The shelf camping and parking between Turns 10 and 11 is a great place to park your RV and watch the race. With the new pedestrian bridge, entering the paddock will be simplified and accessible to all our guests.<\/p>\n We offer a unique track and clean park with open-air, which promotes health [and] safety, and a management team and volunteers that are focused on improving the spectator\u2019s experience. All this in addition to our beautiful location and weather. We believe WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, no matter if a sanctioned event or just a good race, is a chance to come to watch superior competitive racing with memorable hospitality while being entertained with your family and friends.<\/p>\n DG<\/b> \u2013 My final thoughts? There is no 4-year degree for managing a race track, and it’s a position of constant challenge. Sports Car Digest appreciates the time both John and Barry took out of their busy schedules to conduct this interview.<\/p>\n Dennis Gray, SportsCarDigest.com<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re searching for an American racetrack with a unique history, look no further than WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on California\u2019s Monterey Peninsula. Built on property that was once part of the Army\u2019s Fort Ord, racing began here in 1957 and has continued ever since. After decades of the track being managed by a local non-profit organization, the racing community was surprised in 2020, when Monterey County awarded the rights to manage WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the entire Recreation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":618505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18114],"tags":[548,6920],"class_list":["post-499667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-motorsport","tag-laguna-seca"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>