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Track officials at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced this week the event schedule for the RedBull United States Grand Prix, which is scheduled for the weekend of 21-23 July, 2006. Along with the main event, the MotoGP world championship, the AMA(the American Motorcyclist Association) will be well-represented with its' four major national-level series, AMA Superbike, AMA Supersport, AMA Superstock and AMA Formula Xtreme. Here is the full event schedule..........

21 July 2006(all times U.S. PDT/-3 Hrs. U.S. EDT, -7 Hrs. GMT)
--8:00 to 8:35 am, Formula Xtreme Practice
--8:45 to 9:30 am, AMA Superbike Practice
--10 to 11 am, MotoGP Practice #1
--11:15 to 11:45 am, AMA Supersport Practice
--2 to 3 pm, MotoGP Practice #2
--3:15 to 3:50 pm, AMA Superstock Practice
--4 to 4:30 pm, Formula Xtreme Qualifying Session

22 July 2006
--8:15 to 8:45 am, AMA Superbike Qualifying Session
--8:55 to 9:35 am, AMA Supersport Qualifying Session
--10 to 11 am, MotoGP Practice #3
--11:15 to 11:45 am, AMA Superstock Qualifying Session
--2 to 3 pm, MotoGP Qualifying Session
--3:20 to 3:45 pm, Formula Xtreme Race(15 laps)
--4:15 to 5 pm, AMA Superbike Race(28 laps)

23 July 2006
--8:55 to 9:15 am, Final Practice, AMA Supersport
--9:25 to 9:45 am, Final Practice, AMA Superstock
--10 to 10:20 am, Final Practice, MotoGP
--10:55 to 11:25 am, AMA Supersport Race(17 laps)
--2 to 3 pm, MotoGP United States Grand Prix
--3:30 to 4:30 pm, AMA Superstock Race(27 laps)

(note--schedule subject to change at discretion of track officials)

Remember that note in the previous posting about how track officials at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca could change the schedule of events at their discretion.....well, they did! Here's the revised schedule......

21 July 2006(all times U.S. PDT, -3 hrs U.S. EDT, -7 hrs GMT)
--8:00 to 8:35 am, Formula Xtreme Practice
--8:45 to 9:30 am, AMA Superbike Practice
--10:00 to 11:00 am, MotoGP Practice #1
--12:00 to 12:30 pm, AMA Supersport Practice
--2:00 to 3:00 pm, MotoGP Practice #2
--3:30 to 4:05 pm, AMA Superstock Practice
--4:15 to 4:45 pm, Qualifying-Formula Xtreme

22 July 2006
--8:00 to 8:20 am, Formula Xtreme Practice
--8:25 to 8:55 am, Qualifying-AMA Superstock
--9:00 to 9:30 am, Qualifying-AMA Supersport
--10:00 to 11:00 am, MotoGP Practice #3
--11:15 to 11:45 am, Qualifying-AMA Superbike
--12:05 to 12:35 pm, Formula Xtreme RACE(15 laps)
--2:00 to 3:00 pm, Qualifying--MotoGP
--4:00 to 5:00 pm, AMA Superbike RACE(28 laps)

23 July 2006
--8:55 to 9:15 am, Final Practice-AMA Supersport
--9:25 to 9:45 am, Final Practice-AMA Superstock
--10:00 to 10:20 am, Final Practice--MotoGP
--11:30 am to 12 pm, AMA Supersport RACE(17 laps)
--2:00 to 3:00 pm, RedBull United States Grand Prix(MotoGP World Championship)
--3:45 to 4:45 pm, AMA Superstock RACE(17 laps)

Last year was the first time MotoGP saw action at the Laguna Seca raceway in 10 years. The track was used for MotoGP between 1988 & 1994, but it was then required that the event be moved elswhere whilst the track was modified to accomodate the advancement in the Modern MotoGP machines.

Majority of the changes made to the track have been to improve track safety, which included an expanded exit lane, replacement of all the curbs, and the widening of the main straight, as well as more recent changes, such as creating bigger run-off areas.

The tracks basics will remain the same, with 3610m of tarmac, and eleven turns...

At just 3.610km (2.243 miles) in length Laguna Seca is the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar and correspondingly has the highest race lap count....32. It's one of five tracks out of the 17 that runs anti-clockwise, and is the only venue where the 125cc and 250cc Grand Prix classes are absent.



Circuit: Laguna Seca
Location: California
Pole Position: Right
Left Turns: 7
Right Turns: 4
Longest Straight: 966m
Length: 3610m
Width: 15m

Previous Winner: Nicky Hayden

Thanks again mfer, for providing me with the full schedule....

Any time, T-K.

In case anyone's interested, here is a brief update on the day's activities at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca........

~~Roberts fastest in Friday practice
With the riders having to contend with a somewhat bumpy MRLS track surface(despite being repaved recently), standing at the top of the timing/scoring charts at the end of practice Friday wasn't last year's winner, Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden, nor was it either Colin Edwards or John Hopkins; instead, it was the former world champion, Kenny Roberts, Jr., who paced the MotoGP field, setting the fastest time of the day at 1:23.859 secs., leading by more than .26 secs. ahead of Hayden, who posted a fast lap of 1:24.125(posted late in session #2). Indeed, Roberts was the only one to post a time under 1:24. Here is the top-5 from today's practice sessions...........

1--Kenny Roberts, Team KR................1:23.859 sec
2--Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda...........1:24.125 sec
3--Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda............1:24.194 sec
4--Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda........1:24.223 sec
5--Chris Vermuelen, Rizla Suzuki.........1:24.245 sec

Starting grid for Sunday's Red Bull United States Grand Prix.................

1}Chris Vermuelen, Rizla Suzuki.........................1:23.618 sec
2}Colin Edwards, Camel Yamaha........................1:23.321 sec
3}Kenny Roberts, Jr., Team Roberts....................1:23.420 sec

4}Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda.............................1:23.490 sec
5}John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki...............................1:23.498 sec
6}Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda............................1:23.536 sec

7}Casey Stoner, Honda LCR................................1:23.651 sec
8}Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki Racing Team.............1:23.656 sec
9}Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda.........................1:23.750 sec

10}Valentino Rossi, Camel Yamaha......................1:24.027 sec
11}Carlos Checa, Tech 3 Yamaha.........................1:24.153 sec
12}Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda................................1:24.230 sec

13}Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro.......................1:24.268 sec
14}Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda.............1:24.578 sec
15}Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki Racing Team...........1:24.592 sec

16}Sete Gibernau, Ducati Marlboro........................1:24.634 sec
17}Alex Hofmann, Pramac D'Antin MotoGP..............1:25.420 sec
18}James Ellison, Tech 3 Yamaha..........................1:25.763 sec

19}Jose Luis Cardosa, Pramac D'Antin MotoGP........1:26.567 sec

mlittle wrote:Starting grid for Sunday's Red Bull United States Grand Prix.................

1}Chris Vermuelen, Rizla Suzuki.........................1:23.618 sec

Is this a typo?

Only kidding...this is a bit of a shock to my delicate system, which is not yet used to Suzuki's rennaisance albeit only in qualifying trim. What if they could make those tyres go the distance they'd blow the field away. No sign of a Ducati making such prodigious use of the Bridgestone tyre.

It can only be a matter of time before Bridgestone sort it out as they have just done in F1 IMHO.

Dani
Casey
The Dr

Thanks for all the updates mfer, I am sorry I couldnt get them out, but i have been at the track all weekend and had a nice little crash in qualifying which put my kart beyond repair for the races


Now, on to MotoGP....

Lovely to see Vermuelen on pole, That is one of the reasons I love MotoGP, there is so much variety.....when last did you see a red Bull get Pole in F1? huh? huh?

Rossi will have a tough time from tenth, but chances are he will end up on the podium with people 'oohing and aahing' about how good he is


Now off to watch the race....

It is now 11:25 pm and we do not get to watch the race until 7am. Bloody great CH 10.

Another trully outstanding MotoGP! Well done Nicky and what an outstanding ride from Dani on debut at Laguna! Casey has fallen off again it's getting a bit habitual The Dr...what can you say he rode like a demon and got no reward the championship is definately slipping from his grasp, I don't see how he's gonna win it now ho hum Chrisput up a great fight and deserved a better result his engine tightened up which is really unfair cause his tyres were up to the job life just isn't fair. great to see Kenny up there and fighting for podium that bodes well for the whole team, shows their going in the right direction at long last. F1 eat MotoGP's shorts!

Snowy wrote:Another trully outstanding MotoGP! Well done Nicky and what an outstanding ride from Dani on debut at Laguna! Casey has fallen off again it's getting a bit habitual The Dr...what can you say he rode like a demon and got no reward the championship is definately slipping from his grasp, I don't see how he's gonna win it now ho hum Chrisput up a great fight and deserved a better result his engine tightened up which is really unfair cause his tyres were up to the job life just isn't fair. great to see Kenny up there and fighting for podium that bodes well for the whole team, shows their going in the right direction at long last. F1 eat MotoGP's shorts!

When a rider has to wring the neck of his machine, every lap, to stay with the factory bikes, he is going to fall off. That was a classic front tyre fold under.
Rossi is saying that Stoner should not join him at Yammy next season. Why ??

Julian Mayo wrote:When a rider has to wring the neck of his machine, every lap, to stay with the factory bikes, he is going to fall off. That was a classic front tyre fold under.
Rossi is saying that Stoner should not join him at Yammy next season. Why ??

Your right of course however I have never heard of the Dr shying away from a fight. I can't believe he is doing a Shuey it's surely not in his nature!

Snowy wrote:

Julian Mayo wrote:When a rider has to wring the neck of his machine, every lap, to stay with the factory bikes, he is going to fall off. That was a classic front tyre fold under.
Rossi is saying that Stoner should not join him at Yammy next season. Why ??

Your right of course however I have never heard of the Dr shying away from a fight. I can't believe he is doing a Shuey it's surely not in his nature!

The article, in "AutoAction" states that Rossi has advised Stoner to stay where he is, as the Yammy mob leads the queue to sign him. It goes on to say, that given Rossi's standing in the team his word will be the final one.
Sounds like a "Shuey" to me

Great race and really good to see Nicky have a great win. I love Rossi, so I am not buying into the arguement. He may have other reasons to say that, that have nothing to do with ego.

I must admit, things are looking grim for Valentino.....It is going to take a heck of a lot of luck for him to win the championship this year....

Hayden seemed to be on a different level, and is going to have quite a easy time of it for the rest of the year....

Pedrosa just continues to impress, and if he doesnt manage to clinch the title this year, then next year he will almost definately get it...He has done an awesome job so far this year......

I am liking MotoGP this year a lot