Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
A trio of rotary-powered Mazda were in full song at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion including an RX-7 GTO driven by MX-5 Cup champ Jared Thomas. Click here to learn more about the Motorsports Heritage Collection program and read the full …
A trio of rotary-powered Mazda were in full song at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion including an RX-7 GTO driven by MX-5 Cup champ Jared Thomas. Click here to learn more about the Motorsports Heritage Collection program and read the full story in the current issue of RACER magazine.
RACER’s Marshall Pruett speaks with “Friends of Laguna Seca” Vice President Bruce Canepa, President Ross Merrill and CEO Lauri Eberhart about their ambitious collective vision for the future of the Laguna Seca Recreational area under their 55-year …
RACER’s Marshall Pruett speaks with “Friends of Laguna Seca” Vice President Bruce Canepa, President Ross Merrill and CEO Lauri Eberhart about their ambitious collective vision for the future of the Laguna Seca Recreational area under their 55-year agreement with Monterey County to manage and develop the facility to its fullest potential.
Stream all the vintage racing action from the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca here at RACER.com. You can watch either via our home page video player or the following links at the times shown below. Click here to …
Stream all the vintage racing action from the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca here at RACER.com.
You can watch either via our home page video player or the following links at the times shown below. Click here to view the full event schedule.
Friday, August 16
Session 1 (8:10am – 12:10pm Pacific time):
https://www.youtube.com/live/HrpQ4M8SX-U
Session 2 (1:05pm – 5:45pm PT):
https://www.youtube.com/live/ltxqJFO0pDM
Saturday, August 17
Session 3 (7:55am – 1:10pm PT):
https://www.youtube.com/live/PEEjJTZ61Fw
Session 4 (1:30pm – 5:45pm PT):
https://www.youtube.com/live/Wt80zeuEv28
On a flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., you’ll unwittingly fly right over a storied collection of racecars. About 20 seconds before touch down, the flight path crosses right over Mazda NA R&D, which for almost 25 years has been …
On a flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., you’ll unwittingly fly right over a storied collection of racecars. About 20 seconds before touch down, the flight path crosses right over Mazda NA R&D, which for almost 25 years has been the home of the Mazda Motorsports Heritage Collection. Until recently, that flyby a few hundred feet above was as close as most fans ever got.
Over the last decade or so, Mazda has pulled the covers off a pair of special cars for some one-off track appearances. The 767B GTP prototype from 1989 (above) in the iconic orange and green “Charge” livery and the IMSA GTO RX-7 from 1991 in corporate white and blue (below) have delighted fans, only for the cars to return to the R&D basement away from public sight.
That all changed when Mazda Motorsports revealed that those two cars and others would undergo a front to back restoration with the intent of being put through their paces at historic race meets throughout the year. Their “coming out party” was the HSR Classic Daytona in November of 2023, along with HSR’s Sebring Classic 12 Hour and the Mitty this year.
“It’s important we celebrate our heritage and bring these great cars to our race fans, enthusiasts and owners’ group,” said Mazda Motorsports senior manager Jonathan Applegate.
Next stop is a return to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 14-17. This time the pair will be joined for the first time by a fully-refreshed RX-792P dating back to the 1992 IMSA Camel GT Series.
The restoration work has been entrusted to Flis Performance, the same group that builds every Mazda MX-5 Cup racecar.
“We’re trying to keep these cars as close as possible to the way they raced,” says Troy Flis. “Most of the parts on the car are still original, but the main goal is to safely keep the cars out on track. We’ve updated the electronics, fuel cells, brakes and those kinds of things to keep them running because fans want to see and hear them in action.”
According to Flis, each restoration has been unique and required different things. In some cases that meant remanufacturing a part from scratch by copying the original, as there isn’t exactly a store of parts for any of these cars. In the case of the RX-792P, that’s included items as diverse as flywheels to headlight covers.
When the cars returned to their natural habitat of the race track, Mazda turned to some familiar faces to put them through their paces. Longtime Mazda factory drivers Jonathan Bomarito and Tom Long will be joined by current MX-5 Cup Champion Jared Thomas at the Rolex Reunion.
“Getting an opportunity to drive a piece of history in the RX-7 GTO is a lot of fun.The nostalgia is great,” says Long. “I have an appreciation for how fast those cars were and how raw they were with the grip and the power and the sound. It’s great to experience that with all the fanfare and excitement that these racecars bring.”
The excitement was evident in ways both expected and unexpected. Flis recalls some fans standing for hours waiting for the cars to fire up. It got to the point that the crew would start the cars on occasion just to satisfy the crowd waiting to hear them running.
“We caused quite a commotion every time we revved the engines,” echoes Applegate. “I heard from fans about where they were when they saw these cars race originally, and how the 767 or RX-7 is their favorite racecar. Many of them brought their kids and you could see their eyes light up when they saw our cars. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re not just indulging nostalgia, but also inspiring a new generation.”
Visit Mazda Motorsports to learn more.
The 2024 edition of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 14-17, has a special significance as it marks 50 years of historic racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. As the oldest continuously-run historic auto racing event in the U.S., it …
The 2024 edition of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 14-17, has a special significance as it marks 50 years of historic racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. As the oldest continuously-run historic auto racing event in the U.S., it could also be said that this year’s event marks the start of a whole category of racing.
Pinning down exactly when it started or what constitutes vintage racing would be difficult. Founded in 1974 by Steve Earle as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, it set itself apart with an insistence on provenance and period correctness. Apart from modifications made for safety, ensuring every car entered adhered to the standards of the era in which it originally raced set the original event apart and still does today. It also set the stage for others to follow.
Held on a warm and sunny August 10 day, Earle had handpicked the whole of the field from among a cache of car owners he was friendly with. Until then, many of the race cars sat idle in collections, garages or museums without a safe environment to enjoy them. Earle provided a venue that launched an entire and still burgeoning cottage industry of race car preservation and restoration.
Ultimately, Earle gathered 70 entries spread across eight run groups. Even in year one, the field oozed with high quality cars, among them a 1927 MG Le Mans, a 1966 Ford GT Mk 2 and a bevy of luscious Ferraris highlighted by a 1952 212 Export.
Most participants had come from California, and hardly any had competition experience.
“The whole process was very relaxed,” says Ralph Borelli, who’d entered in ’74 with a 1915 Ford Racer. “In fact, my Racer was actually from ’26, but we’d swapped out the radiator for an old brass one, so we were admitted as a 1915.”
Another original competitor, Marnix Dillenius, who drove a 1963 Alfa Romeo GTZ at the 1974 event, has entered again for this coming August and remembers that there was no formal process for proving your racing credentials back then. He laughs as he recalls there was a four-minute inspection from a “Dr. Lee,” who checked the driver’s eyesight and then sent them out on the track.
“Today is a lot more professional and a lot more serious,” says Dillenius, “but there’s still a lot of guys who do it for the chuckle.”
Entry lists in recent years have topped 400 cars in number, a figure the 50th anniversary gathering will easily exceed.
“The advisory council’s number one goal is to select the very best significant and authentic historic race cars, including their passionate owners who bring vast amounts of race experience to provide the fans with the greatest historic racing show in North America,” says Advisory Council co-chair Bruce Canepa.
Illustrious cars such as the Williams FW07B that Alan Jones drove to win his 1980 Formula 1 World Championship and the dominant 1991-93 AAR/Toyota Eagle MkIII GTP car that Juan Manuel Fangio II raced to wins in 16 of 27 starts are among the many to look out for.
A thoughtfully curated Motul Golden Anniversary Display will tell the event’s story since the beginning. A slew of marques, along with individuals the likes of Dan Gurney, Juan Manuel Fangio and Carroll Shelby, who were all closely tied to the event, will feature in the display.
“Never before has such a display been assembled,” says Barry Toepke, Director of Heritage Events for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “Cars are coming from private collectors, automakers and museums for a once-in-a-lifetime tribute to this remarkable event founded by Steve Earle.”
Act now if you want to be a part of the 50-year celebration of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 14-17 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Not only will this year’s event have extra special meaning, it also continues to be the cornerstone of Monterey Car Week, with events held across the Monterey Bay Peninsula.
The whole scene is a car lover’s paradise and time is running out to be a part of it.
Hotel rooms close by are getting scarcer by the day, but tickets to the event are still available, including a number of premier hospitality options, as well as general admission and camping.
To learn more and purchase your tickets, visit WeatherTechRaceway.com
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is set to welcome more than 400 meticulously restored cars to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for four days of racing and displays, Aug. 14-17. Established in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the …
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is set to welcome more than 400 meticulously restored cars to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for four days of racing and displays, Aug. 14-17.
Established in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the inaugural edition featured 66 entries. Today, the hundreds of selected entrants are presented with a coveted letter of acceptance, affirming their vehicle’s prestigious heritage. The event reunites motor racing heroes with the machines that drove them to success throughout their career.
Among them again this year will be 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, who returns to drive his 1952 Jaguar C-Type (pictured above), once owned by Juan Manuel Fangio.
“Laguna Seca is a fantastic circuit to drive. It’s a fast-flowing and particularly challenging track given the elevation changes and the legendary Corkscrew corner,” said Button. “Even when you’re in a car from the 1950s, circuits like Laguna Seca feel incredibly fast and I’m looking forward to racing my C-Type there next week. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is a spectacular event that offers some of the best racing you’ll ever see in historic cars.”
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has renewed its partnership with Bring a Trailer as the Official Digital Auction House of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. BaT will return on Saturday, Aug. 17, for its annual Alumni Gathering, an event …
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has renewed its partnership with Bring a Trailer as the Official Digital Auction House of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. BaT will return on Saturday, Aug. 17, for its annual Alumni Gathering, an event designed to thank the buyers, sellers, and engaged community members on the 10-year anniversary of the auction platform’s launch.
“We are just a bunch of diehard car fans like the people who use the site every day, and we love any chance to talk to like-minded car people about the vehicles that bring us together and the stories behind them,” said Randy Nonnenberg, president and co-founder of Bring a Trailer. “The strength of our business comes from the community of people who support it, and we look forward to celebrating this event with them each year.”
The Alumni Gathering promises a unique and engaging experience for all attendees. This year, BaT will host a satellite location at the iconic Corkscrew, feature unique vehicles in the off-road display area in the lakebed, and provide a convenient shuttle service and local catering for invited guests. The company expects an impressive turnout, with 250-300 vehicles anticipated to attend this guest experience.
Reunion attendees will have the opportunity to peruse these exceptional vehicles and interact with passionate enthusiasts, sharing stories and insights about the cars that unite them. It’s always a huge hit and just one of many incredible displays happening at the 50th anniversary of Historic Racing in Monterey. This year’s Reunion is not to be missed.
General Admission tickets, Legends Club VIP, and camping are still available at WeatherTechRaceway.com or by calling 831-242-8200.
Discontented sitting on the sidelines, 2009 FIA Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button returns to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Aug. 14-17 not to sit idly by, but to race his 1952 Jaguar C-Type that was originally owned by six-time world …
Discontented sitting on the sidelines, 2009 FIA Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button returns to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Aug. 14-17 not to sit idly by, but to race his 1952 Jaguar C-Type that was originally owned by six-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
“I love racing, it doesn’t matter in what form,” said Button. “I’ve raced everything from F1 cars to Trophy Trucks in the desert. What I love about historic racing is how mechanical the cars are, you feel at one with it, and you have to treat it with respect. I’ve only raced my C-Type at Goodwood so far, so I can’t wait to add Laguna Seca to that short list of historic racetracks.”
Button adds, “The Rolex Reunion is such a special event celebrating beautiful machinery and catching up with good friends. I look forward to it.”
According to John Narigi, president of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Button’s participation in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion adds to the spectacle of the gathering. “Mr. Button visited last year to enjoy the racing, and we are very excited to see him hustle his storied Jaguar C-Type around the track and down the Corkscrew,” he said. “Our guests will enjoy meeting the world champion.”
From his debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix to his last race at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, Jenson Button’s F1 career was filled with success: 15 Grand Prix victories, 50 podiums, and the ultimate prize of world drivers’ champion in 2009. The British driver is now applying his skills to endurance and classic races. In 2023, he participated in three NASCAR races and started the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a NASCAR entry.
Button brings a very historic Jaguar C-Type oozing with patina. Sold to its first owner, Fangio, in 1952, this C-Type (commonly referred to by its chassis number XKC 018) was soon after shipped to Argentina where it was sold to Jose Millet. From there Millet campaigned the car extensively at events throughout the 1950s in South America including the 1955 and 1956 1000km of Buenos Aires.
More than 400 historic and period-correct race cars will compete in 13 classes at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of historic racing in Monterey. The racing will be supplemented by an incredible anniversary display that showcases the past featured marques, making it a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.
The dust has settled on this year’s Monterey Car Week and four days of vintage racing at the Rolex Monetary Motorsport Reunion (six for those participating in the Pre Reunion) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The latest installment of the storied …
The dust has settled on this year’s Monterey Car Week and four days of vintage racing at the Rolex Monetary Motorsport Reunion (six for those participating in the Pre Reunion) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The latest installment of the storied event highlighted 70 years of the Chevrolet Corvette with a display of magnificent machines detailing the racing history of “America’s Sports Car.”
The race cars throughout the paddock were once again the stars of the week with groups featuring cars that raced at Laguna Seca in the early ’70s like Can-Am, Trans Am, and F5000. Look for more stories and photos in the next issue of Vintage Motorsport Magazine.
First on track throughout the week, Group 1 – 1955-1967 SCCA Production Small Displacement racers often faced a burning marine layer as an added element around the 2.238-mile circuit. Chip Fudge nabbed the win in Friday’s race behind the wheel of his ’60 Huffaker Genie MK IV, with Horatio Fitz-Simon (’64 Lotus 26R) and Cameron Healy (’55 Cooper Porsche Pooper – above) close behind. Saturday’s race saw Fudge and Fitz-Simon swapping places with Healy finishing on the podium again.
The Group 2 – 1961-1971 FIA Manufacturers Championship podium results were identical for both races with Remo Lips (above) leading wire-to-wire behind the wheel of the remarkable looking (and sounding) ’69 Ferrari 312P. Gerad Lopez (’69 Lola T70 MKIIIb) and Alex MacAllister (’66 Ford GT40) rounded out the podium.
Celebrating 55 years of Formula 5000, the Group 9 racers from around the globe gathered at Laguna Seca for a racing reunion. Top qualifiers Kirt Bennett (’76 Lola 332 – above) and Paul Zazryn (’74 Lola T332) battled fiercely throughout the week, with Bennett coming out on top in both races and New Zealander Glen Richards (’75 Lola T400) rounding out the podium.
See the full story with more photos and results from the Monterey Reunion weekend at VintageMotorsport.com.
It’s ironic that racing has a finish line, because racing never truly finishes. It’s more apt to say that racing just goes on pause between various starting lines. Celebrating its 49th anniversary, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion transforms …
It’s ironic that racing has a finish line, because racing never truly finishes. It’s more apt to say that racing just goes on pause between various starting lines.
Celebrating its 49th anniversary, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion transforms WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca into a museum come to life, where racecars of the distant and recent past return to the start line once more, Aug. 16-19.
“It’s truly a rolling museum,” says Barry Toepke, Director of Heritage Events & Public Relations for WeatherTech Raceway. “While most of the drivers are amateurs, the cars are legendary. Original driver names on the bodywork include Dan Gurney, Sam Posey, Jochen Mass, Chris Amon, Mario Andretti, Alan Jones, and others who raced these amazing cars in their heyday.”
In fact, between 400 to 450 cars are expected in 2023, up a considerable amount from the 60-odd cars that showed up at the first running in 1974. What hasn’t changed since then is the high standard that every entry must meet: Authentic cars with a documented provenance running in period-correct mechanical specification and livery.
This year, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is expected to run three cars bearing the original names that Toepke mentioned. One is an ex-Mario Andretti Lola T332 from the Formula 5000 era, the second is a McLaren M8D Can-Am car once piloted by a certain Daniel Sexton Gurney, and the third is the 1980 Williams FW07B Formula 1 car that Alan Jones drove to win that year’s world championship.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown is a huge fan of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and returns in 2023 with a 1970 McLaren M8D (similar to the car shown TOP) and his ex-Alan Jones 1980 Williams FW07B (BOTTOM).“Monterey is mega. I always have a great time at Car Week, which is why we’re back again,” says Brown. “This will be my ninth year racing in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, with an awesome lineup of cars in the 1970 McLaren M8D, 1974 Lola T332 and 1980 Williams FW07B. We had some strong results last year, including victory in the Jaguar XJR-10, so I’m looking forward to another exciting event with the United Autosports team.”
Speaking of Can-Am, the thunderous roar from that glorious era – one that came as close to no-holds-barred engineering as racing’s ever seen – will reach a magnificent crescendo at the Reunion for the first time since 2018. Some 26 cars are expected to fill the exclusive run group.
Other run groups to look out for are the ever-popular Historic Formula 1 group that will feature cars from the 1950s through to the ’90s. Friday (Aug. 18) features a Saloon Class that will entertain with a one-hour enduro race. Plus, the FIA Manufacturers Championship run group never disappoints. It features a bevy of gorgeous sports cars of varying designs and powerplants that could take the unofficial award for most sonorous run group of the event, guaranteed by the fact that several interesting Ferraris are expected, including a 1969 Ferrari 312P Berlinetta (MAIN) making the journey from Switzerland.
It’s not only the land of Alps, watch-making and the Bernina Pass represented at the Reunion. Entries are coming from around the globe, including Argentina, New Zealand and eight other countries, to make the event a truly international destination.
These are just a few of the things that make the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion a bucket-list event not only for those passionate about racecars and the enduring legacy that they create, but anyone who appreciates great design with a natty attention to detail. Even those who’ve already been keep coming back for more and never leave disappointed.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 16-19, is a cornerstone of Monterey Car Week.
Kick it off with the Monterey Pre-Reunion, Aug. 12-13 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It’s a great, low-key event that features more than 300 historic racecars, most of which are competing days later in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
The Pre-Reunion offers a superb chance for fans to get up close to these unique racecars in a more relaxed and less crowded environment before the Reunion gets underway in earnest.
The week closes out with the Corkscrew Hillclimb & Community Day on Aug. 20. Back for its second year, racecars and special guests will race counter-course from near the start/finish line and up through the iconic Corkscrew, scene of so many famous downhill excursions over the years, which is where they will finish.
For tickets to all these unmissable events, visit weathertechraceway.com.
