GP history of Laguna Seca

The history of GP racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

MotoGP Press Release

After a ten year absence MotoGP returned to the United States and Laguna Seca in 2005 and has since hosted some superb racing. However, before that break in American GPs Laguna Seca had already featured six times on the World Championship calendar.

In fact, the first two Grand Prix events to be held in the USA were at Daytona in 1964 and 1965. Following those two events there was a 22 year gap before Grand Prix racing returned to the US, at Laguna in 1988.

This year’s event will be the eleventh time that a Grand Prix race has taken place at the Laguna Seca circuit and below is a brief summary of the previous ten World Championship visits:

1988 – This included races for the 500cc and 250cc classes with American riders finishing on the top of the podium in both races – Eddie Lawson (Yamaha) in the 500cc race and Jim Filice in the 250cc race riding as a replacement for Masahiro Shimizu on the factory Honda.

1989 – Once again American riders took the honours with Wayne Rainey (Yamaha) taking the victory in the 500cc race in front of Kevin Schwantz (Suzuki) and Eddie Lawson (Honda). John Kocinski (Yamaha) won the 250cc race as a wild-card entry.

1990 – Both Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski repeated their success of the previous year; both riders went on to take the respective world titles.

1991 – Wayne Rainey won the 500cc race for the third year in succession while in the 250cc race Luca Cadalora (Honda) became the first European rider to win a Grand Prix race at the Laguna Seca circuit.

1993 – The Grand Prix returned to Laguna Seca after a year’s absence. John Kocinski took the first ever dry weather Grand Prix victory for Cagiva in the 500cc race. Loris Capirossi (Honda) won the 250cc race and Dirk Raudies (Honda) won in the 125cc class which was run for the first time at the Laguna circuit.

1994 - Luca Cadalora (Yamaha) became the first non-American to win the premier-class Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. This was the last time that the event included 250cc and 125cc classes, won by Doriano Romboni and Takeshi Tsujimura respectively both riding Honda machinery.

2005 – After an absence of ten years the Grand Prix returned to America and the home riders dominated once again with Nicky Hayden taking his first Grand Prix victory in front of Colin Edwards. This was also the first victory in the premier-class for Honda at the Laguna Seca circuit.

2006 – Nicky Hayden repeated his victory of the previous year on his way to becoming the first American rider to win a Grand Prix world championship on a four-stroke machine.

2007 – The event was dominated by Casey Stoner who started from pole and led the race from start to finish. This was the first GP victory for both Ducati and Bridgestone tyres at the Laguna Seca circuit. Chris Vermeulen finished second - the first podium finish for the Suzuki four-stroke MotoGP machine at Laguna Seca.

2008 – Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won for first time in America and made it three different winning manufacturers in three successive years.

Rossi’s 100 GP wins – the statistics

Some facts and figures relating to Valentino Rossi’s remarkable 100 career wins, since his first victory in the 125cc class in Brno in 1996

MotoGP Press Release

With his victory at the Alice TT Assen Valentino Rossi became only the second rider ever to reach the milestone of 100 Grand Prix victories, as motogp.com documented in Monday’s video tributes to the Fiat Yamaha star.

Today we offer a selection of statistics relating to Rossi’s colorful and triumphant march to a century of GP successes, which along the way have brought him eight World titles across the three Grand Prix classes:

• The 100 victories have come from 217 Grand Prix starts – a win rate over his career of 46.1%. Rossi has won on six different types of motorcycle: 125cc Aprilia (12 wins), 250cc Aprilia (14 wins), 500cc Honda (13 wins), 990cc Honda (20 wins), 990cc Yamaha (25 wins) and 800cc Yamaha (16 wins).
• His 41 wins riding for Yamaha is more than any other rider. The second most successful Yamaha rider is Phil Read with 39 victories.
• Rossi has won Grand Prix races at 27 different circuits. The circuits at which he has had most success are Mugello and Catalunya with nine wins at each.
• The most wins Rossi has had in a single season is 11, which he has achieved on four occasions: 1997 (125cc), 2001 (500cc), 2002 and 2005 in MotoGP.
• His 11 wins in 1997 is a record for most victories in a single season in the 125cc class.
• Rossi’s 74 race victories in the premier-class is more than any other rider in the 61-year history of Grand Prix racing.
• With his victory in Jerez this year Valentino Rossi became the first rider to achieve at least one Grand Prix victory for 14 successive seasons.
• The total length of his winning career from his first win in the 125cc race at the Czech GP in 1996 to his latest victory at Assen, is 12 years 313 days. Only four riders have had a longer winning career in Grand Prix racing: Loris Reggiani, Phil Read, Angel Nieto and Loris Capirossi.

KTM 990 ready for AMA Daytona Sportbike

KTM 990 Super Duke Homologated For AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Will Debut At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

AMA Pro Racing Press Release

The AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL class is already one of the most diverse divisions in major league motorcycle road racing, but the competition is going to get even more interesting beginning with this weekend's Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The KTM 990 Super Duke is the 11th different motorcycle approved and homologated for AMA Pro Daytona SportBike competition, and one of the unique twin cylinder bikes will be debuted this weekend at Mazda Raceway. The California-based Tri-Valley Moto team and rider Eric Gulbransen will field the No. 394 KTM 990 Super Duke in Sunday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike final.

"We have seen outstanding racing this year in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL and that is due to the incredible talent of the teams and riders and the performance of a diverse line-up of motorcycles," said AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson. "AMA Pro Daytona SportBike is now home to 11 different motorcycles from nine different manufacturers and the parity we have seen in the on-track performance has been unmatched at this level. We welcome KTM and Tri-Valley Moto to the series and know they will be a competitive addition to an already outstanding class."

The Austrian-made KTM brand has been ridden to more than 90 motorcycle championships around the world but the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike debut will be the manufacturer's first experience in North America at this level.

Tri-Valley Moto is based in Livermore, California and Gulbransen is a veteran California rider from Menlo Park, who also has extensive experience racing Ducatis.

Dual 23-lap/50-mile sprints for AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited will bring the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend to a close on Sunday, July 5. The Daytona SportBike race begins at 3:30 p.m. local time and will be followed directly by the American Superbike race at 4:15 p.m.