The 42nd annual vintage racecar festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, otherwise known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, once again delighted crowds with a full slate of racing and other automotive activities as it celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Featured Marque, the Shelby GT350 Mustang, last weekend.
Two days of racing produced a pair of double winners, with Bruce Canepa winning Groups 4A and 7A with a 1979 Porsche 935 and a 1980 Porsche 962C, respectively, while Mike McGovern emerged victorious from Groups 5B and 6B in, respectively, a 1964 Shelby Cobra and a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302. Perhaps the most satisfied man in the paddock, however, was local stalwart Don Orosco, who won Group 3B in his Lotus 15, with his Lola Mk1-mounted sons, Brian and Chris, finishing 2nd and 3rd in his wake.
Fans and followers of high-powered formula car racing enjoyed huge fields filled with intercontinental drivers. More than a dozen Formula 5000 cars flew over from Australia and New Zealand, while another handful came from the UK. The Formula One grid counted seven European entries among its 37 cars. Texan Charles Nearburg took charge at the front of Saturday’s F1 feature with his ex-Alan Jones Williams FW07, while Richard Dean Richard Dean returned Mario Andretti’s VPJ Lola T332 (above) to Laguna’s victory lane 40 years after it won the track’s final F5000 race. The performance helped win the President’s Cup, presented to car owner Zak Brown, for the car with the most significant history at the track.
Six different race groups boasted more than 40 entries, led by Group 4B – 1961-1966 GT Cars under 2500cc with 49 starters, and followed by Group 2A – 1955-1962 GT Cars with 46, Group 4A – 1973-1981 FIA, IMSA GT-GTX, AAGT, GTU Cars with 44, Group 7B – 1968-1976 Formula 5000 Cars with 41, and 40 each for both Group 6A – FIA Manufacturers Championship Cars and Group 6B – 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars. A listing of all the winners follows:
Rolex Reunion Race Results
Saturday
Group 1A – Pre 1940 Sports Racing and Touring Cars
Conrad Stevenson – 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sports
Group 2A – 1955-1962 GT Cars
Joe Colasacco – 1963 Alfa Romeo TZ-1
Group 3A – 1965-1970 Shelby Mustangs
Tommy Steuer – 1966 Shelby GT350
Group 4A – 1973-1981 FIA, IMSA GT-GTX, AAGT, GTU Cars
Bruce Canepa – 1979 Porsche 935
Group 5A – 1955-1961 Sports Racing Cars over 2000cc
Derek Hill – 1962 Maserati Tipo 151
Group 6A – FIA Manufacturers Championship Cars
Wade Carter – 1974 Lola T294
Group 7A – 1981-1991 FIA/IMSA GTP, GTO Cars
Bruce Canepa – 1990 Porsche 962C
Group 8A – 1967-1984 Formula One Cars
Charles Nearburg – 1980 Williams FW07
Sunday
Group 1B – 1927-1951 Racing Cars
Paddins Dowlings – 1939 Maserati 4CL
Group 2B – 1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT Cars
Cameron Healey – 1953 Porsche Cooper “Pooper”
Group 3B – 1955-1961 Sports Racing Cars under 2000cc
Donald Orosco – 1958 Lotus 15 (Brian P2/Chris P3 in Lola Mk1s)
Group 4B – 1961-1966 GT Cars under 2500cc
Fred Della Noce – 1966 Ginetta G12
Group 5B – 1963-1966 GT Cars over 2500cc
Mike McGovern – 1964 Shelby Cobra
Group 6B – 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars
Mike McGovern – 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Group 7B – 1968-1976 Formula 5000 Cars
Richard Dean – 1974 Lola T332
The event also provides a number of off-track awards to honor special accomplishments, headlined by the “Brilliance Award” for the owner of a car with exceptional history and unquestionable provenance. This year’s winner was Bill Ockerlund for his 1963 Shelby Cobra. The Henry Ford Trophy for the most significant Ford-powered entry was claimed by Jim Schield for his 1965 Shelby GT350, while the Ken Miles Trophy for the best representation of a vintage car under 1500cc was taken by Leland Osborne’s 1955 Crosslé Roadster Special. The John Fitch Corvette Excellence Award went home with Didier Andre for his 1977 Greenwood Corvette, while the Phil Remington Award for a mechanic demonstrating exceptional skill went to Louie Shefchik of J&L Fabricating.
The annual Rolex Awards honor Overall Excellence in each race category, and this year were presented to the following racers:
Race 1A – Rick Rawlins: 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C
Race 2A – Clint DeWitt: 1960 Porsche Super 90 Speedster
Race 3A – Gilbert Hakim: 1966 Shelby GT350
Race 4A – Didier Andre: 1977 Greenwood Corvette
Race 5A – Fred Burke: 1962 Cooper Monaco
Race 6A – Richard Griot: 1969 Porsche 908/02 Spyder
Race 7A – Parker Johnstone: 1991 Acura Spice GTP Light
Race 8A – James Hagan: 1983 Tyrrell 011
Race 1B – John Kerr: 1932 Miller-Scofield
Race 2B – Steve Schuler: 1950 Allard J-2 Le Mans
Race 3B – Tom Trabue: 1958 Porsche 550 A
Race 4B – Alan Benjamin: 1967 Porsche 911S
Race 5B – Sandra McNeil: 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra
Race 6B – Walt Brown: 1970 Chevrolet Camaro
Race 7B – Alan Dunkley: 1968 Lola T140
Finally, the Spirit of Monterey Award is presented to the driver who excels in the Spirit of the Weekend, and this year’s recipient is Dick Deluna who raced his 1917 Hall-Scott The Four A-7A. For complete information please visit www.mazdaraceway.com
