Lime Rock Park

Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's third oldest continuously operating road racing venue, behind Road America (1955) and Willow Springs International Motorsports Park (1953).[2] The track is owned by Skip Barber, a former race car driver who started the Skip Barber Racing School in 1975. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[1]

Lime Rock Park
"Road Racing Center of the East"

Lime Rock Park
Track layout
LocationLakeville, Connecticut, United States
Time zoneUTC−5 (UTC−4 DST)
FIA Grade2[N 1]
OwnerSkip Barber
OperatorSkip Barber
Broke ground1956
Opened1957
Major eventsCurrent:
IMSA SportsCar Championship
Northeast Grand Prix
(2015–2019, 2021–present)
Former:
Pirelli World Challenge
Lime Rock Park Grand Prix
(1992–1993, 1995–2005, 2007–2008, 2013, 2016–2018)
American Le Mans Series
Northeast Grand Prix
(2004–2013)
Rolex Sports Car Series
Lime Rock Grand Prix
(2000–2001, 2006–2008, 2010–2013)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.530 miles (2.462 km)
Turns7
Race lap record0:43.112 (United States P. J. Jones, Eagle MkIII, 1993, GTP)
Lime Rock Park Race Track
Lime Rock Park is located in Connecticut
Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park is located in the United States
Lime Rock Park
Area325.2 acres (131.6 ha)
Built1956 (1956)
Built byJim Vaill
Architectural styleRace track
NRHP reference No.08001380[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 16, 2009
Websitelimerock.com

History

The 1.530 mi (2.462 km) Lime Rock track was originally conceived of in 1956 by Jim Vaill, who, along with John Fitch and Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, built the track utilizing state-of-the-art road and highway safety principles of the time. The first race, a mix of G-Production class and an MG class, was held on April 28, 1957. The winner of the G-Production was Ted Sprigg in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The winner of the MG class was Charles Callanan in an MG TC. In 1959, Lime Rock hosted the Little Le Mans race, won by Charles Callanan and Roger Penske in a Fiat Abarth. In 2008, the track was re-paved and two new corner complexes were added.[3]

The track has a loyal following,[3] though it did face some resistance from the local community shortly after it opened. In 1959, the Lime Rock Protective Association, with support from the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church,[4] took the park to Litchfield Superior Court in an effort to ban Sunday racing. The court issued a permanent injunction against Sunday racing, and its decision was upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court. While restrictive, the carefully crafted injunction was also enabling. It preserved the track's right to conduct unmuffled sports car racing on Fridays and Saturdays, plus testing on Tuesdays and other operating benefits. The injunction stands to this day.[5]

The track has featured many well-known racers including Paul Newman, who supported his own Newman-Haas team with Bob Sharp,[6] Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, Sam Posey, and Mark Donohue.[3] Other racers have included Parnelli Jones, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, and Tom Cruise.[7] Posey and Newman have sections of the circuit named for them.[8][9]

The Rolex Sports Car Series, American Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have used a configuration which included the chicane at turn five and West Bend.

Track

The track is a natural terrain road course, constructed over hilly terrain in the Berkshire Mountains, part of the greater Appalachian mountain range. The famous Appalachian Trail hiking route passes by the circuit on the ridge lines visible from the track a half mile to the east. The venue is somewhat unique in that it features no grandstands or bleacher seating, instead inviting fans to bring chairs and blankets and enjoy the racing from its grassy hillside areas under the shade of trees. While the venue is relatively compact, the relatively short track is renowned for its spectator experience, offering fans an up close view and close quarters racing.[10][11]

BMW M6 GT3 race car rounds "Big Bend", turns 1–2, at Lime Rock Park during an IMSA GT event

For years the track was listed as being 1.530 mi (2.462 km) in length—the story goes that right after it was built, somebody used the odometer in a Chevrolet to measure the track length—and 1.53 was taken as gospel. Following the 2008 reconstruction (see below), Lime Rock's operations people measured all four possible configurations, and as it turns out, each was 1.500 mi (2.414 km) long, plus or minus a few hundred feet. The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship gives the distance of the track as 1.474 mi (2.372 km).[12] The "classic" configuration is seven turns, while the three optional layouts are eight, nine and ten turns, respectively.

Lap records

The fastest official all-time track record set during a race weekend is 43.112 seconds, set by P. J. Jones in a Toyota Eagle MkIII, during qualifying for the 1993 Toyota Trucks Lime Rock Grand Prix. The fastest official race lap records at Lime Rock Park are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Grand Prix Course: 2.462 km (1957–present)
IMSA GTP45.105[13]Juan Manuel Fangio IIEagle MkIII1993 Lime Rock Grand Prix
LMP245.371[14]Ryan BriscoePorsche RS Spyder EVO2007 Northeast Grand Prix
LMP146.519[14]Marco WernerAudi R10 TDI2007 Northeast Grand Prix
Can-Am46.930[15]Jacques Villeneuve Sr.Frissbee GR31983 Can-Am Challenge at Lime Rock Park
LMPC48.480[16]Colin BraunOreca FLM092013 Northeast Grand Prix
Star Mazda48.736[17]C. R. CrewsStar Formula Mazda 'Pro'2004 Lime Rock Park Star Mazda Championship round
Formula Atlantic49.004[18]Jeff WoodRalt RT41980 Lime Rock Formula Atlantic round
Daytona Prototype49.445[19]Max AngelelliDallara DP012010 Memorial Day Classic
Group 549.540[20]John FitzpatrickPorsche 935 K41982 Coca-Cola 400
WSC49.963[21]Wayne TaylorFerrari 333 SP1995 Lime Rock Grand Prix
F500050.000[22]Graham McRaeMcRae GM11972 Lime Rock F5000 round
LMP90050.145[23]Jon FieldLola B2K/102001 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
IMSA GTO50.380[24]Steve MillenNIssan 300ZX1991 Lime Rock IMSA GT round
LM GTE50.746[25]Mathieu JaminetPorsche 911 RSR-192021 Northeast Grand Prix
IMSA GTP Lights50.942[26]Parker JohnstoneSpice SE91P1992 2 h Lime Rock
GT1 (GTS)50.971[14]Johnny O'ConnellChevrolet Corvette C6.R2007 Northeast Grand Prix
GT51.091[27]Bill AuberlenBMW M3 GT22012 Northeast Grand Prix
TA151.380[28]Chris DysonFord Mustang Trans-Am2022 Lime Rock Trans-Am round
GT351.646[29]Johnny O'ConnellCadillac CTS-V.R2013 Lime Rock Grand Prix
GT1 (Prototype)51.687[30]David BrabhamPanoz GTR-11998 Lime Rock Grand Prix
IMSA GTX52.220[31]David HobbsMarch-BMW M1/C1981 Coca-Cola 400
TA252.631[32]Mike SkeenChevrolet Camaro2021 Lime Rock Trans-Am round
LMP67553.151[23]Andy LallyLola B2K/402001 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
IMSA GTU53.180[33]Dorsey SchroederDodge Daytona1988 Lime Rock IMSA GTU round
IMSA GTS53.700[34]Darin BrassfieldOldsmobile Cutlass Supreme1994 New England Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
Group 453.800[35]Hurley HaywoodPorsche 934/51977 Lime Rock 100 Miles
GT454.077[36]John Capestro-DubetsPorsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport2022 Lime Rock Park 120
TCR Touring Car54.129[37]Michael James LewisHyundai i30 N TCR2018 Lime Rock Park Pirelli World Challenge round
IMSA GTS-154.410[38]Irv HoerrOldsmobile Cutlass Supreme1995 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix of Lime Rock
IMSA GT55.400[39]Al HolbertChevrolet Monza1976 Lime Rock 100 Miles
Porsche Carrera Cup55.429[40]Jaap van LagenPorsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup 3.82011 Northeast Grand Prix
F160055.667[41]Marc-Antoine CamirandVan Diemen RF941996 Lime Rock Canadian F1600 round
Super Touring55.892[42]Dominic DobsonDodge Stratus1996 Lime Rock Park NATCC round
GT256.131[43]João BarbosaMosler Intruder1999 Lime Rock Grand Prix
American GT56.914[44]Eric CurranFord Mustang2000 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
GT3 (1998–1999)56.997[30]Rino MastronardiMazda RX-71998 Lime Rock Grand Prix
All American Challenge57.020[45]Dan OsterholtChevrolet Beretta1990 Jamesway 300
IMSA GTS-257.253[38]Bill AuberlenBMW M3 (E36)1995 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix of Lime Rock
GTO57.344[44]Terry BorchellerSaleen Mustang2000 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
GTU57.424[44]Bill AuberlenBMW M32000 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
TC58.646[46]Chip HerrAudi A42007 Lime Rock Grand Prix
Ferrari Challenge1:01.042[47]Kevin CrowderFerrari F355 Challenge1999 Lime Rock Ferrari Challenge North America round
IMSA Supercar1:02.244[48]Shawn HendricksBMW M5 (E34)1995 Lime Rock IMSA Supercar round

Races
  • Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
    Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
  • Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
    Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
  • Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
    Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
  • View from the Sam Posey Straight spectator area during an American Le mans Series event
    View from the Sam Posey Straight spectator area during an American Le mans Series event
  • GT3 cars battle through "The Left Hander", turn 3, headed up towards Paul Newman Straight during an IMSA event at Lime Rock Park

See also

Notes
  1. Lime Rock Park's Grade 2 licence expired 2 April 2022.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Libov, Charlotte (June 25, 1989). "The View From Lime Rock: Neighbors learn to live with the noise". New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. "About Us". Lime Rock Park. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  4. "Trinity and Lime Rock Park...and before". Trinity Lime Rock. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. Cowgill, Terry D. (December 8, 2005). "Sunday Racing at Lime Rock Part? Plan Riles Residents". The Lakeville Journal. Vol. 109, no. 16. pp. 1, 12.
  6. Crudele, John (January 18, 2011). "Newman's own will not enough to find a way". New York Post.
  7. Racer Staff (January 24, 2019). "Bertil Roos set for Lime Rock Park return". racer.com. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  8. "Sam Posey Straight at Lime Rock Park". Sports Car Digest. 13 March 2013.
  9. Lime Rock Park (September 3, 2022). "Paul Newman Straight revealed during Lime Rock Park Historic Festival". Racer.
  10. Sinclair, Adam (July 15, 2021). "From Agony To Ecstasy Robichon Recalls 2019 Lime Rock Win". Speedway Digest. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  11. Learner, Preston (June 17, 2021). "Lime Rock Park: the rescued racing venue with a rich sporting history". Motor Sport Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  12. "Northeast Grand Prix Race Official Results (160')" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). 23 July 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  13. "Lime Rock 2 Hours 1993". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  14. "American Le Mans Series Lime Rock 2007". Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  15. "Can-Am Lime Rock 1983". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  16. "American Le Mans Series Lime Rock 2013". Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  17. "2004 Lime Rock Star Mazda Race Statistics". Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  18. "Lime Rock Park, July 5 Juillet 1980". Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  19. "2010 Lime Rock Grand-Am". Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  20. "Lime rock 1 Hour 1982". Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  21. "Lime Rock IMSA WSC 1995". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  22. "1972 Lime Rock F5000". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  23. "GP Lime Rock Prototype Race 2001". Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  24. "Lime Rock [GT] 1991". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  25. "2021 Northeast Grand Prix Lime Rock Race Official Results (2 Hours 40 Minutes)" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). 20 July 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  26. "2 h Lime Rock 1992". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  27. "American Le Mans Series Lime Rock 2012". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  28. "Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli May 27 - 30 2022 Lime Rock Park Memorial Day Classic TA TAH XGT SGT GT Round 6 Official TA / GT Race Results" (PDF). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  29. "Johnny O'Connell, Jack Baldwin earn Pirelli World Challenge wins at Lime Rock". 6 July 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  30. "Lime Rock IMSA GT 1998". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  31. "Lime Rock 200 Miles 1981". Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  32. "Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli May 28 - 31 2021 Lime Rock Park TA2 Round 4 Official Race Results" (PDF). 31 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  33. "Lime Rock [GTU] 1988". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  34. "Lime Rock 1 Hour IMSA GT 1994". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  35. "Lime Rock 100 Miles 1977". Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  36. "2022 Lime Rock Park 120 Race Official Results (2 Hours)" (PDF). 20 July 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  37. "Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car 2018 » Lime Rock Park Round 6 Results". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  38. "1 h Lime Rock [GT] 1995". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  39. "Lime Rock 00 Miles 1976". Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  40. "2 h 45 min Lime Rock 2011". Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  41. "Lime Rock Park, July 20 Juillet 1996". Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  42. "NATCC 1996 » Lime Rock Park Round 1 Results". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  43. "Lime Rock USRRC 1999". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  44. "USRRC Lime Rock GT Race 2000". Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  45. "Lime Rock IMSA GTO 1990". Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  46. "Lime Rock: Touring Car race report". Motorsport.com. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  47. "1999 Ferrari F355 Challenge Race Results". Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  48. "IMSA Supercar Lime Rock 1995". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  49. "Trans Am Racing Returns To Lime Rock Park | Lime Rock Park". limerock.com. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  50. "Trans Am - America's Road Racing Series". gotransam.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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