British racing legend, Formula One television analyst, 2009 Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, businessman and all-around raconteur David Hobbs will share his escapades as the highlighted guest speaker during the annual Picnic in the Park at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on Saturday, August 20. The annual picnic is traditionally a fan favorite at the event, which will take place August 18-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hobbs will be joined on stage by noted motorsports historian Murray Smith, who will moderate the session.
During Hobbs’ three-decade racing career he raced sports cars, Indycars, Formula One, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000 and NASCAR. A frequent visitor to Monterey, Hobbs can look back fondly on his win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on his way to the 1971 L&M Continental 5000 Championship in a McLaren M10B.
Hobbs’ first outing with this year’s featured marque, BMW, came in 1976 when he raced a factory-entered 3.0 CSL in the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. The next season, Hobbs raced the incredibly fast BMW 320i Turbo in IMSA GTO.
The Picnic in the Park begins at 1 p.m. in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca marketplace and provides a rare opportunity for fans to bring their lunch, listen to stories and ask questions. Past guests have included Sir Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Sir Jackie Stewart, Bob Bondurant, Bobby Unser, Martin Brundle, Bob Tullius and Scott Pruett.
In celebration of its 100th anniversary and status as this year’s featured marque, BMW of North America’s historical display is expected to feature a wide range of the racecars and street models that catapulted the German manufacturer into worldwide acclaim. For more information or to view the full array of ticketing and hospitality packages, contact the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Ticket Office at (831) 242-8220 or visit www.MazdaRaceway.com.
