Historic Weekend At Sonoma Road Course

These aren't the shy, retiring types. No, these guys are classics. So are their cars.

More than 400 historic racecars are expected for the second annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival at Infineon Raceway, June 4-5, and leading the field will be the McLaren. 

McLaren, which stole the spotlight in Formula One and Can-Am during the '60s and '70s, is the feature marque of the race weekend, when 26 classic McLarens will test the twists and turns of the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course. Race fans will get an up-close look at all the racecars as every admission ticket grants free access to the paddock.

Vintage cars and vintage wines have a long history together in Northern California.

Steve Earle, founder of General Racing and the long- time promoter of the successful Monterey Historics, takes great pride in selecting the field for the race. 

“The cars are the stars, and when they aren’t racing they are easily accessible in the paddock area for that up-close and personal experience of inspecting engines, talking with owners or otherwise learning more about the sport and the restoration and maintenance of vintage cars,” said Earle, who has helped bring historic racing events to Sonoma for 24 years.

Sonoma's Chris McAllister, a big winner at last year's event, returns behind the wheel of a 1971 McLaren. Denis Hulme drove the same car nearly 40 years ago to second place in the 1971 Can-Am Championship.

"McLaren's racing history is incredibly rich with its successes, controversies and the colorful personalities who raced them," Earle said. He is the originator of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and the Wine Country Classic that preceded the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival for 24 years at Infineon Raceway.

Wine Country Motorsports owner Dave Lipsky of Sonoma will be in the field with a 1965 Sunbeam.

On Saturday night, fans will be treated to the Historic Race Car Festival on the Sonoma Plaza. Following the on-track action, 30 historic racecars will hit the road at approximately 5 p.m. under a full CHP escort to the heart of Sonoma. The cars will take a ceremonial lap around the Town Square before settling into the Plaza for viewing. This is a separate event (5:30-8 p.m.) and tickets are $30 (advance) or $35 (at event). All proceeds from this specific event benefit Speedway Children’s Charities.

The race weekend will also include the popular Wine Country Pavilion, which includes a number of samples of some of the finest food and wine from the Sonoma and Napa valleys.