Between the Races: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s Gill Campbell

Few people are as busy these days as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO Gill Campbell, who’s madly directing the preparations of the Monterey, California, venue for the July 3-5 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. We managed to slow her down long enough to get an update on how things are going during the following brief conversation, which took place via email.

RRX: It’s hard to believe the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is basically two weeks away. How are the preparations going?
Gill Campbell: Very well. This is literally like building a city: everything from installing electrical, sanitary facilities, food centers, more than 300 tents, and thousands of tables, chairs, linens, stocking the hospital, transporting hundreds of golf carts, audio-visual, miles of cabling—it’s quite the workshop right now.

The MotoGP series has been incredible so far, with the top three currently tied for the points lead at 106. If it holds up through Assen, that’s a pretty good setup for your race.
Yes, it is. This is going to be one thrilling race, as I know we have several contenders who need to make their mark here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Conquering the Corkscrew—that’s what it’s all about!

This is the first time the race will be held on Independence Day Weekend. Can we expect any celebrations in recognition of the occasion?
I think the whole weekend will be one long celebration. There’s constant entertainment throughout the weekend on the concert stage, with a special concert by Yamaha Rider James Toseland and his band Crash on Saturday night. American riders competing throughout the weekend—the celebration goes on.

Any other changes in store compared to past years?
Yes, more for the fans. On Friday morning, we’re opening up pit lane to paddock-pass holders for a behind-the-scenes view of the riders, their pits and operations. This will also include the AMA pits—a great opportunity for autographs. Also, we’ve added an on-track ride with the manufacturers, so if you own a Yamaha, Ducati, Honda, etc., you can ride around the famed course on Friday morning from 8:30 to 10.

But wait—there’s more: we’ll open up the area in front of the podium, so that fans with paddock passes can get up close and personal during the victory celebration—you can almost taste that champagne!

Obviously, it’s not a friendly economic environment for putting on a race. How have ticket sales been so far?
When you have fans like ours and sponsors such as Red Bull and Yamaha, who provide a great environment, I think for one weekend we can all forget our economic woes. We’re all in the same boat—so we’re all doing the very best we can to maximize the enjoyment ratio!

Thanks for your time, and good luck with the preparations. See you in a couple weeks!
See you then!

For more information on the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix or to purchase tickets, visit www.mazdaraceway.com.