With a dramatic swoop of the cloth shielding the painting from view, the official poster art of the 2012 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion was unveiled today at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager Gill Campbell and the race track’s official artist, Bill Patterson, were on hand for the reveal which took place in front a crowd of race enthusiasts and motorsports journalists.
Shelby Cobra is this year’s featured marque and is a name that evokes images of muscle, brute power and American ingenuity. This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 17-19 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, is expected to be the largest 50th anniversary celebration of the esteemed marque.
“The Cobra represents more than a car. It represents an era, the best of American can-do ingenuity and bench top engineering. It’s the perfect marriage of brawn and brains and an unapologetic demand to win,” said Bill Patterson. “It launched a copy cat war that continues unabated 50 years on, and inspires a generation of enthusiasts and artists, including this one.”
This year’s poster captures the Shelby Cobra as it crests The Corkscrew, the signature turn of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and site of many breathtaking racing moments. The artwork will be featured on the souvenir magazine and limited-edition posters that will be sold exclusively through the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca souvenir store.
A highlight of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which will include 550 of the finest authentic, period-correct, sports cars in the world in 17 race groups, is bound to be the dedicated race of 45 authentic Shelby 289 and 427 Cobras. Their thunderous engines will surely turn heads as the green flag waves and they power past the start line.
In addition to the bustling race paddock filled with pre- and post-war cars, visitors can stroll among hundreds of classics in the Yamaha Marketplace and adjacent car corrals. While Shelby Cobras will be taking center stage in the race paddock and car corral (they are, after all, the most replicated cars of all time), there will be car corrals for nearly every marque, including Mustang, Alfa Romeo, Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda, Pantera and many more.
Advance purchase general admission tickets start at $50 with a three day pass for $130. Children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Hospitality options start at $200 per person. Free parking is available and VIP parking can be purchased for $75.