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The 12-cylinder power train remains surprisingly quiet as the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed accelerates up the incline leading to turn eight at Northern California’s renowned WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A moment later, the posh SUV traces the serpentine line that drops five stories in 450 feet, a combination of turns, aptly named the “corkscrew,” a section that momentarily disappears upon initial entry due to its steep nature. What’s a 7,165-pound family hauler doing on one of motorsport’s most infamous series of twists? It’s just what can happen on the second day of Robb Report’s 2021 California Coastal road rally.
After the initial concours-style display in Santa Barbara on June 6, the cadre of nearly two-dozen exotic automobiles embarked yesterday morning on the roughly 700-mile scenic tour that departed the Ritz-Carlton, Bacara at 9 a.m. PDT. The route’s preliminary stages were predominantly on highway, the marine layer eventually acquiescing to reveal a sun-dappled landscape along the way.
The first rest stop, the base of 581-foot Morro Rock.
Photo: Courtesy of WayUp Media.
The day’s destination was the Inn at Spanish Bay, a favored basecamp for many devotees of August’s Monterey Car Week and, specifically, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. But, naturally, there were sights to see along the way. These included the 581-foot Morro Rock and the Ragged Point Inn and Resort for a Mexican-themed lunch paired with vistas of the seemingly endless coast. All the while, attention was tempted away from the single-lane stretch of road and drawn to the sea’s watercolor hues of turquoise, azure blue and emerald green punctuated by jutting cliff bands and a rock-strewn shoreline.
Crossing Bixby Bridge on Pacific Coast Highway toward Carmel, Calif.
Photo by WayUp Media.
As compelling as the natural landscape was, rally participants were focused on the late afternoon’s bucket-list moment, an invitation to do a couple of parade laps at one of the most storied racetracks in the country. Built in 1957, Laguna Seca was developed as a safe venue for motorsport after the open-street Pebble Beach races, attracting a number of the world’s best drivers of the era, resulted in a fatality the year before.
Some of the California Coastal road-rally crew lined up near the starting line at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Photo: Courtesy of WayUp Media.
“When you come to Laguna Seca, you can feel the spirit of sports-car racing, it was one of the homes of sports-car racing in America,” says Barry Toepke, director of Heritage Events at Laguna Seca. “You can sense the spirit of all the legends who have been there before—Sir Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney . . .they’ve all driven this track,” he adds. The litany of motorsport royalty that competed on this particular circuit made our group photo at the starting line an even more timeless memento.
Car of the Day
Since departing Santa Barbara, one vociferous Prancing Horse has consistently jockeyed for pole position, the 2019 Ferrari 812 Superfast owned by Michael Sisk and his wife. Introduced in 2017, the rear-wheel-drive model touts 789 hp and 529 ft lbs of torque from its 6.5-liter V-12 engine, output that allows the grand tourer to cover zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and top out at 211 mph.
The 2019 Ferrari 812 Superfast owned by Michael and Mickala Sisk.
Photo: Courtesy of WayUp Media.
“Even though it’s an incredibly complex car, it’s very simple to drive” says Sisk, a longtime Lamborghini owner who notes that this is his first Ferrari. “I call it sheepishly quick, you don’t realize how fast it is until you look at the speedometer—it’s just smooth-fast. And it’s a front-engined car, which is the big difference. I’m an old Corvette guy from back in the day, so being able to buy an exotic with a front engine makes it cool.” As for why he brought the aptly named Superfast to the rally, Sisk put it plainly: “This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Course Changes
After the signature bagpiper strode across the grounds of Pebble Beach’s fabled Inn at Spanish Bay, the sound of clinking glasses signaled the start of the four-course dinner, preceded by an hors d’oeuvres selection of seared ahi tuna, potato croquette with bacon and Applewood smoked cheddar and chicken confit croquettes with sriracha aioli.
Dining at dusk on the lawn of the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach.
Photo: Courtesy of WayUp Media.
The evening’s featured vintner was Cuvaison, one of the original wineries in Napa, founded in 1969. Cuvaison’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, En Cigare, was partnered with the papa pomodoro starter, followed by the winery’s 2018 Pinot Noir, Adda, accompanying English pea risotto with pancetta-wrapped diver scallop. For the main course, osso bucco was mated with Cuvaison’s 2018 Merlot, Arcilla, before the culinary experience culminated with lemon panna cotta and blueberry compote paired with the winery’s 2017 Brut Rosé, Méthode Champenoise.
Steve Rogstad, winemaker for Cuvaison.
Photo by Marc Fiorito, courtesy of Cuvaison.
“Cuvaison has been around over 50 years,” states Dan Zepponi, CEO of Cuvaison. “We’re a single-vineyard estate that’s certified sustainable, solar powered, and that’s what we really believe in. Let the land tell the story, but you have to take care of the land and respect it, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Cuvaison’s 2017 Brut Rosé Méthode Champenoise.
Photo: Courtesy of Cuvaison.
The Road Ahead
There’s truly no rest for the weary as engines start at 7:30 a.m. PDT on June 8. A slow roll through renowned 17-Mile Drive, with breakfast at its Beach Club, will be the first fuel stop before a high-octane visit to racer Bruce Canepa’s automotive museum and restoration facility. It’s there that a peek at one of his approximately $2 million Porsche 959 restomods may inspire a new buyer or two.
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