Mazda has opted out of renewing its title sponsorship deal for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The changes will take effect on April 1st, 2018, at which point the racetrack will revert to the original ‘Laguna Seca’ name. Mazda became the title sponsor of the storied American track in 2000 and has become synonymous with the circuit in the 17 years since.
“After 17 seasons as the title sponsor for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mazda has chosen to end its naming rights agreement with the storied race facility,” Mazda said in a media release. “We will continue to participate in key event weekends, as racing is a part of our DNA. The relationship between Mazda, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) and the County of Monterey has been a wonderful one, and this decision was not reached easily. We wish the facility, the management team and the millions of fans who love the track as much as we do many more successful racing laps into the future.”
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Despite the change, Mazda will push forward with its numerous racing efforts and remains committed to motorsport both in the United States and abroad. In America, the automaker currently runs the MX-5 cup, SCCA Formula Mazda and the newly christened Mazda Team Joest, which fields a Multimatic DPi in the IMSA Prototype class. As points out, the company also has naming rights to a good public driving road in Japan called the Hakone Turnpike, known as the Mazda Turnpike, and the automaker will remain the sponsor of the road for the time being.
[Source: Autoweek]
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