World Supers to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Cycle News Staff | September 21, 2012

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will become one of several tracks which welcomes both MotoGP and World Superbike after it was announced that the Monterey circuit would host the U.S. round of the World Superbike Championship for the next three years replacing Miller Motorsports Park (MMP), which never caught on with race fans despite the best efforts of the promoters.

The announcement was made on the same day that the 2013 MotoGP provisional calendar was released. MRLS will host the MotoGP crowd on the weekend of July 19-21, with World Superbike set for the weekend of Sept. 27-29. The WSB contract is for three years.

The last time World Superbike ran at Laguna Seca was in 2004 with Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen winning both races. World Superbike shifted to MMP in 2008 and continued racing at the track west of Salt Lake City through this year.

The MMP weekend also played host to the AMA Pro Road Race series. Whether the AMA will return to Laguna Seca for the fall WSB race isn’t known.

Laguna Seca now joins Assen, Phillip Island, Misano, Aragon, Brno, and Silverstone as tracks visited by both MotoGP and World Superbike.

“We have a strong history with World Superbike and are thrilled to have them commit to a three-year race schedule,” said Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager. “Their return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca solidifies our position as THE premier circuit in the U.S. for motorcycle racing.”