Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2013 Gallery 1

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Automobile, Historic Car Race Gallery 1

Starts: 2013-08-16

Ends: 2013-08-18

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, California

The Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, has grown from a gathering of Ladies and Gentlemen renting a race track for a weekend so that they can run a bunch of old race cars around it, to a mega-car week of Speed and flash and corporate money.

One example: Rolex provided the Rolex Awards of Excellence in each race category to individual drivers who were determined by an independent panel to be "most deserving," and the event's highest "Spirit of Monterey" honor, which is coupled with the awarding of a specially engraved 18k stainless steel and gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. All one need to do was to "excel in the spirit of the weekend".

81 year old John Harden of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma drove his 1963 Genie MK VIII on Saturday in Group 4A for 1960-1968 Sports Racing USRRC Cars and gained this year's "Spirit of Monterey" honor. "To win a Rolex timepiece and to have my name put on a placard at this track alongside some of my heroes is a big deal for me", said John.

John's first race was in 1953 when he raced in one of the Pebble Beach Road Races through the Del Monte Forest before "Laguna Seca" was built in 1957.

But this years 'Reunion was all about the iconic Chevrolet Corvette and was the featured marque. While 46 authentic and race-proven Corvettes competed on the track, Chevrolet Motor Division was there to add to the 60th anniversary show with a Heritage Display highlighted by three Corvette Grand Sports (celebrating their 50th anniversary), Only five Grand Sports were ever constructed under the watchful eye of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the "father of the Corvette."

The cars on the track ran from a 1911 National 40 to a 1992 Mazda RX-7 92P and many priceless cars were scattered about the paddock. My personal favorite was with a wonderful 83-year-old gentleman named Bill Salder. Bill, back in the late 1950's build a group of 12 Formula Jr. race cars, which he raced and sold. One of the cars, the second one, was bought and raced by Brock Yates. Bill found the car and repurchased it, then restored it back to the condition it was in the last time he had it. It was at the Laguna Seca track where he drove it on Sunday.

Chevrolet Corvette C7-R 2014

Chevrolet Corvette C7-R 2014

Chevrolet Corvette sn-40837S120015 1964

Chevrolet Corvette SN-194678S415378 1968

Scarab MK I SN-1 1958

At the end of the day there was a great display of Corvettes

The inside pass

Corvette sn-20867S106315 1962

Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file

Corvette 1964

Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file

DELAGE 15-S-8 sn-18488 1926

On the center field stage was a well-known and world traveling vintage car racer named Peter Giddings proudly showing off a shinny black Delage. Peter was telling every one about the history of this wonderful historic car and how he had it restored by sending it off to Australia. I think that Peter also said he once had 5 cars but he is now down to just this one Delage.