Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2026 at Laguna Seca: A Porsche Enthusiast's Guide

If you only spend one day of Monterey Car Week 2026 trackside, this is the one to plan around. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca runs August 12–15, 2026, with a Pre-Reunion and Corkscrew Hillclimb on the preceding weekend (August 8–9). Thirteen race groups across the four days, vintage cars driven the way they were built to be driven, and two race groups in particular that any Porsche enthusiast should put on the calendar.

Dates and what each day is

The 2026 schedule, per the official WeatherTech Raceway page:

• Saturday–Sunday, Aug 8–9 — Pre-Reunion & Corkscrew Hillclimb. Cheaper, lighter crowds, same cars warming up before the main event. If you can build a long weekend, the Pre-Reunion is the insider's pick.
• Wednesday, Aug 12 — Reunion practice. Lower ticket pricing, full paddock access, almost no crowds. The paddock-walk day.
• Thursday, Aug 13 — Qualifying and continued practice. Cars in racing trim, drivers settling in. Still relatively quiet.
• Friday, Aug 14 — Qualifying races. The weekend ramps. Note: this is the same day as The Quail and Werks Reunion — you can split a day if you plan tightly.
• Saturday, Aug 15 — Main event race day. Full race grids, packed paddock, and the headline run-off of the weekend. This is the day to come if you can only come once.

The Porsche-relevant race groups in 2026

The 2026 Reunion's featured theme is "Salute to Japanese Motorsports" — Mazda, Toyota, Yamaha, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Mitsubishi. Porsche isn't the featured marque this year (that was 2023, the 75th anniversary), but two of the thirteen race groups carry deep Porsche heritage and historically draw the marque's most significant cars to the grid.

Peter Gregg Trophy (1973–1981 IMSA GT / GTX / AAGT / GTU / FIA)

Named for the Brumos Porsche driver who defined American IMSA racing in the 1970s. Expect 911 RSRs, 934s, and 935s from the era when Porsche dominated the IMSA GT championship. This is one of the most visually arresting groups on the program — the wide-body Turbos and slope-nose 935s of that period are unmistakable on Laguna Seca's flowing layout. Cars often have direct provenance back to factory-supported teams.

Hurley Haywood GTP / Group C Run Group (45th anniversary)

Per the official announcement, the Reunion is dedicating a run group to the 45th anniversary of the IMSA GTP class. For Porsche this means the 956 and 962 — the car that won Daytona five times, Le Mans seven times, and defined prototype racing for a decade. Hurley Haywood is quoted in the announcement; his works wins came in 936, 956, and 962 machinery, including the Daytona 24 in 1991 in a 962C and his Le Mans wins. For a casual fan this is the group to watch laps of even if you don't know cars by spec.

The other 11 groups

Eleven additional groups cover Trans-Am, Can-Am, F1 historics, sports racers, GT cars from various eras. Porsche entries appear throughout — RS 60/61 spyders, early 911s in GT classes, post-1981 Group 4/5 cars in subsequent groups, occasional Carrera GT-derived prototype variants. The full group breakdown is on the Reunion's official page.

Tickets and paddock access

Ticketing flows through AXS for the main event and NIGHTOUT for the Pre-Reunion. The paddock-pass upgrade is the difference between an ordinary spectator day and an extraordinary one — for vintage racing especially, the paddock IS the experience. Crews unsheet cars between sessions, owners are accessible, and you can stand next to a 962 while it's being warmed for the next session.

Buy paddock-access tickets. The price differential is small relative to the experience differential.

Getting there and parking

Laguna Seca is in Salinas, about 25 minutes from downtown Monterey on a normal day. Friday and Saturday of Car Week, budget 60–90 minutes from Carmel for the morning commute. On-site parking is paid and fills up; arrive by 8:30 am on Saturday for any chance of a reasonable spot. Earlier is better.

If you're staying in Salinas, Marina, or Watsonville (see our lodging guide), Laguna Seca is actually closer than the Pebble Beach venues — a hidden upside to staying off-Peninsula during Car Week.

The day-of survival kit

• Sun protection. Laguna Seca has limited shade. Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses. Spectator hill above the Corkscrew is exposed all day.
• Hearing protection. Vintage racing means unmuffled motors. 1970s Trans-Am Camaros and Group C prototypes are loud in a way modern racing isn't.
• Cash. Some concessions still take cash only.
• Camera. The Corkscrew is one of the most photographed corners in racing for a reason. Tripod-free — most spectator areas don't allow them.
• Layers. Monterey marine layer can leave the paddock cold and damp until mid-morning, then bake by 2 pm.

Splitting Friday — making the Three-Event Friday work

Friday August 14 is the most ambitious day of the week: Reunion qualifying, The Quail, and Werks Reunion all happen the same day. A workable split if you have a fast car and local knowledge:

• 7:00–10:00 am — Werks Reunion at Monterey Pines (registration window 7–9 am, casual hours after).
• 10:30 am–2:00 pm — The Quail at Quail Lodge in Carmel. Quail closes at 4 pm; arrive by 11 to see it before peak crowd.
• 2:30–6:00 pm — Drive to Laguna Seca. Catch afternoon qualifying sessions and stay for the paddock as crews button up.

It's a lot. Most enthusiasts do two of the three and return Saturday for the Reunion race day. If you must pick one Friday event, The Quail is the most time-sensitive (limited tickets) and Reunion qualifying repeats Saturday.

What sets the Reunion apart from regular Laguna Seca dates

WeatherTech Raceway runs club days, IMSA weekends, and HPDE events throughout the year. The Reunion is different in three specific ways:

• The cars are historic — pre-1981 in many groups — and many are factory-team alumni with documented race history. You won't see this depth of vintage racing in person anywhere else in the US.
• The paddock is genuinely open. Owners want to talk about their cars. Crews don't rope you off.
• The on-track product matches the paddock product. These cars are driven hard, not parade laps. Spins, occasional contact, real competition.

Plan the rest of your week from here

The Reunion anchors the racing side of Car Week. For the rest of the program, see our other guides:

• The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering (Friday) — high-end concours-style gathering, Porsche is a 2026 Sapphire sponsor
• PCA Werks Reunion Monterey (Friday) — the all-Porsche gathering at Monterey Pines
• Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (Sunday) — the 75th edition, lawn opens 5:30 am
• Where to stay — on-Peninsula vs. Salinas vs. further afield
• The full Monterey Car Week Porsche guide — week-at-a-glance overview

Live event listings for Monterey Car Week 2026

Beyond the four headline events, dozens of smaller gatherings, dealer events, and dinners fill the week. The pcarfolk Monterey Car Week 2026 directory aggregates every Porsche-relevant event we've confirmed, updated as new ones are scraped or submitted.

For the trip itself

If you're flying in with Porsche gear for the week — or thinking ahead to a road trip that ends at Laguna Seca — our sister brand 1of1 Touring builds a hand-crafted leather touring bag for exactly this kind of trip. Limited to 100 units worldwide. And the broader 1of1 Motorsport catalog (hats, hoodies, accessories) covers the rest of the Car-Week wardrobe.

Date verification: Aug 12–15 main event and Aug 8–9 Pre-Reunion confirmed by WeatherTech Raceway's official Reunion page as of writing. Re-verify ticket pricing and schedule closer to the event.