The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2014 will be staged August 14-17 at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, again serving as an anchor event of Monterey Classic Car Week.
This year’s four-day Monterey Reunion will see 550 historic and period-correct race cars compete in 15 race groups, with U.S. entries joined by cars from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, South Africa and United Kingdom.
Similar to last year, the oldest car accepted for the 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is Brian Blain’s 1911 National 40. Sporting 100 horsepower, the National was driven by Charlie Merz in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 held in 1911, finishing seventh at an average speed of 70.36 miles per hour and in so doing, collecting $700 in prize money. On the opposite end of the race group spectrum is Mazda’s 1992 RX-792P GTP (chassis 001), which is one of two prototypes that competed in the 1992 IMSA GTP championship. Price Cobb and Pete Halsmer were the original factory drivers to pilot the entirely new 720-horsepower car against the established Eagle Toyotas and factory Nissans.
Maserati North America will celebrate its centennial at the 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion as part of its international efforts. As the eldest of the three Italian marques, Maserati will be well represented in its heritage display and on the track. Iconic Tipo 60 and 61 Birdcages will be racing as are the 300S and 450S models that once competed in the Mille Miglia, Nurburgring and other races. Additionally, the first-ever 4CL that Maserati produced in 1939, which was originally raced by factory drivers Luigi Villoresi, Carlo Felice Trossi and Franco Cortese, will be racing in Monterey.
The largest single make of cars come from Porsche, as sixty four are entered, from the early 356 and 911 models to the later 962 prototypes lining up on their respective grids. Porsche continues to be involved in sports car racing and the yearly entries reflect the company’s commitment to motorsports.
Also on tap in Monterey is the 50th anniversary of the Sunbeam Tiger, which were popularized among American audiences by the ‘60s television show “Get Smart.” For racing, Carroll Shelby began highly modifying production Tigers into competition cars for entry into the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite all three retiring from the race, the Tigers raced through the end of the decade compiling impressive strings of victories.
Advance general admission tickets to the 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion are on sale beginning at $50 (Friday) and a three-day ticket at $130, which includes a complimentary souvenir magazine. Children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Hospitality packages begin at $200 per person.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit MazdaRaceway.com or call 800-327-7322.
[Source: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca; photo: Tim Scott]
