SJ race to Laguna Seca in May

UPDATE #3 Loyal fans of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Champ Car World Series have lobbied long and hard for the return of Champ Car to the "dry lake" and turned out to the series' Spring Training event in March to show their support. It didn't fall on deaf ears and the Champ Cars will be running here again in 2008 both for Spring Training in March and either a May or September race date. This will be the 23rd Champ Car race at Laguna Seca, 22 consecutive from 1983 to 2004. If the May date is agreed to by all, it would be as part of a doubleheader with the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. That date, along with the rest of the season schedule, will be announced Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Laguna Seca. Monterey Herald

09/11/07 This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' with today's announcement – see Hot News page.

09/11/07 Champ Car World Series will announce soon that the series is returning to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for a race the weekend of May 16-18 according to sources close to the negotiations.

The event will share the race weekend with the previously announced Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.

Champ Car was a regular at Laguna Seca through 2004. San Jose hosted races from 2005 through this year. It appears that race will not return.

Champ Car held a "spring training" testing session at Laguna Seca last March which was attended by more than 3,000 fans. Spring training events elsewhere have drawn crowds in the hundreds at most. The series announced last week it would once again hold its spring training at Laguna Seca in 2008. Monterey Herald

[Editor's Note: This does NOT yet mean the San Jose race is being cancelled, but it might]

09/10/07 Rumor has it that Champ Car may axe the San Jose street race from its schedule after three years and that Champ Car could move the race back to Laguna Seca. The Mickey Mouse San Jose track was too small from the outset to make for good racing and too small to erect enough grandstands with viewing areas conducive to the paying customer's enjoyment.