Motorland Aragon takes ‘Best Grand Prix’ prize

The impressive new Motorland Aragon track has become the first in history to claim the prestigious IRTA Best Grand Prix prize in its first season on the world championship calendar.

The track was only on the 2010 calendar as a reserve race and was placed on the schedule following the collapse of plans to stage a Hungarian MotoGP round at the new Balatonring.

The first Motorland Aragon race took place on September 19 and proved a massive hit with teams and fans. The circuit won universal praise too from riders who were instantly impressed with the challenging layout.

International Race Teams President and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal said: “We’ve had the pleasure of honoring many great tracks, but none in the first year of their existence.

“And none that had only six months to organise their first ever Grand Prix. That they were able to do it was impressive and historic; they are the first track ever to win the award on the first try. As we all know, Spanish motorcycle fans are second to none.

“There was some concern that having a fourth race in Spain would be a problem, but that wasn’t the case. The race drew a very strong crowd of over 70,000 who were treated to fantastic racing at a facility that is so much more than a racetrack.”

The Motorland Aragon will stage its second MotoGP race in 2011 on September 18 and it will also appear on the World Superbike calendar for the first time on June 19.