Monterey County approves new agreement with SCRAMP

On Tuesday, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved a three-year agreement with Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) for management of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The decision has CEO of the raceway, Gill Campbell, excited, saying it’s important to keep things running consistently.

“So this really allows us to get back to business and to get on with business,” said Campbell.

With the help of Monterey County, the 3-year management agreement will make maintenance and improvement projects possible. It will also give SCRAMP the rights to manage the campground and property rentals at Laguna Seca.

“It’s just maximizing what we have in the facility that I think is really important,” added Campbell.

After the hunt for new management was prompted by concerns that SCRAMP wasn’t doing a good job on maintenance, SCRAMP is now getting the chance to do what it does best, feed millions of dollars back into the local economy.

“When Laguna is successful, our economy is successful,” said County Supervisor Luis Alejo, “and I think we took a step in the right direction by coming to this three year agreement.”

Some residents showed concerns about traffic and noise. But under new agreement, SCRAMP will not add more events but just continue to generate revenue for the community.

“So if we can bring that back to the county, all we’re going to do is benefit revenue in this county, which we need at all times,” said local Jennifer Empasis.

The agreement runs through the end of December 2019 and is temporary. The county is continuing its search for a long-term management agreement.