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(Note: I just saw a rennlist post that one of the drivers in Group 2, Lee Duran, died from his injuries when his 1934 MG flipped coming out of the Downhill in the afternoon session. So tragic--RIP. At least he was doing something he presumably loved.)
Yesterday I attended the 32nd Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park in beautiful northwestern Connecticut. I've lived in NYC or its suburbs for 22 years now, have been a car guy my entire life, and have driven LRP countless times with Skip Barber schools and HPDE events, and yet I'd never done the Historics before today. Well, I'll consider today the start of a new tradition. It was a fantastic experience, with the fun starting the minute I hit the parking lot.
As would be expected, the many spectators/enthusiasts in attendance drove their best cars, and so the parking fields themselves were a great show. The infield was split between general parking and corral parking, which featured collections of various brands--Porsche, BMW, Lotus, etc. I parked in the Porsche corral, which arrayed the cars around the perimeter of the LRP skidpad. Very neat to see such a wide variety of P-cars: new 991s like mine, '80s Carreras and Turbos, '70s RSs, '50s Spyders, and even a Rauh-Welt (!).
After settling in, I walked down to the paddock. Lime Rock is always so special in its accessibility. Spectators were welcome to explore the whole paddock area, checking out all the racers as they prepared their cars. And there was some amazing stuff. The cars are grouped into 9 different racing classes, from pre-war '20s and '30s racers and sports cars, to '60s and '70s formula cars, to '60s GT racers, to late '60s-'70s TransAm series cars, and on and on. Among the more notable sights in the paddock were an ancient but strong Blower Bentley, March and Lotus formula cars, an authentic Shelby GT350 factory racer, a '73 RSR, and a no-kidding real '63 Ferrari GTO.
As for the track itself, Lime Rock's layout lends itself so well to spectator viewing. I was able to get really close to the action along the fence line at Big Bend (T1-2), as well as at the Uphill and at West Bend. So fun to see these old cars sliding through the corners. And this was clearly an "unmuffled" day for LRP, with most of the cars running open exhausts. The '60s Mustangs and Vettes rattled my teeth as they came flying over the Uphill crest toward West Bend.
Other fun sights were pro-racer Chris Dyson, who was mingling with fans at his Bentley GT3 display, SRT President Ralph Gilles talking with people at the Viper display, and the legendary Sir Stirling Moss taking a spin around the track in a '50s roadster. At the age of 84, Moss still has it--he executed a nice heel-and-toe downshift as he braked for turn 1, his smiling wife at his side. It was while I was on line for his autograph signing session in the mid afternoon when I first heard the news of a serious crash on track at the exit of the Downhill. Just read confirmation last night of a fatality. Such a sad note for an otherwise spectacular day.
Racing continues on Monday, and the concours is today (Sunday). I highly recommend it for anyone in the Northeast. Definitely worth the trip. Pictures follow.
Porsche corral on the LRP skidpad
Vintage Spyder looks like a toy compared to the big, modern Boxster
Hairy Dog RS
A more modern RS--love this color combo
Nice, vintage 240Z--my Mom had one in the early '70s--fond memories
Gorgeous replica Cobra coupe--love the license plate!
No less than three Lime Rock Park-edition M3s..."I'm at the Oscars, and she's wearing my same dress! And so is she!!"
Beautiful March 79B Formula Atlantic
A friend of mine in a Lotus 69 Formula Ford
Some pre-war action
Stutz--look at that straight-eight!
Big old Blower Bentley shadowing brand-new GT3 Continental
Spectacular, polished-aluminum Lotus
Pristine early-'70s Datsun sedan
Fantastic Shelby GT350
Gorgeous little Alfa--love those chunky fenders!
'60s Vette looks the business
Pretty RS with a psychedelic paint job
This vintage RS reminds us of how so much of our modern 911s' engine bays are plastic induction pieces and fans
Beautiful vintage Ferrari with Webers on display
Absolutely gorgeous RSR--I believe a replica, made with various parts
One of the cleanest, neatest interiors I've seen
Holy Enzo! First real GTO I've seen in person--this thing is probably worth more than all the houses on my block together, but worth every penny
Last edited by paradocs98; Aug 31, 2014 at 09:56 AM.
And the rarest beast of all--A Rauh-Welt, signed by the creator--check out that stance!
And a couple of videos. Sorry for the shakiness and poor tracking. I tried doing video with my digital SLR camera, when I should have just done it with my iPhone instead. You do get a sense of the noise, though.
Thanks for sharing. I lived 30 miles east of Lime Rock some time ago and used to go to the track as often as possible. Lots of events hosted in a beautiful setting...no racing on Sunday though as a compromise struck by the track owner and the locals. I also did some racing there...skip barber series. The uphill is scary as hell as the car goes airborn at the top and you better have that steering wheel nailed on straight when you land. The downhill is also very tricky. It can be taken at full speed but if you put any wheels off at the exit, oh boy!!!
LRP is a special place to me too, having done countless laps around the track and attending many functions (including a few AMG Driving School events I will never forget).
It can be a tricky little track and I have my trouble spots that always challenge me.
I'll never forget one day when Tommy Kendall took me around the track at 150mph in the rain! haha
I could race all day every day and never get bored of it, I wish my life allowed more time at the track
RIP Lee Duran, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
