WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca repaved for 2023
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca — one of California’s fastest race tracks — is going to get faster in 2023. A planned resurfacing and resulting smoother surface should allow the diverse array of competitors on next year’s schedule to blaze through the 11-turn track at greater speeds.
WeatherTech’s 2023 Major Events Season boasts an eclectic mix of IndyCar, IMSA, MotoAmerica superbikes, muscle cars, historic cars and motorcycles competing in traditional and untraditional race formats.
All events will be held on the track’s first repaving since 2007. Spectators also receive an upgrade in the form of a rebuilt Start/Finish bridge which will improve pedestrian flow from the parking lot to the race paddock area. The upgrades follow a solid 2022 season that surpassed attendance expectations, according to John Narigi, president and general manager of the raceway.
WeatherTech Raceway: Increased Attendance
“We ended 2022 in a positive and energetic way with the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, which was the NTT IndyCar Series season finale,” said Narigi when announcing the new schedule and track improvements. “Attendance far surpassed 2021 and was even higher over pre-pandemic years. This success further energizes our team and Laguna Seca Volunteer Association as we plan for an even bigger 2023 season.”
Here’s a look at the major events coming to WeatherTech next year:
April 20-23: Sea Otter Classic — cycling/mountain biking event hosting over 9,000 athletes.
May 5-7: Trans Am SpeedFest — classic American muscle car race held by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA).
May 12-14: Motul Course de Monterey (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) — sports car and LeMans Prototype racing as a part of the IMSA calendar.
WeatherTech Raceway: Cars, Bikes and Historics
July 7-9: GEICO Motorcycle MotoAmerica Superbike SpeedFest at Monterey — superbike motorcycle racing across seven classes as a part of the MotoAmerica calendar.
July 14-16: AHRMA Classic MotoFest of Monterey — vintage motorcycle race featuring pre-war, single, twin and triple-cylinder and electric-powered bikes.
Aug. 12-13: Monterey Pre-Reunion — precursor to Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion with hundreds of timeless racecars.
Aug. 16-19: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion —a weekend of 500+ historic motorsport vehicles racing as they did many decades ago.
Aug. 20: Corkscrew Hillclimb and Community Day — an all-day festival of 60 vehicles racing around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca… backwards. Turn 1 is instead turn 11, and vice versa, making the famed turn 8 Corkscrew an ascent rather than a sharp drop.
Sept. 8-10: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey (NTT IndyCar Series) — open-wheel racing similar to Formula 1 as a part of the IndyCar calendar.
Sept. 28-Oct. 1: Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7 — the seventh running of a get-together of some of Porsche’s most successful racing vehicles
For tickets or more information, visit WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mason Bloom, who writes for several online motorsports publications, attends Aptos High School on the Central Coast of California. Contact him at [email protected]