Monterey Motorsports Reunion

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an annual event held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Its purpose is to provide an event in which historic racecars can compete. It takes place over the course of one weekend every mid-August. It was first established by Steve Earle in 1974 as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Earle organized the meeting for his friends to race their cars at Laguna Seca. The event, known as the Monterey Historics until 2010, acts as a part of Monterey Car Week, which includes the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and other events.
Approximately 550 cars participate in the event.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was canceled.

Sponsorship

The first company to sponsor the event was the Chrysler Corporation. Later, the event added a sponsorship from Rolex. The Chrysler sponsorship was replaced with one from Toyota, who sponsored the event from 2006 to 2008.

Awards

Although celebrities and professional drivers do attend, the Reunion is not a professional event, and has no awards or prizes for finishing position. Each Saturday and Sunday afternoon race has a Rolex Award winner voted by committee. Two of the morning races each day honor a Bonham's Cup winner similarly chosen. There are special Awards for best paddock display, best Ford-powered car, outstanding craftsmanship, etc. The highest honor is the Rolex Spirit of Monterey Award, A Rolex watch and original Bill Patterson painting, presented to the entrant who best embodies the spirit of the event in their presentation and competition drive.

In magazines

The Reunion has been featured in Autoweek magazine. It was featured in an online article in early August 2008 and in the September 2008 issue. The 2003 event was featured in an issue of Popular Mechanics. Popular Mechanics also documented the 2000 event. The 2009 event was also featured.
The 2010 event was featured in an issue of Road & Track. The 2004 event was also featured in an article on the R&T website.

Telecasts

For many years television network Speed Channel provided coverage of the event. For a few years the coverage consisted of several different episodes featuring the major groups. In later years the event was abridged to one episode combining behind-the-scenes coverage with coverage of select races. The races covered were a mix of the major groups and some of the GT groups for better interest. If the featured a one-time race group, that race may be covered. The Reunion was for a while covered by Fox Sports 1, which replaced Speed in August 2013.

Internet

In recent years the Reunion has been livestreamed by Motor Trend magazine, with the coverage being shown on YouTube.

Race groups

Various race groups from multiple eras and types of automobile racing are featured at the Monterey Reunion. The groups often contain vehicles that competed against one another during that point in history.

Race Group	Year Range	Notes
Sports, racing, and touring cars	1900–1939	Formerly also included a race group featuring grand prix and Indianapolis 500 vehicles.
Grand touring cars	1947–1969	Formerly also featured general production sports cars not originally used in motorsport. Divided into under and over 2 or 2.5 liter race groups. Usually divided by era.
Sports racing cars	1947–1969	Prototype racecars and racing specials divided in the same format as the GT cars.
Trans Am Series	1966–1972	Over two liter class. Occasionally features a few under two liter vehicles.
Can Am Series	1966–1974	In recent years has been combined with other prototype groups.
FIA Manufacturers Championship	1962–1979	Endurance prototypes. Sometimes combined with other prototype groups. Usually divided into two separate race groups, one for the 1960s and one for the 1970s.
Formula One	1966–1984	The three liter era.
IMSA GT Championship	1971–1992	Divided into IMSA GT/GTX/AAGT/GTU, IMSA GTO, and IMSA GTP. Also features a few GT cars from before 1971 of similar technology. Sometimes combined with 1970s prototypes. The GTOs will often be combined with the GTPs due to their greater performance. Cars of the Trans Am Series from 1973 to 1992 are combined with the IMSA GTO cars due to similar technology.
IndyCar	1963-1978
Formula Junior	1958-63	A group featuring low displacement formula cars, sometimes including Formula Vee, Formula Ford, and Formula 2
Formula 5000	1968-1976	The original SCCA-sanctioned series based on F1 cars but using the five liter maximum instead of F1's three liter.
Endurance Legends	1981-2007	Includes a combination of IMSA GTPs, Daytona Prototypes, and American Le Mans Series prototypes

Combined class

Occasionally the schedule will feature combined-class races, such as the sports racing cars competing alongside the GT cars. While these two groups race simultaneously, they do not compete against each other, much like in professional racing.

Former groups

Previously the event featured a mixed "GT and production cars" race group in which professionally raced grand tourers competed against unmodified sports cars of the same era. The unmodified cars have since been phased out.
In the past the prewar groups were divided into two types: production and single-seater. The latter has since been merged with the racing cars. The sports and racing cars were also merged and ultimately combined with the touring cars.
United States Road Racing Championship- a former name for the sports racing cars
Special race groups

The Reunion also features special or expanded race groups in an attempt to generate greater interest from its spectators. These often one-time groups have included Grand National and Winston Cup Series stock cars, an under two liter Trans Am Series race group, and a Formula Atlantic group. Single-marque spec groups have also been featured. In 2011 an all Jaguar XKE race was featured to commemorate that model's fiftieth anniversary. The same was done in 2012 for the Shelby Cobra, featuring small block AC Cobras racing against the big block Shelby 427 Cobras. In 2013 an all Porsche 911 "Weissach Cup" was featured to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the 911.

Event year	Race Group	Year Range	Notes
	Bugatti Grand Prix	1900–1939	Featured several times in lieu of having a proper Bugatti tribute, as the only Bugatti vehicles available are prewar cars.
2007	Ferrari	1956–1971	One race featuring those with drum brakes and another featuring those with disc brakes.
2008	Formula Junior	1958–1963	Several races commemorating Formula Jr.'s "golden jubilee".
2009	several race groups		featured a large amount of Porsches, the featured marque
2010	Grand National Stock Cars	1966–1972	With drum brakes.
2010	Trans Am Series	1966–1972	Under 2000cc group.
2010	Formula One	1966–1984	Expanded group in commemoration of F1's sixtieth anniversary.
2011	Jaguar E-Type	1961–1970	Commemorating the model's fiftieth anniversary.
2012	Winston Cup Series	1974–1990	Those with disc brakes. A continuation from the previous Grand National group.
2012	Cobra	1962–1969	289 AC Cobras racing alongside 427 Shelby Cobras in tribute to the Cobra's fiftieth anniversary.
2013	Porsche 911	1964–1974	In commemoration of the 911's fiftieth anniversary and coinciding with the Rennsport reunion. Called the "Weissach Cup".
2014	Formula Atlantic	1974–1980	-
2015	Formula 5000	1968–1976
2015	Shelby GT350	1965–1970	In commemoration of the model's fiftieth anniversary.
2016	Trans Am	1966-1972	Expanded group in commemoration of the series' 50th anniversary. This includes the addition of a Ford Falcon and a Pontiac Tempest.
2016	Grand Touring Cars Under 2500cc	1961-1966	Expanded to include a notable amount of under two liter Trans Am cars in commemoration of the series' 50th anniversary. These include BMW 2002s, 1960s Porsche 911s, Lotus Cortinas, and Alfa Romeo Giulias.
2016	IMSA GT	1971-1991	Expanded to include later model IMSA racecars, including those used in the American Le Mans Series, in commemoration of BMW's centennial. This included the addition of a BMW V12 LMR to compete against the GTPs.
2017	Formula Junior	1958-1963	Divided into 1958-60 and 1961-63 race groups. The former features front-engined cars with drum brakes and the latter features cars with disc brakes. Expanded class commemorating the "diamond jubilee" of Formula Jr.
2018	Formula 5000	1968-1976	-
2018	IMSA GT	1973-1981	Expanded to include a large amount of Datsuns, as Nissan was the featured marque.
2018	GT Cars under 2500cc	1961-1966	Expanded to include a large amount of Datsuns, especially the Datsun 510. Other under two liter Trans Am cars were also featured.
2019	Formula Ford	1967-1981	Resembles their usual Formula Jr. group
2019	Sports Racers	1969-1984	Resembles their usual FIA Manufacturers Championship groups
2019	Formula One	1966-1985	Featuring competitors from a "Masters Championship" of historic racing
2023	open wheel racecars	1927-1955	Includes cars previously used in prewar grand prix and Indy roadster groups
2024	ragtime racers	prewar racecars	exhibition race
2025	IROC	1973-2006	Participants are almost entirely former Winston Cup Series drivers
2025	saloon cars	1955-1969	most participants use cars from the two liter Trans Am group