MONTEREY, Calif.-- Businesses Prepare for Classic Car Races. Preparations are in full swing for the Classic Car races in Laguna Seca. This year more than 570 vintage cars will be racing here at the 2012 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
Some cars practicing over the weekend were hitting speeds over 130 miles per hour.
Organizers say they're expecting thousands from all over the world to show up. "There is something for everybody and the shopping for the wives and for the kids there are things to do as well as walking around and dad saying 'this is the car I used to drive,'' said Mazda GM Gill Campbell.
It took an entire year to get these races rolling. More than 150 different booths will be set up at the event.
There's a lot to prepare for when you're expecting more than 60,000 people to come out and see these the cars, and several local businesses have already gotten started.
"I'm ready!" said Old Monterey Café owner Mari Wilson. "It fills my pockets and we get to meet a lot of cool people," said Wilson. Mari has owned the Old Monterey Café for the past 25 years. She says she always looks forward to this time of year. "We're loaded down on our fresh juices and all of our stock and getting ready for everything. Making sure we have a full crew," said Wilson.
You can tell by looking at how packed some of the stores are downtown, lots of the Classic Car tourists are already in town. "They do come in big packs. Lots of kids, large groups of families, a lot of Europeans right now, German and French," said Wilson.
Back at the track it's the same thing, everyone's getting ready for the big show. "Every little detail goes from getting the shirt size of the drivers to getting all the details about their car," said Mazda GM Gill Campbell.
Jeremy Barnes has been racing for 20 years and says it takes several months to prepare for these kind of competitions. Everything from engine and to oil checks, getting ready for a busy weekend on the Peninsula," said Barnes. "I have a Mazda Miata. It's my regular race car and we get to come out and play with the big boys every now and then," said Barnes.
"The sound of the cars, the sound of the people and the sound of cash registers!" said Campbell.
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