WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca, formerly known as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, will be lifting its sound enforcement regulations due to residents withdrawing complaints regarding noise from the race track.
Laguna Seca has been a fixture in motorsports since it was first constructed in 1957. The 2.238-mile circuit hosts the FIM World Superbike Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and formerly hosted MotoGP. However, it’s best known for its dynamic and challenging layout, which has become legendary among motorcyclists and car enthusiasts alike, with turns such as the “Corkscrew,” that sends pilots down a roller-coaster like three-story drop.
Following a recent announcement by SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula) regarding improvements that will be made to the facility, along with a name change – the track operators have announced that all sound monitoring devices will be removed and donated to scientific researchers.
Outside of sanctioned professional racing events, WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca has maintained a strict policy of 90dB and 92dB sound limits from any vehicle operating on their closed course. This was to appease neighboring residents who built their homes next to an extremely loud, and isolated motorsports campus, even though it has been there since 1957.
It created many challenges for enthusiasts and professionals who operate vehicles equipped with performance exhaust systems. In many cases, this would mean costly modifications just to run their cars or motorcycles at the track. If a user is caught going above those limits, they are immediately pulled from the track and not allowed to continue until the issue has been remedied, which in most cases, means an end to your day.
In recent years, the surrounding area has been transformed into an exclusive and extremely wealthy community, filled to the brim with homeowners that have purchased land and transformed their patches of property into oasis-like living establishments, within earshot of a professional racing facility, that we once again remind you, has been there since 1957.
“It’s shocking, really” said Michael Smith, interim CEO of SCRAMP “when we received the call to meet with local homeowners, we assumed it was going to be yet another attempt to reduce noise but we couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s almost as if they realized that they built their lavish homes directly next to a race track.”
Smith’s assumption was in fact, correct and confirmed. A committee headed up by local tech entrepreneur and trust fund recipient Lance LaDouche came to the painfully obvious conclusion when his own complaints had come back to haunt him.
“I’d just put together this amazing 2002 Mazda Miata build because all my former frat brothers got into it. I mean, we really went full out on it, it’s got everything. Just everything. You can see the receipts and what I paid the guy, it’ll take on any bike. Learn to drive a Miata, you’ll see what speed and skill really means, not like a motorcycle. And just so you know, my name is pronounced La-Dooooew”
“But I did my first track day at Laguna Seca and got black flagged for noise. I couldn’t believe it and when I considered it, it’s because absurdly wealthy residents like myself, who have the means to live literally anywhere in the world, chose to live directly next to an extremely loud facility designed for motorsports. Suddenly it all made sense, but it’s like they say, it’s not until it affects you directly, you know?”
SCRAMP organizers negotiated a trade for tickets to all events and a “Preferred Patron Suite” for any local resident that has been impacted by the noise generated from a race track designed for amateur and professional motorsports, that once again, has been in use since 1957.
“We just began showering them with compliments,” said Smith. “Once we acknowledged their vast wealth and power, they suddenly became incredibly compliant and took an interest in motorsports. Now they all have sports cars and motorcycles (Italian only).”
The “Preferred Patron Suite” is located directly next to the mobile lavatories that sits a stone’s throw away from the press center, where Senior Editor Nic de Sena mischievously steals free water and apples during the FIM World Superbike Championship.
“We’ll take it a day at a time, but this is good for Laguna Seca. With less noise restrictions, we’ll attract even more car and motorcycle enthusiasts, and be able to cater to more events, without the fear of upsetting residents. It’s good for the local economy and this historic track.”
SCRAMP will be donating the sound capturing devices to local researchers from University of California Berkeley, who have been called in to research whether or not the smugness of surrounding residents can be audibly monitored.
Ultimate Motorcycling will have more information on this story as it develops. Once again, we’d like to remind our readers that these people built their homes directly next a racing facility that has been in use since 1957 and that this story was published on April Fools’ Day.
