Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Monterey Historic Automobile Races 2008, prewar sports and touring cars class.

The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races (or simply Monterey Historics) was an annual event held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Its purpose was to provide an event for historic race cars to compete in. It took 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, who organized the meeting for his friends to race their cars at Laguna Seca.

The last event was held August 14-16, 2009.

Sponsors

In 1995, the event acquired a sponsorship from the Chrysler Corporation. In 2001, the event adopted a sponsorship from Rolex. In 2006, Toyota replaced Chrysler as the sponsor. The Toyota sponsorship was dropped in 2009.

Celebrity participants

Most of the participants are amateurs. However, the event has attracted numerous professional drivers and other celebrities.

• Vic Edelbrock, Jr. and family are regulars, particularly in the Trans Am class and any other class involving Ford Mustangs.
• An 8-lap race featuring Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones, Derek Bell, Eddie Cheever, Johnny Herbert, John Watson, Patrick Tambay, Timo Glock, and Alain de Cadenet participated in 2008 with the drivers using Scion tCs, due to the Toyota sponsorship. Glock also participated in 2008 in Toyota demonstration laps driving a Toyota Eagle Mark III IMSA GTP, the demonstration also relating to the Toyota sponsorship. Glock participated because of his affiliation with Toyota F1. The demonstration also included a Toyota Celica GTU and a Toyota 2000GT. None of the cars were used in any of the races.
• Mario Andretti did demonstration laps in 2008 in a Lotus 79 in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of his Formula One championship.
• Bobby Rahal participated in 2008 in a 1972 Lola T290 in the 1964-75 FIA Manufacturer's Championship class. He was scheduled to drive a 1980 BMW M1 in the IMSA GT race, but did not start. Rahal also competed in the Can Am class driving a Lola T310.
• In 2007 Al Unser, Sr. participated in the prewar class in a 1939 Lagonda. Rahal also competed that year in his Lola in the 1965-72 FIA manufacturer's championship car class. He had been scheduled to compete in the 1961-65 sports racing car class in a 1967 Elva-Porsche that year, but did not start.
• The 2007 event also included a Legends of Motorsport event featuring Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Vic Elford, Bobby Rahal, Ove Anderson, Derek Bell, Al Unser Sr., and Emerson Fittipaldi.
• Tomy Drissi participated in the 2008 event in a Chevrolet Camaro as part of the Trans Am class.
• Parnelli Jones and George Follmer participated in the 2002 event in the Trans Am class in their respective cars.
• Stirling Moss chaufferred Jay Leno in a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in demonstration laps at the 2005 event.
• Phil Hill participated in the 2002 event, driving a 1953 Alfa Romeo 3000 CM.
• Jack Brabham participated in the 2000 event, driving a 1960 Cooper T-53.
• Bobby Unser participated in the 1999 event, driving an Audi Pike's Peak.
• Johannes van Overbeek participated in the 2001 event, driving a Shelby GT350.
• Patrick Dempsey rode in a Chrysler CD-8 LM during exhibition laps at the 2008 event.
• Dan Gurney, Niki Lauda, Carroll Shelby, and Juan Manuel Fangio have all participated in past events.
• Vic Elford and George Follmer attended the 2009 event.
• Stirling Moss drove a 1960 Lola Mk 1 in the 2009 event as a part of the 1955-61 Under 2000cc Sports Racing Car class.
• Brian Redman participated in the 2009 event driving a 1971 Porsche 908 as a part of the 1964-71 FIA Manufacturer's Championship class. He also drove a 1969 Porsche 917 as a part of the Can Am class.
• Tomy Drissi was scheduled to drive a 1973 Porsche 911 as a part of the IMSA GT class in the 2009 event, but did not start.
• George Follmer participated in 2001 driving a 1971 AMC Javelin. Parnelli Jones also participated in a 1970 Mustang.
• David Donohue participated in the 2009 event in the IMSA GT class.
• Patrick Dempsey participated in the 2009 event in the IMSA GTP class.
• Derek Bell participated in 2009 in the FIA Manufacturer's Championship class.
• In 2009, Bruce Canepa was appointed to the selection committee. He has also been a regular participant at the Historics.
• John Fitzpatrick is a regular at the Historics.
• John Morton participated in the 2009 event, driving a Sunbeam Tiger.

Anniversaries

Occasionally, the event chooses to commemorate either the event'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.
• 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.
• The 2008 event commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of Formula Jr. by dividing the race into separate periods (1959-60, 1961-62, etc).
• The 2003 event commemorated the hundredth anniversary of Ford.
• The 2000 event commemorated the 85th anniversary of Maserati.

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 Historics have been featured on television, often similarly to professional series broadcasts.

• Speed Channel has occasionally broadcast highlights of previous races. 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.

In magazines

The Historics have been featured in Autoweek magazine. It was featured in an online article in early August 2008 and in the September 2008 issue.

Races

Various classes from multiple eras and types of automobile racing are featured at the Historics.

• Prewar sports and touring cars
• 1908-50 Grand Prix cars and Indy roadsters
• 1947-66 sports racing cars
• 1947-66 GT Cars
• 1955-63 Formula cars (Formula Two, Formula Junior, etc)
• 1962-76 FIA Manufacturer's Championship cars
• 1965-77 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
• 1981-1989 FIA Manufacturer's Championship & IMSA GTP Cars

The sports racing and production cars are divided into four races: under 2000cc, over 2000cc, under 2500cc, and over 2500cc. One group often features a combined class. Occasionally, some classes are omitted to make room for tribute races.

Single marque races

In recent years, exhibition races featuring a single marque have been featured.

• In 2003, they added an all-Bugatti race known as the Bugatti Grand Prix
• In 2004 various all-Ferrari races were held
• In 2008, two exhibition Ferrari races were held, the first featuring those with drum brakes and the second with those featuring disc brakes.
• The 2010 event will again feature a Bugatti Grand Prix.

Featured marques

Each year since 1975, the event has chosen to honor 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

Tributes

In recent years, the event has tributed marques other than the featured marque.

2003- Bugatti

2008- Ferrari , Formula Junior

2010- Bugatti , NASCAR

Rules and format

Because of the high value of many of the cars used, the Historics have established the rule of removing someone from the race if that person causes damage to other cars. The driver will also be forbidden from participating in future events, but can appeal his exclusion one year after the date of 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 laps and the scheduling is formatted in roughly chronological order.

Future

It was announced in August, 2009, that General Racing Ltd would no longer be producing the Historics, and would allow SCRAMP a one time use of the name for 2010. General Racing will continue to organize its similar Sonoma event under the name Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, while SCRAMP will organize the Monterey event. The events will no longer be affiliated.

External Links

Event page on the Mazda Raceway website