| FROM MURRAY SMITH Ladies and Gentlemen & Fellow Enthusiasts, We had an interesting day at Lime Rock Park last weekend when the Lime Rock Drivers Club took to the track. This happened with the understanding that they would observe very strict rules laid out in detailed protocols designed to protect everybody involved. A good day was enjoyed by all and there was a welcome universal attitude displayed on the benefits of social distancing and the serious efforts made by the track to provide the physical safeguards possible to assure the safety of all concerned. I must say, I did not hear any complaints about the rules put in place for the protection of all at the track, drivers, crew members and staff. This leads me to believe that if the standards we have imposed for ourselves are indeed universally observed then there is a good chance that we will be able to hold a 38th edition of the Historic Festival. So, get your entries in soon with the assurances that we will not cash any checks or charge any credit cards until we are sure that the event will actually take place. Race groups for 2020 will, at least, include these:• Pre-war • Medium Bore Sporting Cars • Large Bore Sporting Cars • Formula Fords • Sports Racing Cars of the 50s and 60s• Formula Junior• Tin Tops • GT Cars (Pre-2000)• Wings and Slicks• Sports 2000s• Lime Rock Drivers Club Miatas Special Cars: The Festival will see a deluge of the very special cars and drivers, which like year’s past, make this event so successful. Amongst the entries already received is a very special one. It’s special because the car concerned is of the utmost importance in itself, and as far as I can remember, the only time that one has run in America in recent memory was when it was demonstrated by J.M Fangio himself at Laguna Seca many years ago.  The same team who built the Lancia D50 Grand Prix cars that ran at the Festival a few years ago, and were fueled by the enthusiasm of the late Peter Giddings with the support of the perennial Peter Greenfield, have seen the rebirth on an Alfa Romeo Type 158 Grand Prix car, which will also appear and race at the Festival this year. Believe me, you should all hear the noise that this amazing supercharged beast makes (1.5 litre, more or less like a TD MG with some 430 HP). A similar car was driven by the first post-war World Champion Nino Farina. It will be something to see and hear! Virtual Concours: An additional reason for fun this year, while you are constrained to stay at home, is the organizing of a Virtual Concours d’ Elegance. Since you may be like some of my friends who are wondering what in the hell I am up to, let me explain. In brief, there are times when I would rather be driving in my old car meeting and seeing pals with similar manias to mine…the love of driving, talking about cars and reading about cars. But in short, the automotive world is not very active. However, I detect a fierce flow of energy and interest out there. So let’s try a Concours d’ Elegance, which exists only because entrants want somewhere to indulge their imagination. Imagine that you have up to three cars in your stable and you would like pit them against similar cars from around the world in a virtual contest of style beauty and provenance. The classes are simple: · Pre-War Sports and GT Car· Post- War Sports and GT Cars· Pre and Post war Competition Cars· Touring Cars Pre-War· Touring Cars post Aar The war being the 1939 to 1945 World War. And, that’s it. If you want to add a special note to one of your entries you may under “provenance” for instance say 1963 Ferrari GTO, winner GT Class at Le Mans Driven by… You can also choose the color or colors of your car, and in the case of special coach work then define who did it. A distinguished group of judges will peruse your entries and will select the winners of each class and then an overall winner, prizes will be awarded. Electronic entries only will be accepted, and a judging team will be announced shortly. Entries should be in by the 1st July and results will be announced by the 15th July. Send Virtual Concours d’ Elegance entries* to: Historics@limerockpark.comInclude on the subject line of your email: Virtual Concours 2020*See below for how to apply for the “real” Sunday in the Park Concours I wish you all a happy summer in the hope that you will join the Festival and we will share in the fun and frolic on Labor Day. Send in your entries for the Lime Rock Park Race and for the “real” Sunday in the Park Concours soon, and for this silly notion of mine that we all have vivid imaginations and would love to dream of an ideal stable. All the best and remain safe,  Murray SmithHistoric Festival ChairmanRace Entry AnnouncementENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED In order to accommodate the rather unusual environment in which we are operating this year and the special conditions for which some of you may be facing, we wanted to let you know that we have moved the final date for entries from June 15 to July 15, and we would like to remind you that entry fees will not be deposited until that date. Sunday In The Park Announcement:In keeping with the cautious optimism for this year’s 38th Historic Festival weekend, we have kicked off planning for the Sunday Concours and Gathering of the Marques. First and foremost amongst our priorities will be everyone’s safety. We have redesigned our event around a refined set of classes that maintains a focus on interesting classic, sports and racing cars, but, in keeping with our new and altered times, adds some additional classes, including a class for classic camping trailers – the ideal solution for social distancing. We’re also going to feature French cars, a class for the Datsun/Nissan Z-cars in honor of the 240Z’s 50th anniversary and a class for unrestored and preserved cars. Finally, in honor of all those that have done so much to keep us safe during these challenging times, we will display a special exhibit of fire, police and emergency vehicles. The full list of updated classes will be posted shortly on the Sunday in the Park webpage. For the Concours specifically, we will be using a peer judging approach, whereby the Best in Class and supplemental awards are determined by the members of each class, allowing us to maintain the spirit of fair competition while simplifying the judging process. We will maintain, however, our tradition of individual special awards for vehicles of unique interest, history or beauty, which will be determined by Chief Judge Bill Scheffler and colleagues on the field that day. For this year only, we will be dropping the usual “skip a year” requirement of the past, which I hope will bring back some of the memorable cars that were on the field in 2019. For the Gathering of the Marques, we will be working with each of the individual exhibitors and clubs to make sure that have prepared adequate space for them around the track. I think we all understand that 2020 will be a unique year for the Historics. We recognize that many of you won’t have had much, if any, chance to experience that special enthusiasm that comes from the interaction of great cars and their owners, but safety is our top priority, so we will be providing regular updates on the status of Sunday in the Park as conditions dictate. In the meantime, the success of our event will largely depend on participation, so please get your entries into us as soon as possible . We look forward to seeing you in September! Be well and take care, Lowell Paddock Sunday in the Park Concours BlogWe recently started featuring interesting stories about past Concours winners on LimeRock.com and we’ll soon introduce posts on noteworthy race entries from previous Festivals as well as cars that we expect to be joining us this year. The most recent post features the Daimler SP-250 roadster belonging to Steve Busch, who owns 12 in total ranging from the award-winning version he showed at last year’s Sunday in the Park Concours to various parts cars. The SP-250 has a fascinating history, even if it wasn’t a smashing commercial success. Read the full story about this beauty. Be sure to join us for Lime Rock Park’s events in 2020.For a full schedule, visit www.LimeRock.com |
Lime Rock Park | 60 White Hollow Road, Lakeville, CT 06039 |
There’s still plenty of opportunity for brands even without filled racetracks.Getty Images
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