The Laguna Seca round has returned to the World Superbike championship calendar for 2019 after initially dropping off the plan.

Following last month’s provisional confirmation of the 2019 World Superbike calendar, which left a mid-July date unannounced, it has been revealed the series will return to the iconic US track despite being left out of the calendar earlier this year.

As previously held only the World Superbike class will race at Laguna Seca, with World Supersport and World Supersport 300 skipping the round, to see MotoAmerica provide a packed support programme.

The US round will be held in its familiar mid-July slot of July 12-14, just one week before the Donington Park round (July 5-7), having been moved forward by one week from the provisional calendar announcement. It means the lengthy summer break has been trimmed by just one week with World Superbike action returning at Portimao on September 6-8.

But the schedule change does see the Laguna Seca round avoid clashing with the pre-event test days at the Suzuka 8 Hours with the iconic endurance event taking place two weeks later (July 26-28).

The second official World Superbike test for the 2019 season has also been confirmed, penned in for August 24-25 at Portimao, for both the Superbike and Supersport (600) classes. The first official test is retained at Phillip Island (February 18-19) in preparation for the 2019 season opener at the Australian track.

2019 will also host the new three-race format expansion with the inclusion of the new Sunday morning sprint race.

Official 2019 World Superbike calendar:

22 - 24 February Australia Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

15 - 17 March Thailand Chang International Circuit

5 - 7 April Spain MotorLand Aragón

12 - 14 April The Netherlands TT Circuit Assen

10 - 12 May Italy Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola

7 - 9 June Spain Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto

21 - 23 June Italy Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”

5 - 7 July United Kingdom Donington Park

12 - 14 July WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (World Superbike only)

6 - 8 September Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

27 - 29 September France Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

11 – 13 October Argentina Circuito San Juan Villicum

24 - 26 October Qatar Losail International Circuit*

*Thursday-Saturday schedule