Page 19 - LIME ROCK PARK_sample pages

LIME ROCK PARK • THE EARLY YEARS 1955-1975
JULY 29, 1967
“The fifth race, for Formula cars, was a real crowd pleaser.” (Lakeville Journal)
Another round of the Area One championship races took place at Lime Rock, this one should have been under the guidance of the New York Region, but relinquished the date in favor of the New England Region, signaling a welcome return after two years absence. About 165 drivers turned up despite the threatening weather.
The day commenced with a race for Class HP cars. Chris Jensen scored his second straight Area One Championship win in his Austin-Healey Sprite, this after being out of the sport for a year. Laszlo Siegmund finished in second spot ahead of a newcomer, Dave Domizi, also driving Austin-Healey Sprites.
Twenty-eight Formula Vee cars took the start of Race Two, and Steve Burtis performed his normal feat of running off from the pack and winning the race in his well-used Autodynamics. John Zeitler, the defending Area One Vee champion finished second in his home built Z-4 after working his way from the back of the field, staving off the challenges from Dick Boden in a Barrcar, and Tom Davey in an Autodynamics and Charles Hevenor in an Aardvark.
A field of Sedans from Classes BS, CS and DS sat on the grid for the start of Race Three. Marvin Davidson looked very impressive as he took the lead in his Alfa Romeo GTA 1600, staying there to finish first overall, well ahead of Lyle Davis in a Ford Lotus Cortina. Ed Spreen finished in third spot in his Mini-Cooper S to win Class CS, while Al Cosentino continued his domination of Class DS in his Fiat-Abarth 1000, finishing fifth overall, ahead of many more powerful machines.
Class FP cars were grouped together with the supposedly quicker cars from Classes GSR and HSR for the fourth race. Bob Sharp once again dominated proceedings in his Datsun SPL 311, but this time things were trickier as a quantity of oil had been dumped in the Esses, making the track surface akin to an ice-rink. Most competitors spun on that stretch of the track at least once, with one or two drivers making it their point of retirement from the race. Sharp survived the hazardous section to increase his lead, lap by lap, to come home a comfortable winner ahead of Earle Sylvia and Sheldon Shoff, both driving Lotus 7s. On the last lap the pair howled down the finish straight together, Sylvia crossing the line bare inches ahead of Shoff. The Sports Racing drivers found the race hard-going, Bill Thomas taking fourth place in his Elva, first in Class GSR, and Bill Holbrook fifth overall in his Saab Special. Six of the twenty starters failed to finish the race.
A quick clean-up in the Esses delayed the start of the Formula race for Class FB and FC cars. Bob Fuller jumped into the lead from the start and led going into the Esses. It appears that there was still a slick of oil on the track surface as he performed a hair-raising spin that dropped him back to last place and let Mike Cronin place his Lotus 22 into a lead he would never give up. Fuller set about chasing the field and quickly established second spot and even began to pressure Cronin by the end of the race. Fred Stevenson won Class FC in his Lotus 20-Ford, after a hard tussle with Peter Rehl and Roger Barr, both driving Cooper-BMCs.
Race Six for Class EP cars had seventeen entrants, and resulted in an easy win for Tom Outcault in his TVR, following a previous week victory. His nearest competitor was Bob McArthur, finishing second overall in his Morgan, after a close race with third placed Bob Kilpatrick in a MGB.
The seventh race, for Class CP and DP cars resulted in a victory for Peter Pulver driving his race-winning Lotus Elan. He finished five seconds ahead of Bob Sharp, driving a new Datsun SRL 311 which was making its competition debut at Lime Rock. Sharp made a rare mistake at the start of the race which cost him dear, having to work his way past experienced Lotus Super 7 drivers to attain second spot. Ernie Steubesand held third place ahead of Jim Jenkins and Walt Bailey, all three driving Lotus Super 7s. Gerry Sagerman drove his TVR to a sixth place finish winning Class DP.
The next event for Class GP cars was a continuation of the perpetual duel between Dick Gilmartin’s Datsun SPL310 and Philip Haloff in a Triumph Spitfire. Gilmartin led every lap, managing to win this fifteen- lap race with Haloff in second spot, well ahead of the third placed Alfa Romeo Sprint driven by Gary Rutherford.
The final event of the meeting was for Sports Racing Classes plus AP, BP, AS and BS cars. Eighteen cars started, with Jerry Crawford taking an immediate lead from the first row of the grid in his Lola T70. He thundered around the track for fifteen laps to take an impressive win. Jim Locke gave a spirited chase in his Porsche 356B 1600 Carrera but had to settle for second overall and first in Class ESR. Bob Dini continued to be the man to beat in Class AP, as once again he drove to another Class AP win in Bob Grossman’s Shelby Cobra, and taking third overall. Lance Pruyn scored his first AS win with his new Chevrolet Camaro, after following Class AS leader Steve Brownstein’s Mustang, until Brownstein made a mistake and went off the track was got stuck in the mud left by early morning rain. Oliver Jones finished in fourth place, first in Class FSR driving his Lotus 23B, while Class BP went to the Shelby Mustang GT350 driven by Kneeland.
Mike Cronin drove his Lotus 22-Ford to victory at the July 29 meeting. (TON) 370
CHAPTER TWELVE • 1967: TRANS-AM COMES TO LIME ROCK
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