Legal battle against Laguna Seca: “It's a public nuisance” | FP

Legal clash

At number 1021 Monterey Salinas Hwy, in Monterey, in the state of California, stands one of the most famous and loved sports facilities in America: the Laguna Seca circuit. Home of IndyCar, in the past also of MotoGP and Superbike, and of several other two- and four-wheel championships held in the United States, the Californian track is one of the most appreciated by riders and enthusiasts from all over the world and holds epic memories of motorspot, from 'The Pass' by Alex Zanardi to the Rossi-Stoner and Marquez-Rossi challenges in the MotoGP.

Now though his survival could be jeopardized by legal action which is causing a lot of discussion overseas. The Highway 68 Coalition, a group of property owners located near the racetrack, has in fact filed a lawsuit aimed at stop the races scheduled on the historic facility. The reason? The circuit would not comply with environmental ordinances and would be “a public nuisance“.

Constraints and exceptions

However, there is a detail that makes this story quite paradoxical and which is infuriating American motorsport fans, who instead are united in defense of the circuit: in fact, the Laguna Seca track has existed for 66 years. Anyone who buys a house in that area knows that the circuit exists, it is certainly not a recently built system that caught the residents unprepared.

As the American media that covered the matter recalled, the Laguna Seca track is already subject to a sort of 'special regime'. In fact, the circuit is forbidden to cars that are too noisy (those whose noise exceeds 90-105 decibels) and, starting from an agreement in 1983, it was limited to a maximum of only 35 days of events per year, 24 of which for an audience of fewer than 5000 people. Due to its complicated history and legal status the circuit actually enjoys certain exemptions – for example from environmental regulations – through some local laws.

However, the plaintiffs are leveraging these very laws to try to have the holding of races on the track completely prohibited. Another alleged pretext exploited by those who are carrying out this legal battle is that the racetrack has inadequate sewage facilities and water supplies, which according to representatives of the Highway 68 Coalition contain high levels of arsenic. However, the document does not cite numbers or data of any kind to support these claims. The fight for the survival of Laguna Seca has just begun.