Yesterday I instructed at Laguna Seca Raceway with the TrackMasters track-day club. Doug Gale runs a great event, and we shared the track schedule with the Zoom-zoom motorcyle track club. The June weather in the Monterey Bay area can’t be beat, cool and foggy until 8am, then clear and sunny until 6pm, with highs around 75. I signed up to instruct with my buddy Chris in his Turbo GTI that was sporting a fresh set of sticky Kumhos. We had a lot of fun, and Chris is now fully hooked. Another addict created…
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (the official name) has VERY strict sound limits. Weekday track events have a max 92db limit, that’s stock quiet! Some stock bikes and cars can even pop the sound meters. First strike you get the black flag and are pulled off track, second strike you’re pulled off track again, third strike and you go home while subjecting yourself and the club to possible fines and future restrictions. Weekend club races have a scaled noise restriction, here is an example I have seen: 92db early and late in the day (8-10am/4-6pm), 98db next (10-11am/2-4pm), and 101db in the middle (11am-2pm). 101db is still pretty quiet for a racetrack. Laguna Seca only gets 5 open sound weekends a year from the county, and they get used by the pros (Indy, Moto GP, Trans-Am) and the Rolex Historics. Drivers get pretty creative to muffle their cars, I like walking around the pits and seeing some of the “unique” solutions.
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