The Lime Rock Historic Festival returns to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut over the 2012 Labor Day weekend on August 31st – September 3rd.
The natural-terrain, 7-turn, 1.5 mile track will again be home to a huge variety of historic cars from pre-war racers to 1970s Formula 1 machinery on track on Saturday and Monday. The 30th annual Historics also incorporates a race car parade visiting local towns plus a street fair in nearby Falls Village on Thursday and the 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 circuit.
“For fans of automotive and motorsport history, there is really nothing like this anywhere in the country,” event Chairman Murray Smith.
As an added attraction for the 2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival, 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 history.
Moss is no stranger to the Lime Rock Historic Festival, having competed in a Maserati 250 Formula 1 machine in 1989. He also previously competed 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.
Featured classes at Lime Rock Historic Festival 30 include:
- Group 1 – Sports & Grand Touring Cars
- Group 2 – Speedy Single-Seaters, Formula Junior and Formula Ford
- Group 3 – Pre-War Competition Cars
- Group 4 – Superlative Formula Cars, Historic Grand Prix, Formula 2 and 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 and 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. 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,” continued Smith.
For more information, visit www.limerock.com.
[Source: Lime Rock Park; photo: Michael DiPleco]
