MONTEREY, California (August 17, 2022) – Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) has returned to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (WRLS) for its second year as the official sanctioning body of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Monterey Pre-Reunion. A successful and well-run Pre-Reunion last weekend has set the grand stage for this weekend’s Rolex Reunion that gets underway with an expanded schedule starting Wednesday and running non-stop straight through Sunday at WRLS.
After debuting at the Monterey Reunions in 2021 to begin a multi-year partnership, HSR continues this year providing its expertise and vast collective experience in race event operations, full technical scrutineering, competitor and participant registration and vetting entries for the blockbuster Monterey events that are generally regarded as the premier historic and vintage motorsports events in North America.
In keeping with the growth of the more-than week long Monterey Reunion schedules, HSR has undertaken additional responsibilities this year, including running the inaugural Corkscrew Hillclimb this Sunday. For the first time in WeatherTech Raceway’s 65-year history, competitors will run counter-course from near the start/finish line before racing uphill to the iconic Corkscrew for the finish.
“The expertise, professionalism and welcoming spirit shown by the HSR team is aligned with how we want to treat our entrants,” said John Narigi, President and General Manager of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “HSR is a first-class organization that cares deeply about car authenticity and customer relationships to keep elevating the Rolex Reunion experience.”
Established in the mid-1970s, HSR is led by HSR President David Hinton, who was a majority owner for the last 10 years and guided HSR’s sale to IMSA early in 2022. Hinton remains at the helm as president and continues to steer the organization through one of its biggest periods of growth in the more than 40-year history of HSR.
“HSR has hit the ground running already this past weekend with the Monterey Pre-Reunion,” Hinton said. “It’s a great feeling to be welcomed back by not only the participants but also our good friends at WRLS and the many volunteers who make this event one of the best in the world.”
This year’s Rolex Reunion celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and showcases an honor roll of legendary Le Mans race cars to kick off the official centenary celebrations leading up to 2023’s milestone race at Circuit de la Sarthe.
“It’s a massive honor for HSR to be involved in the first of many events that will be celebrating 100 years of the Le Mans 24 hours,” Hinton said. “What the WRLS team has put together for this weekend is something truly special, with close to 20 Le Mans overall winners on display, numerous class winners and so many significant and memorable Le Mans entries.”
In addition to the cars competing on track, there will also be a selection of significant cars exhibited in a large Le Mans Heritage Display Presented by Motul.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is the largest event held during the famed Monterey Classic Car Week. More than 500 race cars are invited to compete in this internationally recognized motorsports celebration each year and are accepted based on each car’s authenticity, race provenance and period-correct compliance.
A wide variety of ticket options, from single-day admission to top-shelf hospitality and suite packages, are available at weathertechraceway.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the admissions gate.
Noteworthy
- Hinton had the pleasure of being a part of the Rolex Reunion advisory board and car selection committee this year and also helped arrange for several cars with strong HSR ties to be part of the Le Mans Heritage Display. HSR member Malcolm Ross has brought his immaculate No. 1 Rothmans Porsche 962 that won Le Mans overall in 1986 to the Rolex Reunion. Chassis No. 003, the 962 was co-driven to the win by the all-star lineup of Al Holbert, Derek Bell and Hans Stuck. Another longtime HSR competitor answering the call is Scott Hughes who displays his BMW CSL that was co-driven to a 1973 Le Mans class victory by Toine Hezemans and Dieter Quester. “It’s wonderful to see all the hard work put in by so many people come to life in the paddock and out on the track,” Hinton said. “It’s been a true team effort this year.”
- Pierre Fillon, President of Le Mans 24 Hour organizing body the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), is attending the Rolex Reunion as is IMSA President John Doonan, who is returning to WRLS with several colleagues to be part of the HSR team on Thursday. About HSR: Now an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter and Instagram at @HSR_race. A dedicated website for the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA is available at www.Classic24hour.com.
