2011

MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 30, 2011) – There is still time to donate. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is hosting a Toy Drive to benefit the Monterey Peninsula Salvation Army and as an extra incentive, all donors who bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child up to the age of 12 will receive a free ticket to the Sunday of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 19, 2012.

The Toy Drive ends December 6, 2011. Donors can bring their unwrapped toys to the Souvenir Store, which is located in the paddock, next to the Skip Barber Racing School or to the SCRAMP administrative offices.

An infectious laugh nearly always preceded Dave Coffin’s entry into a room. And as the door opened into a bustling media center, heads almost always turned and serious faces melted to smiles to greet the prominent motorsports writer who had an uncanny knack of making friends wherever he went.

Born June 26, 1944, Mr. Coffin succumbed to cancer Friday, November 18, 2011.

The schedule for the 55th consecutive year of racing at world renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has been modified, moving the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival, powered by Mazda from a previously announced July date to its new date of September 7-9, 2012.

Beginning Wednesday, November 2 at 8 a.m. PT MotoGP fans can get their hands on tickets to next year’s Red Bull United States Grand Prix, which is returning to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 27-29, 2012. This will be the eighth consecutive year on the Monterey Peninsula for the popular and action-packed race.

MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship with 18 Grand Prix race weekends on three continents bringing an elite list of riders from every corner of the globe atop the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers such as Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Ducati.

On Sunday, October 23, during the MotoGP race at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Italian rider Marco Simoncelli suffered a serious accident wherein he sustained critical injuries.

The race was stopped immediately with the red flag and Simoncelli was transported by ambulance to the circuit medical center where the medical staff worked to resuscitate him. Despite their efforts, Marco sadly succumbed to his injuries at 4:56 p.m. local time.

There are thousands of race car drivers around the world. But there are far fewer who can be called Porsche Legends. At this weekend’s Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV more than 50 legendary Porsche drivers who took this fabled marque to victories at the world’s most demanding race tracks will be on hand to celebrate Porsche racing history, October 14-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The man who inspired many of the Porsche race cars that will be on display at the upcoming Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will be joined by the man who has one of the most significant collections of those cars as Jerry Seinfeld has been named co-Grand-Marshal with retired Porsche Engineer Norbert Singer.

Seinfeld, who will bring a number of his most-prized cars to Rennsport, was honored to be named to share the Grand Marshal duties with Singer.

Porsche loyalists will flock to the Monterey Peninsula October 14-16 when Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosts Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV.

Complementing the hundreds of historic Porsche race cars competing or on special display in the open paddock, are a number of fan activities that will appeal to the young and young-at-heart. One of the highlights will be a chance to visit with more than 50 legendary Porsche drivers who will be attending and signing autographs each of the three days. It will be a rare opportunity to mingle and hear stories of their competitive days.

Some of the world’s best drivers, riders and teams will descend on the Monterey Peninsula, to test their skills, earn championship points or just enjoy the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in 2012. The 55th race season of the world-renowned facility will feature the American Le Mans Series, Ferrari Racing Days, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Red Bull United States Grand Prix and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

1. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, New York (US); Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire, UK; Jay Cochran, Palm Beach, Fla.; Lola B09 86/Mazda (LMP1), 1:13.927, 99.341
2. Steven Kane, Newtownards, Northern Ireland; Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Butch Leitzinger, Rebersburg, Pa.; Lola B09/86 Mazda (LMP1), 1:14.621, 98.417
3. Adrian Fernandez, Paradise Valley, Ariz.; Harold Primat, Switzerland, Stefan Mucke, Germany; AMR/Lola Coupe B09 60 Aston (LMP1), 1:14.827, 98.146
4. Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo, Monaco); Klaus Graf, Dornham, Germany; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (LMP1), 1:15

Motorcycle racing fans will again gather on the scenic Monterey Peninsula for the Red Bull United States Grand Prix, featuring Round 10 of the MotoGP World Championship, which returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 27-29, 2012.

MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with a 2012 season of 18 Grand Prix race weekends in 13 countries bringing together the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda and Ducati – plus an elite list of riders from every corner of the globe.

The American Le Mans Series returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey, Presented by Patrón, bringing with it plenty of entertaining and interactive fan activities. 

The American Le Mans Series features multiple classes of high-tech sports cars competing together in each race – a dynamic which offers constant passing and on-track battles throughout. The six hour endurance race on Saturday September 17 takes competitors from daylight, to dusk and into the darkness, pushing drivers’ and crews’ mental and physical abilities. 

We’re only days away before some of the world’s premier athlete drivers arrive into Monterey for the six hour endurance race – the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patron. As the season winds down, the race for overall top honors remains strong. This is Round eight of a nine race season.

Anticipation for the first-ever West coast appearance of Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV October 14-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is running high. Complementing the more than 350 of the rarest Porsche race cars competing on the track will be an unprecedented field of 800-plus Porsches staged in the traditional car corral area. The demand is so swift and the support from the Porsche Club of America so positive that an additional parking area with limited space is being designated as another Porsche car corral.

Yamaha Motor Racing Headquarters hosted a very special guest yesterday as three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey arrived at the team’s base in Gerno di Lesmo, near Milan. The legendary Grand Prix rider spent the day with employees of Yamaha Motor Racing, Yamaha Motor Italy and Yamaha Motor R&D Europe. Rainey officially opened the Wayne Rainey Boardroom at the facility before taking a tour of the site. He was joined by current riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, the three taking time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with the many gathered employees. 

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion has earned its stripes as the premier historic automobile racing event in the U.S., and motorsports enthusiasts from around the world have taken notice. They come not only by the tens of thousands to watch the sentimental past of car racing come roaring back to life, but also by the hundreds to personally strap into the driver’s seat and test the legendary turns and challenging elevation changes of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where the annual event is synchronized every third week in August with Monterey Peninsula’s Classic Car Week.

One of Rock and Roll’s most enthusiastic lead singers on stage is the rock band AC/DC’s Brian Johnson. His enthusiasm intensifies, however, when he puts on his driver’s suit and climbs into his 1965 Lola T-70 like he will do tomorrow at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, where 550 historic automobiles are competing in 17 groups that run the gamut from Pre-1940 Sports Racing and Touring Cars to 1981-1989 FIA Mfg. Championship & IMSA GTPs.

Monterey Classic Car Week rolled onto the Monterey Peninsula with a variety of events and racing, striking the proper chord for the upcoming week. Last Friday, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca teamed up with the Fisherman’s Wharf Association for the Monterey Motorsports Reunion Classic, presented by Jaguar. The free event included historic race and sports cars, live music and a raffle featuring prizes from the raceway and wharf businesses.

How do you narrow down a list to 550 cars from more than 800 applicants, each with historically-significant race cars? That’s an arduous task for anybody, but this year’s Governing Committee was up to the challenge and the results are in the paddock before your very eyes…and ears.

Monterey’s historic Fisherman’s Wharf will set the stage for the kick off of Classic Car Week with the Monterey Motorsports Reunion Classic, presented by Jaguar, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Fisherman’s Wharf Association.

For historic racing and classic car fans, there’s only one place to be in August, and that’s the Monterey Peninsula for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. There are 550 extraordinary historic race and sports cars entered that represent nearly every era of motorsports – doing what they were constructed to do, and that’s rev their engines in anger on a beautiful, yet challenging race track.

This weekend, the LCR team will “double up” its efforts at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. LCR’s Toni Elias will be joined by Michael Jordan Motorsports’ Ben Bostrom, who will compete in the MotoGP race as a wild card. Bostrom will also race, as usual, in the AMA Superbike class.

The Red Bull United States Grand Prix provides continuous entertainment – whether it’s on-track, on the stage or not-that-high overhead. Ratcheting the fun factor literally sky high is the Red Bull Air Force and wingsuit flying team at 12:35 on Sunday prior to the MotoGP race.

These daredevil performers are part of the international Red Bull tour and will definitely cause fans to look skyward where they will be performing over turns 6 and 8.

The iconic Maxda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in California prepares to welcome the MotoGP paddock this weekend for the first of the two U.S. rounds on the 2011 season.  The event will be a special one for Yamaha Factory Racing; the team will again wear the special red and white YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition livery as seen at the Assen TT where Ben Spies stormed to his first ever GP victory.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo pulled a dramatic last lap pass of Casey Stoner in Germany yesterday for second place, thereby reducing Stoner’s overall lead to just 15 points as they head into Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend. The stage is now set for an epic battle through The Corkscrew as the world’s attention turns toward the Red Bull United States Grand Prix featuring the MotoGP World Championship.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will be the world’s greatest gathering of Porsche race cars and the drivers that drove them to victory, held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca October 14-16, 2011.

The Porsche Club of America is honored to assist Porsche Cars North America in the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV with numerous activities: Enhancing the Rennsport Reunion Cup race, Michelin Tire Company comes on board as the spec tire manufacturer for that thrilling contest.

The Salinas Jaycees, Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers, and Monterey County Young Professionals Group once again host the greatest anticipated networking event of the year

 The 7th Annual Young Professionals Mega Mixer has been scheduled for June 23, 2011. The event will be held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway) from 5:30-8:00pm. Cost is $10.00 per person and includes a tri-tip dinner, raffle entry, and no-host cash bar. 

Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) and Porsche Race Car Classic (PRCC) jointly announced today that the organizations have coordinated their event activities to allow all Porsche enthusiasts to take full advantage of what will be an unprecedented celebration of Porsche’s rich motorsport history around the Monterey Peninsula over the third weekend in October.

Entry application forms to participate in Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV, which is anticipated to be the world’s greatest gathering of Porsche race cars and the drivers who drove them to victory, October 14-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, are now available online at www.MazdaRaceway.com.

An unprecedented gathering of Porsche historic and modern race cars from around the world, and many of the famous drivers who piloted them to victory, will descend on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for three days of racing, story-telling and camaraderie at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV on October 14-16, 2011.

Sponsored by Porsche Cars North America, the weekend will be punctuated by on-track racing, an open paddock for visitors to get up close to the cars and talk to their owners, and a variety of other activities that celebrate the legendary history of Porsche.

The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) has been operating for over 50 years and created what the racing circuit, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is today.

Before the first of the fabled Pebble Beach Road Races over 50 years ago, the Monterey Peninsula was not the destination for hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world that it is today. It was hardly known outside of California, other than by soldiers who got their Army basic training at nearby Fort Ord.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is sharing the love this Valentine’s Day and will be sending ticket purchasers very special M&M’s. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and M&M’s have teamed up to offer race fans special M&M’s with the track outline on the chocolate candy.

Ferrari Racing Days is returning to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 20-22, 2011, the raceway and Ferrari North America announced today. Headlining the three full days of racing are the Ferrari 458 Challenge and the series rarely brought to the U.S., the F1 Corse Clienti program.

The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is returning to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 8-9, 2011, the raceway and GRAND-AM announced today.

“It is great to see the return of the Rolex Sports Car Series to the West Coast and particularly to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the home of sports car racing,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “These drivers put on one of the best shows, the racing is great and the drivers are very approachable.”

Patrón Highcroft Racing’s remarkable back-to-back championship success in the American Le Mans Series has drawn praise from the Governor of Connecticut, M. Jodi Rell, key industry leaders, media experts, team partners and motorsport legends. Victory in the LMP2 class by David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti clinched the LMP title for Highcroft at Saturday’s Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta.

American junior formula car standout Connor De Phillippi ended his 2010 race season in perfect fashion on Friday (October 1), winning the Round 13
season-finale of the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear at Road Atlanta. With his first series victory, the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver from California secured the prestigious Rookie of the Year award via third place in the overall championship standings.

Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and Graves Motorsports would like to congratulate Josh Hayes on his first AMA American Superbike Championship. The Championship is also the first for Yamaha in America’s premier road racing class since 1991 when Floridian Thomas Stevens won the title aboard a Vance & Hines Yamaha-prepared FZR750RR OW01 works bike.

“I cannot thank Yamaha and my crew enough for giving me this shot at the Superbike Championship,” said Josh. “I am glad I was able to add my name to the record book and bring home the R1’s first AMA Superbike Championship”.

Aboard his Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R1, Josh Hayes claimed his first career AMA Superbike championship at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. on Sunday, Sept. 26. The championship is also the first for Yamaha in America’s premier road-racing class since Thomas Stevens took the crown in 1991. Meanwhile Team Graves YZF-R6 mounted Josh Herrin finished third in the AMA Daytona SportBike championship, while Austin Dehaven won the AMA SuperSport title on his R6.

Track officials today announced a multi-year agreement naming VP Racing Fuels the Official Fuel of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As part of the agreement, VP will be the exclusive supplier of race fuels on site at the track.

The MotoGP World Championship returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 22-24, 2011 with the rising stars of AMA Pro Racing Series for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. The 2011 race marks the seventh consecutive visit for MotoGP and AMA racing together at the historic Monterey circuit.

The 26-year-old American, who won the World Superbike Championship with Yamaha in 2009, is enjoying an impressive first season in MotoGP. He is currently the leading rookie and the top satellite rider, lying seventh in the championship.

As the final day of racing action concluded at the  Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, entrants representing 13 countries and competing in more than 600 historic cars gathered to celebrate their accomplishments at the Rolex Awards Ceremony at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Sunday afternoon’s awards ceremony was hosted by Mike Joy from SPEED and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s CEO/General Manager, Gill Campbell.

Moving into its first weekend day, the four-day Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion generated tens of thousands of spectators at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where 600 historic automobiles are racing just as they did “back in the day.” The action started this morning with the balance of 19 different competition groups completing their qualifying and segued into lunchtime parade laps, a picnic for the public with famed driver Dan Gurney, and a flyover by four Nanchang CJ-6A aircraft before the Star Spangled Banner signaled the official start of competition for today’s 10 scheduled groups, which

When it’s Classic Car Week in Monterey, automobile enthusiasts from around the world make California their destination. And while a plethora of swanky events-including Concours gatherings, rallies, auctions, and parties–vie for audience attention, it is only the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion that delivers the thrill of full-on racing, organizing 600 of the world’s most significant cars into 19 competition groups that recreate a timeline of historic automobile racing reaching back to the early 1900s.

Motorsports enthusiasts have been descending on the Monterey, California peninsula each August to enjoy the world’s finest pre- and post-war race cars competing as they were originally intended on the challenging road course. The Pre-Reunion is the first event during classic car week and the two-day race kicked off the week in style and at speed. 312 beautifully prepared vintage race cars in ten race groups took on the 2.238 mile, 11 turn circuit at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Pre-Reunion.

Saturday Wrap-up

Some of the most remarkable and historically-significant race cars ever associated with Dan Gurney will come together for the first time as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion honors one of the true legends of motorsports – Dan Gurney. The feature entitled: Dan Gurney, the Cars He Built, the Cars He Drove celebrates his impacting role in shaping motorsports history. The celebration will be held August 13-15 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  

Starting from pole for the fifth time in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to his rivals at the fearsome downhill turn one and was relegated to third first time around. For the first few laps there was little he could do except hang on behind Pedrosa and Stoner but on the sixth lap Stoner ran wide and Lorenzo stormed through to take second. By now Pedrosa was nearly a second clear but Lorenzo’s pace had begun to improve and he started to push as hard as he could and exert some pressure on his fellow Spaniard.

A sun-soaked Laguna Seca welcomed the MotoGP paddock to American soil today, where Jorge Lorenzo looked on good form to finish the opening session in second and his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi made a solid start for sixth position. The Fiat Yamaha M1s are running in a special livery here to celebrate the forthcoming launch of the Fiat 500 car in the United States, which features the faces of 500 fans on both bikes and the riders’ leathers.

Yamaha and GE Capital are proud to announce that they will be adding another event to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend as Yamaha MotoGP Riders Colin Edwards, Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha legends Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and Kenny Roberts will meet their fans for an up close question and answer session during a live music set on stage on Saturday July 24 at 6:00 p.m.