Several decades of pristine automotive engineering will make their way Oct. 14-16 to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey for the Velocity Invitational.
A three-day motorsport and “luxury lifestyle” gathering featuring a series of races in a variety of automotive categories, the Velocity Invitational is similar to the Goodwood Festival of Speed or The Silverstone Classic.
Formula 1, WRC, and WEC race cars with state-of-the-art hypercars are set to compete in 10-lap qualifying and feature races.
The vehicles will participate in practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15 leading up to feature races on Sunday, Oct. 16. Many of the vehicles will also be on display off track for attendees to get an up-close perspective on the legendary automobiles.
One of the most anticipated entrants comes from McLaren Formula. It will feature six of some of its most successful competition cars to date. Three-time world champion Aryton Senna’s 1990 world championship-winning MP4/5B-07 will be present and four-time world champion Alain Prost’s 1985-winning MP4/2B-3.
McLaren Automotive similarly will have a selection of F1s, including the F1 GT12R that competed in the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans and was a four-time winner in the 1996 BPR Global Sportscar Championship.
Alongside the renowned McLarens will be a bevy of Group B rally competitors courtesy of DirtFish Rally School. Steve Rimmer, owner of the Seattle-based off-road driving school, will bring six of Group B’s winningest cars to the Velocity Invitational. The beloved MG Metro 6R4, Subaru’s most victorious Impreza models, and the Lancia 037 will be included. The iconic machine will be piloted by Alister and Max McRae, family members of 1995 WRC champion Colin McRae.
Road-going hypercars will also take center stage including the 1.9-second 0-62 miles per hour Czinger 21C V Max and America’s own 300-mph+ Hennessey Venom F5 Coupe and Roadster. Danish sports car manufacturer Zenvo is also set to bring the famed TSR-S, boasting a pivoting rear wing and 1,177-horsepower from its twin-supercharged V8.
“It’s an honor to have such historic and cutting-edge race cars attend our event from all eras,” said Velocity Invitational Founder Jeff O’Neill. “It’s my goal to have the best of the best on display at Velocity Invitational, and the racing pedigree of these race cars will be right at home in the pits and on the track this year.”
The Velocity Invitational will also feature a gourmet food and wine pavilion, wine tasting tents and luxury spectator accommodations. Children 15 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult guardian. Event information and ticket purchasing are available on the website velocityinvitational.com.
Mason Bloom, a new contributor to TheWeeklyDriver.com, is a student at Aptos High School in Central California. He also writes for several additional additional publications including The Monterey Herald and ShiftingLanes.com.
Article Last Updated: October 28, 2022.
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A high school student, Mason is a news writer, photographer and reviewer. He specializes in high-performance and exotic vehicles.
