MotoGP Extends Deal With Laguna Seca

We are pleased to continue the relationship between the MotoGP World Championship and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, says Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive officer of Dorna Sports. The facility has gone to great lengths to improve the experience for both fans and riders, and we look forward to continuing to race on the Monterey Peninsula for years to come.

The original agreement was set to expire following the 2009 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Laguna Seca first became a fixture on the MotoGP tour in 2005 following a ten-year gap since it last hosted a motorcycle grand prix race in 1994.

This is tremendous news on so many levels, says Gill Campbell, CEO of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. MotoGP is the worlds premier motorcycle racing series, and we now have the pleasure of hosting it for the next six years. Everyone from the fans, to the track, to the local community will benefit greatly from this extension.

The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is the largest motorsports event in Northern California, drawing 140,000 race fans in 2007. This years race takes place July 18-20 when MotoGP shares the billing with the AMA Superbike series.

When it returned to the MotoGP schedule in 2005, Laguna Seca was the only American stop on the tour. That years race ended in a storybook manner with Kentucky native Nicky Hayden earning his first career grand prix win. The success of MotoGP racing at Laguna Seca was an important factor in Dorna Sports decision to add a second U.S. stop to the schedule in Indianapolis. The United States now joins Spain and Italy as the only countries with multiple races on the MotoGP tour.