Amateur Driver Grabs Toyota Race of Legends pole

The odds are going to be stacked against him, but Bruce Canepa still likes his chances of beating a field consisting of former Formula One pros and Timo Glock who’s currently competing in F1. Canepa is optimistic about taking the checkered flag in the Toyota Race of Legends and says he will hold nothing back in his bid to unseat defending champion Derek Bell.

The Toyota Race of Legends is a feature of the 35th annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The legends will strap into their equally-prepared, race-equipped Scion tCs for practice on Friday in preparation for their 12:15 start on Saturday.

There may be reason to believe Canepa’s bravado. He is a longtime participant at the Monterey Historics and is an experienced driver, having teamed with the likes of Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears at the Daytona 24 Hours and on the Porsche AG 935 factory team. After retiring from racing, he founded Canepa Designs in nearby Scotts Valley.

The starting grid positions were determined by a random drawing at the participant welcome party this evening.

Toyota Race of Legends Grid Positions:

Pole: Bruce Canepa (Auction Winner)
2nd Eddie Cheever
3rd Derek Bell
4th Jean-Pierre Jarier
5th Alan Jones
6th Johnny Herbert
7th Alain de Cadenet
8th Patrick Tambay
9th Danny Sullivan
10th Timo Glock
11th John Watson

“The best part of the race is that it’s all for charity," explained Irv Miller, group vice president of corporate communications at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

Canepa secured his drive through an online auction held among Monterey Historics’ race participants. His winning bid of $21,400 was donated to the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation, which funds children’s health care and wellness needs in the hospital and throughout the Central Coast. Additionally, Toyota will present the race winner with a check for $25,000 that will be donated to the winner’s selected charity.