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With an action-packed weekend of events, activities and races along with a star-studded lineup of drivers, this year's 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races presented by Toyota is set to be the biggest and most expansive in the vintage race car event's storied history. The three-day event kicks off Friday, August 15 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and gates are open 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day.
"The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is great for all fans because most people have only seen these cars in magazines or static locations. The event is literally a rolling museum of these historic vehicles that fans can hear, smell and touch," commented Jay Leno, host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and avid vintage car collector.
Along with two full days of car races, fans can attend autograph signings with guest of honor Mario Andretti and legendary F1 drivers, visit the Rolex "Moments in Time" display, watch current F1 driver Timo Glock compete against F1 legends in the Toyota "Race of Legends," and explore the enhanced consumer expo complete with interactive exhibits and a light-sport aircraft prototype.
"Monterey Historics is the place if you love cars. All the best racing cars in the world take part. It's toys for big boys," said Baseball Hall of Famer and auto enthusiast Reggie Jackson. "This is the premier event for historical race cars that have so much history and prestige. Car enthusiasts like me have enjoyed this event for years."
Autograph Signings
Guest of Honor Mario Andretti will conduct two autograph signing sessions during the weekend. Andretti will be at the Rolex tent in the paddock area to welcome fans, sign autographs and take pictures on Friday from 11:30 a.m. -- 12:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. -- 12 p.m.
Also, fans will have a chance to meet legendary F1 drivers Danny Sullivan, Derek Bell, John Watson, Eddie Cheever, Johnny Herbert, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones, and Patrick Tambay in two separate one hour autograph sessions from 10 a.m. -- 11 a.m. to be held in the Race of Legends compound in the expo area.
Vintage Race Cars Take the Track
Qualifying practice sessions will be held on Friday along with special demonstration laps by Mario Andretti. Ferrari Historic Challenge Groups will race 10 laps to finish the day.
On Saturday, races will take place throughout the afternoon featuring 1925-1950 Racing Cars, 1950-1960 Sports Racing Cars, 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars, 1966-1974 Historic Can-Am Cars, and 1964-1975 FIA Sports Racing Cars.
Sunday will begin with a parade of Alfa Romeos followed by individual races between 1955-1966 Production Sports Cars, 1967-1978 Historic F-1 Cars, and 1972-1983 Historic IMSA Cars. Race winners will be honored at a sunset prize ceremony Sunday evening.
Consumer Exposition
An ongoing main attraction at the Monterey Historics will be the enhanced consumer expo featuring a variety of activities and displays for fans to experience. Among the activities are the "Toyota Story: Past, Present and Future" exhibit in the infield expo area. It will feature the soon-to-be-released Toyota Venza along with a group of historic Toyota race cars such as Cristiano da Matta's CART championship car, Scott Dixon's IRL championship car, one of Ivan Stewart's desert racing trucks and other significant Toyota racers.
ICON Aircraft will display its A5 amphibious light-sport aircraft prototype, which made a successful maiden test flight on July 9. The A5 prototype aircraft is scheduled to undergo several phases of test flights prior to mass production in 2010.
Mother's Car Care will host an interactive detail demonstration on a 1960 Corvette while Cobra and Shelby cars from Shelby American and Superformance will be displayed for fans to view.
Rolex "Moments in Time" Display A stand out in the paddock is the Rolex "Moments in Time" display, honoring the singular achievement of a car and driver in racing history. The award-winning collection features a range of significant cars with a focus on the early to mid 1900's.
Highlighting the display is the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Mille Miglia Spyder that Phil Hill drove to first place in the Del Monte Trophy Race in 1951 at Pebble Beach, which is currently part of fashion designer Ralph Lauren's collection.
The 1908 Grand Prix Mercedes, a car that remains in original condition with all its original body panels, engine, transmission, and chassis components, will also be featured. It is one of the most authentic Grand Prix race cars in the world and is truly a masterpiece of old-world craftsmanship.
Fans will also be able to view Louis Delage's 1.5-litre grand prix cars of 1926-1927 and the 1960 Kurtis-Epperly KK500-J 119.
Toyota "Race of Legends"
On Saturday current Panasonic Toyota F1 driver Timo Glock takes the challenge of competing against a field of legendary F1 drivers including Danny Sullivan, Derek Bell, John Watson, Eddie Cheever, Johnny Herbert, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones, and Patrick Tambay in the Toyota "Race of Legends." Drivers will compete in an eight-lap charity race on Saturday driving race-prepared Scion tC sport coupes featuring a 2.4-liter, 215-horsepower TRD-supercharged engine.
One lucky auction winner from the Monterey Historics race participants will take the 11th seat again this year. The proceeds of the auction will be donated to a local charity -- the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation.
The race winner will receive $25,000 that will be donated to a charity of their choosing.
Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races
Organized by General Racing, Ltd., the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is an "automotive museum brought to life," and the largest event, with over 40,000 visitors, of the renowned classic car weekend in Monterey, Calif. With a broad appeal, it attracts a diverse group of visitors and participants -- including children, families, collectors, sports enthusiasts and automotive history buffs. The 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Toyota will be held August 15-17, 2008 at the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Media should visit http://www.montereyhistoric.com to request credentials for the event.
General Racing
General Racing stages events across the United States to celebrate classic, historic, and vintage racing cars, where they can be shown and driven as intended. General Racing encourages the restoration of the cars as they once were and helps to preserve and promote and the history of motorsports through these events.
General Racing's premier event, the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, is located at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. This event, now in its 35th year, has become one of the world's greatest vintage race weekends. Other General Racing events are The Wine Country Classic, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma CA, May 30-June 1; The Rolex Vintage Festival, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, CT, August 29-Sept. 1 and Coronado Speed Festival, NAS North Island, Coronado, CA, Sept. 27-28.
Additional information is available at http://www.generalracing.com.
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