The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 was held August 18-21 at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. A record four-day total of 70,525 spectators joined in the celebration of motorsports history at the raceway where so much of it has been made over the past 60 years.
As the constant heartbeat of Monterey Classic Car Week, the Reunion brought 550 vintage vehicles to life in their natural racing environment, divided into 15 groups according to age and engine capacity and chosen for their period-correct presentation. Formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races or Monterey Historics, the 2016 running celebrated the 100th anniversary of Bayerische Motoren Werke.An impressive 64 BMWs entered the Reunion, from the 1937 BMW 328 to a 2001 BMW M3 GTR, all adding to this distinctive rolling motoring museum.
Every morning the eerie fog hanging over the undulating raceway on the Monterey Peninsula cleared to reveal a hive of activity on the infield; owners, drivers and curators enthusiastically tinkering in the garages and pit lane. As the Californian sunshine began beating down on the asphalt and the sound of engines reverberated around the hillside, the cars captivated onlookers as they battled out on track, speeding down the renowned and challenging Corkscrew turn, tackling blind crests and tricky apexes, all the way to the checkered flag.
As the scene of America’s golden years of sports car racing, Laguna Seca has witnessed some of motor racing’s finest moments since 1957, including the thrilling and extreme Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am), which celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Reunion this week. Also featured were historic Formula One cars from the 3-litre era, 1967 to 1984. While the Raceway has never hosted a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, many of the greatest Formula One drivers have competed here, including Rolex Testimonee and three-time FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, who attended this year’s event and fittingly was twice victorious in the 1971 Can-Am, driving the Lola T-260.
After robust competition and exciting racing, it was Car 101 in Group 7A Can-Am (1968-1974), the 1971 Shadow Mk II, that triumphed, claiming the Spirit of Monterey Award and the ultimate racing driver’s watch, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. This timepiece, awarded to the winning car’s owner, Jim Bartell, was the perfect way to commemorate such a momentous achievement.
Gill Campbell, CEO of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, commented, “The Reunion is the largest and most prestigious historic race in this country; what we really specialize in and focus on is the authenticity of the cars – they have to be prepared according to their original specifications, in their original livery and almost all the vehicles attending have real racing history. It is incredibly important for us to acknowledge and celebrate the heritage of the automobile – we need to recognize where we came from in order to know where we are going.”
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Similar to 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Sports Car Digest also documented the 2016 Monterey Reunion, with Senior Photographer Dennis Gray producing the following outstanding images from this year’s event. We split up Dennis’ pictures into two galleries. The first gallery starting below features our favorite images, while the second gallery and race results can be found on the last page of the article and gives a comprehensive view of all the photographs.
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Two
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Three
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Four
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Five
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Six
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Seven
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eight
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Nine
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Ten
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eleven
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Twelve
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Thirteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Fourteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Fifteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Sixteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Seventeen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eighteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Nineteen
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Main Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)
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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2016 – Award Winners
Best Paddock Display, Presented to the best paddock display representative of the era
Winner: Pre-War Alley
Stand 21 Award, Awarded to the Most Period Authentic look
Winner: Ed Archer (1915 Ford Model T in Group 1A)
Ken Miles Trophy, Presented for the representation of a vintage car under 1500cc
Winner: Don Martine (1950 MGTD Von Nuemann Special driving in Group 1B)
Can-Am Spirit Award, Presented to the competitor who showed the most persistence and performance all weekend
Winner: Johan Woerheide (1965 Lola T70 Mk II in Group 5A)
Henry Ford Trophy, Presented to the most significant Ford-powered entry
Winner: Lynn Park (1963 Shelby Cobra 289 in Group 6B)
The John Fitch Corvette Excellence Award, Presented to the most significant Chevrolet Corvette
Winner: Jeni Yeakel-Swanson (1964 Chevrolet Corvette in Group 6B)
The Phil Remington Award, Presented to the mechanic who demonstrates exceptional skill
Winner: Terry Forland (BMW)
Bonhams Cup Awards, Presented to participants in the featured morning races that best exemplify the spirit of the event
Race 4A – Steve Walker (1973 BMW CSL)
Race 4B – Bill Kirkwood (1961 Elva Courier MkII)
Race 5B – Richard Dean (1985 Ford Mustang)
Race 7A – Brian Blain (1967 McLaren M6A)
The Chairman’s Award, Presented to the entrant whose car has historical significance to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Winner: Jeffrey Abramson (1959 Morgan Baby Doll in Group 3A)
The Founders Trophy, Presented to the person who richly personifies historic racing
Winner: Jim Adler (1952 Jaguar XK120 in Group 1B)
The Rolex Award for Excellence, Presented for Overall Excellence in each race category as determined by an independent panel of judges
Saturday Race Recipients:
Rolex Race 1A – Craig Barto driving a 1931 Bugatti Type 51
Rolex Race 2A – David Swig driving a 1958 Scarab MkI
Rolex Race 3A – Peter Smith driving a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite
Rolex Race 4A – Jean Bernard Bouvet driving a 1979 Chevrolet Corvette
Rolex Race 5A – Marc Devis driving a 1967 Lola T70
Rolex Race 6A – Tim de Silva driving a 1978 Osella BMW PA8
Rolex Race 7A – Emmett Murphy driving a 1972 McLaren M8F/P
Rolex Race 8A – Terry Lawlor driving a 1967 Shelby Mustang
Sunday Race Recipients
Rolex Race 1B – Kevin Adair driving a 1959 Austin Healey 3000S
Rolex Race 2B – Jacqulyn Mincheff driving a 1956 Lotus Eleven
Rolex Race 3B – Bob Earl driving a 1972 Ferrari 312PB
Rolex Race 4B – Craig Taylor driving a 1966 BMW 2002
Rolex Race 5B – Bill Ockerlund riving a 1991 Chevrolet Duracell Camaro
Rolex Race 6B – Sandra McNeil driving a 1963 Shelby Cobra 289
Rolex Race 7B – Greg Thornton driving a 1976 Lotus 77
The Spirit of Monterey Award, Presented to the driver or entrant who excels in the spirit of the weekend
Winner: Jim Bartell for entering two incredible UOP Shadows
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[Source: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion; photos: Dennis Gray]
Dennis, Hope you don’t mind but I shared one of your pics with my global Mini group on Facebook. I did give you credit for the photo and it can only be seen by the <200 members of the site, who as you might imagine are thrilled to see the Mini in action.
ALL I CAN SAY DENNIS IS WOW ! ….Derek Hill’s ERA and others in the cork screw with the fog is over the top ! As usual, you captured another wonderful weekend of racing with all our buddies. Thanks, Steve
Second year in a row without a single photo from Group 2B ?????
50 years of Can-Am and you can’t even show all of them!
I tried so hard to keep up with the other Red T70 all weekend but he was always a half second faster. Then I see this great pic with me in front. I have already sent him the link! Thanks Dennis !!
Dennis, beautiful images as always. To those few who aren’t satisfied, I suggest you provide a complete refund … Oh wait, you mean you put in these long weekends at the track, long nights downloading and processing the photos, and meticulous captioning of each one, and we get to enjoy these photos FOR FREE???? In that case, you really should charge the complainers. 🙂
What happened to Group 5 and the Trans Am cars – no shows?
Thank you so much for your time and effort to show these wonderful cars. It is truly difficult to ever tire looking at these beautiful images. Thank you!