Amid the craziness of Monterey Automobile Week, there’s one place the place you may actually immerse your self in motorsports historical past.
Each late summer time at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, automotive legends come to life, racing across the iconic circuit for 4 days on the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
There aren’t many locations the place you may take within the sights and sounds of legendary race vehicles like Niki Lauda’s 1976 Ferrari 312, plus ’60s and ’70s Ford Mustangs, GT machines, nearly each classic Porsche, and even the McMurty Spéirling, as they run laps across the monitor. However these vehicles and extra – 400 in whole – lined as much as compete at this yr’s occasion.
Each automotive has a storied previous, from the 24 Hours of Le Mans and System 1 to different worldwide and home racing collection.
The paddock resembles a residing museum, enhanced by drivers and groups wearing period-correct apparel. The vibe feels similar to a grassroots racing occasion; you may watch the vehicles on monitor for his or her periods, after which stroll into the pits for a more in-depth look and even strike up conversations with the crews.
There’s one thing magical about standing on the backside of the famed Laguna Seca Corkscrew, watching these legendary machines thunder by lap after lap.
The plentiful crowd fills the vantage factors with chairs and coolers, savoring each second.
The unmistakable sounds of Mazda 4-rotor racing engines downshifting into the Corkscrew and accelerating out deliver a smile to my face each time.
Seeing this ex-American Le Mans Collection (ALMS) Saleen S7R – a automotive I examine in center college – pushed arduous on this monitor was a childhood dream come true. Till then, I had solely ever seen an S7 in street automotive kind on the Petersen Automotive Museum.
Watching these vehicles compete in opposition to their contemporaries is an expertise unto itself. Regardless of their collector standing, they’re pushed wheel-to-wheel arduous, giving Reunion attendees a shocking present.
Nostalgia flows for many who bear in mind these vehicles of their period, whereas youthful guests can study and respect the wealthy historical past of motor racing at one of many world’s most well-known racetracks. There actually is nothing fairly just like the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
Daniel Baxter
Instagram: danielhasacamera
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