First off, we would like to apologize for the delay in getting this to all of you. The situation has been changing so fast over the last week that we decided to wait until we had concrete plans instead of emailing you repeatedly.
Second, we hope you are all safe, comfortable and healthy during these unprecedented times. Although the vast majority of you probably aren’t thinking about track days at a time like this, we wanted to share an update on NCRC dates moving forward, most notably those taking place in April.
Last Saturday, March 14, we had a mostly sunny day at Laguna Seca that was bookended by the threat of rain in the morning and late afternoon. Concerns about the rain and COVID–19 seemed about equal at the time, and we dealt with the latter through social distancing and separate driver’s meetings that took place outdoors. The following Monday, the hammer came down with the order to “shelter in place” in six Bay Area counties, which has now expanded to include all of California.
With the next two NCRC dates in April taking place at Thunderhill and Laguna Seca, the NCRC team has been in close contact with officials at both tracks even as the order to shelter in place has expanded. Originally, we were comfortable maintaining the April dates given that the order was set to expire on April 7. However, to ensure everyone’s safety during these extraordinary times, we have decided to cancel all NCRC dates in April: April 11 and 12 at Thunderhill and April 25 and 26 at Laguna Seca.
Please note that there is a very slight chance that we can work out an agreement with Thunderhill to maintain the April 11-12 dates should the order to shelter in place be lifted on April 7. Regardless, we are adding a Thunderhill West day in November to make up for this date and we will be sure to keep you all updated as our conversations with the team at Thunderhill continue. We should have a final answer for you on Monday, March 23rd.
We are issuing full credit back to everyone’s NCRC account. If you would like a refund please email us. We are also working with our credit card processor Stripe to issue full refunds including the processing fees, instead of returning your booking -3%. However this is taking longer than we thought to arrange and is not yet in place.
As of now, Tuesday, May 19 at Laguna Seca is still moving forward, as is the big Thunderhill 5-Mile date on Friday, June 12. If you choose to sign up for either and they are subsequently cancelled, we will provide refunds. We’ll provide further updates as we learn more, confirming new dates as things shift.
We know that all NCRCers have concerns related to family, friends, work, and finances that take precedence at this time. Cars and track days have almost certainly retreated in importance, even as some of you work on your cars as a release while you work from home. The NCRC family will be here for you when things normalize and we wish you all the best in the meantime.
