ZOOM! ZOOM!

2014-08-17 08.55.43

The Maserati Alfieri Concept car in the early morning fog

A great time at the 2014 Rolex Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. Drove down from the Bay Area at the crack of dawn to get a good parking space. I was delayed by a big spill of tomatoes on the freeway but because the track was fogged in still arrived in time for the first race run. Found a very wet seat in my favorite stands by Turn 4. By 10 am the seats and the track had dried out. Enjoyed taking a little Track Taxi (run by Veterans to raise funds for Wounded Vets) up to top of the track where you can see a view of the entire track off one side of the hill and see the race cars zoom through the corkscrew turn on the other. The Mark this year was Maserati and it was great to see both the classic versions and this stunning new Alfieri Concept.

2014-08-17 10.32.08

After the race maintenance

Under heavy fog Group 3B Can-Am comes out to play including Craig Bennett in his 1974 Shadow DN4 (scroll down through the photos on this Sports Car Digest article). On the left is a photo I took after the race with the chassis exposed for some repair work. I’d also seen this car up at Sonoma last spring. Great to watch it pull away from the rest of field here at Laguna Seca.

So much fun watching classic race cars zoom through the corkscrew at the top of the hill on a pace lap.

2014-08-17 12.41.01

 

 

My friends weren’t able to make it, but never fear, I met a really great guy. Big and fluffy! And hel’ll never give me any back talk!

 

2014-08-17 10.29.08

Look this one up to see the sponsor!!

2014-08-17 10.52.35

My favorite gull-wing classic

2014-08-17 10.34.30

Read all about this Alfa in the photo below

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2014-08-17 14.58.42

Beef brisket enchiladas. The best in Mex California cuisine

2014-08-17 15.27.44I hit the road in the early afternoon in order to stop at my favorite restaurant in Willow Glen.

 

 

But look what I missed by leaving early!  Right in front of the stands where I had been sitting. A wheel flying into the stands.

 

 

Who knows what genius lurks in the hearts of men?

2014-05-17 11.50.16The Shadow does! Only this is a tale of three men whose love for racing and inventive minds created a classic car…the Shadow. The three men, Don Nichols the company founder, George Follmer, the first driver, and Trevor Harris, the designer of the first two version shared their story at the Sonoma Historic Motorsport Festival today.

2014-05-17 11.49.42They told a fascinating story of persistence and inventiveness, of getting the extremely small tires made by Firestone, the cramped quarters for the driver, problems with cooling resolved in part by placing radiators on the rear wing, their race successes and failures, and various versions of how the car got its name. A shadow, of course, is only two dimensional and black. And this car had such a low profile that it was almost like a shadow. Two current owners, racing their models in the days classic races, were also present. A wonderful opportunity to hear the history of a unique car from the men who designed and drove it.

2014-05-17 12.06.14Hundreds of classic race cars take part in the event every year. I had great fun following this Morgan after I encountered it on the freeway on its way to the event. It took part in the Morgan Car Club parade run during the lunch hour. I had no doubt where he was headed.

 

2014-05-17 09.57.002014-05-17 10.18.28

 

 

And, of course, I saw quite a few other favorites like this Alfa.

 

 

In contrast, the San Francisco McClaren dealership also had their latest model on display. I think I prefer the classic cars!