MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
Rolling Right Along!

By Patrick Hespen

Race Car

Known as one of the best race tracks in the world, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca enters its 51st season of racing with a schedule most tracks can only dream of. All five major events in 2008 feature some of the biggest race series in both the U.S and abroad!

The season starts May 16-18 with The Monterey Festival of Speed featuring the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series RumBum.com 250, Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, the Formula BMW Americas, and Historic IMSA. Saturday features the ultra-competitive action of the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and GT cars in a 250-mile race. Sunday will see the Atlantic Championship and Formula BMW series battle it out on the track in separate races, followed by a race featuring Historic IMSA race cars from 1974-1982.

Next is the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring the MotoGP World Championship on July 18-20. The combination of the prestigious MotoGP World Championship and the challenging Mazda Raceway has created one of the world's greatest motorcycle racing events, attracting half a million spectators in the first three years.

The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix also features the AMA Superbike Championship and Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup series to cap the action-packed weekend!

August 15-17 brings the 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Toyota. The Historic races pay tribute to the history of racing, automobiles, and the people who made and raced them. The premier vintage event in North America boasts approximately 400 of the finest racing and sports cars spanning every era of motorsports history.

The Corona AMA Superbike Finale featuring the AMA Superbike Championship races September 27-28. The AMA will conclude its season-long championship chase in Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme that weekend. New for the 2008 Corona AMA Superbike event is the addition of NorCal-based Supermoto USA race series and a return appearance of the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup series.

There's plenty to do off the track with fan parties, stunt shows, manufacturer displays, and Corona Beach featuring a beer garden, beach volleyball and live music.

The season concludes on October 17-19 with the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series. Short of going to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the best way to see the high-tech Le Mans Prototypes and GT cars is in this four-hour endurance challenge. The Saturday afternoon race features Prototypes from Audi, Porsche, Mazda, Acura and others battling on the same track with production-based GT cars from Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari and Panoz.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca proudly offers world-class racing in one of the country's most beautiful tourist destinations, and plans to be around for at least another 51 years! Come on out to the track and see why the world has fallen in love with this legendary facility.