A sea of green trees climbing the Berkshires met with cascading clouds and blue skies setting the perfect backdrop to showcase the final day of Historic Festival 41 at Lime Rock Park on Monday.
Celebrating Chrysler Performance and 100 years of MG alongside featured race groups Formula Junior and Sports 2000, the Festival featured nearly 1,500 rare and historic cars over the five-day event. From the parade to the grids and Sunday in The Park, the Festival saw the largest participation in its 41-year history.
Lime Rock Park hosts over a thousand cars for its annual Sunday in the Park celebration
Diverse field of vintage cars highlight Saturday at Historic Festival 41
Historic Festival 41 kicks off with beautiful weather and big grid
The race groups were particularly exceptional, with drivers representing 29 states and three countries driving cars from nine different countries ranging from the early 1910s to the early 2000s.
Nearly 20 races were staged during the Labor Day finale, with the first nine dubbed as the Autodromo Sprints.
Autodromo, the Official Watch of the Historic Festival 41, presented nine drivers, one from each race group with an Autodromo Prototipo Chronograph during a special recognition ceremony held on the front straight at lunch. Sanctioning partners, Vintage Racing Group (VRG) and Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA), chose the winners based on the drivers’ Vintage Spirit showcased during the entire festival. In addition, Autodromo also presented Santo Spadaro with the “Spirit of Lime Rock Award” which was voted on by his fellow drivers, the Historic Festival Committee and representatives from VSCCA and VRG. Spadaro also won Best in Show Sport during Sunday in The Park: Lime Rock Concours for his 1953 PBX H Modified entry.
The Piston Foundation also presented a special award during lunch. Connecticut native Chris Kvaka was honored with the Piston Technician Award to recognize the essential contribution auto technicians make to the collector car community through trade skills and technical automotive expertise. For the last five years, Kvaka has wrenched for Vintage Racing Services, supporting the No. 18 1963 Triumph Spitfire driven by Tom Brown.
It was a “proud dad” moment for Lime Rock Drivers Club Director Simon Kirkby, who was bested by LRDC member Mike George during the final Tin Tops race of the day. Kirkby finished third, with George ending the race in second.
Autodromo Award Winners
Historic Festival 41 “Spirit of Lime Rock”Santo Spadaro – PBX H Modified
Individual Race Group Awards:
Group 1: Jim Haynes Formula Junior MemorialNick Grewal – Elva 300
Group 2: Sports 2000John Thompson – Lola T91/90
Group 3: War-Era: Pre-War and Early Post-War CarsNial McCabe – Austin A-35
Group 4: Tin Tops / IMSA RS / Under 2.5 LitreJosh Brown – Volkswagen GTI
Group 5: MG FeatureHeather Richards – MG Midget
Group 6: Mid Century GT / Sportscars Under 2 LitreJoe Colasacco – Alfa Romeo TZ1
Group 7: GT / Sportscars Over 2 Litre / Sports Racing CarsTed Goneos Porsche 911
Group 8: Big Bore & Air-Cooled PorschesJames Hamblin – Porsche 911 S/T