MONTEREY, Calif. — When the 2021 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion kicks off on Aug. 12 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, several driver and fan favorites will be on the grid.
Adding to the anticipation will be the first time a dedicated historic Indy car group, which originally competed between 1963 and 1978, will race at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
“The British invasion of America included not only the Beatles, but the introduction of rear engine Indy cars starting in 1963 at Indianapolis,” noted three-time Indy car champion Bobby Rahal, who also won three consecutive Indy car races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca starting in 1985. “From 1965 on, there would never again be a front engine winner of the 500.
“From 1963, Lola, BRP, Lotus and other British manufacturers would take the fight to Captain America Dan Gurney’s Eagles, California’s Gerhardts, Huffakers and other U.S. manufacturers,” Rahal added. “And the scream of the iconic Ford 4 Cam would take on Offys and whispering Jet Turbines. I personally look forward to returning to Laguna Seca with my 1966 Eagle-Ford and sharing this great era with fans from all over the world.”
The Indy cars will be complemented by two wildly disparate groups: the thundering historic Trans-Am cars from the “pony car” era of 1966 to 1972, and the high-revving historic Formula One cars that competed on the international stage between 1966 and 1985.
The familiar Mustangs, Camaros, Javelins, Challengers and Trans-Ams return to the setting where they once professionally competed in what promises to be a back-and-forth and side-to-side race.
The selected cars will be assembled into the following 14 groups:
Pre-1920 Exhibition race
1966-1985 Masters Historic Formula One
1920-1951 Racing Cars
1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT
1955-1964 GT
1963-1966 GT over 2500cc
1973-1981 FIA, IMSA, GT, GTX, GTU, AAGT
FIA Manufacturers Championship
1981-1991 IMSA GTO, GTP, Trans-Am
1955-1961 Sports Racing under/over 2000cc
1961-1966 GT under 2500cc
1966-1972 Trans-Am
1983-2016 Masters Endurance Legends
1963-1978 IndyCar
Entry invitations and applications will open in October via the online registration portal on the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion event page on WeatherTechRaceway.com.
Each entry will be reviewed to determine the car’s authenticity, provenance and mechanical- and period-correctness, to ensure it meets the longstanding strict criteria established for the event.
Historic car racing has been held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since 1974, which along with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, stimulated the rapid growth of what is known internationally as Monterey Car Week.
Tickets and VIP hospitality packages are planned to go on sale in December.