LA Dismantler will be attending Porsche Rennsport Reunion WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will host the world’s largest fan gathering in September 2023
The next Porsche Rennsport Reunion will be held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, from September 28 to October 1 in 2023. This will be the seventh running of the Rennsport Reunion and marks the fourth time that the iconic California race circuit is the stage for a celebration of the motorsports heart of Porsche. Further information on themes and ticket sales will be announced in due course.
During the four-day event, fans of all ages will not only get to experience exciting racing action with vintage and contemporary Porsche race cars on track, but also be able to see many rare Porsche vehicles, enjoy new vehicle reveals, Esports, fan zones, and take part in opportunities to meet and interact with drivers as they share their exciting racing experiences. Rennsport Reunion will also offer a host of other off-track activities.
“California and Porsche are a dream pairing, and the Monterey Peninsula is an ideal spot to bring the two together for an unforgettable weekend with so much happening both on and off the track,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc. “Rennsport Reunion is for everyone – we’re creating an experience that’s special, whether you’re a long-time enthusiast or are new to Porsche and are learning about our cars for the first time. Rennsport Seven is going to be bigger and more exciting than ever and yet at its core it’s the people that sets it apart – all are welcome, and I can’t wait to share our plans in the coming months.”
It's back
Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) has confirmed the next Porsche Rennsport Reunion will take place in 2023. For the seventh time, life on the edge will be celebrated - from the boldest and most exciting Porsche cars yet created to the people responsible for designing them, to the drivers who took the cars right to their limits. All will gather for an exhilarating event that promises to celebrate not only Porsche’s past and present, but to capture a glimpse into the future, on both the track and on the road. The theme, dates and location of Rennsport VII will be announced in due course.
Conceived by racing great Brian Redman and Porsche Cars North America’s longstanding PR General Manager Bob Carlson in 2001, Rennsport was created to celebrate the racing heritage of Porsche. They envisioned an event at which drivers and enthusiasts could gather to celebrate racing and pay tribute to the people and cars that have helped build the Porsche legacy. Since its inaugural event at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut over 20 years ago, Rennsport has continuously grown in appeal, drawing in 80,000 fans over the course of the last event in 2018.
“We’re all excited to be able to announce the return of the Rennsport Reunion, which is always a highlight of Porsche motorsports enthusiasm and heritage” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc. “Rennsport Reunion has grown quickly over the years into a truly one-of-a-kind experience of sight, sound and emotions. For a few days, it feels like everyone thrilled by the brand is united in one place, on and off the track, as one Porsche family. We’ll announce the date and location soon, but this much I can share already: Our ambition is to make Rennsport Reunion VII the best one yet.”
Frank Wiesmann
Manager, Product Communications, Motorsport and Brand Heritage
An unprecedented gathering of Porsche historic and modern race cars from around the world, and many of the famous drivers who piloted them to victory, had descended on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for three days of racing, story-telling and camaraderie at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion .
The world’s largest gathering of Porsche race cars and drivers comes back to Monterey for an encore.
Hosted by PCNA, Rennsport Reunion V will, once again, bring together an extraordinary gathering of significant Porschevintage and current racecars, as well those who have designed, engineered, and driven them to victory in the world’s most famous sports car races. The three-day program of on-track competition will be complemented by a Concours d’Elegance, which is open to invited race participants, and special activities celebrating each of the six decades of legendary Porsche racecars.
This incomparable event has been held about every three years. After staging the first three rounds in the East, with the inaugural at Lime Rock Park in 2001, Rennsport Reunion IV moved west in 2011, tapping into a vast array of west coast car aficionados and Porsche enthusiasts.
Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced that the next Porsche Rennsport Reunion will again take place at the famed California racetrack the weekend of September .
Future details will be published on Porsche’s press website (www.press.porsche.com) and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s website (www.mazdaraceway.com), as they become available.
Porsche Confirms Rennsport Reunion Return to Laguna Seca in 2023
Track management had agreed to make costly improvements in hopes of getting the event.
- It will be the fourth time the Porsche Rennsport Reunion has graced Laguna Seca.
- The first Rennsport Reunion took place at Lime Rock in 2001 as a way to celebrate the racing heritage of Porsche.
- Look for all your favorite drivers and cars to attend.
The seventh (not annual!) Rennsport Reunion will return to Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 2023, Porsche announced yesterday. The official word ends speculation about where the popular Porsche party might end up.
“This will be the seventh running of the Rennsport Reunion and marks the fourth time that the iconic California race circuit is the stage for a celebration of the motorsports heart of Porsche. Further information on themes and ticket sales will be announced in due course.”
The first Rennsport Reunion took place at Lime Rock in 2001 after legendary Porsche 908 driver Brian Redman and then-Porsche PR guy the late Bob Carlsonconceived of the event as a way to “celebrate the racing heritage of Porsche,” according to Porsche Cars North America, which organizes the event. “They envisioned an event at which drivers and enthusiasts could gather to celebrate racing and pay tribute to the people and cars that have helped build the Porsche legacy. Since its inaugural event at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut over 20 years ago, Rennsport has continuously grown in appeal, drawing in 80,000 fans over the course of the last event in 2018.”
That last event was also at Laguna Seca, btw. Past Rennsports have seen not only great Porsche race cars from all eras of motorsport in which the company participated, but also the greatest drivers from the marque’s storied past. If you ever loved or even just liked Porsche racing heritage, from whatever era, it’s worth planning now to be in Monterey in 2023.
Laguna Seca lobbied hard to get the event, one of its most popular all year. The track is owned by the County of Monterey, California, and serves as a major source of county revenue, given that hotels and restaurants fill up whenever a motorsports event rolls into town. The track’s President and General Manager John Narigi successfully pitched the County Board of Supervisors to fund improvements to the facility, claiming Porsche was awaiting the board’s commitment before deciding whether to hold its Reunion there again. At the time, Porsche called Narigi’s claims “speculation.”
The board, which holds the purse strings to the county park that includes the race track, voted Dec. 8 to repave the track surface, replace the rickety wooden pedestrian bridge at start/finish, and even continue work toward a better hospitality suite at Turn 3. This is after all those nice new hospitality suites were built over the pit straight in 2003. The repaving and the bridge will cost just under $10 million, while the Turn 3 hospitality space had previously received $750,000 in funding.
The improvements will no doubt make for a better event.
“We’re all excited to be able to announce the return of the Rennsport Reunion, which is always a highlight of Porsche motorsports enthusiasm and heritage,” said Kjell Gruner, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “Rennsport Reunion has grown quickly over the years into a truly one-of-a-kind experience of sight, sound, and emotions. For a few days, it feels like everyone thrilled by the brand is united in one place, on and off the track, as one Porsche family … Our ambition is to make Rennsport Reunion VII the best one yet.”
Specifics about exactly which cars and which drivers will attend will be decided at a later date, but you can check out previous Rennsports to get an idea. Suffice to say whatever Porsche or Porsche driver you love will be represented, and more.
“During the four-day event, fans of all ages will not only get to experience exciting racing action with vintage and contemporary Porsche race cars on track, but also be able to see many rare Porsche vehicles, enjoy new vehicle reveals, E-sports, fan zones, and take part in opportunities to meet and interact with drivers as they share their exciting racing experiences,” Porsche promised. “Rennsport Reunion will also offer a host of other off-track activities.”
So get the 911 back in running shape and plan to drive to Monterey in 2023.