On November 10, 1957, the checkered flag waved on the first race at the all-new Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. To commemorate its 60th anniversary, the track’s heritage will be celebrated at the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, scheduled for August 17-20 during Monterey Classic Car Week.
Bill Patterson’s poster art for the 2017 Monterey Reunion features the inaugural win by Pete Lovely in his Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa. Lining up on the starting grid in third position behind Carroll Shelby in a Maserati 300S and John von Neumann in a Ferrari 625 TRC, Lovely’s rather underpowered 500 TR wasn’t expected to give a the more powerful cars a run. But Lovely drove a masterful race and passed von Neumann in Turn 9 on the last lap to edge out victory and take the checkered flag from the polka-dotted shirt flagger.
“The first race and all the military pomp and circumstance that first day was inspiring as I thumbed through photos of the day,” explained Bill Patterson, the official artist of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “With the event celebrating the track’s own heritage, we needed to celebrate that first win. Plus, it’s fitting that this year is also the 70th anniversary of Ferrari. It all came together nicely.”
The art will be available in limited-edition 24 x 36-inch posters that will be sold exclusively in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Souvenir Store beginning August 11. Bill Patterson will also be present throughout the race weekend to meet with guests and conduct poster autograph sessions.
“Bill’s art always captures the essence of motion and drama of his subjects, and this year’s art with the very first car to win here is one of his finest,” commented Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Hopefully it will be a walk down memory lane for those who attended that first race in 1957 and become a treasured part of their collection.”
Advance general admission tickets to the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion are on sale beginning at $60 (Friday) and a four-day ticket at $170, which includes a complimentary souvenir magazine. Children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. VIP hospitality packages begin at $200 per person.
For more information, visit MazdaRaceway.com or call 831-242-8200.
[Source: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]
