 ven though Grand Prix races had been held in past years at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the 2005 event was treated as the inaugural since it was the first-ever United States appearance of the ultra-fast and exotic MotoGP race machines.
The record crowd was treated to a weekend of exciting AMA National Championship racing and the Red Bull United States Grand Prix. The script was written perfectly for an American victor, and when the race was run, Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden won and took his victory lap waving a large American flag. It was the stuff movies are made of.
The 2005 Red Bull United States Grand Prix proved that sometimes it is possible to be a little too successful. The three-day crowd of 152,000 attendees stressed the systems of the facility to its limit. Parking, traffic into and out of the track and other aspects of the facility infrastructure got less than glowing reports from attendees, as did the race track itself from the competitors. Where some facilities would avoid responsibility, the management at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca looked to the future and moved immediately to solve the problems for the upcoming 2006 race.
Construction projects include the state-of-the-art Red Bull Energy Center hospitality area overlooking Turn 1. Safety improvements include an increase in the Turn 1 run-off, an increase in run-off on both sides of Turn 6, modifications to the dip in the track just after Turn 7 and a complete repave of the racing surface.
“We are so grateful to our sponsors, most specifically Yamaha, Red Bull and Mazda, who have stepped up and allowed us to take on this project during our 50th Season of Racing,” said Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/General Manager Gill Campbell. “We are a not-for-profit organization so we are dependent upon our benefactors to provide the funding for improvement projects to this wonderful, historic crown jewel of American road racing.”
The areas of track improvement have been selected in conjunction with the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) and the MotoGP Rider’s Commission to increase the safety of what is already recognized as one of the safest permanent road racing facilities in the world.
More information on the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, including the revised traffic plan for 2006, is available at www.RedBullUSGrandPrix.com or by calling (800) 327-SECA. 
 Two views on the construction along the front straightaway. The photo on the left shows the new structure that will include the Red Bull Energy Center hospitality area. |
Seen on the right is another view of the building along the front straight that had to be rebuilt after the track was widened going up over the hill towards Turn 1. |
The riders of MotoGP 2006. Front row l-r: Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, Marco Melandri, Toni Elias. Middle row l-r: John Hopkins, Chris Vermeulen, Sete Gibernau, Loris Capirossi, Shinya Nakano, Randy De Puniet. Back row l-r: Casey Stoner, Kenny Roberts, Jr., Makoto Tamada, Carlos Checa, James Ellison, Jose Luis Cardosa, Alex Hoffman. Courtesy of Michelin/DPPI.
 Fortuna Honda rider Tony Elias (on left) apologizes to 2005 MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi for running into him in the first turn of the first race of the season at Jerez, Spain. The collision knocked Rossi to ground, and despite rejoining the race Valentino lost 23 points to the winner. He won the following race at Qatar to breathe some life into his championship hopes, but bad luck was to follow him in the races to follow. Courtesy of Camel Yamaha Team. |
After winning twice in 2005, Ducati Marlboro rider Loris Capirossi kicked off the 2006 season at Jerez in impressive form. He set the fastest qualifying lap for the race and won the final ahead of Repsol Honda teammates Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden. He has ridden consistently since to remain a factor in the championship. Photo courtesy of Ducati. |
At press time, Nicky Hayden was still looking for a race win, but the multi-talented rider from Kentucky was at the top of the points standings as a result of four podium finishes in the early rounds of the 2006 series. His worst finish to date was a 5th place in France. He obviously looks ahead eagerly to the USA round at Laguna Seca, site of his first and only GP win to date, but don’t be surprised to see him on the top step of the podium at any event yet this year. Courtesy of Michelin/DPPI. |
In his rookie season in the MotoGP class, young Casey Stoner of Australia has been an immediate contender. Riding for the Honda LCR team, Stoner sat on the pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, becoming the 2nd youngest rider to ever so. Only American Freddie Spencer was a younger GP pole winner. Stoner also has one podium finish to date. Courtesy of Michelin/DPPI.
Another young sensation this year has been two-time 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa. Having moved up to MotoGP, Dani finished 2nd in the opening round at Jerez for the Repsol Honda team. He really hit his stride when the series got to China, winning both the pole position and the race. When he won the pole position for the following race in France, he became the youngest rider to ever win back-to-back pole positions in the elite class of Grand Prix racing. Courtesy of Michelin/DPPI. |
The Yamaha MotoGP team switched cigarette brands for 2006, becoming the Camel Yamaha Team. Other than the name and sporting the yellow and blue colors of its new sponsor, not much else has changed with the team from its championship-winning season last year. Colin Edwards (left) and the 2005 MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, the same two riders from last year, will be aboard the state-of-the-art Yamaha YZR-M1 machines. Photo courtesy of Camel Yamaha Team.
Machine: Yamaha YZR-M1
Team: Camel Yamaha Team
Date of birth: Feb. 27, 1974
Place of birth: Houston, Texas
Residence: Conroe, Texas
Career highlights: 2000, 2002 World Superbike Champion. |
Machine: Yamaha YZR-M1
Team: Camel Yamaha Team
Date of birth: Feb. 16, 1979
Place of birth: Urbino, Italy
Residence: London, England
Career highlights: 1997 125cc World Champion, 1999 250cc World Champion, 2001 500cc World Champion, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 MotoGP World Champion |
Machine: Honda RC211V-powered/KR chassis
Team: Team Roberts
Date of birth: July 24, 1973
Place of birth: Mountain View, Calif.
Residence: Modesto, Calif.
Career highlights: 2000 500cc World Champion |
Machine: Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP
Team: Ducati Marlboro Team
Date of birth: April 4, 1973
Place of birth: Castel San Pietro, Italy
Residence: Monaco
Career highlights: 1990, 1991 125cc World Champion, 1998 250cc World Champion |
Machine: Honda RC211V
Team: Repsol Honda Team
Date of birth: July 29, 1981
Place of birth: Owensboro, Kentucky
Residence: Owensboro, Kentucky
Career highlights: 2002 AMA Superbike Champion, 2005 USGP winner Laguna Seca |
Machine: Honda RC211V
Team: Fortuna Honda Team
Date of birth: Aug. 6, 1982
Place of birth: Ravenna, Italy
Residence: England
Career highlights: 2002 250cc World Champion |
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