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JULY 27, 1963
“All of the drivers apart from Andretti seemed to have trouble with the many right-hand turns.” (Lakeville Journal)
It was a different type of day of racing at Lime Rock, as open-wheel machinery took to the track for two main events. Sanctioned by LISCA, there was a Midget auto race with a purse of $2,000 and a Formula Libre plus Midget race, also with a $2,000 purse. The winner of each race walked away with $1,000 each.
After three mundane and uneventful heats for the Midgets, twenty- two of them lined up for the start of the race.
The twenty-two Midgets were subject to a push start and a form-up lap before taking the rolling start to the first turn. However the rolling start caused its own problems as the tightly packed cars were already traveling at a high speed on approaching the Big Bend. In the middle of the swarm, Bill Randall, driving the Sheeham-Offenhauser ran up the back of the car driven by Len Thrall in front of him, flipped, hit another car driven by Albert Brooks, and slid for more than one hundred feet, upside down. The race was stopped while Randall was removed from his car and rushed to hospital. Randall did not survive his injuries, dying four days later of a broken neck, fractured skull and multiple lacerations.
All of the drivers but for Andretti seemed to have trouble with the many right-hand turns, they being used to only making left turns on the oval tracks. Andretti came home the winner in the Mataka- Offenhauser, after taking the lead on the final lap, for his first victory of the season. He was followed home by Albert Brooks and Len Thrall, after their cars were deemed in suitable condition to continue after the incident with Randall.
CHAPTER EIGHT • 1963: PRESSURE TAKES IT’S TOLL
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LIME ROCK PARK • THE EARLY YEARS 1955-1975
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