Five Things to Watch at Lime Rock’s Memorial Day Classic
There will be plenty of racing action at Lime Rock Park during the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic May 26-29. Here are five things to watch for on the track while you’re at The Park:
1. HOME SWEET HOME: Dyson Racing has found a “home near home” at Lime Rock Park. Ever since Rob Dyson’s victory in the first race for his Porsche 962 in the 1985 Memorial Day Classic, Dyson Racing has enjoyed the short drive from their home near Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to compete in front of family and friends. Dyson Racing is again the team to beat in the featured Trans Am by Pirelli , featuring second-generation star Chris Dyson and Matt Brabham. Brabham is also a part of the Lime Rock family legacy as the grandson of legendary Australian F1 pioneer Jack Brabham and the son of Geoff Brabham. He raced at Lime Rock Park last year, coming in second to his teammate Dyson. Dyson is tied with Dorsey Schroeder with most Trans Am victories at Lime Rock with three apiece. Dyson, driver of the No. 16 Gym Weed Ford Mustang, won the two most recent Trans Am rounds at New Orleans and Road Atlanta in a bid for a second-consecutive title. He has a three-race winning streak at Lime Rock dating back to 2019 (there was no race in 2020 due to the pandemic).
2. HUGE TA2 FIELD: The Saturday feature for the Memorial Day Classic will be the TA2 race ta 1 p.m. A huge 39-car field will pack the 1.478-mile Lime Rock Park classic circuit with non-stop action. Points leader and Sebring winner Rafa Matos faces challenges from New Orleans winner Brent Crews and Connor Zilsch – who captured the most recent round at Road Atlanta. Other drivers to watch include Thomas Merrill, Mike Skeen, Darin Mock, Dillon Machavern and Michele Abbate.
3. SECOND-GENERATION STAR: Young Boris Said is carrying on the tradition of his famed father, former Stamford resident Boris Said III. The elder said was a standout in sports cars and one of the best “road course ringers” in NASCAR. At Lime Rock, he won here in 2002 in a Panoz Esperante in addition to taking a pole in 1996 and fast laps in both 1995 and 1996. Young Boris will drive in the loaded TA2 field, driving the No. 86 3-Dimensional Services Group Camaro as a teammate to Mike Skeen and points leader Rafa Matos.
Thad Moffitt will drive the No,. 43 Safety Kleen Camaro in TA2. The fourth-generation driver finished 12th in all three races this season. He is the grandson of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, and the great-grandson of three-time champ Lee Petty, and has experience in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
4. LOCAL FLAVOR: The 39-car Trans Am 2 field includes a pair of drivers who reside about an hour and a half away from Lime Rock Park. Michael Phillips of South Salem, N.Y., driving the No. 45 Phillips Racing Camaro, while Doug Winston of White Plains, N.Y., races the No. 98 Bring Back the Trades/D&M Electric Mustang. Randy Hale of Old Saybrook drives a Corvette in XGT fielded by Marsh Racing – a team that once prepared Corvettes for the elder Said.
TA2 ironman Tom Sheehan and his team Damon Racing also consider Lime Rock Park their home track. Driving the No. 97 LTK Insulation Technologies Damon Racing Ford Mustang, Sheehan hails from New Hampshire.
New York City-based Adrian Wlostowsk also competes in TA2, and considers Lime Rock his home track. Last May, he helped saved the life of driver Mark Petronis, arriving first on the scene with a fire extinguisher after that driver was involved in a fiery crash in a club race in Millville, N.J.
GET WELL SCOTT!: All cars competing in the Trans Am presented by Pirelli will carry “Get Well Scott” stickers for Scott Borchetta. The driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Spiked Cooler Ford Mustang was injured during the most recent race at Road Atlanta. Borchetta is CEO and founder of the Big Machine Label group. Borchetta is also a 34-time TA competitor and promotes the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix for IndyCar and TA2 in Nashville.
BONUS: Fans can expect non-stop action this Memorial Day weekend as SpeedTour will bring a fleet of cars from the supporting series.
Starting Friday, a “rolling history” of motorsports from 200-mile-per-hour IndyCars and vintage Formula 1 cars to classic Jaguars and Porsches will take the track with SVRA and International GT.
New to the weekend is Formula Race Promotions. From the highly competitive and popular F1600 series and F2000 series to the Atlantic series and the informal Right Coast Formula Ford Series, FRP offers a wide array of championships for fans.
Tickets for the event are still available online or at the gate. Camping is now sold out. For ticket and event information visit: https://bit.ly/4363nJy