The new MotorLand Aragon circuit, located in Northern Spain, will host
World Superbike rounds in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The announcement came Wednesday, May 13th, when MotorLand and Infront Motor Sports reps inked a deal during a press conference at the Aragon regional government headquarters.
Carlos Checa (left) joined representatives from MotorLand Aragon and WSB's Infront Motor Sports to announce the new Spanish circuit will be added to the 2011-2013 schedules.
According to a press release from World SBK, on hand for the conference were “MotorLand president and Aragón Government vice-president José Angel Biel, the regional minister of commerce, tourism and industry Arturo Aliaga, the CEO of MotorLand Antonio Gasión, the CEO of Infront Motor Sports Paolo Flammini, and the Ducati Superbike rider, Carlos Checa.”
The circuit, designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, already gained recognition in March when
MotoGP announced the new track would replace the Hungarian GP for Round 14 of the 2010 championship. (The ill-fated Balatonring circuit remains unfinished and unable to host the planned round.) That previous decision ups the Spanish GP tally to four, with rounds in Catalunya, Jerez and Valencia. Now World Superbike will have multiple Spanish stops on the title tour, traditionally running at Valencia too.
Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, said of the new track: “MotorLand is a very new circuit and it’s already at the top. To have MotoGP and Superbike in its first years of activity demonstrates that it is a top-level circuit. The Superbike World Championship requires requisites of maximum safety and top-class facilities to be in a position to guarantee the presence of high numbers of spectators and MotorLand is able to offer all this.”
Carlos Checa, who has plenty of experience racing on his home soil after a long career in GP, looks forward to another opportunity to please his countryman on home soil: “Superbike races offer a well-balanced sporting spectacle and for this reason they are spectacular, also for everyone watching on TV. MotorLand is a circuit that respects all the standards to host a world-class race. I am happy to be able to race Superbike here next year and I hope to win!”
The Aragon circuit also remains the reserves circuit in MotoGP.
