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It’s Official: Mazda Is Parting Ways With Laguna Seca Raceway

A deal that was struck at the end of 2000 by Mazda and Monterey County will expire in March 2018, as both parties confirmed that Laguna Seca is returning to its historic name in April. Opened in 1957 and operated by the Sports Car Racing Association, the 2.2-mile circuit will live on without the Japanese company, at least as far as the name-borrowing deal is concerned.
Mazda CX-5 Cup at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 19 photos
Photo: Mazda
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During these 17 years, Mazda helped Laguna Seca Raceway become a better version of itself, ushering in new facilities and programs, including the MX-5 Cup (pictured) and SCCA-sanctioned Formula Mazda. Upon announcing this turn of events, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula and County of Monterey announced that they’ll continue collaborating with the automaker on a number of sponsorship programs next year.

“The future vision is to build on the track’s 60-year heritage and further strengthen it for the benefit of businesses in Monterey County and race fans worldwide as the Laguna Seca Recreation Area enters an aggressive new phase,”
said the interim CEO of SCRAMP. “These improvements will raise the facility to new levels on par with entertainment facilities nationwide.”

According to Mazda’s public relations director, the decision to cease sponsorship didn’t come easy, but after a lot of deliberation. If you think about it, this change of circumstances will hurt Mazda on a marketing basis, for people won’t be forced to refer to the track as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from April 2018 onwards. And the timing couldn’t be worse considering that Mazda is working on an all-new rotary sports car: the RX-9.

At the end of the day, however, Lacuna Seca enthusiasts will continue loving the circuit for more than just the infamous Corkscrew, whilst Mazda fans are already aware how sporty-handling the Japanese automaker’s cars are, including crossovers such as the award-winning CX-5.

Speaking of crossovers, Mazda announced that it will build a yet-to-be-specified sport utility vehicle in the United States starting from 2021, at a shared plant where Toyota intends to manufacture the Corolla.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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