Historic Festival 38 To Celebrate Vintage Racing & Much More
Five-day Event Held At Lime Rock Park Over Labor Day Weekend
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LAKEVILLE, Conn.—Lime Rock Park has confirmed plans for its annual Labor Day Historic Festival, the only major vintage car event in the country that combines historic racing and a prominent concours at the same location on the same weekend.
“This will be our first major public event of the year,” said Lime Rock President Skip Barber. “We have been planning with the state and experimenting with small events to develop protocols for the safety of both spectators and participants. Connecticut has done a wonderful job of managing the virus and we hope to set the gold standard for spectator events. Having large outdoor spaces and doing careful planning means we can safely conduct all the normal features of this exciting weekend.”
Festival Chairman Murray Smith anticipates that the weekend will be highlighted by the presence of an Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 Grand Prix car, which coincides with Alfa’s 110thanniversary this year. The 158 dominated early postwar Formula One racing with such renowned drivers as Juan Manuel Fangio and Giuseppe Farina at the wheel and won all eleven races it entered in the first postwar Formula One season of 1950. “Many of our past Historics attendees will remember the Mercedes W154 Grand Prix car brought to Lime Rock by the Revs Institute,” said Smith. “The 158’s appearance – and more importantly the unique sound of its supercharged 1.5-liter straight eight – will certainly generate a similar level of excitement.”
In addition to three days of racing, the annual “Sunday in the Park” Concours d’Élégance will feature multiple classes of pre- and postwar sports, racing and luxury cars as well as motorcycles. This year’s event will also include a class honoring the 50th anniversary of the Datsun / Nissan 240Z as well as classes for French cars and for vintage travel trailers – the ideal solution for social distancing. Sunday will also host the annual Gathering of The Marques, which brings together hundreds of classic and sports car enthusiasts from around the Northeast to display their cars on the Lime Rock circuit.
This year’s Historics weekend will also include a 17-mile Vintage Race and Sports Car Parade through local towns that helps support The Corner Food Pantry, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association and the Lakeville Hose Company.
The following weekend, September 11-12th, Lime Rock Park will host IMSA’s Northeast Grand Prix featuring the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with the Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.
About Lime Rock Park: Opened in 1957, Lime Rock Park is a historic automotive and entertainment venue located in Litchfield County, Conn. Along with hosting several televised spectator race weekends, Lime Rock is home to numerous special events, racing schools, driving schools, and the exclusive Lime Rock Drivers Club. Visit www.limerock.com or @limerockpark on social media for more information.
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