Last year, I loved camping at Laguna Seca so much that I vowed to do it every time I returned to the track for the Rolex Reunion, and I can successfully say that it was once again, absolutely worth it. This year, we had a bigger squad for camping, more steaks and hot dogs, more space within our domain (sites are first come first serve, and we secured a small kingdom), and... wasps... Thankfully they were only interested in our trash bags, laden with breakfast scraps and empty beer cans, but hopefully the fine people managing the track and the camping have some sort of plan to deal with that.
Our crew got to the track and set up our camp site just in time to be able to trek up to the corkscrew and catch our first session of the week, being the IMSA GTU/GTX class, with everyone's favorite flame-spitting white and pink Porsche 935K3, a surprisingly large quantity of Chevy Dekon Monza's, and one of my personal favorites, a Hakosuka GT-R all dressed up for racing.
More corkscrew action, this time with the newer IMSA cars. There were so many highlights for this class, legends like the Ferrari 458 GT3, BMW M3 GT3, and even a B5 Audi showed up to dance with the big dogs. This group is a joy to photograph, as so many of the cars I drove on Forza Motorsport 3 and 4 are present, going full send, leading to some truly epic moments.
To get ourselves more familiar with the cars running at the Reunion, a tour of the paddock was necessary and delightful. So many familiar faces, but so many new ones at the same time.
After the paddock vibe session, one of the biggest highlights of the entire week occured at Laguna Seca, and that was seeing the Bugatti Bolide move under its own power. It may have been only demo laps for customers, followed by a photoshoot on track in which the car was going a maximum of 40 miles an hour, but it was worth it to get photos of a beast that I absolutely never expected to see get driven. Coupled with a true original Bugatti Type 35, it was a really special thing to see and hear both cars on track. That concluded the first half-day of shooting or so, and the rodeo truly began on the next day.
The next morning was really special. After a hearty campsite breakfast it was time to trek over to the front straight, just about where turn 1 is, to catch photos of my favorite class from the entire Reunion, that being the Group C/GTP run group. The shocker from this class was the presence of a Jaguar XJR-8, piloted by none other than Zak Brown. The sound of that 7 liter V12 is an unforgettable thing, practically chopping at idle like an old V8 but cranking out one of the most visceral noises I have ever heard omitted from a race car, and when you combine that with the roar of a Corvette GTP, the scream of a handful of 4 rotor Mazdas, and the snorty turbocharged grunts of the Toyota Eagle MKiii and Porsche 962's, it is truly an incredible experience that puts you right back to the late 80's. This group is typically challenging to capture, as these high power-low weight cars are moving the fastest out of all cars present, and in spite of some pretty vicious early morning light, I was satisfied with what I got. Following this, we also got to see the USRRC cup group, full to the brim with late 60's-early 70's prototype racers and Can-Am monsters.
Next up, action on the other side of the track. After some freshly barbequed burgers and only a little bit of fighting the wasps who dare enter our territory, the IMSA GTU/GTX class came out swinging for their first race. I tend to photograph this group somewhat heavily in the years prior, so I decided to change up my pace and shoot some lower-speed panning shots, around 1/50th at a relatively high speed part of the track. This part of the track is lovely to shoot at, overlooking the cars running out of turn 9 as they sprint down to turn 10, you can look over the fence that separates track from campsites and watch epic racing. While the total yield of photos from this group was not super impressive in my eyes, I think the quality of the shots that I did manage to nail outweighs the potential dread of repeating the same shots I got from prior years.
Then, it was time for some more of the newer IMSA cars, with that wildly varied symphony of engine noises. This time, the vibes were ripe down at turn 11, which is one of my favorite spots to photograph at Laguna Seca. You can sit on the ground on the outside fence and shoot through the photo holes for the media folk, and it allows you to capture cars pretty much running right up to you, then slamming on the brakes to dive into T11 to then get onto the front straight and hammer the throttle. This was the final session I photographed for the day, and I was somewhat satisfied with what I got
After this, it was time for some good old fashioned car spotting in Pebble Beach and the surrounding area. A few Lambos here, a Vector parked on the street there, standard car week things. There was a Koenigsegg Jesko parked on Ocean Avenue that I failed to capture due to the sheer amount of people, but that's just typical Ocean Avenue during Car Week nowadays. Maybe the biggest highlight of this particular evening had to have been an instance in which our little photo gang was parking to go look at the stuff parked outside at the RM auction, then hearing some insane revving noises only to find a man with a bottle of champagne in his hand, rev-bombing the living snot out of the very last Lamborghini Diablo GTR ever built, in the parking that RM uses to store the high-profile cars before they move to attempt a sale. A very typical car week moment indeed.
The next morning was kicked off with the GTO trophy, which was a hell of a good group. It was my first and only time seeing this group run during the reunion, and fortunately the corkscrew area has many fantastic angles you can shoot from, leading to a variety of shots that was satisfying to me. This group was mainly full of thundering V8's from various Camaros and Mustangs, but occasionally interrupted by the hoarse screams of of an RX7, or the impactful, low pitch bellow of a 944 turbo. I was very satisfied with the photos I got here, given the short time this group was running and due to the fact that I got up to the corkscrew as they were already running.
Following this up with some large displacement SCCA icons was an awesome move by the group who puts on Rolex Reunion, as it feels like they blast you further into the past of American road racing to relive history in reverse. This group always brings great cars and even better racing, often leading to some awesome moments to photograph. Like this first photo, where this Corvette is drifting down the corkscrew, while 3 wheeling, in hot pursuit of a Cobra.
Up next, I watched a car almost crash. It was the IMSA GTU/GTX class, and I was taking my time trying to get some low-speed panning shots. It went pretty well, especially the shot I got of the green 911 RSR going into the dirt, which made my entire week. This spot sits above turn 11, where many campers typically park in their fancy reserved spots. This spot is awesome to watch and photograph from, as you can see the cars shoot out of turn 10, hammer the throttle for just a moment before heavy braking for turn 11. The wide open view of the track from this angle is an awesome sight that delivers a grounding feeling, as you can see pretty much the entire track, minus the corkscrew which is hidden behind the massive hill that leads up to it.
After a huge trek across the track, it was time to watch the GTP group from turn 5. While it was unfortunate to have my two favorite cars missing from the field, I still got some good shots. Turn 5 is an awesome spot to watch and photograph the racing from, you can sit on the ground and shoot through the fence and the photo holes, or you can sit across the road, under the trees by the reserved campers, to watch the epic uphill battles up to turn 6.
That was the final session we watched during the Reunion, a great cap on a great day of racing. With that, I took to the paddock to watch the controlled chaos of the teams packing up to get out of the Reunion. Turns out that in this situation you can run around like a chicken with no head and always run into some sort of notable vehicle, from the GMA T50.S to the endless amount of Porsches, to a BMW V12 LMR and even a Ruf Yellowbird. Sadly, this was the conclusion to a great time spent at the track with great people, a time that I will hold dearly in my heart as long as I can remember it, with many incredible new cars that I never thought I would see (looking at you, Sauber C11 [oh the things I would give to see this car driven in anger]).
After waking up and packing up the campsite, and maybe watching a little bit of Koenigsegg's private track day, it was time to get over to Pebble Beach for Sunday afternoon shenanigans. The mandatory mid-day stop at Bruno's deli for the famous Tri-tip sandwich and a cookie, coupled by watching the car week noobies losing their minds looking at 2 Zondas parked parallel outside of L'Auberge in Carmel was a great way to waste time while waiting for the Pebble show to wind down. A short drive from our hotel in Asilomar through 17 Mile Drive drops you right into a super hectic Pebble Beach where everyone is trying to leave at right around 4 o'clock. After eventually finding epic parking across the street from the Polo Fields (Thanks, Nathan), the leaping began.
A personal favorite from these shenanigans was the combination of a yellow F50 and silver F40 with competitzione bits on it. They pulled into the Polo fields and immediately left, only to be found by our little crew maybe about 10 minutes later, parked in the forest, nearly by themselves. I was extremely satisfied with the photos I was able to get from this whole evening, as the light was damn near perfection and the cool cars just kept rolling into the fields to be packed up, it was a near-endless stream of enjoyment.
And to conclude this insane couple of days, a mandatory stop at Old Fisherman's Grotto was in order for that superb Clam Chowder in the bread bowl.
To sum up, that was a hell of a week. Last year, Friday to Monday was a good time but I still felt there was more I could have seen, and this year was the attempt to find balance. While it was a phenomenal time, maybe another day could really round out what I feel like I'm missing from the short time up North (maybe the Pebble tour?). Regardless, it was a good time with great people, phenomenal cars, and hearing damage that I will carry with me forever. I fully expect myself to be back next year, groveling in the dirt with the boys, avoiding the wasps, hosing ourselves down in sunscreen, all while watching history fly by at full throttle at the one and only Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
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