Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Sports Car Digest tribute to Sir Stirling Moss is worth a look, and it includes many outstanding photos. Check it out here. -PMD
(WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)
The much-anticipated letters of acceptance into the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion have been issued. Owners of some of the world’s most historic race cars are gearing up to compete August 13-16 at Monterey County’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This year’s Rolex Reunion is comprised of 13 popular run groups spanning a century of motorsports history. Historic cars from the Trans-Am and Can-Am era will be present, as always. Chevrolet Camaros, Dodge Challengers, and Ford Mustangs will run in Trans-Am, while in Can-Am the McLarens, Shadows and Lolas will compete on the nine-turn 1.9-mile circuit. Also featured this year is the ever-popular IMSA GTO/GTP run group, including two All American Racers Toyota Eagle MkIII GTPs alongside Porsche, Jaguar, and Nissan GTPs. The Chevrolet vs Ford rivalry will continue in the 1963-1966 GT over 2500cc run group, which includes Corvettes, Mustangs and Cobras battling once more for manufacturer supremacy. A Monterey Car Week milestone takes place this year, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Road Races. To honor this anniversary and Laguna Seca’s beginnings, over 30 historic cars from the 1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT era have been selected. Fans watching will be able to imagine the sights and sounds that once filled the narrow roads winding through Del Monte forest. For those looking to enjoy more of Laguna Seca Recreation Area, premier campsites are still available. For complete advance pricing and availability for ticket packages, VIP hospitality, and preferred parking, please visit WeatherTechRaceway.com or call the Tickets and Accommodations Office at 831-242-8200.
(Trans Am Presented By Pirelli))
COVID-19 has put most Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli drivers, teams, fans and the industry on hold from the pursuit of competition. But longtime Trans Am sponsor 3-Dimensional Services Group is running flat-out, defining and coordinating its response to the U.S. government’s call for assistance to manufacture medical supplies for COVID-19 patients. Located near Detroit in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Urgent Plastic Services, a branch of 3-Dimensional Services Group, put its typical prototype and component assembly on hold to produce protective respirator housings for mobile respirator machines. The respirator housings made by Urgent Plastic Services will be sent to another company to assemble the new battery-operated respirator design that will be issued to urgent care and hospitals nationwide to aid in the treatment of coronavirus patients. The effort is led by Trans Am driver and team principal Doug Peterson, owner of 3-Dimensional Services. “I feel pretty special for Urgent Plastic Services to be chosen by our customer for this project,” said Peterson. “Our employees are sacrificing time and Easter with their families to make a difference in the coronavirus fight.” The Urgent Plastic Services employees are working ferocious hours to meet the first 100,000-piece order, manufacturing the housings in record time. “Literally everyone is on the shop floor working, from sales people to managers,” explained Peterson. “We started the project last week. We’ve split up crew into two 12-hour shifts, working around the clock to meet the national demand for the respirator machines. The initial order was for 100,000 covers. That type of project would typically take us five weeks to manufacture, but we are doing it in eight days. It’s a monumental effort and I am very proud of our people for stepping up to make this happen." Recently, Ugent Plastic Services was sought out to add an additional COVID-19 project to its workload. Starting this week, the Michigan-based plastics company will manufacture 50,000 tool-injected molded headbands per week. The plastic bands are made to fasten to protective shields that will be worn by first responders and medical staff nationwide. “This project is similar to racing,” Peterson continued. “We want to do it quickly and safely, and everyone wants to win. This is what we do, this is who we are.” For additional information on 3-Dimensional Services and Urgent Plastic Services, visit http://3dimensional.com/.