Formula One Grand Prix cars had never raced at Lime Rock Park until recently when the Historic Grand Prix group made their way to the storied 1.53-mile track in Connecticut.
As part of the Memorial Day Road Racing Classic at Lime Rock Park, May 22-25th, which featured the Grand-Am KONI Challenge series, restored F1 machines competed in two races organized by Historic Grand Prix, a group dedicated to the preservation and use of these great open-wheeled race cars.
The sights and sounds of vintage Williams, Lotus, Ensign, March, Penske, Wolf and Brabham F1 cars tearing up Lime Rock Park proved to be a fan favorite of the Road Racing Classic, on top of being the fastest cars the entire weekend despite being more than 25 years old.
Race One Results, Historic Grand Prix F1 cars at Lime Rock Park
The first race on Saturday, May 23rd was the 1:30pm start of the 20-lap Historic Grand Prix F1 cars. Terrific stuff, as Hamish Somerville led from pole in the Alan Jones Williams FW07. Somerville then put a big gap on the Duncan Dayton-driven Lotus 79 – Mario Andretti’s 1978 title winner – but then Dayton put in a succession of hot laps that got him within a couple car lengths of the Williams. Suddenly, the race went full course yellow as the ex-Derek Daly March 811 driven by Mike Fitzgerald, who had started third, spun in West Bend. Didn’t hit anything, but the car had stalled.
When green flag racing resumed Duncan Dayton’s Lotus 79 leapt to the front when Somerville spun the giant rear slicks of his Williams FW07. The Lotus looked set for a runaway win but the Williams soon hauled Dayton in. Ultimately, there wasn’t enough time, though Somerville got within a half-second at the checker. Third was the brilliant orange March 761-08 (Vittorio Brambila) driven by James King, followed by the Bud Moeller-driven Ensign (Derek Daly), the ex-Jody Scheckter Wolf WR2/4 driven by John Anderson, Howard Cherry in the Ronnie Peterson March 761-02, John Watson’s Penske PC-3 piloted by Doug Mockett, Divina Galica in a James Hunt Hesketh and the Fitzgerald March 811.
20 laps of 1.53-mile, 7-turn layout
Margin of Victory: 0.521 seconds
Fastest lap: 47.910 / 100.938 mph, Hamish Somerville
Finishing Position, Car, Driver, Hometown and Best Lap
1. Mario Andretti’s Lotus 79, Duncan Dayton, North Salem, N.Y., :48.003
2. Alan Jones’s Williams FW07, Hamish Somerville, Canada, :47.910
3. Vittorio Brambila’s March 761-08, James King, Belleville, Ill., :49.453
4. Derek Daly’s Ensign, Bud Moeller, McLean, Va., :50.619
5. Jody Scheckter’s Wolf WR2/4, John Anderson, Sebastopol, Calif., :51.795
6. Ronnie Peterson’s March 761-02, Howard Cherry, Fairfield, Conn., :51.981
7. John Watson’s Penske PC-3, Doug Mockett, St. Croix, U.S.V.I., :51.983
8. James Hunt’s Hesketh, Divina Galica, Lakeville, Conn., :51.804
9. Derek Daly’s March 811, Mike Fitzgerald, Newtown Square, Pa., :49.370
Race Two Results, Historic Grand Prix F1 cars at Lime Rock Park:
The second race of the weekend for the popular Historic Grand Prix Formula 1 cars was another barn-burner between Hamish Somerville and Duncan Dayton, but unlike Saturday’s race, Somerville and his ex-Alan Jones Williams FW07 had the better of Dayton’s Lotus 79 (ex-Andretti).
The race was interrupted by one full course yellow as Michael Fitzgerald had a throttle stick on Derek Daly’s March 811 going into the Uphill and nosed it into the tire wall. Dayton pushed Somerville to the checker but fell a couple tenths short at the stripe.
20 laps of 1.53-mile, 7-turn layout
Margin of Victory: 0.234 seconds
Fastest lap: 47.642 / 115.612 mph, Duncan Dayton
Finishing Position, Car, Driver, Hometown and Best Lap
1. Alan Jones’s Williams FW07, Hamish Somerville, Canada, :47.790
2. Mario Andretti’s Lotus 79, Duncan Dayton, North Salem, N.Y., :47.642
3. Vittorio Brambila’s March 761-08, James King, Belleville, Ill., :50.099
4. John Watson’s Penske PC-3, Doug Mockett, St. Croix, U.S.V.I., :51.881
5. Derek Daly’s Ensign, Bud Moeller, McLean, Va., :51.102
6. Jody Scheckter’s Wolf WR2/4, John Anderson, Sebastopol, Calif., :51.597
7. Carlos Reuteman’s Brabham BT-37, Divina Galica, Lakeville, Conn., :52.474
8. James Hunt’s Hesketh, Rick Carlino, Harrisburg, Pa., :55.304
9. Derek Daly’s March 811, Mike Fitzgerald, Newtown Square, Pa., :49.599
[Source: Lime Rock Park; Photo credit: Paul Johnson, Official Track Photographer of Lime Rock Park]
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