Historic Festival 43 transforms Lime Rock Park into a living museum of motorsport

Over Labor Day Weekend, Lime Rock Park hosted the 43rd edition of the Historic Festival, a five-day celebration of motorsport heritage that drew the largest collection of vintage cars in the circuit’s modern history.

With 38 races from nine race groups, three special exhibitions from the Ragtime Racers, more than 300 race entries, 125 parade participants, dozens of collector cars on display and nearly 1,000 rare classic vintage automobiles and motorcycles that participated in Sunday in the Park, the storied Connecticut circuit became a rolling museum of speed and history.

Grand Marshal Rob Dyson set the tone by bringing 15 distinguished cars from his personal collection while racing legend David Hobbs was honored as the Festival’s special guest. Together they framed a weekend that blended motorsport personalities, iconic machines and stories that stretched across generations.

Legends on the Move

For the first time, the Del Monte Trophy Race Group traveled east from Pebble Beach, bringing with it cars that once thundered through the pine-lined roads of the Monterey Peninsula to face off with their East Coast counterparts. Between 1950 and 1956, the original Del Monte races helped launch the careers of Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby and set the stage for American road racing. At Lime Rock, their successors lined up once more.

Among the machines that made the cross-country trip were the 1950 Johnny von Neumann MG Special, 1952 Schaticoke Manning Special, 1953 Kurtis 500S Dodge and 1953 Sorrell Kurtis GMC Special. Each carried its own story, preserved and restored to race again.

“These are the cars that helped build the foundation of American road racing,” said Skip Barber, Historic Festival Event Chairman. “To have them at Lime Rock for the first time is something truly special. Our fans didn’t just watch history, they heard it, smelled it and felt it as these cars raced around the track.”

Modern Classics

While the Del Monte cars connected the Festival to Pebble Beach, the Toyo Tires Turn of the Century World Challenge Group showed how more recent history has earned its place on track. Returning to the Historic Festival for its second year, the group is the only vintage World Challenge class in the United States. With 25 cars on the grid, it marked growth over its inaugural running and confirmed the rising popularity of this unique category.

Icons Reimagined

Among the weekend’s curiosities was Derek Drinkwater’s faithful replica of Le Monstre, the bizarre Cadillac-powered machine created by Briggs Cunningham for the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans that became a symbol of American ingenuity.

Unable to buy the priceless original, Drinkwater built his own in just five months without blueprints, using only measurements from the Rev Institute, photos and a life-size outline of the car he made using a projector and a sheet. Since then he has taken it across Europe, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and to the Classic 24 at Daytona where it topped 130 mph. At Lime Rock Park, the car was as much a spectacle as it was in 1950.

Awards & Honors

On Monday, The Park recognized those who embody the spirit of vintage racing. Autodromo, the Official Watch of Historic Festival 43, presented nine drivers, one from each race group, with a Special Edition Lime Rock Park chronograph made special for the drivers.

Winners were selected by sanctioning partners Vintage Racing Group (VRG) and the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) for showcasing vintage spirit throughout the weekend.

Autodromo also presented the “Spirit of Lime Rock Award” to Chris Towner, who competed in the War Era group with a 1938 Morgan F-Type Trike. The honor was voted on by fellow drivers, the Historic Festival Committee and representatives from VRG and VSCCA.

The Piston Foundation added its own recognition with the Piston Technician Award, presented for the fourth year at Lime Rock Park. This year’s recipient was Bob Gett, General Manager at KTR Racing in Ayer, Massachusetts. Gett oversaw 12 cars during the weekend, earning the paddock respect of drivers, teams and owners who nominated him as the Festival’s MVP technician.