2010 is Dan Gurney's Year
The featured marque for 2010 is both a man - Dan Gurney - and the cars he raced. It is also the 55th year since he first raced.Also part of the weekend:
- A display of Gurney Eagle Racing Cars: Formula 1, Indy cars, IMSA GTP prototypes, Can-Am and Trans-Am machines.
- Drum brake equipped Stock Cars, 1959 thru 1975
- The Bugatti Grand Prix: an exclusively Bugatti racing class.
- The pre race weekend, on the weekend of August 7 and 8, will be open to the public. The racers generally use this time to test their cars and equipment and to get together with other competitors.
- A display of Dan Gurney's Eagle racing cars, which include entrants to Formula 1, Indy Cars, IMSA GTP Prototypes, Can-Am and Trans Am.
Big Changes for 2010
A management change is part of the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races news as Steve Earl and General Racing will no longer be producing the event. Earl had run "The Historics" at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 1974 and had built it into a much admired world class event. A name change is part of the package; for 2010 it will be known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.The news has been interpreted as a feeling that for the event to grow, it has to attract a wider fan base. Evidence of what we can expect can be seen in the new racing class consisting of drum braked stock cars from 1959 thru 1975. More info can be found at Voodoo Bob's blog.
Click Here for ticket information.
Official web site: mazdaraceway.com/
Click Here for photos of the 2009 Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races.
Automobile Racing is unigue in the sports world in that both human skill and engineering are necessary to win. The engineering aspect changes much faster than the human side; that simply is the nature of technology. Nobody, for example, would doubt that Babe Ruth would be a great baseball player today just as he was in 1927. Yet a 1927 race car could not even hope to compete with a modern race car.
There is another difference: A race car, given proper maintenance, can last a lot longer than its human pilots. Which brings up an interesting situation: while the cars can function for a long time, they are not needed because newer designs are much faster and going faster is what it is all about.
But old race cars still have the ability to excite race fans even though time has passed them by. People, still enjoy the sounds, sights and smells older race cars offer. And they offer the same thrills to their drivers and owners.
It was under these circumstances that vintage racing was born. The phenomena started in the mid 1970s, took off in the 80s, and today draws the same crowds as current racing series.
Held on the third weekend in August, the Monterey Historic Races is one of the premier vintage racing events in the world. The crowd it draws is world-class and admission for a car to participate is by invitation only.
Attending the Monterey Historic races: Crowds are huge as they are at all events during the big car weekend. In the case of the Historic races, this will be a significant factor in how you plan things, as access to the racetrack is limited. This means that you MUST get an early start when you leave, especially on Saturday and Sunday.
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