- Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
-
Monterey Historic Automobile Races 2008, prewar sports and touring cars class.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an annual event held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Its purpose is to provide an event for historic race cars to compete in. It takes place over the course of one weekend every mid-August. It was first established by Steve Earle in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Earle organized the meeting for his friends to race their cars at Laguna Seca.[1]
The 2011 event took place August 19-21.[2]
Contents
Notable participants
Most of the participants are amateurs. However, the Reunion has attracted numerous professional drivers and other celebrities.
Nationality Participant(s) Year Class(es) Original Series Source 
Butch Leitzinger 2011 Formula One* American Le Mans Series [2] 
Stirling Moss 2010 Sports Racing Cars* Formula One [3] John Morton 2010 Sports Racing, GT Cars*, Trans Am 2 Liter Various [4] Bobby Rahal 2010 FIA Manufacturer's Championship, Sports Racing Cars* CART [5] Tomy Drissi 2010 Trans Am Trans Am [6] Tomy Drissi 2009 IMSA GT Trans Am [7] Stirling Moss 2009 Sports Racing Cars Formula One [8] Brian Redman 2009 FIA Manufacturer's Championship, Can Am World Sportscar Championship [9] David Donohue 2009 IMSA GT Rolex Sports Car Series [10] Patrick Dempsey 2009 IMSA GTP Endurance Racing [11] Derek Bell 2009 IMSA GTP World Sportscar Championship [12] John Morton 2009 GT Cars Various [13] 
, 
, , , 
Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones, Derek Bell, Eddie Cheever, Johnny Herbert, John Watson, Patrick Tambay, Timo Glock, Alain de Cadenet 2008 Exhibition Formula One [14] Mario Andretti 2008 Exhibition Formula One [15] Bobby Rahal 2008 FIA Manufacturer's Championship, Can Am, IMSA GT* CART [16],[3] Tomy Drissi 2008 Trans Am Trans Am Al Unser, Sr. 2007 Prewar CART [17] Bobby Rahal 2007 FIA Manufacturer's Championship, Sports Racing Cars* CART [18] , , 
Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Vic Elford, Bobby Rahal, Ove Anderson, Derek Bell, Al Unser Sr., and Emerson Fittipaldi 2007 Exhibition Various [19] 
Gijs van Lennep 2006 GT Cars Endurance Racing [20] Ricardo Zonta 2006 Exhibition Formula One [21] Stirling Moss 2005 Exhibition Formula One [22] Jim Hall 2005 Exhibition Can Am [23] 
Andrea Bertolini 2004 Exhibition American Le Mans Series [24] Jackie Stewart 2003 Formula One Formula One [25] Parnelli Jones 2002 Trans Am Trans Am [26] George Follmer 2002 Trans Am Trans Am [27] Phil Hill 2002 Sports Racing Cars Formula One [28] John Morton 2002 Trans Am Various [29] Johannes van Overbeek 2001 GT Cars American Le Mans Series [30] George Follmer 2001 Trans Am Trans Am [31] Jack Brabham 2000 Formula Cars Formula One [32] Bobby Unser 1999 Prewar Indianapolis 500 [33] *Scheduled, but did not start.
Other celebrities
Other racers
- Vic Elford and George Follmer attended the 2009 event.
- Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, Vic Elford, Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman attended the 2006 event.[5]
- The 1997 event tributed Carrol Shelby
- The 1991 event tributed Juan Manuel Fangio
- The 2010 event tributed Dan Gurney
- Alex Gurney attended the 2010 event, which honored his father.
- The 2010 event featured Jay Leno, Parnelli Jones, and George Follmer
- Brian Johnson of AC/DC drove a Lola at the 2011 event
Regulars
- Pete Lovely
- Hurley Haywood
- Johnny Rutherford
- Bob Tullius
- In 2009, Bruce Canepa was appointed to the selection committee.[6] He has also been a regular participant at the Historics.
- John Fitzpatrick
- Vic Edelbrock, Jr.[7] and family are regulars, especially in classes featuring Ford Mustangs.
- Jim Busby
- Gordon Johncock
- Peter Giddings
Sponsorship
The first company to sponsor the event was the Chrysler Corporation. Later, the event added a sponsorship from Rolex. The Chrysler sponsorship was replaced with one from Toyota in 2008. For 2009, the Toyota sponsorship was dropped.
Anniversaries
Occasionally, the event committee chooses to commemorate either the Reunion's anniversary, or the anniversary of a marque or event in motorsport history.
- The event commemorated its tenth anniversary in 1983.
- The event chose Corvette as the featured marque for 2002 in commemoration of the car's fiftieth anniversary, making it the first model rather than manufacturer to be featured.[8] However, the Corvette has often been marketed as if a separate marque from the Chevrolet brand. Also, the Corvette was first manufactured in 1953, making it 49 years old in 2002.
- The event celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1998. The event also celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Porsche.
- The event celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2008 by featuring its first marque, Alfa Romeo, for the third time.
- For the thirtieth anniversary of his Formula One championship, Mario Andretti performed demonstration laps in a Lotus 79 at the 2008 event.[9]
- The 2008 event commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of Formula Jr. by dividing the race into separate periods (1959–60, 1961–62, etc.).[10]
- The 2003 event commemorated the hundredth anniversary of Ford.[11]
- The 2000 event commemorated the 85th anniversary of Maserati.[12]
- The 2010 event commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Bugatti Club of America with a Bugatti Grand Prix.[13]
- The 2010 event commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of Formula One by expanding the class to 38 cars.[13]
- The 2011 event commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type.[14]
- The 2012 event will tribute the fiftieth anniversary of the Shelby Cobra
Amateur status
Because it is an amateur event, the only reward the participants receive is the pleasure to share their prized racing automobiles with the public.
On television
In recent years the Monterey Reunion has been featured on television, often similarly to professional series broadcasts.
- Speed Channel has occasionally broadcast highlights of previous races. They typically cover the major classes: Trans Am, Can Am, IMSA GT, Formula One, and IMSA GTP.
- In 2008 the entire durations of the IMSA, FIA, Trans Am, and Formula One races from 2007 were broadcast in separate episodes.
- In 2008, HD Theater televised highlights of the 2003 event as part of its Ultimate Car Show program.
- Highlights of the event were also broadcast in 2008 on HD Theater's Monterey Week program.
- In October, 2009, Speed Channel covered the Can Am, IMSA GT, and IMSA GTP races of the 2009 event as part of a one-hour broadcast.[15]
- In September, 2010, Speed covered the event in a "lifestyle" format, emphasizing the event as a whole rather than focusing on select classes. However, there was still some coverage of select classes, including the Bugatti Grand Prix along with the major groups.
- In September, 2011, Speed again did a behind-the-scenes show, only showing footage of select classes.
In magazines
The Reunion has been featured in Autoweek magazine. It was featured in an online article in early August 2008[16] and in the September 2008 issue. The 2003 event was featured in an online article of Popular Mechanics.[17] Popular Mechanics also documented the 2000 event.[18] The 2009 event was also featured.[19]
The 2010 event was featured in an issue of Road & Track.[20]
Classes
Various classes from multiple eras and types of automobile racing are featured at the Monterey Reunion.
- Prewar sports and touring cars
- 1908-50 Grand Prix cars and Indy roadsters
- 1947-66 sports racing cars
- 1947-66 GT and production cars
- 1955-63 Formula Junior cars
- 1962-76 FIA Manufacturer's Championship cars
- 1966-74 Can Am cars
- 1966-72 Trans-Am cars (usually only the five liter class)
- 1966-83 Formula One cars
- 1971-83 IMSA GT Championship cars
- 1983-94 FIA Manufacturer's Championship & IMSA GTP Cars
The sports racing and GT classes are divided into four races: under 2000cc (122 cu. in), over 2000cc, under 2500cc (152 cu. in), and over 2500cc. One group often features a combined class. Occasionally, some classes are omitted to make room for tribute races. The event often reworks the schedule, sometimes adding or removing groups, in an effort to "keep things fresh".
Single marque races
In recent years, exhibition races featuring a single marque have been held.
- In 2003, they added an all-Bugatti race known as the Bugatti Grand Prix[21]
- In 2004, an all-Ferrari race was held
- In 2008, two exhibition Ferrari races were held, the first featuring those with drum brakes and the second with those featuring disc brakes.[22]
- The 2010 event again featured a Bugatti Grand Prix.[23]
- For 2011, an all-Jaguar E-Type race was featured.
- Also for 2011, an all Ferrari GTO race was featured.
- For 2012, an all Shelby Cobra race will be held.
Featured marques
Each year since 1975, the Reunion has honored a specific automobile manufacturer by adding vehicles of that marque to its races. Occasionally, a special marque will be honored, often featuring limited production or purpose-built racecars.
1974- none
1975- Alfa Romeo
1976-Jaguar
1977- Bugatti
1978- Mercedes
1979- Bentley
1980- MG
1981- Cunningham
1982- Porsche
1983- Ford
1984- Ferrari
1985- Alfa Romeo
1986- Mercedes
1987- Chevrolet
1988- Maserati
1989- Aston Martin
1990- Allard
1991- Fangio
1992- Jaguar
1993- Miller
1994- Ferrari
1995- Lotus
1996- BMW
1997- Shelby
1998- Porsche
1999- Auto Union
2000- Maserati
2001- Bentley
2002- Corvette
2003- Ford
2004- Ferrari
2005- Chaparral
2006- Cooper
2007- Indy Roadsters
2008- Alfa Romeo
2009- Porsche
2010- Dan Gurney
2011- Jaguar
2012- Cobra
Special Groups
Occasionally the Reunion will feature special one-time groups for that year.
2003
- Bugatti Grand Prix
2008
- All-Ferrari races
- 50th anniversary of Formula Jr. races
2010
- Bugatti Grand Prix
- 1960-1975 Grand National/Winston Cup
- Formula One 60th anniversary expanded group
- Trans Am Series 2000cc group
2011
- Jaguar XK-E race
- Ferrari GTO race
2012
- 1962-1967 Shelby Cobra race
- 1974-1980 Formula Atlantic cars
- 1974-1990 Winston Cup cars with disc brakes
Rules and format
Because of the high value of many of the cars used, the Reunion committee has established a severe punishment for avoidable contact. The driver convicted will be unable to participate in any further events, but can appeal the judgement one year after the incident.
Occasionally, cars will be put in seemingly-inappropriate classes, such as a car being out of period or a two liter car being put in the over 2500cc class. Reasons for these moves include the car's performance or a late entry. Each race usually lasts ten to twelve laps and the races are put in roughly chronological order.
In order to balance out the schedule, both days typically feature some of the more popular classes such as Trans Am or Formula One.
Modern Race Cars
In 2009, the IMSA GT group featured an American Le Mans Series Porsche GT3, the first time the event has featured a modern race car among the historic cars otherwise featured. This came after the Wine Country Classic, while tributing Morgan, added an ALMS Morgan Aero 8 to their IMSA GT group.
Sister events
Prior to 2010, the event was affiliated with the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. The event, now known as the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, was unique in that (prior to 2010) it was the only event to tribute Grand National stock cars, using a 1949-1972 group until 2010, when the group was changed to 1960-1975. The event also tributed Formula 5000 in 2008. Prior to 2010, the event's races were held on both days. For 2010, the event was redone to be more like the Monterey Event. In 2009, 1980s Trans Am Series cars were added to race alongside the IMSA GT cars.
Other sister events included the Coronado Speed Festival (near San Diego, California) and the Lime Rock Vintage Festival.
Change of management
- After the 2009 event, General Racing Ltd., who created and owned the event, announced they would no longer organize the Monterey Historic Automobile Races.[24] The event was taken over by Sports Car Racing at Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) after they canceled and refused to renew their contract with General Racing Ltd. The event was reorganized as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the original name still being owned and copyrighted by GRL. General Racing will retain the sister events at Infineon Raceway, Lime Rock Park, and Naval Air Station, Coronado. The Sonoma event has been reorganized into a two-day event with a schedule more like that of the Monterey event.[25] Despite the reorganization, the committee still observes the event as having begun in 1974. This contrasts with the Sonoma event, which despite having begun many years ago, was listed as "second annual" for 2011.
References
- ^ "Monterey - The Auctions". ferrariownersclub.co.uk. http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk/happenings/2005/september/monterey_auctions/report.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ http://www.mazdaraceway.com/pages/Rolex_Monterey_Motorsports_Reunion
- ^ http://www.sportscardigest.com/archives/1450
- ^ "Monterey Historic Automobile Races 2005". classics.com.
- ^ "2006 Pebble Beach: Monterey Historics - MSN Autos". Autos.msn.com. 2010-02-22. http://autos.msn.com/as/minishow/article.aspx?contentID=4024179&s=Pebble2006. Retrieved 2010-06-25.[dead link]
- ^ "News Item". Mazdaraceway.com. http://www.mazdaraceway.com/pages/news-item?r=1NZUFFTXMG. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ "2005 Monterey Historics". Bakerracingpix.com. 2005-08-20. http://www.bakerracingpix.com/monterey_historic.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ Text And Photos By Jim Mccraw. "Corvettes At The 2002 Monterey Historic Automobile Races". Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/reader_rides/1267616.html. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "35th Rolex Monterey Historics Feature American F1 champion Mario Andretti". AutoTrader.com. 2008-09-03. http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/auto-show/34731/35th-rolex-monterey-historics-feature-american-f1-champion-mario-andretti.jsp. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "35th anniversary Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races - Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally". Classicrallies.com. http://www.classicrallies.com/blog/index.php?/archives/1277-35th-anniversary-Rolex-Monterey-Historic-Automobile-Races.html. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "Monterey Historic Automobile Races 2003". classics.com/lagsc03. http://www.classics.com/lagsc03.html. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ "The 2000 Monterey Historics Automobile Races". www.popularmechanics.com. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/reader_rides/1267151.html. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ a b "News Item". Mazdaraceway.com. 2010-01-20. http://www.mazdaraceway.com/pages/news-item?r=V78Z1I8K5A. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ http://www.mazdaraceway.com/pages/news-item?r=0UPNN33VLX
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Peninsular pleasures: A weekend in Monterey". autoweek.com. http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080806/FREE/537275095/1025/FREE. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Automotive - RSS Feed". Popularmechanics.com. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/reader_rides/1267706.html. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/1267151
- ^ http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/4220918
- ^ http://www.roadandtrack.com/racing/motorsports/rolex-monterey-motorsports-reunion?cid=192
- ^ "At the 2003 Monterey Historic Automobile Races". www.popularmechanics.com/automotive. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/reader_rides/1267706.html?page=2. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ "Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca". Conceptcarz.com. 1907-06-17. http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/event/198/Monterey-Historic-Automobile-Races-at-Laguna-Seca.aspx. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "News Item". Mazdaraceway.com. http://www.mazdaraceway.com/pages/news-item?r=2S7BBDOYYX. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ "Statement from Steve Earle of General Racing, Ltd. regarding the future of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races". Generalracing.com. http://generalracing.com/mhar-home. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ "2010 Event Schedule". Generalracing.com. 2010-04-27. http://www.generalracing.com/participants/event-schedule. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
External links
Pebble Beach Motoring Classic (3rd–12th) · Concours on the Avenue (11th) · McCall Motorworks Revival (12th) · Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance (13th) · Concorso Italiano (13th) · La Dolce Vita at Black Horse (13th) · The Quail (14th) · Monterey Historic Automobile Races (14th-16th) · Pebble Beach RetroAuto (14th) · Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (16th)Auctions and Expositions Blackhawk Exposition (13th) · Bonhams Sale of Important Motorcars and Automobilia (14th) · Kruse International (13th) · Mecum at Monterey (15th) · RM Auctions Sports and Classics of Monterey (15th) · Monterey Sports and Muscle at the Marriott (15th) · Gooding Pebble Beach Auction (15th-16th) · AFAS Exhibition (16th)Former Auctioneers and shows Christie's at Pebble Beach (-2007) ·Categories:- Recurring events established in 1974
- Sports in Monterey County, California
- Historic motorsport events
- Visitor attractions in Monterey County, California
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