Lime Rock Park facts for kids
| Road Racing Center of the East | |
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Track layout
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| Location | Lakeville, Connecticut, United States |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (UTC-4 DST) |
| Owner | Skip Barber |
| Operator | Skip Barber |
| Broke ground | 1956 |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Major events | IMSA SportsCar Championship Northeast Grand Prix (2015-) 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) |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.50 mi (2.41 km) |
| Turns | 7 |
| Race lap record | 43.112 seconds (P. J. Jones, Eagle Mk. III-Toyota, 1993, GTP) |
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Lime Rock Park Race Track
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| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Area | 325.2 acres (131.6 ha) |
| Built | 1956 |
| Built by | Jim Vaill |
| Architectural style | Race track |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001380 |
| Added to NRHP | October 16, 2009 |
Lime Rock Park is a famous place in Lakeville, Connecticut, USA, where people race cars on a special road track. It's one of the oldest race tracks in the country, built in 1956. Only two other tracks have been open longer: Road America and Willow Springs International Motorsports Park. A former race car driver named Skip Barber owns the track. He also started a racing school there in 1975. In 2009, Lime Rock Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
History of the Track
The idea for the 1.53-mile (2.46 km) Lime Rock track came from Jim Vaill in 1956. He worked with John Fitch and Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory to build the track. They used the best safety ideas from road and highway design at the time.
The very first race at Lime Rock Park happened on April 28, 1957. Ted Sprigg won the G-Production class in an Alfa Romeo. Charles Callanan won the MG class in an MG TC. In 1959, Lime Rock hosted a special race called the Little Le Mans. Charles Callanan and Roger Penske won this race in a Fiat Abarth.
In 2008, the track was updated. Workers repaved the surface and added two new sections of corners.
Challenges and Famous Racers
Lime Rock Park has many loyal fans. However, it faced some challenges from the local community when it first opened. In 1959, a group tried to stop Sunday racing. A court decided that racing could not happen on Sundays. This rule is still in place today. But the court also said that racing could happen on Fridays and Saturdays. This allowed the track to keep operating.
Many famous racers have driven at Lime Rock Park. These include actor Paul Newman, Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss, and Dan Gurney. Other well-known drivers like Parnelli Jones, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, and even actor Tom Cruise have raced here.
Some big racing series, like the Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series, have used a track layout that includes a special turn called a chicane at turn five.
Track Layout and Length
For many years, people thought the track was 1.53 miles (2.46 km) long. The story is that someone measured it with a car's odometer right after it was built. After the track was rebuilt in 2008, new measurements were taken. It turns out that all four possible track layouts are about 1.5 miles (2.41 km) long.
The "classic" track layout has seven turns. The other three optional layouts have eight, nine, or ten turns. The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship says the track is 1.474 miles (2.372 km) long.
Races Held at Lime Rock Park
Many different types of races and championships have been held at Lime Rock Park over the years. Here are some of them:
- Can-Am
- Formula Atlantic
- Formula Libre
- Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (2006-2013)
- Lime Rock Grand Prix
- IMSA GT Championship (1972-1998)
- United States Road Racing Championship (1999)
- Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series (2000-2001, 2006-2008, 2010–2013)
- NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (1993-2010)
- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (2010-2011)
- North American Touring Car Championship (1996)
- Northeast Grand Prix
- American Le Mans Series (2004-2013)
- IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (2015–present)
- Pirelli World Challenge (1992–1993, 1995-2005, 2007–2008, 2013, 2016-2018)
- SCCA Continental Championship Formula 5000 (1968-1972)
- SCCA National Sports Car Championship (1958-1964)
- Trans-Am (1967-1974, 1981, 1985-1989, 1992-1993, 1995-1999, 2002-2003, 2010, 2012-2015, 2019)
Gallery
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Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
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Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
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Lime Rock Park, Connecticut
Images for kids
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BMW M6 GT3 race car rounds "Big Bend", turns 1–2, at Lime Rock Park during an IMSA GT event
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View from the front strait spectator area during an American Le Mans Series event
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GT3 cars battle through "The Left Hander", turn 3, during an IMSA event at Lime Rock Park
See also
In Spanish: Lime Rock Park para niños
