WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca: Something for everyone
26/04/2024 16:30
If you have time from May through to September, then settle in at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when the track will be buzzing practically non-stop. If you're not so fortunate to be able to hunker down for that long, you're going to have some choices to make. Luckily, there are plenty of great options.
The biggest change in 2024 sees the NTT IndyCar Series move to a new date for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, June 21-23. Last September, thanks in large part to the full-course repaving, IndyCar's race cars smashed the official track record, with Christian Lundgaard setting the new qualifying record of 1m06.4610s during qualifying round 2. The track is sure to be extremely fast again, the new surface having fully bedded in following a year of racing. But will the date switch affect anything else?
"I don't think there will be a huge difference with the race being earlier in the year," says Felix Rosenqvist, whose pole-winning lap in the Firestone Fast 6 was just 0.02s shy of the record. "The track is a pretty low-deg track to begin with, so even if the temperatures are warmer, I don't think it will be drastically different. It will definitely be interesting to see how it all plays out and we're excited to head out there this summer. It's a track that I like a lot and have done pretty well on in recent years, so hopefully this year will be the same."
The season kicks off with three consecutive weekends of sports car racing, beginning May 2-5 with the Laguna Seca SpeedTour Presented by Mission Foods. SpeedTour offers a bounty of series to feast on, headlined by the Trans Am Presented by Pirelli Western Championship. Joining in are a plethora of vintage cars from SVRA, along with sports prototypes from PSSA, a field of young guns in FIA FR Americas, and more.
Next up are the IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship's hybrid GTP prototypes and a huge array of GT3 machinery in its GTD Pro and GTD classes to headline the Motul Course de Monterey presented by Hyundai N, May 10-12. This will be IMSA's first outing on the repaved circuit, which is now in prime condition for the GTP cars to turn in some astonishingly fast laps.
The IMSA weekend wouldn't be complete without great racing from the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo, too.
The sports car trifecta is completed by an extra special visit from Ferrari Racing Days. Not only will the Ferrari Challenge North America be competing, but Laguna Seca has the honor of being one of only four global venues in 2024 to host Ferrari Corse Clienti. That will see a number of historically significant racing Ferraris that are currently in private hands, including some recent Formula 1 machinery, breaking cover for a weekend of track action in the sun.
Since 2003, Ferrari Corse Clienti has offered a small group of enthusiasts the chance to own Formula 1 cars that have been raced by Scuderia Ferrari (ABOVE, 2004's ultra-successful F2004).
Two-wheeled racing highlights July, with the return of the MotoAmerica Superbike SpeedFest of Monterey, headlined by the Steel Commander Superbike Class, on the 12th through to the 14th.
August 10-17 will be extra special this year as Laguna Seca celebrates 50 years of historic racing. The event as we know it today, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, traces its roots back to the original Monterey Historic Automobile Races established by Steve Earle in 1974. Then, as now, the event set a new standard for historic racing, requiring that all running cars have a documented racing provenance and are still in period-correct trim.
What began at the height of spring ends with the late days of summer as GRIDLIFE in all its tire-smoking, sliding glory takes over with its unique form of automotive entertainment.
Spoiled for choice, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has something for everyone.
2024 Season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca:
May 3-5
Laguna Seca SpeedTour
Incl. Trans Am by Pirelli
May 10-12
Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N
Incl. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
May 17-19
Ferrari Racing Days
June 21-23
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
Incl. NTT IndyCar Series
July 12-14
MotoAmerica Superbike SpeedFest at Monterey
Aug. 10-11
Monterey Pre-Reunion
& Corkscrew Hillclimb
Aug. 14-17
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Sept. 27-29
GRIDLIFE Laguna Festival
