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VERY LONG POST - but mostly pictures - YER WARNED.
Head on down to my favorite place in the world (Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca) this past weekend for the inaugural "Spring Classic" featuring race cars from the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
Cars included cars from the Trans Am series (both big bore and under-2.5L class), Winston Cup stock cars, Formula cars from F1 and Formula B categories, even motorcycles doing exhibition laps.
Great time! Hope it DOES become an annual event. The Historics - now known as the "Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion" - in August every year is the most awesome historic race out here; but too many people show up at that event just to be seen, IMO. This event was a little more low key, more like what I would call "amateur Historics" but the quality of racing and cars was still stellar!
Droooooool.... and sounded as good as it looked! Woof!
Gee, where have I seen a car that looks similar to this one?
I loaned them the tires off my 33. Heh heh. I wish.
OK, if I had to pick a favorite of the weekend, it might be this one - which ran with the big bore Trans Am pony cars (Mustangs, Camaros). It not only ran right there with some of the mid-60's Mustangs but well ahead of many other cars that "should" be faster than an old Ford Falcon. (But, not so unusual as the very first Trans Am race ever run was won by a < wait for it > Dodge Dart!)
No, I wasn't there at that first race, young whippersnappers!
However, given my penchant for Nissan/Datsuns, this one vied for the honors of "favorite car of the weekend" as well.
Hakosuka!! First Skyline GT-R!!
As I was drooling, slobbering, and snapping pics of it, happened across a familiar face! ! "Hey, I know you" [ in my best Jeff Spicolli inflected attempt at surf speak ]
Rob Fuller, our local Z guru/savant, owner of Z Car Garage (San Jose, CA).
And part of the ZCG contingent of cars...
...C110 Skyline from the early '70s. Awesome!!
Rocket Bunny who?? Now THESE are fender flares!
As the U2.5 Trans-Am cars came in off the track from their morning session, had to snap a few of them returning to the paddock.
Specifically shot this one (and many other Alfas) for resident AlfaNut, dcains. Oh, and by the way, also done so for the historical significance.... An Alfa similar to this one won the inaugural Trans Am race back in 1966. (I'm trying to do my part in providing some educational content. )
Dimes (Datsun 510s), having been a mainstay and big time contenders in the U2.5 TA class, were well represented. Now, it didn't seem to me that most of them were genuine TA cars (many were flying class names like B-sedan, BSL, etc.) but it was simply awesome to see that many in one place outside of an SCCA event and given their history, hey, who cares?
All we needed to make the day even better would have been the #46 BRE car with Morton at the wheel.
A REAL Mini Cooper (not one of those BMW remakes...)
There were quite a few "big name" cars represented during the weekend (otherwise known as "Old race cars never die, they just get rebuilt to run at the Historics")
Sam Posey's TA Challenger - and for those who don't know him other than as the guy who does color commentary for NBC Sports covering F1 and Indy - Sam Posey was a standout in the TA series AND he raced for Bob Sharp Racing in Datsun Zs (among many other cars and series).
No comment necessary.
Not sure if this Bobby's old car or maybe Graham's during his days coming up to Indycar.
And not his slightly-more-famous father but with Villaneuve on the side panel, well, still racing royalty.
Turn 8/8A - the famous Corkscrew - is eerie when it's quiet.
Stock cars on the Corkscrew. These ponderous beasts DO sound awesome when they get back on the loud pedal here.
Two of the most remembered cars from F1 of the day... the UOP Shadows. These cars are so wickedly fast accelerating down the hill, they're scary to imagine driving one.
And finally, an exhibition lap of historic race bikes, one formerly belonging to Freddie Spencer.
Hope you enjoyed that and hope that maybe it brought back some memories for those of us who lived through those years and those cars....
05-22-2017, 12:22 PM
Inaugural "SPRING CLASSIC" Races at Mazda LSIR
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