WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Pebble Beach Road Races at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

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 The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an event which features the rarest of race cars, and the 2021 edition will showcase five of the most extraordinary machines in American racing history.
 
The five cars that won the Feature Race/Del Monte Trophy at the 1950-1956 Pebble Beach Road Races will be displayed side by side on Aug. 14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
 
These champion cars from Pebble Beach will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the races by taking to the track for exhibition laps at 1:35 p.m. on Aug. 14. Included in the display will be:

  • The 1950 Jaguar XK-120 driven by 23-year-old Phil Hill – a future Formula 1 champion – which won the 1950 race at Pebble Beach. Hill took the inaugural race in the Jaguar, despite losing his clutch in a preliminary race and starting at the back of the pack.
  • The 1950 Allard J2 which carried Bill Pollack to victory lane in both 1951 and 1952. The car roared behind the power of a Cadillac V8 engine, and Pollack’s driving prowess allowed him to harness that power and capture back-to-back titles in the historic Pebble Beach races. His daughter Mellette will be in the car for the exhibition laps.
  • The 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Spyder that carried Phil Hill to his second Pebble Beach championship in 1953. Hill started in the seventh row, but the brand new Ferrari’s V12 engine wouldn’t be denied, as Hill won the race by 1 minute, 30 seconds. One week prior to the victory, the car was displayed at the New York International Motor Sport Show.
  • The 1954 Ferrari 340 MM Vignale Spyder which Sterling Edwards piloted to a win, earned with some good fortune, in 1954. Edwards started 14th, but the V12 helped him work his way to third before the two men in front of him suffered car failures, allowing Edwards – the man who had done so much to convince the Pebble Beach executives to create the races in 1950 – to seize the moment.
  • The 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Spyder which was tops in the 1955 race with Phil Hill behind the wheel, and once again the best in 1956 with Carroll Shelby at the helm. In 1955, Hill navigated the course in a driving rainstorm to capture his third title. In 1956, Shelby averaged 71 miles per hour during the race, passing Hill on Lap 29 to become the winner of the final major race at Pebble Beach.

In addition to these five historic race cars, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will also feature the 1949 Parkinson Jaguar and the 1950 Cannon Mk.1 Special which completed the top three at inaugural 1950 race at Pebble Beach.

Race Group 4A at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will see five of the early 1950s Specials raced by present day drivers, each one either the son or nephew of the car’s original builder/driver.

  • The 1950 Cannon Mk.1 Special will be driven by Rick Cannon, nephew of builder Ted Cannon.
  • The 1952 Streets Manning Special driven by Skip Streets, son of builder and racer John Streets.
  • The 1953 Tatum GMC Special driven by Blake Tatum, son of builder and racer Chuck Tatum.
  • The 1951 Baldwin Hanssen Special driven by Stu Hanssen, son of builder and racer William Hanssen.
  • The 1955 Cleary Crosley Special driven by builder and racer Michael Cleary.

Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to see all these historic cars up close. From individual day tickets to full VIP hospitality packages, there are myriad options available to experience the 2021 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Complete information may be found at WeatherTechRaceway.com or by calling the Tickets and Accommodations specialists at 831-242-8200.
 

 

(Courtesy of WeatherTech Raceway)

Adam Sinclair
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