The inaugural Monterey Spring Classic vintage racecar weekend scheduled for May 19-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will feature 10 run groups for racers joining in the celebration of the raceway’s 60th anniversary.
Participants in the 1966-1972 Trans-Am and 1966-1972 Trans-Am 2.5 Liter groups, will once more return to the undulating dry lake circuit, having been fan favorites during past events.
The Trans-Am Series was created in 1966, during the dawn of the pony car era, by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) as a manufacturers championship for modern racing sedans. Classes were divided into “Under 2 Liter” and “Over 2 Liter” distinctions. Cars in the former class were allowed up to five liters of displacement, and fields in the late 1960s and early 1970s were filled with American V8 coupes from brands such as Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro (above, Jimmy Houston photo courtesy of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca), Plymouth Barracuda, Mercury Cougar, AMC Javelin, Pontiac Firebird and Dodge Challenger.
The “Under 2 Liter” category featured entries from Porsche, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Datsun, Mini Cooper, Saab and Volkswagen. The class was renamed the Two-Five Challenge in 1971 when allowable engine displacement was increased to 2.5 liters.
“The Spring Classic features vintage racecars from the golden eras of many series coming back to life on the track,” said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “We’ve had a great response from the entrants in the Trans-Am groups, which have been popular categories among the fans.”
Other Spring Classic run groups will be: 1967-1972 Formula B; 1973-1984 SCCA Production GT Cars; 1966-1974 Can-Am; 1973-1979 Formula Atlantic; 1983-2007 World Sports Car/Le Mans Prototypes; 1979-2006 Historic Stock Cars; and 1967-1984 Formula One, as well as Historic Motorcycle Exhibitions.
Entries for the event are still being taken on www.springclassic.org. For more information and ticket prices, please visit www.MazdaRaceway.com
