The hairpin at Laguna Seca in 2013. Photo : Brian Cleary ( Getty Images

A corner worker died in a crash at the recently renamed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during a track day over the weekend, the track confirmed to Jalopnik on Monday . A track spokesperson gave no other information on the worker or on what happened in the incident .

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Lengthy road courses like the 11-turn Laguna Seca have workers at each turn waving flags to signal drivers during races and track days, since flags only at the start-finish line wouldn’t be often enough to communicate potential penalties or dangers on track.

Rumors of the death of a corner worker during a crash on Sunday circulated on forums that night, with a spokesperson for Laguna Seca confirming the fatality to Jalopnik the next day in a track statement.



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“WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is saddened to confirm the death of a corner worker as a result of an accident that occurred on the track Sunday during an independent rental,” the statement said. “The safety of all participants, track personnel and those involved with any event is the facility’s first priority and were reflected in the prompt actions that were implemented.

“The entire racing community is saddened by this loss.”

The statement also said that according to Laguna Seca’s safety protocols, “all subsequent sessions [on track] were immediately suspended.”


A company called Exclusive Track Days rented out Laguna Seca for Sunday, according to the track’s online schedule and the schedule on Exclusive Track Days’ website. The purchase page on the company’s website says the track day included seven 20-minute sessions, with different groups having different rules on how and when to pass other cars.

Forum posts from people claiming to have been at the track day alleged that the fatal crash happened when a car spilled fluid on the track and two other cars slid through it in a corner, but the spokesperson for the track would not confirm or deny that information—or any other information—“at this time.”


Jalopnik has asked the Laguna Seca spokesperson for confirmation on whether the corner workers at this track day were supplied by the track or the company holding the track day.

According to a page on the Laguna Seca website, which loaded as such this morning but now loads blank for at least three Jalopnik staffers, the corner workers supplied through Laguna Seca work on a volunteer basis through the Sports Car Club of America.