Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2026
August 12–15 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca: historic racing with Japanese motorsport as the featured marque, plus a first-time JDM Legends display on Friday and Saturday.
- Aug 12–15, 2026
- WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Salinas, CA - paid
Recap
Reunion 2026: Japanese motorsport finally owned the Laguna week
WeatherTech Raceway’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (August 12–15) delivered on its Japanese motorsport featured-marque promise: historic Group C and GTP hardware at speed, JDM Legends display programming Friday–Saturday, and enough paddock density that Friday–Saturday were the days that mattered.
The peninsula story continued Sunday when Pebble’s Japanese Motorsport class crowned a 1985 Toyota 85C L on the Concours lawn — useful proof that the week’s Japanese theme was not only a track marketing line.
Next year’s planning rule holds: buy Reunion race days before you try to also do Quail Friday as a full commitment, and treat Bonhams’ lakebed auction Thursday as its own credential.
The short version
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion fills WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Wednesday, August 12 through Saturday, August 15, 2026. WeatherTech’s event page frames it as Car Week’s largest on-track gathering: invited historic cars judged for authenticity, provenance, and period correctness, then raced in themed run groups. The 2026 featured marque is Japanese motorsport — Mazda, Toyota, Yamaha, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, and related competition history across open-wheel, endurance, rally, motorcycle, and drifting lineages. For the first time, a JDM Legends display joins Friday–Saturday with scavenger-hunt programming, judging, and after-hours social time for registered display cars.
Background
When road racing left Del Monte Forest after 1956, Laguna Seca became the inland home for serious Monterey competition. The Reunion is the week’s answer to whether these cars still run — paddock access, Corkscrew sightlines, and grid noise that lawn shows cannot fake. Organizers put the series past the 50-year mark as a high-speed heritage exhibition rather than a modern points championship.
Verified details
- Dates: August 12–15, 2026 (qualifying Wed–Thu; race groups Fri–Sat on the published timetable).
- Featured marque: icons of Japanese motorsport (WeatherTech Raceway).
- JDM Legends Car Show: Friday–Saturday display packages (includes multi-day spectating tickets for registrants per organizer listing).
- Pre-Reunion context: Monterey Pre-Reunion & Corkscrew Hillclimb August 8–9 (separate See Monterey listing).
- Track address: 1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway, Salinas, CA 93908.
Planning tips
- If Japanese racing history is your reason for Car Week, buy Reunion Friday and Saturday first. WeatherTech’s published timetable stacks Japanese cars and motorcycle exhibition laps, a Kaiju JDM parade, and related main-stage moments on those race days — Wednesday–Thursday are mostly qualifying.
- Hospitality packages (Champions Club, 1957 Club, High Speed Hospitality) are different tickets from general admission and sell out; children need their own tickets regardless of age.
- Pick two or three corners and commit. Midday walking between the Corkscrew, pit-lane overlooks, and the lakebed is the hidden endurance event — water, sunscreen, and ear protection matter.
- Bonhams|Cars runs The Laguna Seca Auction Thursday, August 13 in the lakebed. Tuesday–Wednesday previews are complimentary for Reunion ticket holders; Thursday door rules and bidder seating differ — read WeatherTech’s auction notes before you assume paddock access covers the marquee.
- Same Friday as The Quail in Carmel Valley. Choose a primary; do not schedule both as full days unless you have two people and two cars.
Common questions
- Is the Reunion the same as Monterey Car Week?
- No. Car Week is the peninsula-wide calendar. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is the historic-race portion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, August 12–15, 2026. It is the main place during the week to see invited historic cars at speed.
- Which days matter most for Japanese motorsport in 2026?
- Friday and Saturday. WeatherTech’s published framing stacks Japanese exhibition moments, JDM Legends display programming, and denser on-track Japanese content on race days. Wednesday–Thursday lean toward qualifying. See our Car Week Japanese motorsport preview for the exhibition context.
- Can I do The Quail and Reunion on the same Friday?
- Only as a split household or a short half-day each. Quail in Carmel Valley and Reunion race day at Laguna Seca are both full commitments once you add traffic. Pick a primary before you buy both tickets.
- What about the Bonhams auction on site?
- Bonhams|Cars runs The Laguna Seca Auction Thursday, August 13 in the lakebed. Tuesday–Wednesday previews are complimentary for Reunion ticket holders per WeatherTech notes; Thursday door rules and bidder seating differ. Do not assume paddock access covers the auction marquee.
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