Sunday in the Park honors Skip Barber with special celebration

Lime Rock Park came alive with a spectacular display of automotive excellence on Sunday as nearly a thousand vintage cars and motorcycles lined the historic circuit for Sunday in The Park.

While Friday, Saturday and Monday of Historic Festival 43 are dedicated to the unique sounds, sights, and experience that comes with vintage racing, Sunday slows things down, reserved for celebrating the speed, beauty and tradition of automobiles with The Lime Rock Concours and Gathering of the Marques.

This year’s Sunday in The Park carried special meaning as fans joined in honoring the legendary Skip Barber for Skip Barber Day. The celebration featured haircuts by Skip Barber’s own barber, Corey Smith of Smitty’s Barber Shop, raising money for Paul Newman’s nonprofit, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Adding to the atmosphere, the Hartford Men in Harmony Barbershop Quartet strolled the circuit, serenading fans in a four-part tribute to Skip and delivering a memorable National Anthem. Barber even gave out the honored Skip’s Concours Special Award this year, selecting Neil Heffron’s 1995 BMW M3 LTW.

The Concours itself was once again headed by an esteemed panel of 40 judges, including Grand Marshal Rob Dyson and Guest of Honor David Hobbs. The panel evaluated more than 200 cars, selecting 18 for drive-up awards, 23 Best in Class honors and 23 Star of the Rock Awards. Among the highlights, Skip Barber personally selected Neal Heffron’s 1995 BMW M3 LTW for the special Skip’s Concours Award. The Best in Show d’Elegance went to Don Bernstein’s 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1, while Jim Maxwell’s 1965 AC Cobra 289 took Best in Show Sport.

The event was anchored by Grand Marshal Rob Dyson’s remarkable collection, a gathering that traced more than a century of automotive innovation. At its core were three original prewar machines, a 1913 Isotta Fraschini Tipo M, the mighty 1904 Napier L48 “Samson” Racer and a rare Hispano Suiza, displayed alongside five storied IndyCars. Among them was the 1961 Cooper Climax T-54, the car that signaled Indy’s shift from front-engine to rear-engine designs in the hands of reigning Formula 1 World Champion Jack Brabham. It was parked wheel-to-wheel with the 1927 Miller 91, Dan Gurney’s 1967 All American Racers Eagle and McLaren Racing’s 1978 Budweiser McLaren 24B piloted by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford. Dyson’s own 1974 Carling Black Label McLaren M16 C/D made for a poignant reunion, as it was joined once again by its original driver, David Hobbs, during the weekend.

Dyson also showcased seven race cars, including the 1974 Datsun 510 in which he began his career with longtime crew chief Pat Smith, the 1984 Porsche 962 that delivered Dyson Racing his first professional win, the 2002 MG Lola EX-257, the 2011 championship-winning Lola Mazda B11/86 and the 2018 Ford Mustang campaigned by his son, three-time Trans Am champion Chris Dyson. Rounding out the display were two personal treasures: the street-driven 1965 Shelby Cobra he has owned for more than half a century, and the Ford Model A coupe he rebuilt as a teenager while waiting for his driver’s license.

“Rob Dyson’s history with Lime Rock Park goes back 50 years to his earliest days as a racing driver,” said Skip Barber, chairman of the Vintage Festival and former president of The Park. “More than just as a competitor, Rob has been a steadfast supporter of Lime Rock Park in particular and of the sport overall in numerous ways, both large and small, through thick and thin. Everyone who treasures Lime Rock Park today owes Rob a debt of gratitude.”

Historic Festival 43 concludes Monday with final competition outings as all nine race groups stage a total of 18 races to close out the five-day celebration. Gates open at 7:00 a.m. with racing beginning at 9:00 a.m. Tickets are available at the gate, with free admission for children under 12, active military and veterans.