Historic Festival race groups, concours classes announced

Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 31 News
2013 Race Groups and Sunday in the Park Concours Classes Announced

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (Feb. 26, 2013) – In a year of significant motoring milestones, Historic Festival 31 Event Chairman Murray Smith has confirmed this year’s race groups for the huge Labor Day weekend vintage competition at Lime Rock Park, August 30 through September 2.

At the same time, Sunday in the Park (Sept. 1) Chairman Kent Bain has confirmed the classes and special awards for this year’s concours.

Twenty-thirteen is a year that marks Buick’s 100th and Aston Martin’s 80th anniversaries, as well as 50-year celebrations for the Porsche 911 and the Lotus Elan. And it was 50 years ago that Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd., was founded.

These models and marques will be honored with special exhibit classes and on-track events during the five-day vintage car-and-racing extravaganza, now in its 31st year at Lime Rock Park (itself in its 57th year of operation).

“We are blessed with a tremendous variety of milestones and anniversaries in 2013,” Smith said. “Any and all automotive enthusiasts cannot help but be mesmerized by the number and quality of cars we’ll see gracing – and racing on – the grounds at Lime Rock.”

Smith also announced that a very special group of Cunninghams will be on site. “Details will be forthcoming,” Smith said, “but I guarantee it will be of tremendous interest to those that have only an ounce of racing blood in their veins.”

Historic Festival 31 Competition Race Groups
1. “Speed and Agility,” small-bore post-war sports and GT cars
2. “The Dawn of Real Performance,” racing and sports cars to 1949
3. “Racing Icons,” the Porsche 911 turns 50
4. “Who Needs Fenders,” built for victory, formula cars to 1965
5. “Built to Win,” sports racers 1950 – 1962
6. “No Holds Barred,” a formula libre category
7. “Wild, Wild Horses,” Big-bore post-war sports and GT cars
8. “Sophisticated and Specialized,” sports racers 1965 – 1976
9. “Fast and Furious,” original Trans-Am cars, 1966 – 1972

For the Sunday in the Park Concours, organizer Bain has confirmed 29 classes and nine special awards, plus, of course, Rolex Best in Show. A complete listing can be found at this Lime Rock Park web page, but highlights include…

“Only the Best for Bond,” post-war Aston Martins to 1969
“A Clever Cunningham,” accolades for a very rare breed of American racers
“The Marvel of McLaren”
“911 Sports and GT Heaven”
“The Value of Valves on Top,” 100 years of Buick
“Classic & Sports Car Magazine’s Editor’s Choice”
“Elan Elation,” Lotus innovation rewarded

No other venue in the U.S. has three days of on-track racing sandwiching a prestigious concours event – all on the same property. Since 1983, the East Coast’s premier vintage racing event has been the Historic Festival and its companion “Sunday in the Park Concours” (Sept. 1) at Lime Rock Park. The racing on the track is non-stop from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Monday, with 800+ cars on display for Sunday in the Park & Gathering of the Marques. More information at limerock.com.