Laguna Seca to replace San Jose

The 2.24-mile circuit, regarded as one of the USA's finest road courses, will replace the San Jose street course which many drivers felt was too narrow. Ironically, the 2007 San Jose event threw up one of Champ Car's best races of the year and the three-day crowd has been well into six figures in all three of its seasons on the schedule.

However, San Jose's development forced Champ Car to look outside the city for a circuit in the same region. Organisers of the Grand Prix of San Jose recently informed the Champ Car World Series that on-going residential developments in and around the 1.478-mile downtown track would hamper next year's race.

For 2008, new housing developments on Balbach Street would affect the back straightaway, while upcoming construction in the Boston Properties lot would mean the loss of the race's main 'Gold Grandstands' on Almaden Boulevard.

"The reality of racing on a temporary street circuit is that change happens continuously and this is especially true in a dynamic and growing city center like downtown San Jose," said Grand Prix President Dale Jantzen.

Champ Car's move 70 miles south to Laguna Seca has been warmly received by circuit representatives.

"Needless to say, we are thrilled to announce during our 50th Anniversary season that Monterey Peninsula's Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will once again host a Champ Car World Series event," said Gill Campbell, the circuit's CEO/General Manager.

"Our fans loved the 2007 pre-season testing, and they will certainly enjoy Champ Car's return with a race next year. While we look forward to announcing our entire 2008 schedule soon, we wanted to share this exciting news with our fans as soon as possible."

Champ Car CEO and President Steve Johnson added: "We're pleased that Champ Car will be able to maintain a strong event in northern California. While it's always tough to leave one city for another, in this case, it makes sense strategically for us and works for San Jose given the on-going developments of their downtown.

"We enjoyed three great years in San Jose, and certainly anticipate that the fans there will head south to enjoy Champ Car racing at the beautiful Mazda Raceway."