Lotus at the 30th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races
Laguna Seca, California, August 15-17, 2003
report and photos by Robert Engberg <rengb@abac.com>
Edited for internet by John Donohoe, SimpleSevens.com
All content copyright 2003.

(Please note that all photos may be enlarged by clicking on them. Close the new window to return to this page.)

The Monterey Historics: Then and Today

Steve Earle's notion that racing cars should not be allowed to drift away unloved and into obscurity, culminated in his organizing the first "Monterey Historic" race in 1974. The event was held at the Laguna Seca racetrack that is about 20 miles from Pebble Beach, which in the early 1950's was the premier sports car track on the West Coast, and has continued at Laguna for the past three decades.

At that first race some sixty cars were entered, with the number of spectators numbering perhaps not much more. But the seed was planted, and this year the "Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races" celebrated their 30th anniversary with over 400 cars and crowds estimated to be 20,000.

The celebrated mark this year was Ford, and literally hundreds of vintage Ford and Ford-powered racing cars made their appearance. The oldest was "Number 999" as raced by Barney Oldfield nearly 100 years ago. The "Indianapolis 500" winning Lotus-Ford driven by Jimmy Clark shared tent space with Number 999 in the Ford Exhibit. Also in the Ford tent was one of the Tyrell F-1 cars that Jackie Stewart drove to the World Championship in the early 70's. Jackie was at Monterey too, and delighted the crowd by driving the Tyrell for two quick and very noisy demonstration laps.

All of the LeMans and Sebring winning Ford GT40's were at Monterey and were featured in some parade laps around the course. The newest Ford sports car that is to be known as a "GT 40" was unveiled to admiring crowds. Some 400 of these $150K cars are to be made.

For further information on the Monterey Historic, as well as a vast collection of current and vintage photographs of race cars associated with Ford, see the official Web site at http://www.montereyhistoric.com (this link will open in a new window.)

The Lotus Link, From Eleven to Seven, to Eighteen and Beyond

Lotus cars have participated in nearly every event. This was especially true in 1995 when Lotus was the event's featured mark. This year continued the tradition, with Pete Lovely racing his 1968 Lotus 49B in the Historic F-1 race; this is the same car he campaigned in the early 1970's as a privateer in Europe. (Pete also sometimes campaigns a 1959 Lotus Eleven S-2.) Also present at Monterey this year were various Lotus F-Jr cars of the early 1960's, two each of the Lotus 20, 22 and 27. The Lotus 18 F-Jr's of Marty Benck (#987167-770) and Mark Griffith (##914) were the oldest examples racing.

In the Production GT Cars race, Carter Alexander (photo above) presented his 1964 Lotus 7 (#SB 1579) while two 26R's also raced.

Not surprisingly, the greatest concentration of Lotus cars were in the Group 5B, the "Under 2500cc Sports Racing Cars from the years 1956-1961." Premier among the Lotus Elevens in that race was the very original 1956 Series 1 (#212) owned and driven by Stan Andares (race #32 above right). Stan found the car at a Northern California used car lot some 20 years ago and after purchasing it has spent time both restoring the car and learning of its LeMans history.

Stuart Smith, this year not driving his Lotus 7 flat-head, entered his 1957 "Series 1 1/2" Eleven, a car originally purchased by Bill Burnett from dealer Jay Chamberlain, and raced by Bill in SCCA events in California for several years. A photo of the car, with Burnett driving, was featured on the cover of Sport Car Graphic in 1957 (at left). Bill visited with Stuart in the paddock and shared stories his the purchase and competition history of his old Eleven.

Bob Engberg entered his 1957 Lotus Eleven S-1 (#202 below), the first appearance of the car at the Monterey Historics. This is the car first built and driven in 1956-58 by HLR Membership Secretary and one-time Lotus Design Team member Peter Ross.

Bill Benck entered a 1956 Lotus XI (#280) as did John Hurabiel, a longtime participant of the Monterey event in his 1956 Lotus XI "Club" (#259) still with its original-design drum brakes and solid rear axles. Richard Goldsmith drives a 1958 Eleven (#533) that shares a chassis number with another car in England. Stan Peterson was driving Lotus Elevens in the late 1950's and still is competing in his 1958 Le Mans Series II (#535).

They are Race cars After All!

The fastest of the historic Lotus Elevens belongs to Bruce Miller. His 1958 Eleven S-2 (#506) participated at Le Mans. The car is consistently well performing although it did break a rear hub in practice that necessitated a quick but successful welding.

The quickest of all the Lotus's in the race was Don Orosco's Lotus Fifteen (#602-1). Only a second or two behind, until mechanical problems forced a dnf, was the Lotus Fifteen of Steve Lawrence (#612).

Steve Earle often tells the Press that cars in his events race at 8/10th's, "but that 8/10's is still very, very fast." Many if not most of the drivers drive 10/10ths, but we know we must not make contact with another car or we will be asked to leave the event and not to return to an Earle-sponsored race for 13 months. (Other American vintage organizers have similar non-contact rules.) Some drivers, like Pete Lovely, who has been racing Lotus's since 1957, can go fast and be in total control of his race car. It's up to the rest of us to go as fast as we can within reasonable limits. This, I am told, is contrary to the racing philosophy of vintage racers in the UK who drive cars at 10/10ths regardless of their abilities. (Am I right here?) Indeed, even Sir Stirling Moss was reprimanded at a recent Monterey Event when he passed several cars both unsafely and on the warm-up lap. Because of the 13-month rule, contact between cars in American vintage races is uncommon.

Ross Robbins notes:Tom Bungay and his exquisite Elite in group 6B drove at 11/10ths, went down the side of the track for over a hundred yards just after the Corkscrew, saved it, hit nothing, and went on to a successful finish.

Monterey Historics 2003 Results

Pete Lovely's Lotus 49B was the oldest car in the F-1 Historic race and was not among the top finishers, but we immensely enjoy watching Pete perform and listen to the little Lotus scream. This is the same car that Pete campaigned on the F-1 circuit as a privateer in the early 1970's.

In the Group 5B race for "Sports Racing Cars from 1956-1960," Don Orosco had fastest time of the 25 car field in his 2.5 litre Climax engined MK 15. His son, Patrick, is usually just a tic behind in a Lola MK1 and did qualify second fastest, although in the race itself second place went to Terry Hefty in a 1959 Cooper-Monaco. A Porsche RSK was third while the Lola MK 1 of Herb Watanson was fourth.

Places 5 and 6 went to Bruce Miller in his ex-Le Mans Eleven and to Richard Goldsmith in an Eleven claiming chassis 533. Steve Lawrence followed in his Lotus MK 15 (Chassis 612.) Chris Orosco and brother Patrick were next in line. Stan Andares was 12th in the 1460cc ex-Le Mans Eleven, just ahead of Stuart Smith's 1100cc Series 1 1/2 Eleven (#377), who had spun at turn 11 on lap one and had to pass ten cars to finally finish 13th. A great performance of the FWA Lotus that also sports a solid rear axle and rear drum brakes.

The Elevens of Bill Benck and veteran Stan Peterson followed in their 1460cc Elevens. Stan has also been racing Elevens since 1957, at which time he had purchased the Frank Monise Eleven that may have been the first one on the West Coast. (Chassis 204.) My 1956 Series 1 Eleven finished at 19th edging out a two-litre Cooper-Monaco and a small Ferrari. John Hurabiell's Eleven "Club" finished ahead of a Lola MK 1. There were no Lotus DNF's, a tribute to the cars and to their preparation.

The next event on the General Racing Ltd circuit is the "Race at the Base" held in October at San Diego's naval air station. The ten-turn course is laid out with cones, tires and old-fashioned hay bales, just as were the original airbase courses of the 1950s. The Elevens of Bruce Miller, Richard Goldsmith, Stuart Smith and Bob Engberg have been accepted to the race, as has the 1959 Series II Eleven owned and driven by Pete Lovely. Pete has driven Elevens since 1957, when he bought a new one from Jay Chamberlain and proceeded to drive it home to Seattle, a distance of 1000 miles. Don Orosco will be present in his MK 15.

The Monterey Historic is one of the four vintage events organized in America by Steve Earle. Many of these same cars appear in Earle's "Wine Country Classic" and "Chrysler Speed Classic," the latter held on the naval airbase at Coronado, near San Diego. Now in its second year, a final event is held on the East Coast at Lime Rock, Connecticut. These events continue to bring out the best of the vintage Lotus racecars in America.

- Robert Engberg