Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Announces 2012 Schedule

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Announces 2012 Schedule

MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 30, 2011 – 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 55^th 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.

“Next season is going to be a special one for the fans and teams,” said Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager. “This facility is one of the only international race tracks to host such a diverse assemblage of race series, from prototype motorcycles and race cars to rarely-seen vintage race cars.”

2012 Race Season for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

May 11-12                   American Le Mans Series 
May 18-20                   Ferrari Racing Days
July 13-14                   GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series
July 27-29                   Red Bull United States Grand Prix featuring the MotoGP World Championship
August 17-19               Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón returns for its 14th season and is the premier sports car racing championship in the world. As the Global Leader in Green Racing, its technology intensive race cars showcase tomorrow’s automotive advancements as the Series encourages automotive manufacturers to test their latest technical innovations on the race track. Featuring multiple classes of high-tech sports cars competing together in each race, the American Le Mans Series provides a dynamic that offers constant passing and on-track battles throughout. The six-hour endurance race takes competitors from daylight, to dusk and into the darkness, pushing drivers’ and crews’ mental and physical abilities.  

Ferrari Racing Days return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with three full days of racing with the Ferrari 458 Challenge along with historic Formula 1 cars and Corse Clienti programs. The Ferrari Challenge series allows Ferrari owners the opportunity to compete wheel-to-wheel while providing Ferrari enthusiasts the chance to watch the Prancing Horse run in their natural environment – the race track.

The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is one of the most competitive professional road racing championships in North America. The series’ Daytona Prototype (DP) class has attracted the attention of superstar drivers and universally recognized teams. For 2012, Daytona Prototypes have been updated with new shapes and new proportions, paired with the great racing you have come to expect from these purebred race cars. While the DPs have redefined prototype racing in the U.S., the Rolex Series’ GT class has done the same for high-performance, production-based sports car racing. In 2012, the Rolex GT class will welcome the arrival of popular European makes, with GRAND-AM adding racing versions of the Ferrari 458 and the Audi R8 to its diverse lineup.

Boasting the largest spectator attendance of any race held in Monterey, the Red Bull United States Grand Prix, featuring the MotoGP World Championship, returns to the race schedule for its seventh consecutive year. MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with a season of 18 Grand Prix race weekends in 15 countries bringing together the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Ducati - along with an elite list of riders from every corner of the globe.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is a cornerstone of Monterey Peninsula’s Classic Car Week. The 2012 event’s featured marque is the iconic Shelby Cobra. Only around 550 vehicles will be accepted, based on the car’s authenticity and race provenance and period correctness. Nearly every decade of motorsports history will be represented in what is described as a museum springing to life.
 

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is operated by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula since its inception in 1957. A volunteer board of directors oversees operations and works tirelessly with the many community groups who also volunteer their time at the track.

“Without the unwavering support of all our volunteers and the county, our racing events would not exist on the Monterey Peninsula,” Campbell added. “The economic impact to the community is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and we are proud of our ongoing involvement with and commitment to our local residents and businesses.”   

For more information, to reserve camping, rent a hospitality suite or purchase tickets call 800-327-7322 or visitwww.MazdaRaceway.com.

2011 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Photos from 2011 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

It's difficult to choose where to be on Friday during the Monterey Classic Car Week. Various car shows vie for our attention, including the Quail Motorsports Gathering, Concorso Italiano and Legends of the Autobahn. Deciding where to spend our time on Saturday, however, is easy. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is the place to be, with the Monterey Motorsports Reunion hosting hundreds of vintage race cars at the famous 2.24 mile racetrack.

Jaguar was this year's featured marque, highlighting the 50th anniversary of the E-Type. We generally think of the famous Jag as a beautiful road car, but it was a fierce competitor on track as well. An entire race category was dedicated to the E-Type, which made for an incredible sight.

Of course, not all of the race groups were Jaguars, and some of our favorite regulars were back at the track for another year. We always enjoy seeing the Shelby Mustangs and Cobras battle it out with the Corvettes, the IMSA racers, and of course the ever-competitive Trans-Am cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. We only wish we could stay at the track all weekend to see every race.

One race we definitely didn't miss this year was the Ferrari group that included a Lusso, 275 GTC, a couple of SWBs...and four a half dozen or so GTOs. Incredibly, these cars were to be featured at Pebble on Sunday but spent a good hour or so on the track on Saturday, reminding those who got to see them exactly what they were built for in the first place. Another great year at Laguna Seca.