Yahoo Autos 50th anniversary Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion set for this week
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.
Steve Earle (at left) with restoration ace Stephen Griswold at 1974’s inaugural races. Earle’s efforts built the Monterey Reunion into a truly world-class event.
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.”
Right from the start, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion has insisted that all the cars that appear are original and period correct. (TOP) Ferraris featured strongly in 1974’s first event; (ABOVE) Ralph Borelli launches down the Corkscrew.
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