Editor’s note: The following press release came to us via Lime Rock Park, celebrating an upcoming New England Region road race on June 24-25, 2022. The history provided is fascinating.
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) holds a very special spot in Lime Rock Park history. Having been a part of that history from day one, 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of SCCA events as the track prepares to host the SCCA New England Region on June 24-25.
Lime Rock Park is well established in the trinity of legendary road racing circuits in North America. Wisconsin’s Road America — which opened in 1955 — along with California’s Laguna Seca and Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park, both opened in 1957, are among the oldest continuously operated road racing circuits in the U.S. However, only Lime Rock’s circuit remains exactly the same after 65 years.
After the original track owner Jim Vaill transformed the former Lime Rock pit into Lime Rock Park, the SCCA held the track’s inaugural event on April 20, 1957. Billed as an SCCA driver’s school, the track had to be repaved after 152 cars tore it up during testing. It took three days and every dump truck in the area to fix the asphalt surface, but still the program ran on schedule. A crowd of 6,660 watched 10 races made up of a mix of the G Production and MG classes. Ted Sprigg, driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and Charles “Skip” Callanan, driving an MG TC, were the first recorded winners on the challenging 1.5-mile circuit.
Two months later, SCCA returned to hold its first National race, the Haybale SCCA National, on June 9, 1957. Carroll Shelby captured the pole (1:06.0) in a Maserati 300S and lapped all of his big-bore competition, although Lime Rock legend John Fitch managed to lead the opening two laps. Shelby was Sports Illustrated magazine’s Driver of the Year in 1956 and 1957.
Other notable drivers competing that weekend included Walter Cronkite, famed sportsman Briggs Cunningham, Richie Ginther, Walt Hansgen, fashion designer John Weitz, and New York restaurateur Vince Sardi.
Ten years later, SCCA once again put Lime Rock Park on the map, as Peter Revson held off Mark Donohue in the first SCCA Trans Am Series race at Lime Rock.
“That was the turning point in the track,” Jim Haynes, who ran Lime Rock for more than 20 years, told the Hartford Courant. “We went from just a club track to actually promoting a major race. We obtained sponsorship from Schaefer beer and then the track took off.”
About the Upcoming SCCA New England Regionals (June 24-25, 2022)
The New England Regionals are amateur racing at its finest. The SCCA format offers every kind of race car imaginable, from mostly stock sedans and sports cars to formula cars of every type, making the competition always close and exciting.
Friday (June 24) will feature practice and qualifying from all classes with Saturday (June 25) hosting a full day of competition from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a lunch break around noon.
Tickets are $15 in Advance and $20 at the gate
SCCA Lime Rock Park 1957 Archives for Enthusiasts
Click here for the full results from the 1957 SCCA race at Lime Rock Park (provided by http://www.PitTalk.org):
For more photos from SCCA’s 1957 trip to Lime Rock Park, please click here.
Some footage from the 1957 SCCA debut was recovered from the Lime Rock Park archives, shot with an 8mm camera by Daniel Stanfill:
The 2022 Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Series is a smidge past the halfway mark of its 11-event “regular season” that leads to September’s Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Championship Finale, and so far, the year has brought much well-timed success.
Next up is the June 29-July 1, 2022, Tire Rack SCCA Bristol ProSolo taking place in Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway — which is already sold out! You can sign up to be on the wait list, or start planning for any of the other ProSolos taking place this season. But before things get rolling again, let’s take a look at the ProSolo points championship battles that have been developing since the first green light shined in February.
Championship Points Tally
At every ProSolo, competitors earn points toward various end-of-year accolades. A driver’s best two performances count toward their regular season points total, then additional points are added based on finishes at the ProSolo Finale in Lincoln.
JCJ Cup Standings
The Johnson-Clark Johnson Cup goes to the top ProSolo Super Challenge driver each year. Heading into the Tire Rack SCCA Bristol ProSolo, James Yom leads the field with 91 points thanks to two Super Challenge victories, one at the Tire Rack SCCA Fontana ProSolo and the other at the most recent Tire Rack SCCA Lincoln ProSolo.
Not far behind is G. Warren Hahn with 72 points earned during solid performances at the Tire Rack SCCA Florida ProSolo1 and Tire Rack SCCA South Texas ProSolo. Sitting third is Billy Davis with 64 points earned during the Tire Rack SCCA Charlotte ProSolo and Tire Rack SCCA New Jersey ProSolo. Only four points behind Davis is Darrin DiSimo, followed by several other drivers still in contention for the championship.
Fletcher Cup Battle
The Fletcher Cup, awarded to the top Ladies Challenge performer at year’s end, is hotly contested so far. Tied for first with 94 points are Annie Gill and Julie Woodbury. Gill was the Ladies Challenge runner-up at the Tire Rack SCCA Charlotte ProSolo and Tire Rack SCCA New Jersey ProSolo. Woodbury was runner-up at the Tire Rack SCCA South Texas ProSolo and won the Ladies Challenge at the Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing ProSolo.
Only seven points behind Gill and Woodbury is Jennifer Bedell; Jordan Towns currently sits in fourth with 81 points. The 2019 Fletcher Cup winner Kate Fisher is also still in the hunt with 77 points to date.
A complete rundown of current points for both the Johnson-Clark Johnson Cup and Fletcher Cup can be viewed by clicking the button below.
ProSolo Points
Growing ProSolo With the Greenlight Fund
New for 2022 is the Howard Duncan ProSolo Greenlight Fund, which offers free entries to select, first-time ProSolo entrants. In some cases, SCCA Regions hosting ProSolo events are given the chance to nominate rookie entrants to receive fiscal support. At other times, recipients are chosen through random selection.
Sam Mayorga and Joseph Parsons were the first two autocrossers to receive help from the fund back in April at the Tire Rack SCCA Fontana ProSolo. There, Mayorga finished sixth in Street Touring™ Roadster, and Parsons earned a trophy by finishing fifth in a Bump Class.
Lisa Gnesa and Connie Lu got assistance from the fund at the Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing ProSolo. There, both drivers competed in Ladies Class 2, with Gnesa finishing 10th and Lu seventh.
At the Tire Rack SCCA New Jersey ProSolo, Jeremy Eisen and Todd Rushing were the drivers who received support from the fund. Rushing took 10th place in the Street 5 class, and Eisen drove to sixth in C Street.
Most recently, at the Tire Rack SCCA Lincoln ProSolo, Kyle Greene and Aldo Flores were the fund recipients. Greene finished seventh in E Street, with Flores 17th in a stacked Solo Spec Coupe field.
Named for the SCCA Hall of Famer and SCCA staffer credited with growing the ProSolo program, the Howard Duncan ProSolo Greenlight Fund initiative is supported by the SCCA Foundation. An initial amount of $7,500 was generously provided by Brian Conners to establish this new program. Others can help support this project by visiting the SCCA Foundation website where donations can be earmarked for the Howard Duncan ProSolo Greenlight Fund.
ProSolo Class Leaders
The chase for ProSolo Class Championships is in full swing, too. Below is a quick look at the leaders so far. Each entry contains the car class: driver name and (points).
A Street: Kevin Wenzel (40)
B Street: Andrew Kessel (40)
CAM: Jeremy Foley (32)
C Street (tie): Vivek Goel (40), Will Teller (40)
E Street (tie): Dennis Hubbard (40), Eric Peterson (40)
G Street (tie): Darrin DiSimo (40), Michael Yanase (40)
Ladies Class 1: Nicole Wong (40)
Ladies Class 2: Julie Woodbury (26)
Ladies Class 3 (tie): Annie Gill (40), Kim Whitener (40)
Race Tire Index 1: Jeff Kiesel (40)
Race Tire Index 2: Robert Lewis (40)
Street 1 (tie): G. Warren Hahn (40), Steve O’Blenes (40)
Street 2 (tie): Adrian Cardenas (36), Steve Waters (36)
Street 3: James Yom (40)
Street 4 (tie): Aaron Shoe (36), Justin Tsang (36)
Street 5 (tie): Rich DiMarco (40), Mark Scroggs (40)
Solo Spec Coupe: Mason Herrick (40)
Street Touring™ Roadster: Billy Davis (40)
Street Touring™ Xtreme: Manfred Reysser (40)
Electric Vehicle Experimental: Matthew Grainger (32)
