The race weekend at the inaugural Thailand Grand Prix in October was the most attended and voted the best of the season, turning an important leaf for the country and MotoGP circuit.
The event at Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram was the best attended with about 220,000 people passing through the turnstiles over three days.
They were treated to a modern classic as Honda's Marc Marquez, the reigning champion, fought it out with Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso down to the final corner, coming out on top in one of the pair's many head-to-head duels in the last few seasons.
It was an exciting and fitting debut for the Thailand Grand Prix with the venue and crowds providing the perfect backdrop.
Newin Chidchob, president of Chang International Circuit, said: "On behalf of both the people of Buri Ram and Thailand, I am extremely honoured to receive the MotoGP Grand Prix of the year 2018. We are sincerely grateful for the recognition we have received for the Thailand Grand Prix.
"Of course, during the preparation of the event we ran into countless obstacles, but in overcoming them we grew, and ultimately resulted in the success of the event.
"We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our good friends at [MotoGP commercial rights holder] Dorna Sports who saw potential in us and gave us the opportunity to be a part of the world's greatest motorcycle series.
"We promise to always use the experience gained in every event to create a better Thailand Grand Prix every season."
Thailand will host MotoGP for at least two more years.
Herve Poncharal, president of the International Road-Racing Teams Association (IRTA), said: "The whole MotoGP paddock was keen to discover how the new Thai GP would be. We were impatient for it to arrive and there was plenty of expectation. In the end we can be assured it was the best GP of the season due to many different aspects.
"Everything went smoothly and the commitment of the organisers was fantastic," he said.
"The crowd, the people… every single person involved was happy and always smiling. The fans' support was incredible, the access to the circuit was fast and they demonstrated that they understood MotoGP.
"It's significant that a new event in this area -- an important region for MotoGP -- has achieved this result. It's a perfect example for other countries to follow and this prize is fully deserved. From my point of view it will be hard for them to improve!"
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said: "I was delighted to welcome Buri Ram onto the MotoGP calendar and I'm delighted to see the Thai GP being recognised as the best this season. Asia is an important market for the championship and events like Buri Ram only further underline the incredible popularity of our sport in the region.
"They are a perfect blueprint for future events and we're already excited to return to Buri Ram."
