Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion: Corvette
The Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion entered it’s 49th year at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca bringing another memorable carweek event that brings together racing enthusiasts from around the world. Held annually at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway in California, this event is a celebration of automotive history and showcases some of the most legendary cars in the world. It is the cornerstone event of Monterey Car Week and remains for us a critical stop on the Car Week tour. The Reunion carries on the tradition started in 1950 with the first Pebble Beach Road races that were run through the nearby Del Monte forest.. Six years later, Laguna Seca was built to serve as the new battleground for some of the best sports car racers in the world. This year also marked some significant updates to the track including a new start/finish pedestrian bridge and newly paved track surface.
This year, the Reunion celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Corvette with a heritage display in the paddock showing dozens of significant Corvettes from spanning decades from when the brand was born in the early 1950s. The display also included two ultra-rare Corvettes known as Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicles (CERV). Admittedly we were not all that excited about the tribute to Corvette as most Corvette owners are all too happy to provide the full history of the brand and all of its accomplishments at the first sign that someone may be listening. The Corvette Heritage display managed to beat back our elitism and Porsche fan-boy-ness via the display of not only some of the most historically significant Corvettes since the founding of the brand but also the amazing condition of each vehicle. We’ve certainly see larger displays of Vettes and more featured cars under the big tent in past years, but seldom has there been such an assemblage of such well presented cars. Not too many and not too few….just right. The only excption to the exceptionally tidy group was the absolutely filthy 2024 Le Mans GTE class winner, complete with all the French road crud, bug splatter, and handprints that the car picked up on its way to the class victory. There’s probably no better way to present a racecar. Massive props for giving us all the opportunity to get so close to such a spectacular car.
Filthy beautiful
Longtime Corvette racer Ron Fellows was Grand Marshall for the weekend. Fellows has 27 wins, three American Le Mans Series championships, two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and four consecutive years as the “Most Popular Driver” from ALMS fans. Ron Fellows was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2011, the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2012 and was called to the Order of Canada in 2020.
School in session: Ron Fellows behind the wheel.
Fellows didn’t just show up to sign autographs and do interviews. On Saturday we witnessed him put on a clinic in the Group 4 - 1981-1991 GTO/Trans Am race. Fellows drove the 1987 Protofab Corvette 4500 and checked out from the start. By the third lap of the 10 lap race, he was already lapping back markers. The video below shows Ron leading Group 4 out to the track to begin thier lesson.
More than 400 cars attended the Reunion further solidifying it as one of the must-attend events of Car Week activities. Racing was divided into 14 groupings based on era and other factors such as engine displacement. Car Week is marked by many static displays of historical and modern cars of various significance, but only the Reunion provides a true glimpse of motorsport history alive on track. The 14 racing groups are as follows:
Formula 5000
1966-1985 Formula One - non-turbo
1966-1974 Can-Am; 1963-1968 USRRC - V8 only
1966-1972 Trans-Am
1955-1969 Saloon cars
1972-1981 FIA, IMSA, GT, GTX, AAGT, GTU, Trans Am
1981-2007 GTP, Group C, DP, WSC, LMP & GT1 (GT1 through 2009)
1955-1967 SCCA Production – Large Displacement
1955-1967 SCCA Production – Small Displacement
1927-1955 Grand Prix/Open wheel single seat racing cars
1947-1960 Front-Engined Sports Racing and GT
1981-1991 GTO/Trans-Am
1961-1971 FIA Manufacturers Championship
Ragtime Racers exhibition
Both this and last year’s events had two features that seemed to grab the most attention. Oddly they were displays of both the oldest and newest cars in the paddock. At the vintage end of vintage racing are the cars of Group 5, Ragtime Racers. This group is constituted of cars made BEFORE 1920! There’s no carbon fiber in their display, more like wooden spokes, bicycle pumps, steam, leaking oil, linen racing suits, and period correct facial hair!
These folks aren’t just racers, but also mechanical gadflys, raconteurs, and historians, always ready to answer questions and share ancient history.
At the other end of historical spectrum and probably the most popular (and loudest) display in the paddock fetured the cars of Gordon Murray Automotive. Both this year and last, Gordon Murray, famed Formula 1 and sportscar designer, left jaws on the ground with his McLaren F1-esque (that was one of his inventions) Cosworth engined three-seater supercars, complete with ground sucking fans featured prominently on the rear of the car. Unlike last year, along with a couple of his roadgoing cars, Gordon bought his $3 million dollar, 725 horsepower, Cosworth V12 powered , T50S Niki Lauda. Several times during the Saturday we were at the track, his engineers had the spectacular Cosworth screaming louder than all the cars on track combined. Ears were bleeding but faces were smiling. What a thing!
Corvette Heritage Display
Aside from the paddock and the on-track action, the Reunion’s vendor areas (“The Lagoon”), parking lots and car club corrals are always pleasers. No visit is complete without a stroll around the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca campus. And a BONUS, as last year, the folks from car auction site, Bring a Trailer hosted show within a show for their sellers, bidders, and fellow enthusiasts.
The key to getting the most out of this part of your day(s) is to take your time and keep your eyes scanning. There are lots and lots of automotive gems hiding in plain sight. Here is a mini mega slideshow of many of the “other” things you can see at the Reunion
The Reunion is more than just a race. It's an experience that immerses you in the rich history and passion of motorsport. From the legendary cars and drivers to the thrilling races and exhibitions, this event is a must-attend for any racing enthusiast. If you are considering your maiden Car Week odessy of your own, we highly recommend that if you’re only going to go to one organized/ticketed event, it should absolutely be the Reunion. Whether you're a fan of vintage cars or modern prototypes, the Monterey Motorsport Reunion offers something for everyone.
As always, we leave you with a mega gallery to fill in any gaps our words may have failed to fill.
-The Loud Pedal
