Final seven groups take the track for Sunday’s afternoon competitions; Prize giving ceremony brings participants together for closing tribute

MONTEREY, Calif. – Beautiful weather and spirited competition continued during a busy final day at the 34th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races presented by Toyota. Seven groups of vehicles, ranging in models from the late 1940s to the early 1980s raced 10 laps each during the afternoon after a series of warm-up laps in the morning.

The day also featured a number of parade laps in the afternoon, including Toyota 2000 GTs and the “Legends of Motorsports,” where the legendary drivers took the track one last time, this time in Toyota Tundra trucks. Other Toyota demo laps ran throughout the afternoon.

In the afternoon races, group 1B winner was Don Crawford of Portland driving a 1955 Lotus Mk IX, edging out Jeff Abramson of Alamo, Calif., driving a 1954 Ferrari 500MD. In group 2B, Bernard Juchli of Burbank, Calif. won the checkered flag in a 1955 Hagemann-Jaguar Spl. Jimmy Domingos of Carmel, Calif. won the group 3B race driving a 1962 Cooper T59 F-Jr. over Reg Howell from Carona Del Mar, Calif. in his Brabham BT-6 F-Jr. Group 4B was won by Tony Garmey from Gig Harbor, Wash. driving a 1957 Corvette. Chris MacAllister of Indianapolis, driving a 1971 McLaren M8F, took the group 5B race ahead of Steve Cook of Santa Clara, Calif. in his 1968 McLaren M6B.

After a series of demonstration laps, the races continued, but not for long, as three vehicles were taken out early in the group 6B race, resulting in a caution yellow flag. Track communication issues then resulted in a red flag, halting the race for moments. Once racing continued, John Harden from Oklahoma City won in a 1963 Huffaker Genie. The final race of the weekend, 1972-1981 historic IMSA GT cars, was won by Chad Raynal from San Jose, Calif. in a 1975 Dekon Monza.

To officially conclude the weekend’s events, the annual awards ceremony was held at the Red Bull Center, which overlooks the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca grounds. All race winners and entrants were recognized and continued the humorous tradition of trading hats while receiving ceremonial prizes. Steven Earle of General Racing, the official race organizer, emceed the ceremony and thanked all involved with the weekend’s events.

“We’re so grateful to all the people that help make this event happen, from the entrants and drivers, to all those fine folks behind the scenes,” said Earle, founder and president of General Racing. “This is such a joy to be part of an event that people love so much, and you can bet we’re going to continue racing these cars year after year.”

The Monterey Cup, the top overall award of the weekend, was given to Phil Reilly for his 1960 Kurtis-Epperly.

The Rolex Awards, which recognize outstanding performance and presence in each group, were presented to:

1A: Conrad Stevensen, 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C2
2A: David Morris, 1934 ERA
3A: John Kerby-Miller, 1958 Porsche 356A
4A: Jim Lawrence, 1958 Lotus 15
5A: Chris Cox, 1958 Ferrari 412 MI
6A: Terry Gough, 1965 Corvette
7A: Chris MacAllister, 1972 Mirage M6
1B: Jeff Abramson, 1954 Ferrari 500 MD
2B: Ivan Zaremba, 1951 Hudson Hornet
3B: Patrick Moran, 1962 Lotus 22 F-JR
4B: Ned Spieker, 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB
5B: Steve Cook, 1968 McLaren M6B
6B: Tom Claridge, 1961 Lotus 19
7B: Ranson Webster, 1976 Porsche 935
Indy Roadster: Larry Pfitzenmaier, 1959 Watson “Simoniz Special”

The Road & Track Magazine Award honored a vehicle that the editors would most like to drive. This award went to Ernie Prisbe for his 1971 Ferrari 312 PB.

Ford Motor Company’s Tom Center Award, honoring the most significant Ford at the historic races, went to Dr. John Miller and driver Chuck Day for their 1957 Thunderbird.

The Automobile Magazine Award, recognizing the spirit of vintage racing, was won by Stan and Miki Anderes and their 1956 Lotus 11 LM.

Pre and post-war vehicles were honored for the Historic Award, and this year’s winners were Brian Mullin’s 1938 Talbot Lago 26 SS and Chris MacAllister’s 1971 McClaren M8F.

Alan Moss’ 1948 MG TC was also awarded as a vehicle with great presentation.

Speed TV will televise the Rolex Monterey Historic Races on September 30th at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Upcoming General Racing Event: Rolex Vintage Festival at Lime Rock Park

Located in the beautiful country setting of Lime Rock, CT, the Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW is one of the largest vintage automobile celebrations on the East Coast, showcasing a diverse field of race cars over Labor Day weekend. The vehicle entrants will span eight decades, from timeless pre-war classics to the roar of historic Trans-Am machines and exotic prototypes from the 1980s.

Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races
Organized by General Racing, Ltd., the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is an “automotive museum brought to life,” and the largest event, with over 40,000 visitors, of the renowned classic car weekend in Monterey, Calif. With a broad appeal, it attracts a diverse group of visitors and participants – including children, families, collectors, sports enthusiasts and automotive history buffs. The 34th Rolex Monterey Historic Presented by Toyota will be held August 17-19, 2007 at the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

General Racing
General Racing stages events across the United States to celebrate classic, historic, and vintage racing cars, where they can be shown and driven as intended. General Racing encourages the restoration of the cars as they once were and helps to preserve and promote and the history of motorsports through these events.
General Racing’s premier event, the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, is located at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. This event, now in its 34th year, has become one of the worlds greatest vintage race weekends. Other General Racing events are located at Lime Rock Park CT, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma CA, and NAS North Island, Coronado CA. Additional information is available at www.generalracing.com.