Laguna Seca management solution back in chaos

The lingering saga involving Monterey County's quest to find a new management solution for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will limp into the New Year without a resolution.

According to the Monterey Herald, "exiting Supervisor Dave Potter said exclusive negotiations with the Friends of Laguna Seca organization have dragged on so long that county staff has begun discussions with the other two bidder groups."

Potter, who has spearheaded the efforts to replace the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), the track's one and only management firm since the facility opened in 1957, is scheduled to conclude his term on the board early next month.

His replacement, Mary Adams, will inherit an embarrassing mess.

The first search to find a SCRAMP alternative was conducted by the board in 2015 without the knowledge of its track managers. It triggered an ugly, public spat. The board's outreach focused on NASCAR's International Speedway Corporation (ISC) as a potential replacement for SCRAMP, but ISC declined the offer.

Unsatisfied by the outcome, the board made a public call earlier this year to request proposals from parties interested in running the legendary road course. FLS, a joint partnership between SCRAMP and ISC, and the World Automotive Championship of California group made it through to the final stage. By mid-October, FLS was selected as the board's new management provider for county-owned property.

The only obstacle left to clear was a management contract with FLS which, as Potter concedes, has "taken longer than [they] should and the next season is coming up fast." He also stated "all options are on the table."

With 2017 almost here, the fiasco set in motion by Monterey County's board of supervisors is about to enter its third year without a long-term solution in place. On the surface, it would appear the search for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's next custodian has made a long and winding loop only to arrive back where it began in 2015.