After a hiatus of nine years, the World Superbike Championship will make a return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next year, with a date on the WSBK calendar listed as September 27-29, 2013. The Northern California circuit has signed a three-year contract with WSBK promoters InFront Motorsports, making it one of the select tracks in the world that will be hosting both a MotoGP and WSBK event.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca takes over the U.S. WSBK round from Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, which has been dropped from the calendar. Despite positive reviews from the racers and fans alike, the Miller race never really caught on enough with the public to make it desirable for the circuit to extend its run of four years. The track management tried everything to make the race successful, including moving the races to Monday (the event occurred during the Memorial Day holiday) to avoid religious conflicts with the Utah public.
The Miller WSBK event also hosted a round of the AMA Pro RoadRacing series, and it’s not known whether the AMA series will make the transfer to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as well.
“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.”
“We are absolutely delighted to be returning to Laguna Seca for the US Round for the first time since 2004,” said Paolo Flammini, CEO of InFront Motor Sports. “Over the ten-year period in which we were last there, we witnessed an extraordinary growth in interest and in overall attendance and we are sure that this event will once again become one of the most prestigious on the calendar. The return of Laguna Seca to the Superbike World Championship, with its six competing manufacturers, will definitely be a boost to the championship’s growth in the US market as California has a special tradition and offers significant opportunities for the motorcycle industry, sponsors and media.”