Whom You Know: Lime Rock Park celebrating automotive history

Monday, July 30, 2012

Lime Rock Park celebrating automotive history

Fans of the iconic Lime Rock Park track have been celebrating the circuit’s 55th anniversary in 2012, but the upcoming Labor Day Weekend will provide enthusiasts with an additional insight into automotive history – the 30th running of the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival presented by Jaguar.

Run from August 31 to September 3, the unique event is unlike any other historic motorsport event in the country.

Not only will fans get the chance to see a huge variety of historic cars from pre-war racers to 1970s Formula 1 machinery on track on Saturday and Monday, the event also incorporates a race car parade visiting local towns plus a street fair in nearby Falls Village on Thursday, the popular Sunday in the Park Concours as well as the Gathering of the Marques which features beautiful machinery from local car clubs stretching around the entire 1.5 mile circuit.

Opened in 1957, Lime Rock Park has played host to champions such as Formula 1 stars Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill and Mark Donohue. Through the years the stars of the 1960s, 70s and 80s in Can-Am, Camel GTP, F5000, Trans-Am and Formula Atlantic have done battle around the challenging 1.5-mile circuit.

Many of those cars will get the chance to again tackle the circuit at this year’s Historic Festival. First held in 1983, this year’s event looms as the most successful ever with capacity grids in all ten different categories.

“For fans of automotive and motorsport history, there is really nothing like this anywhere in the country,” event Chairman Murray Smith said (pictured right).

“There are fantastic historic races and brilliant Concours events in other parts of the country, but to combine both in the same weekend along with the Gathering of the Marques, the parade and the street fair is a great drawcard.

“That unique aspect and the attraction of racing on a beautiful circuit like Lime Rock has given us capacity grids and provides fans in the surrounding areas of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts a chance to really enjoy some outstanding automotive history.”

As an added attraction for this year’s event, British Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss returns as the guest of honor. With 16 wins, 16 poles and 24 podiums in only 66 Formula 1 starts, Moss is acknowledged as one of the finest drivers in Formula 1 history.

Remarkably, despite those incredible performances, he never managed to win the Formula 1 championship – finishing second on four occasions and third three times.

Moss is no stranger to the Lime Rock Historic Festival, having competed here in a Maserati 250 Formula 1 machine in 1989. He also previously competed here in 1985 in a Sports Car Club of America endurance event aboard a Porsche.

To celebrate his attendance, many of the famous machines that he drove throughout his career will be on track including cars from Vanwall, Cooper, Maserati, Jaguar and BMW.

“Having Sir Stirling come back to Lime Rock for the event is an amazing bonus. Despite being 82 years old and having retired from Formula 1 in 1963, he only 'officially' retired from active competition 12 months ago,” Smith said.

“I’m sure he’d still love the opportunity to take a couple of laps while he is here. The cars he drove will also be featured in the Sunday in the Park Concours event.

“The Lime Rock Park track and this event really has the historic racing community excited because it is such a beautiful place to come and compete. That is also a real credit to the track owner, Skip Barber (pictured right). Skip an American motorsports icon from his own career and what he achieved in training the champions of the future through the Skip Barber Racing Schools across the country.

“But what he has achieved in maintaining Lime Rock Park as a premier motorsports venue deserves even more credit. It is a beautiful place to race and a beautiful place to come and watch.”

Cars competing at the Lime Rock Historic Festival 30 presented by Jaguar will include.

Group 1

Sports & Grand Touring Cars

Group 2

Speedy Single-Seaters, Formula Junior & Formula Ford

Group 3

Pre-War Competition Cars

Group 4

Superlative Formula Cars, Historic Grand Prix, Formula 2 & Atlantic

Group 5

Wild, Wild Horses and Big Bore Production Machines

Group 6

50s Sports Racers from Goodwood to the Bahamas

Group 7

Sophisticated Sports Racers

Group 8

Sporting Sedans & Roadsters

Group 9

Small Bore Production Cars

Group 10

Best of British

“If race fans haven’t been to the Historic Festival previously, the other unique thing they will find is the fact that they can get up close and personal with the cars and the drivers as well,” Smith says.

“There will be more than 300 amazing cars from a huge variety of eras filling the paddock here – it really is like coming to an automotive museum, except the you can also see these cars compete on track on the same weekend.”

ABOUT LIME ROCK PARK

Lime Rock Park is one of America’s most recognized road racing venues and has been continuously operated since its opening in 1957. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places by the National Park Service, the track is 1.5 miles in length, encompassing seven corners and more than seven stories of elevation change. The track is considered one of the most beautiful –and challenging to drive – in the world, constructed in a natural valley in the Berkshire Mountains of extreme northwest Connecticut. Discounted advance-priced tickets can be purchased at limerock.com or by calling 860.435.5000

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