Perfect Race Weather
The forecast was for picture perfect weather for the annual Paddock Crawl regional at Lime Rock park over Father’s Day weekend. And the weathermen did not disappoint. While there were a few drizzles and sprinkles sporadically through the day on Friday, overall, it was the ideal setting for a great race weekend. Cooler temperatures on Friday led to sun and comfortable warmth on Saturday.
With 7 groups on the schedule, more than 150 competitors showed up to compete in the NERRC Regional, a good representation from all classes. Friday was plagued by unexpected radio issues between race control and the corner stations which caused a few minor delays. But hats off to all the stewards, chiefs and workers for managing the hiccups and keeping the races running.
Friday had the first Qualifying session in the morning followed by a Qualifying Sprint race in the afternoon. The best time from those two sessions would determine the grid for Saturday morning’s race. Finishing position from the morning would then set the grid for the afternoon race.
Race Highlights
Kicking off each morning in Group 1 was our favorite Spec Racer cars. Always a class to put on a good show at Lime Rock, once again they did not disappoint. Turn 1, Lap 1 for the Friday qualifying sprint resulted in a full-course caution to clean up broken cars and debris. Once re-started, Derek Defonce, the pole sitter, battled hard with affectionately known Mr. Lime Rock – Lee McNeish. Unfortunately, mechanical issues and spins plagued Defonce and McNeish, leaving Rich Wiehl to capture the checker for the morning race, even thought Defonce set a new track record during the race, with a 57.369. It was said Wiehl was quite excited over his radios. The afternoon brought more wheel-to-wheel action, with Defonce and McNeish going hard to the end, and Defonce bringing home the checkered at the end.
One of the smaller classes, the Formula Vs and 500s, put on a great show despite the lower numbers. Stand out performance went to David Grimes. In his first race in the #19 Lazer FV, he started last on the grid and wound up on the podium with a 3rd place finish. The rest of the podium was filled out by Richard LoDuca and Chris Barry who swapped positions throughout both races.
During Saturday afternoon’s races, the track was shut down after the #42 P2 of Joseph Rodomista left a line of oil from Turns 5 through 7 that required cleanup. When Group 6 took to the track after that, Jonathan Goring and his #118 SM just left the field behind. He finished more than 20-seconds ahead of second place in the morning race, 15-seconds ahead in the afternoon race, and lapped the backmarker cars twice each time. It was a dominating performance watching him speed around the track.
The final group of production cars had their Saturday morning race ended early due to a tragic wreck at the bottom of the hill on the front straight near Pit In. The green #56 BMW 328i of Mike Frost was carried off on a flat bed with significant front-end damage. Back on the track for the final race of the day, #27 ITR Anthony Serra and his psychedelic paint job took an early lead and kept it til the final flag few to end the weekend.
New Track Records
In addition to Derek Defonce setting a new SRF3 track record, the following drivers also changed up the record board for the track:
- 58.612 for T2 by Anthony Serra
- 53.580 for P2 by Joseph Rodomista.
Paddock Crawl
Following all the racing action on Friday, the region hosted its third annual Paddock Crawl party. Continuing to grow in popularity each year, the Paddock Crawl is a way for drivers, crews, volunteers and families to gather together and feast. Picture a giant potluck party in the paddock! Everyone brings something to share, either food or beverages.
This year’s options were diverse and tasty. More than one driver commented that there was WAY TOO MUCH GOOD FOOD, and that they ate enough for three meals. We’re very excited about how this tradition continues to be welcomed by everyone in the region and offers a fun and festive way to recap the action of the day while sharing a cold drink and full plate with our fellow racers and workers.
More Photos
Be sure to Like and Follow the New England Region Facebook page. Lots more photos of this weekend’s event have been posted and share there. And check out PuckStopper Photography and all the amazing images they captured over the weekend.
