David Hobbs Named Guest Speaker for Picnic in the Park

February 16, 2016 by Mazda Raceway

MONTEREY, Calif., Feb. 16, 2016 - British race car driving legend, Formula 1 television commentator, 2009 Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, businessman and all-around unbridled storyteller David Hobbs will share his escapades as the highlighted guest speaker at the annual Picnic in the Park on Saturday, Aug. 20. The annual picnic is traditionally a fan favorite of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which will be held Aug. 18-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Joining Hobbs on stage will be noted motorsports historian Murray Smith, who will assuredly bring out some of the best – and maybe unintended – stories about Hobbs' travel and experiences.

Hobbs' racing career spanned 30 years, where he exhibited his versatile driving talents in wide ranging series like sports cars, Indy Cars, Formula 1, Can-Am and NASCAR. While a frequent visitor to Monterey, Hobbs can look back fondly on his win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on his way to the 1971 L&M Continental 5000 Championship in a McLaren M10B. Hobbs' career with the 2016 featured marque BMW started in the 3.0 CSL for the 1976 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. For these two iconic long-distance races, Hobbs was paired with the late NASCAR legend Benny Parsons. Hobbs then went on to winning the hearts of BMW fans the following year driving the incredibly fast BMW 320 Turbo in IMSA GTO.

Hobbs began his television career in 1976 commenting on all types of racing. He was in the booth for 17 consecutive Daytona 500 broadcasts, including the 1979 race that was the first flag-to-flag live coverage of a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, which set the stage for what it has become today. Currently, he can be seen on NBC as a racing analyst and color commentator for its Formula 1 coverage.

The Picnic in the Park begins at 1 p.m. in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca marketplace and provides a rare opportunity for fans to bring their lunch, listen to stories and ask questions. Past illustrious guests have included Sir Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Sir Jackie Stewart, Bob Bondurant, Bobby Unser, Martin Brundle, Bob Tullius, Scott Pruett and Tommy Milner.

BMW is celebrating its 100th anniversary and is this year's featured marque. BMW of North America's historical display is expected to feature a wide range of race cars and street models that catapulted the German company into one of the most highly regarded automakers, and brands, worldwide.

Rolex is an avid supporter of the internationally acclaimed Monterey Classic Car Week and has been title sponsor of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion since it was renamed in 2010. (From 2001-2009, Rolex sponsored the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races.) Every year a driver from each group is selected for their overall excellence in the race and receive a Rolex Award of Excellence. The event's top honor of a specially engraved 18-karat yellow gold and stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona is awarded to the driver who excels in the Spirit of the Weekend. Rolex's involvement with motorsports runs deep, having been associated with the famed Goodwood Revival since 2004 and, most recently, as a Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula 1.

A maximum of 550 historic race cars will be accepted for entry in the 15 race groups that will swell the paddock with rolling automotive history. Each car will be evaluated for its authenticity, race provenance, and documentation that it is period and mechanically correct from when it originally ran. From early pre-war cars like a 1916 National AC and 1927 Bugatti T37A Grand Prix, to the ground-pounding Can-Am cars from Lola, McLaren and Shadow, the senses will be fully rewarded.

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For more information or to view the full array of ticketing and hospitality packages, contact the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Ticket Office at 831-242-8220 or visit www.MazdaRaceway.com.