Iconic US race track sued by neighbours for excessive noise and traffic

The owners of California’s world-famous Laguna Seca circuit are facing a lawsuit put forward by the race track’s neighbours, who have called for a ban of racing events at the venue due to the violation of noise limits and nearby traffic woes.

As reported by San Francisco-based publication SFGate, a group of residents who live nearby the circuit – who have formed the ‘Highway 68 Coalition’ – filed the lawsuit against the track’s owner, Monterey County, last week.

According to the publication reports, the group claims racing and other special events at Laguna Seca have increased “substantially” since 2021 compared to the years prior, dating back to when Monterey County took ownership of the venue in 1974.

“These increases include but are not limited to more racetrack event days, higher permitted noise levels, additional track rental days with intensified noise in excess of 100 dB, increased traffic, inadequate water supply and water quality, inadequate sewage disposal and expansion of the camping grounds,” the lawsuit alleges, reports SFGate.

These alleged violations have led to the lawsuit calling for a court order to ban racing events and other motoring-related usage of the track, claiming the circuit’s owners have violated the terms of use agreed to back in 1985.

First opened in 1957 as an alternative to organised and legal races on public roads, Laguna Seca has been used for rounds of the MotoGP world championship, the American Le Mans Series and, more recently, the season finale of the IndyCar Series.

In addition to the dedicated racing events, the circuit’s location – and popularity after starring in racing video games such as Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport – has led to it becoming a popular place for automotive enthusiast gatherings, including Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion.

Despite bringing in almost $US250 million ($AU380 million) annually to the region, those who are suing Laguna Seca’s owners claim the track is being rented out and used for all but 25 days of the year, creating a nuisance for local residents.

“Rental of the track is now 340 days a year,” Richard Rosenthal, a lawyer representing the Highway 68 Coalition said. “It’s a facility that’s used almost every day. It’s the noise generated from everyday use; I’m talking about excessive noise. I’m talking about 103-105 decibels or more.

“Different organisations during the week or on weekends rent it out that’s creating — let’s call it a nuisance kind of noise.”

The lawsuit faced by Laguna Seca echoes the concerns which led to the closure of Wakefield Park in country New South Wales in 2022.

Wakefield Park had been in long-running disputes with neighbours about the noise levels emitted from the facility, but the race track’s owners fell on their own sword when proposed upgrades to the circuit – designed to reduce noise pollution – unearthed a long-standing agreement regarding how many days a year the circuit could operate.

When Wakefield Park Raceway was opened in 1993, it was limited to 48 days of use per year due to noise limits – but prior to the closure, it had been operating for more than 270 days annually.

After the circuit’s owners – the Benalla Auto Club – took the Goulburn Mulwaree Council to the New South Wales Land and Environment Court for blocking the proposed upgrades, the request was approved on the condition that stringent noise restrictions be implemented, regardless of whether the planned upgrades went ahead.

The Benalla Auto Club claimed the restrictions made the circuit unviable, closing its doors in September 2022.

In October 2023, Wakefield Park’s new owner – Steve Shelley, who also operates the nearby Pheasant Wood circuit (formerly Marulan Driver Training Centre) – said the race track is due to reopen in mid-2024, and will be renamed as “One Raceway”.