MotoGP Signs 10-Year Deal with Texas Circuit

The facility that is currently being built in Austin, Texas, to host the upcoming American Grand Prix in Formula 1 has now been confirmed as a round host in the FIM Road-Racing World Championship.

According to a press release issued by the MotoGP official website, Dorna Sports (MotoGP promoter) signed a 10-year deal with 3FourTexasMGP, LLC and Full Throttle Productions, LP for a new MotoGP round at the yet-to-be-finalized Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, TX. The 10-year tenure will start off in 2013 and will include rounds in all MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes.

“We are delighted to be adding the Circuit of the Americas to the MotoGP calendar. It’s an honor to expand our Championship to Texas, which has a rich history of producing World Championship riders,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports.

“We have had a wonderful and special relationship with Kevin (Schwantz) for 20 years and often talked about a mutual dream of increasing the popularity of MotoGP in the U.S. and raising our already successful worldwide profile. (...) The ten-year agreement is a sign of our confidence and commitment to the future success of MotoGP racing in Austin.”

2013 is also the year when Formula 1 is scheduled to make its return to the US on the Circuit of the Americas, and the opportunity to secure both F1 and MotoGP action in the circuit's debut year sounded too good to turn down to Full Throttle Productions's managing partner Tavo Hellmund.

“We are extremely pleased to add the best motorcycle World Championship to our annual schedule,” said Hellmund.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the State of Texas and this region and I believe it is the first time in American Motorsports history that both the car and motorbike World Championships are held at the same facility annually. We are very proud of becoming the United States international facility for motorsports.”