2018 Monterey Pre-Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

I have never attended the Pre-Reunion, an event that leads up to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion that takes place next weekend, August 23-26, 2018. I have attended the Reunion, and before that the Historics since 1990.

I'd heard that the Pre-Reunion was just like the Reunion without all the crowds. It is and that's good and sad. It's a good thing because it means if you don't like crowds, as I don't really, you get to walk around gape-mouthed looking at all the cars without bumping into someone every ten feet. It's sad because you all are missing some great historic cars and exciting racing (yes they actually race those old cars). And it's sad because WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca deserves crowds.

I never saw the Formula 5000 cars race in the flesh before and that's my loss. Imagine F1 style race cars with 5-liter, American push-rod V8s instead of high-falutin European engines. Dang they sounded sweet! Mostly small-block Chevys with a couple of Boss 302 Fords, and one destroked Dodge V8. 

Speaking of old, seeing the IMSA cars in a historic race car meet made feel old. I attended a few IMSA races including two at what was then just Laguna Seca Raceway. All of a sudden those cars are "historic".

I took about 100 photos. There was such a wide variety of historic race cars! The track said there were over 300 cars so I'd say I got a good cross-section. But not all my pics are of race cars; there were a few interesting street cars as well.

Your intrepid reporter/photographer in his undercover garb. Wide brimmed sun had, cheap sunglassees, SPF shirt, and SPF 50 sunblock slathered all over me. I'm set for some intense Monterey sunshine!

 A nice looking '67 Galaxie.





















A Canadian Special built by Leonard Fredrick Hugh Witton.

























I took this shot because I worked with a cousin of these two Dallenbachs, Elisa.







No this is not a GTO. It is a Tempest that was campaigned in the TransAm races. It ran a destroked 326.










I first saw one of these, a Puma from Brazil, when I lived in Canada. It is a finished fiberglass body on a VW chassis.








Ludwig Heimrath, a Canadian racing icon.

Apollo was an American made car (Oakland) built in the early '60s. Forty-two cars were built all with a Buick V8.

































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