Here is some exciting news from the Del Monte Trophy Race Group for parties interested in our racing group… drivers, owners, supporters and anyone who loves automotive art, the history of road racing in California and the culture surrounding Pebble Beach, the Rolex Monterey Historic Reunion. And we would like your help in bringing together images and stories about your car and others you know about.
It is with pleasure that we (Rob Manson and the Del Monte Trophy Race Group) are announcing simultaneously with David Gentry his automotive art project called California Road Racers that celebrates the era of sports car competition in the 1950’s on the West Coast. 
The California Road Racers Project will feature artwork that David produces. There will be a coffee table book, onsite event displays, gallery exhibits, and museum installations. Displays will be made for the Pebble Beach Concours and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August 2021 and will be deployed thereafter at other race meetings and art events.
David writes…
“I have been attending vintage motorsports events for several years, sketching live and producing commissions for the owners. At the Monterey Motorsports Reunion I fell in love with the cars of the 1947-1955 Sports Racing class, especially the Del Monte Race Group. I met Rob and Marcus and received an instant education that stirred my curiosity to investigate this world further. From the beginning I felt there was a project here. I want to describe it for you and enlist your help.
The goal is to tell the story of Sports Car racing in California post WWII. It was a dynamic and innovative time. The new cars from Europe were showing up and being raced by an enthusiastic group of amateurs. European style racing was becoming the rage. Of special interest to me was how the California hot rod culture made a big impact. The stars were the traditional Ferraris, Jaguars, and Porsches, but the local boys thought they could take on the aristocrats with machines they built in their home garages.
The bones of the effort will be the narration and personalities associated with this colorful age. I have gathered enough anecdotal material to fill a book already, but I know there is much more to discover. I welcome feedback, and I call for anyone who has a photo for reference or a story of their own. I will be happy to consider integrating it into the project. Since this is a work in progress I will be providing updates via email and online posts to everyone who is interested.
You can contact me directly or through Rob Manson Robert Manson r3teknon@sbcglobal.net or Marcus Bicknell marcus@bicknell.com . Thank you for your consideration.
David Gentry
Update MB 1st September 2023; you might have heard the sad news that David died on July 26, 2023. Read more elsewhere on this site. We leave this page intact because the book of his work remains an important project for Rob Manson and his colleagues. When we find the right publisher for the book then its publication in print form would be a fitting tribute to his life and work.
You can see a one page proposal from David at http://machinemadness.biz/MadnessCategoriesGraphics/RoadRacerStory/ProposalSingle3.pdf
And links to further details at
http://machinemadness.biz/MadnessCategoryPages/RoadRacerStory.html
