Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff
The Rolex Monterey
Motorsports Reunion will celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most
recognizable road racing cars of the ‘60s – the Shelby GT350 Mustang – as the
2015 featured marque August 13-16, 2015 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The Shelby GT350 Mustang came onto the scene just one year after the Ford
Mustang debuted. Ford Motor Company, already having success with Carroll Shelby
in the Cobra program, enlisted Shelby to make the new Mustang competitive. And
together they did, winning three consecutive SCCA national championships in its
maiden years.
“The immediate success of the Shelby GT350 helped catapult the entire Mustang
program onto the worldwide stage through its pure performance and reliability,”
said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “We’re
thrilled to honor such an iconic American racing brand at the Rolex Monterey
Motorsports Reunion. We are also adding a special 1965-1972 Shelby GT350
Mustang race group to the schedule as a way to further highlight the marque.”
The Ford Motor Company is supporting the effort by designing a paddock display
to showcase the history of the marque, its racing successes, and the cars that
made it famous.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be able to share one of the most iconic
performance Mustang nameplates – the Shelby GT350 Mustang – with all of the
Shelby enthusiasts and race fans at next year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports
Reunion,” said Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president of Global Marketing,
Sales and Service. “The new GT350 is a true testament to its heritage and
builds on Carroll Shelby’s commitment to performance and racing, and we look
forward to celebrating the car’s 50th anniversary and marking it with
great racing next summer.”
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is one of the world’s premier historic
racing events and a centerpiece of the Monterey Classic Car Week. A total of
550 historically- and period-correct cars are accepted to compete in 15
different race groups. For many, it is a motorsports museum springing to life,
as authentic cars from as far back as the pre-war era rev up and tackle the
challenging circuit in gentlemanly races.
Tickets to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion go on sale December 3 and
include a variety of options, from single day tickets to multiple-day and
hospitality packages. For more information, visit MazdaRaceway.com or call
the ticket office at (800) 327-7322.
Stirling Moss’ Shelby GT350 Mustang
Photo: Bob Heathcote
