| 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.
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.
With a Labor Day weekend tradition closing out, the fans, vendors and racers packed up to head home with a new chapter of memories from an event with highlights that included: another edition of the NBT Bank and the Falls Village Inn-supported Historic Festival Parade on Thursday, the unforgettable collection of special Chrysler concept cars, the breathtaking 17 rare cars and motorcycles on display from Honored Collector Lawrence Auriana, one of the largest gatherings of Formula Juniors and Sports 2000 on the East Coast, a 52-car MG field and a highly successful Lime Rock Concours and Gathering of the Marques on Sunday.
Fans will have a few more opportunities to participate in activities this season before the track heads into its brief winter hiatus. The inaugural MiataCon, which will celebrate all makes and models of Miatas and MX5s, will take place on Oct. 27-28 with the capstone FCP Euro Sunday Motoring Meet Autoberfest on October 29.
For more information on upcoming events, visit: www.limerock.com/calendar
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