2009 Monterey Historics

[John Straub]

FYI for you guys,

John



2009 DATES FOR ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES ANNOUCED

Porsche to be the Featured Marque


MONTEREY, Calif. (November 6, 2008) – Following the success of this year’s 35th anniversary of the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races with guest Mario Andretti driving his Lotus 79, General Racing announced the dates and marque for the 2009 event. The 36th annual running of the world-famous races and auto exposition will take place on August 14-16, 2009, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with ticket sales commencing on November 17, 2008.


Each year, a featured marque is chosen to commemorate the event. This annual celebration of a specific manufacturer has intrigued thousands of compassionate enthusiasts from around the world. In 2009, the featured marque will be Porsche.


“We are extremely excited to honor Porsche and its incredible racing heritage at the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic,” said Steve Earle, founder of the event and president of General Racing. “With great cars from the early 356 Speedsters and Spyders, to the 917’s, this event will be an auto enthusiasts dream and we look forward to seeing these vehicles on the track.”

The iconic 356 gave Porsche its first overall win in a major sports car racing event at the 1956 Targa Florio. The 356s are more than just special to auto enthusiasts, but even more amazing is how many of the 356 Speedsters and Spyders will be at the Monterey Historic Automobile races, as they are rarely seen in public.

The Porsche workmanship and craftsman has survived the endless replications, improvements and technical evolution of the intervening 60 years. The early 356’s lean curvatures, penned by engineer/aerodynamicist Erwin Komenda, are fundamental to Porsche products. To look at the first Porsche’s is to see the prototypical shape of Porsche, the solid geometry of the brand that has survived six decades and will be prominently driven on track during the event.

The Porsche 917 was at the time, the fastest series production car ever produced and it was made into a movie star by Steve McQueen in his 1971 film Le Mans. The movie showed off the bright blue and orange livery Gulf 917K and Porsche Austria 917LH magnificently.

“Porsche won the Can-Am Championship here in 1972 and 1973 with one of the most iconic sports racing cars of all time,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “The 917 was known for its high speeds and high horsepower outputs and raced successfully here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.”

Tickets, additional event information, parking directions and information for the 2009 season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are available by calling (800) 327-SECA or online at www.laguna-seca.com.


Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was established in 1957. The world-renowned raceway has been operated since its inception by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a not-for-profit 501C(4) corporation. Each race season, SCRAMP donates its net proceeds to the volunteer groups that help put on the races.


Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s world-class 2009 racing schedule includes the Festival of Speed featuring Rolex Grand-Am Series May 15-17, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring MotoGP World Championship July 3-5, the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races August 14-16 and the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series October 9-11.

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Media Contact:

Jennifer Capasso

jenniferc@laguna-seca.com

831-242-8225



Jennifer Capasso

Public Relations Manager

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

P.O. Box 2078

Monterey, CA 93942

831.242.8225

213.590.6710 Mobile

831.373.0533 Fax

www.laguna-seca.com

[cam]

ROOM ALREADY BOOKED---ARE YOU RUNNING THERE,JOHN????? YOUR CAR WOULD LOOK GREAT IN THE CORKSCREW

[John Straub]

Thanks ....I hope so. I'll be sending in my entry, but I know they will have a huge number of cars to chose from all over the world! I heard a year or so ago they have 1000 to 1200 entries for 300-400 spots each year.

John

[John Straub]

Some things you can do with your car the week of Monterey.

August 10...Porsche-Ferrari Concours, Carmel-By-The-Sea-Concours On The Avenue...if you have a pre-90 Porsche you can enter.

August 11...Muli-Marque Concours, same location.

August 13...Meet at the "Baja Cantina", the ultimate "Car Bar" hang out. This is a great night gathering spot.

August 14...Pacific Grove Auto Rally and Celebration( it's more like a tour on the 17mi. drive).

These are some of the things you can do with your car, but there are many more things going on during that week.

John