Lime Rock Park
Spectator SportsConnecticut, United States51-200 Employees
It can be easily argued that Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park is the most significantly historic road racing circuit in North America. Only Wisconsin’s Road America and California’s Laguna Seca can compare to Lime Rock with respect to longest continuous operation – Road America opened in 1955, Laguna Seca and Lime Rock in 1957 – but only Lime Rock’s circuit remains exactly the same as when it opened in spring of that year. Lime Rock is 1.50 miles of up hill and down dale, a track that looks deceivingly simple but is immensely challenging to drive quickly. Its setting is a village in Connecticut’s Litchfield County, renowned for its vast historical, cultural and recreational resources. Lime Rock’s history is inextricably entwined with that of sports car racing’s. Almost all of the sport’s greats have raced here. Incredibly historic yet modern. Not a hint of a grandstand but tremendous spectator viewing. Fan friendly in the extreme. A beautiful venue – it is truly a park – even those who are not motorsports fans are familiar with Lime Rock Park. Under Skip Barber’s stewardship, Lime Rock has been serviced by two major, multi-million dollar renovations. The first was in 2008, when the track surface was repaved in its entirety, and a number of safety elements were brought to the latest standards. The second major renovation got underway in late 2014 – the Road to 60 Project. As Lime Rock prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2017, millions of dollars have been invested in upgrading every part of Lime Rock that’s not the racing surface itself. All-new, fully paved paddocks. All-new paddock restrooms. All-new gardens, ponds and landscaping. All-new spectator areas, and vast improvement of the existing ones. All-new walkways, spectator fencing and signage.