Style Edit: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrates 50 years of racing excellence

A long-time champion of motorsports, Rolex celebrates 50 years of excellence at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. An event that’s been drawing enthusiastic crowds to the Monterey Peninsula in California every summer since 1974, the race continues to inspire a rising generation of fans and drivers alike.

First associated with the event in 2001 and later becoming title sponsor in 2010, Rolex, along with a number of its Testimonees, has witnessed the event’s growth as history gets made at the monumental race each year. The spirit of historic racing comes to life at the event as motorsports icons, along with hundreds of the finest vintage cars, get in on the action.

The race is held at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca each year, where racing legends, including all five of Rolex’s motorsport Testimonees, come together to test their own limits as well as to celebrate the powerful innovations that have driven the races to new heights. Among those who’ve made history at the event are Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time FIA Formula One champion.

Among the esteemed guests at Laguna Seca to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this summer, Stewart – whose 55-year relationship with Rolex predates the Reunion – remembers his first time at the race fondly. “I first drove at Laguna Seca in the 1960s and have a lot of happy memories there, and today, it remains one of the world’s most remarkable racetracks. Since my retirement I have visited the Reunion on many occasions, and it is an honour to witness the incredible racing cars compete as they were built to – they truly tell the story of our sport’s evolution.”

The legendary racer admires both Rolex and the Reunion for how they exemplify the best in their respective realms. “The highest standards of precision and engineering on show throughout the four-day event link Rolex and the Reunion, underlining Rolex’s commitment to motorsport globally,” he said.

Other Rolex icons who’ve made their mark at the race include runner-up overall at the 1998 FIA GT Championship Mark Webber, nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, 2009 FIA Formula One world champion Jenson Button and female racing driver Jamie Chadwick.

Established initially as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in 1974, the Reunion – as fans and the industry affectionately call the event – celebrates the exceptional racers and machines that have shaped the motorsport world. Just as Rolex is a long-standing supporter of classic cars, the race, renamed The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in 2010, puts the prowess of historic automobiles on full display.

Rolex Testimonee and Formula One world champion Button continues to be inspired and excited by the race, where vintage machines are pitted against each other on one of the most exciting tracks in motorsports.

“The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion showcases some of the best racing and rarest cars in the world, creating an atmosphere of excitement,” Button says. “Driving at Laguna Seca, even in a machine from the 1950s, is a thrilling experience.”