Jenson Button to drive McLaren M23 at Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

When Jenson Button announced his "sabbatical" from Formula 1, he said he wanted to be able to try some new motorsport events – and at least one of them will be stateside. The Briton will get behind the wheel of Emerson Fittipaldi's 1974 world championship-winning McLaren M23 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on Aug. 17-20 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Button, who serves as a McLaren ambassador, previously drove the M23 at Silverstone and in London's Leicester Square at the premiere of the "Rush" movie in 2013.

"It's always special to drive a grand prix car with an illustrious history, and the M23 wrote one of the most significant chapters in motorsport history throughout much of the 1970s," said Button. "It's a somewhat strange sensation to drive a car from this era – you sit much more upright in the cockpit, and you feel like you could almost reach out of the cockpit and touch the front wheels. But, once you drive it, you quickly start to understand what made it so successful – it's incredibly easy to drive, has a really consistent balance, and plenty of feel. Everything you put into it, you get out of it, which is very rewarding for a driver."

The McLaren-Ford M23 contested 80 grands prix between 1973 and 1978, winning 16 grands prix and three world championships (1974 drivers' and constructors'; 1976 drivers').

"We are honored to host Jenson Button at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and showcase a car with such great history," said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "Formula 1 is the pinnacle of racing advancement and Jenson's spirited exhibition laps will provide a superb link to motorsport's past that fans will assuredly enjoy."