Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Concludes Having Honored Greats
Beautiful weather, incredible racing vehicles from historic eras of motor racing and unforgettable memories defined the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Nissan's incredible 50-years of motorsport success in the United States were celebrated with Nissan taking center stage as the featured marque of this Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the first Asian automobile manufacturer to receive such a spotlight. With more than 200 IMSA sports car victories and 100-plus SCCA National Championships, many of the stars and the cars of Nissan's past racing success were racing or on display at the highlight of Monterey Classic Car Week.
More than 50 of the 551 total participants selected out of over 1,000 applicants based on authenticity and race provenance were attributed to the Nissan and Datsun brands.
Championship-winning Nissan and Datsun legends including John Morton, Peter Brock and Steve Millen attended this year’s event and took part in various activities including the Murray Smith-hosted Picnic in the Paddock panel on Saturday and being special guests on Adam Carolla's "Car Cast" podcast recorded at the Nissan display. Comedian and actor Carolla also participated in the event. The Los Angeles-based comic owns the largest collection of Nissan and Datsun cars formerly raced by acting and racing legend Paul Newman.
Racing personalities make the event as well as the cars. Late American racing legend Dan Gurney was honored in a touching tribute on the Showcase Stage on Saturday with Sir Jackie Stewart and Chris Cord sharing stories with Smith and Donald Osborne closing with a poignant musical rendition. One of Gurney’s original Lola cars was on display throughout the event in the first two pit bays.
Fifteen race groupings competed during the course of the events with cars ranging in age from a 1911 National Speedway Roadster in Group 1A to a 1995 Nissan 240SX in Group 7B.
Special Awards were presented by racer and commentator Mike Joy and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Sr. Vice President of Events Gill Campbell in a proper ceremony to conclude the event on Sunday afternoon. The prestigious Spirit of Monterey award was bestowed upon Herb Wetanson.
Next year's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) on August 15-18, 2019
