Monterey Motorsports Reunion facts for kids
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an exciting yearly event held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. It's a special gathering where amazing old racecars get to compete again. The event happens over one weekend in mid-August.
It all started in 1974, created by Steve Earle. He called it the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Steve organized it so his friends could race their cool cars at Laguna Seca. Until 2010, it was known as the Monterey Historics. This event is a big part of Monterey Car Week, which also includes the famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. About 550 cars take part in the Reunion each year.
The 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Event Sponsors
The first company to support the event was the Chrysler Corporation. Later, Rolex also became a sponsor. After Chrysler, Toyota sponsored the event from 2006 to 2008.
Awards and Honors
Even though famous people and professional drivers attend, the Reunion is not a professional race. It doesn't give out prizes for who finishes first. However, there are special awards!
- Each Saturday and Sunday, a committee chooses a Rolex Award winner for some races.
- Two morning races each day honor a Bonham's Cup winner.
- Other special awards are given for things like the best display of cars or outstanding craftsmanship.
The highest honor is the Rolex Spirit of Monterey Award. This award goes to the person who best shows the true spirit of the event through their car's presentation and how they drive. The winner receives a Rolex watch and a special painting.
Media Coverage
The Reunion has been featured in several magazines and on TV.
Magazine Features
Autoweek magazine has covered the Reunion many times. Popular Mechanics also wrote about the event in 2000, 2003, and 2009. Road & Track magazine featured the 2010 event and also covered the 2004 event online.
Television Coverage
For many years, the Speed Channel showed the event on TV. They used to have several episodes focusing on different car groups like IMSA and Formula 1. Later, they made it one episode that combined behind-the-scenes looks with race highlights. When Speed Channel was replaced by Fox Sports 1 in 2013, Fox Sports 1 continued to cover the Reunion for a while.
Online Streaming
In recent years, Motor Trend magazine has live-streamed the Reunion. You could watch the coverage on YouTube.
Race Car Groups
The Monterey Reunion features many different types of racecars from various eras. Often, the groups include cars that used to race against each other back in the day.
| Race Group | Year Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sports, racing, and touring cars | 1900–1939 | These groups used to include Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 cars. |
| Grand touring cars | 1947–1969 | These cars are often divided by their engine size and the era they raced in. |
| Sports racing cars | 1947–1969 | These are prototype racecars and special racing cars, also divided by engine size. |
| Trans Am Series | 1966–1972 | These are mostly cars with engines larger than two liters. |
| Can Am Series | 1966–1974 | Recently, these cars have raced with other prototype groups. |
| FIA Manufacturers Championship | 1962–1979 | These are endurance prototype cars, sometimes racing with other prototypes. They are usually split into 1960s and 1970s groups. |
| Formula One | 1966–1984 | This group features Formula One cars from the three-liter engine era. |
| IMSA GT Championship | 1971–1992 | This group includes different types of IMSA cars like GT, GTX, and GTP. Sometimes, they race with 1970s prototypes. |
| IndyCar | 1963-1978 | |
| Formula Junior | 1958-63 | Small, open-wheel racecars. |
| Formula 5000 | 1968-1976 | These cars were similar to F1 cars but with larger engines. |
| Endurance Legends | 1981-2007 | This group combines different types of endurance prototypes. |
Combined Races
Sometimes, the schedule includes races where different types of cars race at the same time, like sports racing cars and GT cars. Even though they are on the track together, they don't compete against each other for awards, just like in professional racing.
Special Race Groups
The Reunion often features special or expanded race groups to make the event even more exciting for visitors. These special groups are usually one-time events. They have included stock cars from the Grand National and Winston Cup Series, and a Formula Atlantic group.
Sometimes, all the cars in a special race are from the same brand. For example:
- In 2011, there was an all-Jaguar XKE race to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
- In 2012, an all-Shelby Cobra race honored its 50th anniversary.
- In 2013, an all-Porsche 911 "Weissach Cup" race celebrated the 911's 50th anniversary.
| Event Year | Race Group | Year Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugatti Grand Prix | 1900–1939 | Featured several times to honor Bugatti cars. | |
| 2007 | Ferrari | 1956–1971 | Two races, one for cars with drum brakes and one for disc brakes. |
| 2008 | Formula Junior | 1958–1963 | Several races celebrating Formula Junior's 50th anniversary. |
| 2009 | several race groups | Featured many Porsches, as Porsche was the honored brand. | |
| 2010 | Grand National Stock Cars | 1966–1972 | Cars with drum brakes. |
| 2010 | Trans Am Series | 1966–1972 | A group for cars with engines under 2000cc. |
| 2010 | Formula One | 1966–1984 | An expanded group for F1's 60th anniversary. |
| 2011 | Jaguar E-Type | 1961–1970 | Celebrating the model's 50th anniversary. |
| 2012 | Winston Cup Series | 1974–1990 | Cars with disc brakes, continuing from the Grand National group. |
| 2012 | Cobra | 1962–1969 | 289 AC Cobras raced alongside 427 Shelby Cobras for the Cobra's 50th anniversary. |
| 2013 | Porsche 911 | 1964–1974 | Called the "Weissach Cup," celebrating the 911's 50th anniversary. |
| 2014 | Formula Atlantic | 1974–1980 | |
| 2015 | Formula 5000 | 1968–1976 | |
| 2015 | Shelby GT350 | 1965–1970 | Celebrating the model's 50th anniversary. |
| 2016 | Trans Am | 1966-1972 | Expanded group for the series' 50th anniversary. |
| 2016 | Grand Touring Cars Under 2500cc | 1961-1966 | Expanded to include many under-two-liter Trans Am cars. |
| 2016 | IMSA GT | 1971-1991 | Expanded to include later IMSA racecars for BMW's 100th anniversary. |
| 2017 | Formula Junior | 1958-1963 | Divided into two groups, celebrating Formula Junior's 60th anniversary. |
| 2018 | Formula 5000 | 1968-1976 | |
| 2018 | IMSA GT | 1973-1981 | Expanded to include many Datsuns, as Nissan was the honored brand. |
| 2018 | GT Cars under 2500cc | 1961-1966 | Expanded to include many Datsuns, especially the Datsun 510. |
| 2019 | Formula Ford | 1967-1981 | Similar to their usual Formula Junior group. |
| 2019 | Sports Racers | 1969-1984 | Similar to their usual FIA Manufacturers Championship groups. |
| 2019 | Formula One | 1966-1985 | Featured competitors from a "Masters Championship" of historic racing. |
| 2023 | open wheel racecars | 1927-1955 | Includes cars from pre-war Grand Prix and Indy roadster groups. |
| 2024 | ragtime racers | prewar racecars | An exhibition race. |
| 2025 | IROC | 1973-2006 |
Featured Car Brands
Since 1975, the event has honored a "featured marque" (car brand) each year. This tribute is shown in different ways:
- More cars from that brand are entered in the races.
- There are special displays showing the brand's history and some of its famous cars.
- Sometimes, there are special races only for cars from the honored brand.
Occasionally, the event honors a special team or person instead of a brand. For example, they have honored the Can Am team Chaparral Cars and racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio.
| Year | Marque | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | None | ||
| 1975 | Alfa Romeo | Italy | First featured brand; 65th anniversary. |
| 1976 | Jaguar | Britain | |
| 1977 | Bugatti | France | |
| 1978 | Mercedes-Benz | Germany | |
| 1979 | Bentley | Britain | 60th anniversary. |
| 1980 | MG | Britain | |
| 1981 | Cunningham | United States | |
| 1982 | Porsche | Germany | |
| 1983 | Ford | United States | 80th anniversary |
| 1984 | Ferrari | Italy | 55th anniversary |
| 1985 | Alfa Romeo | Italy | First brand featured more than once. 75th anniversary. |
| 1986 | Mercedes-Benz | Germany | 60th anniversary |
| 1987 | Chevrolet | United States | |
| 1988 | Maserati | Italy | |
| 1989 | Aston Martin | Britain | |
| 1990 | Allard | Britain | |
| 1991 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Argentina | First person to be featured. |
| 1992 | Jaguar | Britain | 70th anniversary |
| 1993 | Miller | United States | |
| 1994 | Ferrari | Italy | 65th anniversary |
| 1995 | Lotus | Britain | |
| 1996 | BMW | Germany | 80th anniversary |
| 1997 | Shelby | United States | 35th anniversary |
| 1998 | Porsche | Germany | |
| 1999 | Auto Union | Germany | |
| 2000 | Maserati | Italy | |
| 2001 | Bentley | Britain | Honored because Bentley returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. |
| 2002 | Corvette | United States | First time a specific car model was featured. 50th anniversary. |
| 2003 | Ford | United States | 100th anniversary. |
| 2004 | Ferrari | Italy | 75th anniversary. |
| 2005 | Chaparral | United States | First race team to be featured. |
| 2006 | Cooper | Britain | |
| 2007 | Indianapolis 500 roadsters | United States | Promoted a race group that was featured often. |
| 2008 | Alfa Romeo | Italy | |
| 2009 | Porsche | Germany | |
| 2010 | Dan Gurney | United States | |
| 2011 | Jaguar | Britain | |
| 2012 | Cobra | United States | For the Cobra's 50th anniversary. |
| 2013 | Corvette | United States | For the Corvette's 60th anniversary and the new Corvette C7. |
| 2014 | Maserati | Italy | 100th anniversary. |
| 2015 | Shelby GT350 | United States | 50th anniversary. |
| 2016 | BMW | Germany | For BMW's 100th anniversary. |
| 2017 | None | The circuit's 60th anniversary was celebrated instead. | |
| 2018 | Nissan | Japan | Included cars from Datsun. 85th anniversary. |
| 2019 | IMSA | United States | First time an organization was honored. 50th anniversary. |
| 2020 | none | Event canceled. | |
| 2021 | Ford in Trans Am | United States | Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the Pony Car Wars. |
| 2022 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | France | Event's 100th anniversary. First time an event was honored. |
| 2023 | Corvette | United States | 70th anniversary. |
| 2024 | Salute to featured marques from years past | Event's 50th anniversary. | |
| 2025 | Formula One | 75th anniversary. |
Rules for Racing
Because many of the cars are very valuable, the Reunion has strict rules about crashes. If a driver causes a crash that could have been avoided, they might not be allowed to race in future events. They can appeal this decision one year later.
Unlike some other historic races, the races at the Monterey Reunion are not usually about intense competition. This is to help protect the very valuable cars from damage. In the groups with older cars, drivers might wave to each other to signal that it's safe to pass. This helps prevent accidents.
Sometimes, a car might be placed in a race group that isn't exactly right for its engine size. This can happen if other groups have much larger cars, or if a driver entered late. For example, a car with a 2.1-liter engine might race in an "under two liter" class.
Before 2022, qualifying races were on Friday, and main races were split between Saturday and Sunday. Since 2022, all main races for all groups happen on Saturday.
Modern Race Cars at the Reunion
Sometimes, even though the event is for historic cars, more modern race cars have been included. This usually happens when a modern car has similar technology to an older group. For example, in 2009, a modern American Le Mans Series Porsche 911 raced with the IMSA GT cars because their technology was similar. In 2016, modern BMW racecars were featured to celebrate BMW's 100th anniversary.
Professional Drivers
While most drivers at the Reunion are not professionals, some current and former professional race car drivers do attend. They are often found in the IMSA race groups.
Some notable drivers who have participated include:
- The Edelbrock family
- Randy Pobst
- Boris Said
- Bruce Canepa
- Brian Redman
- David Hobbs
- Leh Keen
- David Brabham
- Jim Hall
- Tommy Kendall
- Marshall Teague
Related Events
Before 2010, the Reunion was connected to the Wine Country Classic at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. That event is now called the Sonoma Speed Festival. In May 2017, a smaller event called the Spring Classic started at WeatherTech Raceway.
Event Management Changes
After the 2009 event, the company that created and owned the event, General Racing Ltd. (GRL), decided not to organize it anymore. The Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) then took over. After 2010, the event was renamed the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Even though the name changed and new people managed it, the Reunion still uses the same structure and features the same race groups as the original event.
Awards and Recognition
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion has received important awards:
- In 2013, it was nominated for the Motor Sports Event category at the International Historic Motoring Awards.
- In 2017, the Reunion won the FIA Founding Members' Heritage Cup for Motorsport Event of the Year. This was the first time an event at an American track received this special award.
