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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLaguna Seca under any name has always been a favorite track of mine. I\u2019ve been going there on an off and on again basis since 1984. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after covering the ALMS and Grand Am series from 1999 thru 2016 and being at so many different tracks, any trip to Laguna almost felt like going home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it was\nannounced the featured \u201cmake\u201d at the Monterey Historics was to be IMSA, I knew one\nway or another it was to be on my schedule. 50 years of IMSA sounded awesome. Well, it wasn\u2019t pretty, but I did manage to\ntake in the sights and sounds for a day at least\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, I opted to not apply for credentials \u2013 I didn\u2019t expect to be \u201cworking\u201d although eventually I did accomplish some work. That brought on sticker shock – $90 for a Friday only ticket. It was an additional $120 for Saturday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure there were packages available and such, but with prices like this, well yikes. Then on top of that you have the business principle of supply and demand shining thru in regards to hotel rooms. I saw a particular room I\u2019ve used for the IMSA races at $170 a night up to a staggering $499 per night for this event. As if the area isn\u2019t expensive enough. I\u2019ve heard of many that are much better off than I that are staying away simply because of the expense. This week isn\u2019t for the common folk anymore\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any trip to\nLaguna typically includes stops at In-n-Out Burger (a double-double will do\njust fine) as well as a stop at Canepa Motorsports. During the week of the historics, their restoration\nshop is open for viewing and as always, their showroom and museum are open for\nyour drooling pleasure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n This place is staggering. Again, not a place that I really belong in, especially now being retired, but a great place to see some unique and special cars. Thru the years that I\u2019ve been visiting I\u2019ve seen the inventory in both the showroom and museum change, but it seems that you can always count on the core being present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gulf 917? Check. Mass\/Ickx 962? Check. Audi R15 plus? Check\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n What was of most interest to me was the appearance of the John Paul Greenwood Corvette. This was the last of the line for Greenwood, but this Bob Riley car was the most extreme of a long line of extreme Corvettes. I\u2019d seen the car in the shop in 2016, stripped to the bare frame and to see it complete now was a sight to behold. What a fantastic beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, on to the main event the Monterey Historics. Before arriving I\u2019d stayed away from the entry lists on purpose \u2013 I simply wanted to be surprised. I guess the car I most wanted to see (and hear) again was a Panoz. Just one more time to see the beast in action. While it wasn\u2019t the coupe as I\u2019d witnessed at Laguna in \u201997 and 98, it was none other than the full on wacked out roadster I feel fortunate to have witnessed in 1999 and later. Mags and Brabs could always be counted on to give it their all in the beast. Even though it was typically an Audi show back then, the Panoz was still something to behold. Good times\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another highlight was Tommy Kendall\u2019s RX-7. If my feeble mind remembers correctly, this car was originally constructed by Jim Downing, raced by Jack Baldwin to two championships and served as Tommy\u2019s entrance into IMSA racing. All told, the car won 5 championships (Downing 1, Baldwin 2 and Kendall 2) in the IMSA GTU category. None other than Dan Binks was Tommy\u2019s crew chief back then and thru much of his career. It was also Dan that was responsible for getting the car back in running order. Tommy said, \u201cwe just wanted to get it running. Mechanically it is great \u2013 Dan did a great job with it. Cosmetically we didn\u2019t do much to it. It is as it last ran. We did vacuum up the cat fur out of the car though. My cat loved to sleep in the drivers seat when I was recuperating from my injuries. It was sort of my therapy buddy\u2026\u201d<\/em> Dan added that the car is \u201cquite slow when compared to today\u2019s racing, even to a current street car. We only got a bit over 300 hp in it. That\u2019s not much anymore.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though there is a featured make, there are also other stunning cars in the paddock. In this case it wasn\u2019t just IMSA. There are always an interesting assembly of F-1 cars, from back when the cars were unique and different. Even if the featured make isn\u2019t your thing, it is still worth the effort. Just make sure you\u2019ve the funds to make it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, what I was able to do didn\u2019t disappoint. Sure, I\u2019d have loved to have had more time at the track, but it just didn\u2019t work out this time. At least I got one day at the track. Poor Brian Mitchell \u2013 he and his lovely wife Linda made the trip, only for her to take a tumble on a pedestrian bridge. The result of the fall was a wickedly messed up leg with multiple breaks. He spent more time in the hospital with her than he was able to be at the track. She faces a long recovery time \u2013 sadly she had just retired from many years of teaching. Keep them in your thoughts\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gary Horrocks, August 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the many pleasures of running things at DDC is how old friends pop in and contribute. Gary Horrocks will be a familiar name to anyone who has followed IMSA since Doctor Don revived the show at the turn of the century. 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