2021 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion: a Surprise Metamorphosis
Article and photos by Ben Kuhl
From August 12th-15th, 2021, hillsides surrounding the picturesque WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, were filled with the symphonies of internal combustion engines and spectators, eager to take in the visual and auditory pleasures offered on this scenic stage.
As is tradition in Weathertech Laguna Seca’s spectacular annual racing event for historic cars, a featured marque is selected for the event and given significant focus throughout the festivities with on-track racing and in-paddock activities galore. This year, the venerable Trans Am class celebrated Ford, honoring this illustrious brand’s 55th Anniversary of waging the manufacturers’ title fight against a bretheran of classic American makes such as Chevrolet, Dodge, Plymouth and AMC. For 2021, the featured Trans Am throwback race would give spectators the chance to see a massive field of forty-five competitors racing fender-to-fender in a thrashing homage to the glory days of 1970. Equally impactful was a significant section of the racing paddock that allowed spectators to get up close and personal with true Trans-Am titans. There was even a meet and greet with legendary wheel-man Parnelli Jones, who was serendipitously celebrating his birthday that very same weekend.
Surprisingly, even with the event making headlines for allowing spectators back to the track in the midst of a continuing pandemic, this was not the biggest question mark surrounding the 2021 running of the 2022 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The elephant in visitors’ minds stemmed from the initially-mysterious arrival and coming to prominence of new track operator John V. Narigi of A&D Narigi LLC.
In late November of 2019, A&D Narigi LLC was awarded winner of a three-way bid to takeover operating and management rights of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A&D Narigi LLC controversially won the bid over the veteran SCRAMP organization, which had overseen track operations since Laguna Seca Raceway’s debut in 1957. In 2019, an enticing alternate proposal had been set forth by Long Beach Grand Prix co-founder Chris Pook, who would have brought decades of personal racing experience as well as a management plan involving multiple other specialists with intimate knowledge of how to operate a racetrack and stage race events. It would be an understatement to say that competitive bidding parties and their supporters were shocked that track management duties were awarded very suddenly to a firm with no prior experience in running a racetrack.
So, how did the first open-to-the-public Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion fare under its newly contracted stewardship? In a little-contested word, it was fantastic! Having personally attended the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion as a spectator/participant in 2018 and now journalist in 2022, it was uplifting to experience fresh new features blended with treasured elements of old. The dynamics of new aspects combined with both experimental and tried-and-true methodologies presented a supple sense of stability and an optimism that had been on the wane when A&D Narigi assumed the helm.
Bolstering Narigi’s efforts was a pivotal new arrival, the impressively professional and experienced Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) named as the new sanctioning body for the Rolex Motorsports Reunion and Pre-Reunion events for 2021 and the foreseeable future. The HSR organization adds Laguna Seca to its historic race event resume which also includes premiere multi-decade events at Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Raceway, Virginia International Raceway and Road Atlanta, to name a few. And now, after gaining a new sense of potential for how successful events at Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway can be, the knowledge and resources brought forth by HSR will continue to improve this USA west coast event, assuring its world class stature.
That said, with A&D Narigi LLC and HSR now presenting and operating the event, what was different? Among other things — brand new to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion for 2021 was the Masters of Endurance Legends. This class of nearly 30 entries allowed for modern era sports racing cars to compete, including such makes as Riley, Coyote (Corvette), Porsche Daytona Prototypes and more, all of which battled it out with George Krass and his 1999 Panoz LMP 6000, Travis Engen in his 2005 Audi R8 LMP1 3600 and Art Herbert/Andrew Wait sharing a rare and unique 1999 Picchio MB1 3000. These Endurance supersportscars of not-so-yesteryear enjoyed an extended event involving a mandatory pit stop for all and even a driver swap for some. This was truly a compelling run group that added a totally new category of extraordinary racecars to an already action-packed weekend.
Another new addition to this year’s Rolex Weathertech Laguna Seca event were the IndyCar legends. While not a formally listed run group, this “demonstration” field ran as hard and fast as the rest, with notable cars from collector/driver Tom Malloy, Bobby Rahal (with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum) and a host of other drivers and owners who share an undying devotion to motorsport in all its eras. These cars put on a lunchtime show on Saturday and Sunday, bringing eager spectators into close contact with Indy racing legends, both drivers and cars. On display were timeless classics from classic Indy Car eras, including but not limited to a 1964 Watson Roadster, 1968 Eagle Mk IV and 1978 McLaren M-24, powered with engines that sampled differing decades of Indy racing, such as the venerable Offenhauser, Ford DFV and awesome Cosworth DFX.
Yet another featured new aspect to this year’s event was the addition of atmospheric track amenities, such as history installations and multimedia waypoints. From the beginning, the “Monterey Historics” have always offered such attributes, but special effort was given to both of these types of attractions in 2021, and it showed. More is promised for the future, through the dedicated prioritization of the Monterey Board of Supervisors and premiere boosters such as the Laguna Seca Foundation which is supported by RACER Magazine and other dedicated motorsports luminaries.
New sponsors and vendors were notable and excited to be involved with the event. Upgraded barriers, fencing and spectator viewing areas have been added to help the track accommodate its recent welcoming of modern IndyCar. And while digital streaming options have existed previously in one way or another, this year’s event was covered live and with commentary by the likes of Racer media, HSR Facebook and Goodwood.com from England. Having multiple track locations live streamed for the event brought a premium feel and increased the visibility of the event to spectators around the globe.
Central to what stayed the same as the traditionally-operated SCRAMP Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Monterey Historics events of the past was the exceedingly passionate crowd of vintage motorsports enthusiasts. They were greeted with the classic racecars so familiar to this magnificent event through the years, accompanied by the dedicated corner workers and volunteers who worked the track and pit lane, providing so much time and effort to making drivers’ and spectators’ experiences safe and enjoyable — all while keeping the show running like clockwork. The campgrounds were packed with everything from elegant RVs to humble tent campers (myself and brother included). And as always, the access given to the spectators was second to none with enthusiasts of all kinds being given the opportunity to see cars in action on track and again back in the paddock. Even the Military Veterans of the Monterey Peninsula golf cart shuttle service was in force, bringing spectators right to the action, and always with a smile.
While the SCRAMP-to-A&D Narigi/HSR transition was initially taking place, there were many concerns regarding the integrity of this iconic event and the track overall, but now that we have an open-to-spectators event in the books under the new track management, we can see that the change has delivered a net benefit to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Not to mention, of course, that it’s always hard to go wrong with a Trans Am featured extravaganza, which never fails to draw a crowd eager for the sights and sounds of American Muscle. The added co-features of semi-vintage world class sports racing cars and the lunchtime delight of historic Indy Cars at speed on the track elevated the already impressive spectacle to a level of super-stoke.
As vintage racing devotees we can breathe with ease, knowing that the initial trepidations of a new era in management for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway has liftoff. To A&D Narigi and to HSR, bloody well done indeed!
