The Lime Rock Historic Festival 2017 will be held September 1-4 at the 7-turn, 1.5 mile Lime Rock Park road course in Connecticut. Competition fast and furious, friendly and fun will mark the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 35 three days of spirited historic racing. Upwards of 230 drivers from North America, England and Europe and as far away as Australia have registered to challenge Lime Rock Park.
The race groups at Lime Rock Park’s 35th iteration of its Historic Festival will have a somewhat quirky touch emanating from Festival Chairman Murray Smith. “It is apparent that all grids will be full, notably with two grids of perhaps 40 Formula Juniors led by Duncan Rabagliati, chairman Formula Junior Historic Racing Association, and a full grid of unusual and spectacular cars in the revolutionary ‘Tin Top’ grid,” said Smith.
Lime Rock Park President and Owner Skip Barber will set the pace with “Grand Touring miscellany.“ The late Eric Broadley and Colin Chapman, founders of Lola Cars and Lotus Cars, respectively, will be honored by the naming of their eponymous groups. Noted automobile restorer and vintage racer Kent Bain will set a lively pace with a bevy of “Not quite street legal” wheels, and longtime vintage racing mover-and-shaker Herb Wetanson’s band of “Road-going sporting cars” will round out the field.
Ray Mallock, retired British endurance race driver, will join the meeting of the Formula Junior Diamond Jubilee World Tour in a front-engined Junior constructed by his father in-period. Among the additional special guests will be Richard Attwood, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monte Carlo Formula Junior race victor, who will put a Holman Ford GT40 brought by Lee Holman, Holman & Moody of Charlotte, North Carolina, to the paces in demo laps over the weekend.
Lime Rock Historic Festival 2017 – Racing Groups
Group 1. Herb’s Choice, Road-going sporting cars
Group 2. Duncan’s Dilemma, Front-engined and drum-braked Formula Juniors
Group 3. Tin Top Dreams, Splendid sedans
Group 4. Eric’s Delight, Single-minded sports racing cars
Group 5. Skip’s Nightmares, Grand Touring miscellany
Group 6. Colin’s Apotheosis, Rear-engined Formula Juniors
Group 7. Mostly Real Vintage, A first half-century selection
Group 8. Formula “Very” Libre, A fast and furious mixture
Group 9. Kent’s Domain, Not quite street legal
The Lime Rock Historics 2017 will rev up with the traditional Vintage Race and Sports Car Parade on August 31. The September 3rd ‘Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance’ will showcase approximately 200 rare and unique cars from the Brass Era to modern as well as motorcycles, and the Gathering of the Marques will line the track with 1,000 cars grouped by make, country of origin or enthusiast club.
For further information, visit LimeRockHistorics.com.
[Source: Lime Rock Historic Festival; photo: Michael DiPleco]
