After a series of struggles between series organizers and promoters that called into question whether a MotoGP event would ever be held in Texas, the Circuit of the Americas has announced today that the MotoGP World Championship will join it’s roster of racing events next spring, with a three-day series set for April 19-21, 2013.
The likelihood of a MotoGP event taking place at the all-new, purpose-built Grand Prix venue was called into question last month when series promoter Kevin Schwantz and his company, 3four Texas, were unable to reach an agreement with COTA to host at MotoGP event at the Texas venue. With the 3four Texas/ COTA deal having fallen through, reports indicate that MotoGP then offered the opportunity to host the world championship event, to COTA directly.
With a successful agreement reached between Dorna and COTA, the Circuit of the Americas will be the third U.S. venue on the MotoGP World Championship calendar for 2013, joining Laguna Seca and Indianapolis on the 2013 schedule.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive officer for Dorna Sports, commercial rights holder for the MotoGP series, is extremely happy to add the Austin Circuit to the official MotoGP schedule. “We are excited to be working with Circuit of The Americas to expand our programming in the United States and bring our series to an exceptional new Grand Prix facility in Texas. We see tremendous opportunities to market MotoGP and grow its fan-base through this agreement and know Circuit of The Americas is the right promoter to help us achieve that goal.”
Circuit President Steve Sexton added: “The Circuit of The Americas team is delighted to introduce yet another world-renowned racing series to our 2013 event calendar, one we know will be hugely popular with fans coming to experience MotoGP for the first time at our state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex in Austin. MotoGP has a worldwide fan base with more than two million fans watching races in person each year. We’re confident it will be a great addition to our programming and draw tens of thousands of people to Central Texas, creating yet another major event with significant economic impact for our region.”
More information about the Circuit of the Americas and the 2013 MotoGP event in Austin, Texas can be found online at http://www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com/
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