After drifting on roads from Canada to Japan, Bethel-local heads back to Lime Rock Park for a weekend that blends motorsport, lifestyle and car culture.

LAKEVILLE, CONN. (8 August 2025)- Lime Rock Park has spent more than six decades as New England’s oldest and most iconic road course. It’s hosted legends like Paul Newman, Sam Posey, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, even legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite, and has echoed with the sounds of nearly every type of motorsport engine built in the last century.

While honoring its tradition, Lime Rock is also writing a new chapter.

Four seasons ago, the track took a step into the future when it welcomed GRIDLIFE Circuit Legends, a festival that introduced drifting to Lime Rock Park for the first time in its then 65-year history. Among the first drivers to steer a car intentionally sideways through the 1.5-mile Bull Ring was Grant Anderson, a Bethel native who now lives in Washington, Connecticut.

“It was surreal,” Anderson said. “To be one of the first people to drift here, at a track I grew up watching from the outside, was a moment I’ll never forget.”

Now a competition drift driver who has drifted through 11 countries on four continents from the ice-covered roads of Canada to the largest drift festival in Japan (Ebisu Spring Matsuri), Anderson will take the wheel of his modified BMW M3, powered by a Corvette engine,  purpose-built for Lime Rock Park’s fast corners and tight transitions for GRIDLIFE Circuit Legends Festival August 15-17.

“Lime Rock is one of my favorite places because my family and friends finally get to see what I do,” said Anderson. “They get to ride along in the car with me and live my dream with me, and that means so much. It’s a homecoming for me. The track is in a beautiful location and drifting down the Sam Posey Straight under the bridge going into Turn 1 is a breathtaking experience.”

GRIDLIFE Circuit Legends is a three-day festival that blends competitive racing, car culture, lifestyle and entertainment into one of the most immersive motorsport experiences in the Northeast.

More than 200 cars will take to the track across four classes including the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup, TrackBattle Time Attack, the spec RUSH Series, the new GRIDLIFE GT class and a handpicked roster of drift drivers.

GRIDLIFE is recognized as the fastest-growing, youngest paddock in the world, bringing a new wave of young drivers, builders and fans into the sport. The series has become a grassroots gateway for the next generation of motorsport, blending high-performance racing with a festival atmosphere.

“GRIDLIFE has found a way to energize the sport in a way that few others have,” said Lime Rock Park CEO Dicky Riegel. “It draws in a younger audience without losing the authenticity of racing and that’s exactly the kind of energy we want to bring to Lime Rock Park.”

The excitement isn’t limited to the track. There’s just as much happening off it.

Saturday will showcase the GRIDLIFE X PRIME Concours, a curated invite-only show field of 75 vehicles celebrating the golden era of tuning from the late 1980s through the mid 2000s. Fans can expect to see iconic JDM, DTM, BTCC, JTCC and D1-inspired builds from an era now finding its place in the collector world.

Off the track, fans will find the GRIDLIFE Arcade with vintage pinball machines, 80s and 90s arcade classics and driving simulators, all free to play with an event ticket. Campground karaoke, late-night arcade sessions and all-weekend camping create a summer camp vibe that lasts from Friday night’s opening Sunoco Paddock Party to the FCP Euro Sunday Motoring Meet that closes out the weekend.

The FCP Euro Sunday Motoring Meet is a free community car show from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. open to all makes and models with cars lined down the Sam Posey Straight.

Anderson said it all adds up to something special.

“GRIDLIFE celebrates all forms of motorsport on legendary tracks like Lime Rock,” he said. “To be part of that, and to do it in front of the people who mean the most to me, is something I’ll always hold onto.”

Tickets for GRIDLIFE Circuit Legends start at $49. For more information visit limerock.com/events/gridlife.