Offside Undo.(Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca wants more money from Steve Earle)(Brief Article)(Editorial)

Steve Earle, founder and nurturer of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, is one of us enthusiasts. And Earle is under siege.

You have read for the past several weeks that the management of Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca is putting the squeeze on Earle to get more money out of him. Understand: Earle promotes the event-he puts up the money, he takes the exposure, he secures big-name sponsors like DaimlerChrysler and Rolex, and for 28 years he has cut Laguna a piece of the deal.

This deal is like others: The track gets a percentage of the take-everything from sponsors, ticket sales and vendors. Earle pays for security, shakes the bushes for entrants and pays for advertising. And Laguna collects its share.

In the last decade all planets aligned for continued growth. Baby boomers came to an age where disposable income was garaged in vintage racers and elaborate Monterey Peninsula vacations. The go-go economy made event marketing more attractive to more corporations; it proved a subtle, elegant way to mingle with customers. This was a harmonic convergence of consumerism and automotive exuberance.

As a result Earle's efforts were rewarded. His take grew steadily, as did what Laguna Seca pocketed. The numbers aren't clear-no one's talking specifics-but they are strong: More money came in each year for the Historics. Laguna's percentage didn't grow; only the pile of money did.

That wasn't enough. ...