Porsche Announces Rennsport Reunion IV to Be Held in October
World's Largest Gathering of Porsche Race Cars and Drivers Seeks New Frontiers, Makes First Ever West Coast Appearance

Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca today announced Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will take place at the famed California racetrack the weekend of October 14 – 16, 2011.

Sponsored by PCNA, Rennsport Reunion IV brings together an unprecedented gathering of significant Porsche vintage and current race cars, as well those who have driven them to victory in the world's most famous sports car races. The three-day program of on-track competition is complemented by a concours d'elegance, which is open to invited race participants, and special activities celebrating the decades-long history of the legendary 911 race cars.

After the highly successful staging of three venues in the East, held every three years, with the first one held in Lime Rock in 2001, Rennsport Reunion IV will now be moving west, tapping a vast array of car aficionados and Porsche enthusiasts.

"While the Rennsport name has become a staple fixture for international collectors and racers over the past ten years, choosing the Monterey Peninsula will open up this one-of-a-kind gathering to the many Porsche fans in California and beyond who were previously unable to attend," said Detlev von Platen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Cars North America. "Now they'll have the opportunity to see, feel and hear from up close hundreds of famous Porsche race cars and dozens of their drivers from past and present during a truly memorable weekend dedicated to Porsche's motorsport heritage."

Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will assemble the wide variety of Porsche's most historic racing models from the nimble 550 Spyder of the mid-Fifties through the mighty 917 and 956/962 of the Seventies and Eighties to the highly successful GT3 RSR of the last decade. Special tribute will be paid to the numerous racing versions of the Porsche 911 and their countless victories on the dawn of what will become another milestone of this iconic sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

"This will truly be a rare gathering of significant Porsche race cars on the West Coast," commented Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "Porsche has a long racing tradition in Monterey and we look forward to celebrating its heritage in a befitting manner for everyone to enjoy."

Complementing the Rennsport Reunion IV venue is the Porsche Race Car Classic, an exclusive concours held at nearby Quail Lodge in Carmel on Sunday, October 16. Steve Heinrichs, producer of the Porsche Race Car Classic, explained, "this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of vintage Porsche race cars solely from Porsche's break-out era of 1950-1965 will raise critical funding to directly support lung cancer research. We'll have Gmunds, Glocklers, 550s, 718s, 804s, 904s, 356s, Abarths and more - in numbers and provenance never before seen."

Additional details of the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will be published on Porsche's press web site (Porsche Cars North America Media Central), and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's web site (Welcome to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca), as they become available. Ticket information is available by contacting 800-327-7322 or online at Welcome to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

For more information on the Porsche Race Car Classic or to purchase tickets visit October 16, 2011 | Porsche Race Car Classic.

Porsche and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are working in association with the Porsche Race Car Classic to combine efforts to raise awareness for the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program.

SOURCE Porsche Cars North America

 

Putting in for vacation time now....

 

The 'Classic' will be a very special one-off gathering of significant Porsche race cars from 1950 to the 1960's, although the field is being expanded at the request of Porsche AG to same later vintage race cars. For example, they are hoping to see on the field perhaps up to 17 of the 20 Abarth Carreras ever built! They are also expecting notable race car drivers of the period to attend. Many of these famous factory drivers coming from Europe are getting up in years and probably will not be around much longer. And unlike Rennsport, which can be expected to ocurr every couple of years, the 'Classic' is a unique event that is not going to be repeated. It has been a monumental effort to put it on & get the entrants to bring their historic cars from all over the world for just this one-off event! And that exhaustive work is why perhaps it will be never duplicated in our lifetime!

Good friends of mine have been organizing this 'Classic' event for over three years & it has support at the highest levels at Porsche AG. The 'Classic' is the reason why Porsche decided to allow a Rennsport to be scheduled in that same week on the Monterey peninsula. It is quite a major coup since it's the first time this important Porsche AG sanctioned event will be held in the West Coast!

October 16, 2011 | Porsche Race Car Classic

The 'Classic' will done is the style of 'The Quail', if you are familiar with that event during the Historics. There will be unlimited food and drinks provided. Tickets are limited, but they are expecting to sell 3500 in total. The entry ticket will be expensive at $400@ but $350 of it is fully tax deductible. Organizers are working to raise $2M net and will divide that been the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. The driving force behind the even is Steve Heinrichs, who also put on the 2004 Speedster 50th Anniversary event at Quail which was a memorable & historic gathering. All the organizers are unpaid volunteers and no one is profiting personally from this charity event!

In general, I don't like the trend in high ticket prices for these events. For example, I decided not to attend 'The Quail' last August because of its $400 price and the fact that none of it is specifically dedicated to a charity or eligible as a tax deduction. I don't think 'Sir' Michael Kadoorie needs the money. So after attending all previous Quails since its inception, I decided go back to 'Concorso Italiano'. This year I will do 'Legends of the Autobahn'. But I am making an exception for the 'Classic'. Fully $350 of the ticket price is tax deductible. The organizer, a cancer survivor himself, decided that he would put the gargantuan effort to put this on if it the proceeds would go towards a worthy charity like lung cancer research! So I respect that and will support it!

Although some of the race cars scheduled for Sunday's 'Classic' might appear briefly for a 'Parade' type lap of Laguna on Friday or Saturday, my guess is that most will not bother with the logistics (or liability perhaps) of getting their valuable cars to & from the track. So if you want to see all of these cars displayed together in a beautiful grass field, you will have to come to the 'Classic' on Sunday and experience this unique 'Gathering'!

Hope to see some of you there! Saludos, z356 (Carmel)

 

Awesome!!

 

I'll take the white with red and blue stripes up front please

 

So who's going to this? Life for me may be a bit hectic around Sept/Oct, but regardless, I plan on making it out for both RR and the Classic.

Anyone purchasing the 3-day 'Flagroom' option? The Pit Row seats would be great, but I'm not that baller

CfromC, I know you're going. What are you doing?

 

The itinerary will be:

12 Oct - Fly to LA, meet w/Amir, pickup the Boxster, drive to Monterey.
13 Oct - Chill, meet Z356
14 Oct - Rennsport Reunion
15 Oct - Rennsport Reunion
16 Oct - Porsche Race Car Classic
17 Oct - Enjoy Monterey
18 Oct - Drive back to LA, drop off the Boxster, fly to DC (might do this on the 19th)

It should be fun. I've got tickets for both the Reunion and the Classic.

 

I will have a nice Carmel Valley Bernardus Chardonnay ready to share with you and your wife! z356