GrandAm Rolex/CTSCC at Lime Rock

[paradocs98]

I had an unexpected day off yesterday, so I ran up to Lime Rock to check out practice and qualifying sessions for this weekend's GrandAm Rolex and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races. This series is merging with ALMS next year to form the new unified sports car series, and, unbelievably, Lime Rock is not on the schedule. So this may be the last chance to see these cars at Lime Rock for some time.

It was a great day, and it started off really well--as soon as I arrived at the gates at LRP, one of the attendants said, "Okay, BMW, head on into the infield to the BMW corral parking." Awesome! Didn't even think of that. Very convenient--I could leave stuff in the car, walk around, and come back to it whenever I needed to.

I remember someone else on the forum posting pictures from a Lime Rock race weekend last year, and what they said is still true--access to the drivers and cars in the paddock is pretty much wide-open. All of the team haulers have side-mounted tents set up for hospitality for the teams and workspace for the mechanics, and the tents are open on the sides, so you can stand alongside and watch the guys work on the cars. And the drivers walk freely through the paddock, right alongside the fans. Amazing access. In three hours I managed to see Leh Keen, Max Angelelli, Emil Assentato, Paul Dalla Lana, Will Turner, John Edwards, Alex Gurney, Billy Johnson, Nick Longhi, Matt Plumb and Jeff Segal, as well as Leo Parente (tiny and happy-looking), Wayne Taylor (working on a mullet just like Jordan's), and Larry Holt of Multimatic Racing (crazy hair).

A few observations, and then the pictures:

• It was LOUD. Like, hearing it from a half-mile away while approaching the track loud. I've run unmuffled track days at Lime Rock before, and some of the cars that show up for those days are pretty loud. But thirty unmuffled race cars on the track at once makes an amazing racket. The DP cars with their thundering V8s especially.
• You can pretty much walk the entire periphery of the track on the inside fence line and be really close to the action. At various points you must be no more than 30 feet from the track. Some really amazing vantage points.
• It was a lot of fun to watch the cars take the Uphill on the back section of the course. The wheelspin is really evident as they crest the hill, unload the suspension, and the engine note suddenly zings as the revs rise.
• Most of the GS cars (M3s, Camaros, Mustangs, Aston Martins) were nailing beautiful four-wheel drifts through West Bend, the turn before the Downhill. Ballsy, because if you screw that up, you could end up smacking one of the bridge supports at the start of the Downhill.
• The Mazda SkyActiv diesels sound bizarre, like vacuum cleaners sweeping up the circuit.
• The Aston Martins are VERY loud. They're the heavy metal to the Ferraris' symphony.
• Ever make a bonehead move in the paddock at a trackday? Accidentally run over your own stuff? Try to move the car when you have a wheel chock still in place? We probably all have--I know I have. Good to know the pros do it, too: the DP cars shut down on pit lane, and then get towed by carts into the paddock area, back to their transporters/work space. The teams have temporary race-deck plastic flooring set up under the tents. I saw one of the DP teams pulling their car back to their space manage to catch the front spoiler underneath the front edge of the flooring, lifting it up over the car. They had so much momentum that the car buried itself up to the windshield under the flooring. Oops. Do-over.
• I spoke briefly with Don Salama, Turner M3 driver, and asked him how much negative camber they ran on the cars. -3 deg up front, the max allowed by rules.

A great day, and much better than being at work on a Friday. Here are a couple of video clips, followed by some pics:

[arter]

Wow, really neat. I have done the Indianapolis 500, but not road course races with the ability to get that close to to track.
Probably would need to bring ear muffs given how loud the cars are that close up.


So.... were their times any faster than ours?

I can imagine that I drift the corners in a controlled fashion....

[mid-corner fun]

Very cool, thanks for the video and pics. I was there last year but sadly had to miss this year's (final) event. No LRP in the USCC schedule next year either.

Having access to the drivers, cars and mechanics is simply awesome. I walked around last year and asked a few drivers if they hold back on the downhill, the answer was always the same, full throttle going downhill (not at the apex)

[inter1032]

jealous! i wanted to head up but it's pretty far away..more pics of those turner girls? lol

[Billj747]

Thanks for coming out and supporting the series!

[Andy_H_E92_M3]

I'm liking the retro colors on the 97!

[Jaypod]

Thanks for sharing! Love going to the Grand Am events - the series certainly gets it right with the fans - tons of access to see the cars and chat with the teams. And you never know who you might have a pint with at the local pub.

[paradocs98]

Originally Posted by arter

Wow, really neat. I have done the Indianapolis 500, but not road course races with the ability to get that close to to track.
Probably would need to bring ear muffs given how loud the cars are that close up.


So.... were their times any faster than ours?

I can imagine that I drift the corners in a controlled fashion....

Indy 500 must be quite the spectacle. I think Lime Rock may be fairly unique among road courses in getting the spectators so close to the track. They call it the "bull ring," and that's a pretty apt description. But it's inside-out: the bulls run on the circumference, and the spectators are on the inside. It truly is a shame that it's excluded from next year's schedule.

Lots of people were wearing ear plugs, and kids had big headphone-type ear protection on, which was good to see. I think the sound is amplified even further in the little depression/valley in which the track sits.

Lap times? Even the little-guy ST class sedans and coupes were running under a minute. Pole for ST was 58.9 sec. The best I've managed in my car is around 1:03 flat. I can imagine you in your bad-boy car getting close to 1:00.

Originally Posted by mid-corner fun

Very cool, thanks for the video and pics. I was there last year but sadly had to miss this year's (final) event. No LRP in the USCC schedule next year either.

Having access to the drivers, cars and mechanics is simply awesome. I walked around last year and asked a few drivers if they hold back on the downhill, the answer was always the same, full throttle going downhill (not at the apex)

That takes courage, faith and commitment, but I guess you build up to it given their ability and the cars they drive. A friend of mine does amateur single-seat formula car racing, and says that they upshift from 3rd to 4th going down the downhill.

Originally Posted by inter1032

jealous! i wanted to head up but it's pretty far away..more pics of those turner girls? lol

No, but forever in my memory.

Originally Posted by Billj747

Thanks for coming out and supporting the series!

I've seen you post on here before, but wasn't sure if it was really you or an imposter. Leh Keen used to be on here a couple of years ago when he had an M3, and Dalziel and Marsal may or may not have posted on here. In any case, I saw you walking through the paddock on Fri, but didn't want to bother you--you looked like you were talking strategy with your team.

Originally Posted by Andy_H_E92_M3

I'm liking the retro colors on the 97!

I think they did a special paint job for the "old guys"--Turner and Salama--driving the car.

Originally Posted by Jaypod

Thanks for sharing! Love going to the Grand Am events - the series certainly gets it right with the fans - tons of access to see the cars and chat with the teams. And you never know who you might have a pint with at the local pub.

I really was amazed by the access. Drivers were signing autographs for kids left and right. Really good to see.

[Billj747]

Next time say hi anyway. Always great to meet fellow enthusiasts.

[FormulaMMM]

Nice! Just watched the final Lime Rock race yesterday.

Went to the Rolex race in Detroit last year, and you're right, exceptionally loud.

Really going to miss the Rolex series (and Continental). I need to study up on what the new United series will look like, but I believe it's more ALMS than Rolex, i.e. more classes, which is unfortunate IMO. Rolex had it right with the 2 classes (3 if you want to count gx).

[monsta]

I was there on Saturday as well, loved how we can walk the pits and get a close up...going to try and make it up there for a trackday next year.