Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, built by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) on property leased from Fort Ord in 1957, will kick off its 61st season of racing activity on May 3-6 with Prancing Ponies galloping through the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit during the Ferrari Challenge.
The second annual Spring Classic will take place May 18-20. A vintage racing event that celebrates the fast and thrilling 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s eras of motorsports, the Spring Classic features spirited competition among run groups that include historic open wheel cars, sports cars, stock cars, and motorcycles.
The Motul FIM World Superbike Championship GEICO U.S. Round featuring MotoAmericabrings international and domestic two-wheel motorcycle racing on an earlier date, June 22-24. The annual event is the only opportunity to see the globally-renowned riders of the Motul FIM World Superbike Championship compete in North America. The event is also comprised of the best motorcycle road racing that the U.S. has to offer with MotoAmerica returning as the support series.
The event circled on the calendar of every historic racing enthusiast, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, has a new date. One of the most respected and prestigious historic racing events in the world, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s signature event will again consist of up to 550 entries chosen from around the world for their authenticity, historical significance, and period correctness. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will take place Aug. 23-27, one week later than its traditional date. Every major event comprising the famous Monterey Classic Car Week on California’s Central Coast will likewise move up from the third week of August to the fourth to accommodate the Monterey Peninsula which will play host to the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links Aug. 13-19. Monterey Classic Car Week, of course, kicks off with the Monterey Pre-Reunion Aug. 18-19.
The month of September will be bookended with weekends of popular motorsports events. The legacy of world-class sports car racing upon which Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was founded continues when the Prototypes and Grand Touring cars of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship come to Monterey for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring AMERICA’S TIRE 250 on Sept. 6-9.
At the end of September, the world’s largest gathering of Porsche race cars and drivers returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The highly-anticipated Rennsport Reunion VI is scheduled for Sept. 27-30. Hosted by Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), the four-day program of on-track competition will be complemented by a Concours d’Elegance, which is open to invited race participants.
The season will come to a close with Pirelli World Challenge on Oct. 18-21. Nearly 20 manufacturers will compete in eight Grand Touring (GT) and Touring Car (TC) classes in a sprint-race format.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s overall 2018 schedule is a 52-week calendar that, in addition to the major event weekends, includes a wide spectrum of two- and four-wheeled competition and activities including: club racing; automobile and motorcycle racing schools; manufacturer demo days; automobile and motorcycle publication track days; and the monthly Twilight Cyclingprogram.
Single, multi-day, hospitality packages, and camping for events go on sale Dec. 13 (Rennsport Reunion VI tickets go on sale Oct. 11).
MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA 2018 MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULE*
May 3-6 – Ferrari Challenge
May 18-20 – Spring Classic
June 22-24 – Motul FIM World Superbike Championship GEICO U.S. Round
featuring MotoAmerica
Aug. 18-19 – Monterey Pre-Reunion
Aug. 23-26 – Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Sept. 6-9 – Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring AMERICA’S TIRE 250
Sept. 27-30 – Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI
Oct. 18-21 – Pirelli World Challenge
(*events are subject to provisions of local regulation)
About Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a world-renowned 2.238-mile traditional road course that was built in 1957, then known as Laguna Seca Raceway, by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP). SCRAMP, a non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation with the purpose of managing the County of Monterey-owned Laguna Seca Recreation Area.