One of America’s oldest and most revered road-racing courses, Lime Rock Park, located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, has been sold by Skip Barber to a group that includes former Airstream president Dicky Riegel, who will serve as the track’s new chief executive.
“Lime Rock has been one of my favorite places and my home track for over 40 years; the same is true for my partners, Charles (Mallory) and Bill (Rueckert), both of whom consider Lime Rock a home away from home,” Riegel is quoted in the announcement of the sale.
“All of us have deep roots in Connecticut and look forward to being active in the community and working collaboratively with the Town. To now be owners of this iconic and storied brand is a dream come true.”
Lime Rock Park
Skip Barber, the racing school founder who has owned the track for nearly 40 years, will remain part of the new ownership team, according to the announcement. He said the new ownership group brings “outstanding new vision and vitality to Lime Rock’s operations and to our local and regional community. They are the ideal stewards of the Park’s long and successful legacy.”
The race track, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a challenging 1.5-mile circuit founded in 1956 by Jim Vaill with design help from racer John Fitch and the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory and was the first track built using highway-safety principles. The first race was staged in April 1957.
A quirk of the track’s scheduling is a local ordinance that bans racing on Sundays, which enables the track to feature a schedule with Friday, Saturday, Monday holiday racing events with car shows on Sundays.
The track also is known for buildings designed by auto racer and architect Sam Posey.
For more information, visit Lime Rock Park’s website.
Andy Reid contributed to this article
This article, written by Larry Edsall, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.
