Monterey Car Week kicks off with a revved up attendance
Jeanette Bent
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Classic cars revving their engines and on display in Monterey as Car Week officially kicked off Friday.
Thousands of people flocking to the Central Coast to see historic race cars on Alvarado Street ahead of the Rolex Monterey Motor Sports Reunion over the weekend.
One driver telling KION that they’ve participated in Car Week for over one decade.
“This car has been at both of these events every year for the last 15 years,” said the driver.
Not just classic cars out there Friday; people also got the chance to meet with drivers ahead of the Rolex Monterey Pre-reunion.
“There is no question in my mind my most favorite Car Week event is the reunion itself,” said another driver Chip Fudge. “I make it to Pebble Beach every now and then.”
Over 200 cars will be hoping to qualify for more racing on Sunday, and some drivers actually brought more than one vehicle to register, which gives them a better chance at qualifying for Sunday action.
“The reason I’m here is to be on the racetrack with my cars,” said Fudge. “I’m running three race cars this weekend for this event and I love it. I’m just heating up with it.”
Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca is the place to be this weekend, with both the Pre-reunion and Corkscrew Hill Climb happening over the weekend.
Professional racers looking forward to hitting that track.
“Starting Wednesday through Friday or Saturday, we have the marquees,” said President of Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca Mel Harder. “Formula One cars are going to be there; 75-year celebration of Formula One.”
Harder saying that Friday an Iroc car featured an international race of champions for the first time.
“For the first time, you’ll be able to see Nascar legends such as Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte all competing at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca,” he said.
With all the excitement, it can be easy to forget about the classic cars that will be on display over the coming week around the peninsula.
There is expected to be more car shows, auctions and events for thousands of visitors to enjoy.
In light of all the festivities, local public agencies are doing what they can to make sure both locals and tourists stay safe on the roads.
Officials reminding people to monitor traffic in event areas and to be patient if your drive is slow.
They are urging people to be fire-aware as fire danger is high.
And, they say, new this year are two options to stay informed on traffic trouble. People can check the traffic at online with the event’s daily tracker at MCCarWeek.com or by texting 65513 for safety alerts about Car Week.