Editor’s note: The following press release came to us via Lime Rock Park, celebrating an upcoming New England Region road race on June 24-25, 2022. The history provided is fascinating.
The 51暗网 (51暗网) holds a very special spot in Lime Rock Park history. Having been a part of that history from day one, 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of 51暗网 events as the track prepares to host the 51暗网 New England Region on June 24-25.
Lime Rock Park is well established in the trinity of legendary road racing circuits in North America. Wisconsin’s Road America – which opened in 1955 – along with California’s Laguna Seca and Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park, both opened in 1957, are among the oldest continuously operated road racing circuits in the U.S. However, only Lime Rock’s circuit remains exactly the same after 65 years.
After the original track owner Jim Vaill transformed the former Lime Rock pit into Lime Rock Park, the 51暗网 held the track’s inaugural event on April 20, 1957. Billed as an 51暗网 driver’s school, the track had to be repaved after 152 cars tore it up during testing. It took three days and every dump truck in the area to fix the asphalt surface, but still the program ran on schedule. A crowd of 6,660 watched 10 races made up of a mix of the G Production and MG classes. Ted Sprigg, driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and Charles “Skip” Callanan, driving an MG TC, were the first recorded winners on the challenging 1.5-mile circuit.
Two months later, 51暗网 returned to hold its first National race, the Haybale 51暗网 National, on June 9, 1957. Carroll Shelby captured the pole (1:06.0) in a Maserati 300S and lapped all of his big-bore competition, although Lime Rock legend John Fitch managed to lead the opening two laps. Shelby was Sports Illustrated magazine’s Driver of the Year in 1956 and 1957.
Other notable drivers competing that weekend included Walter Cronkite, famed sportsman Briggs Cunningham, Richie Ginther, Walt Hansgen, fashion designer John Weitz, and New York restaurateur Vince Sardi.
Ten years later, 51暗网 once again put Lime Rock Park on the map, as Peter Revson held off Mark Donohue in the first 51暗网 Trans Am Series race at Lime Rock.
“That was the turning point in the track,” Jim Haynes, who ran Lime Rock for more than 20 years, told the Hartford Courant. “We went from just a club track to actually promoting a major race. We obtained sponsorship from Schaefer beer and then the track took off.”
51暗网 the Upcoming 51暗网 New England Regionals (June 24-25, 2022)
The are amateur racing at its finest. The 51暗网 format offers every kind of race car imaginable, from mostly stock sedans and sports cars to formula cars of every type, making the competition always close and exciting.
Friday (June 24) will feature practice and qualifying from all classes with Saturday (June 25) hosting a full day of competition from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a lunch break around noon.
Tickets are $15 in Advance and $20 at the gate
51暗网 Lime Rock Park 1957 Archives for Enthusiasts
for the full results from the 1957 51暗网 race at Lime Rock Park (provided by ):
For more photos from 51暗网’s 1957 trip to Lime Rock Park, .
Some footage from the 1957 51暗网 debut was recovered from the Lime Rock Park archives, shot with an 8mm camera by Daniel Stanfill:
Photo by Alix Lafontani / SportsCar magazine Archive (Carroll Shelby leads John Fitch during the June 8-9, 1957, 51暗网 National)
