Awsome day yesterday! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Hatterasguy · #1 09-07-2010, 09:40 PM

Monday at the last minute I decided to head up to Lime Rock with my uncle who races their for there historic festival. It was freaken awesome I am so hooked! 113 race gas smells amazing.

http://limerock.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=99

They had just about everything up their and they drivers were quite unafraid to push their cars to and sometimes past the limits. I saw a few classics get stuck into the wall. Their was a very early Ferrari looked like late 1940's vintage Ferrari that was tearing up the track, along with a drop dead gorgeous polished Austin Martin. OMFG that was the most amazing looking machine I have ever come across, and it tore up the other cars.

My favorite spot is right along the track on no name straight before the hill. The cars come out of a corner and go right to WOT, and your like right their.

Listening to those old motors scream gave me goose bumps, nothing sounds like a Ferrari V12 when those Webbers are all open, or a Jag or Austin I6 at full growl. The American cars did quite well, a Corvette won the big bore races, that car was so loud it would actually vibrate you as it came down pit row.

I'm going back next year.

Hatterasguy · #2 09-07-2010, 09:42 PM

More:

Hatterasguy · #3 09-07-2010, 09:44 PM

Still more:

Hatterasguy · #4 09-07-2010, 09:48 PM

And more:

LUVMBDiesels · #5 09-07-2010, 10:42 PM

AWESOME Pix!

I used to get to go to Lime Rock as a teenager. My father's friend was the track manager. My fondest memories was being a flag man on the "S" turn for some races and going into the paddock. This was back in the late '70s early '80s and the cars ranged from Jag XKEs with the V12 and lots of Webbers to Mazda Rx-7s to TR7's and MGBs.
I remember one race where the TR7 would pull ahead in the curves only to be passed by the RX7s on the straights!
I also remember a fulyl race prepped XKE - Looked like a LeMans racer- took on a bunch of Corvettes and kicked their plastic butts all over the track!

4x4_Welder · #6 09-07-2010, 10:50 PM

For some reason I never made it there while I was living in CT. I was all the way in the opposite corner, but still I really should have gone. You gotta love watching these old cars just flogging around the track. The things they used to race with- Drum brakes, manual steering, skinny tires.

t walgamuth · #7 09-08-2010, 06:08 AM

I went up to Elkhart lake for the spring historics about six years ago....fantastic experience!

SwampYankee · #8 09-08-2010, 07:45 AM

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I still haven't been there even though I'm a big racing fan. I do NEED to get there. Every couple of years my parents take their camper up there with other friends and their campers and spend the weekend watching the races. It always seems to interfere with my schedule. The next time they go, I'm going.

I find it interesting that a little state like CT, in the Northeast which wouldn't exactly be considered a racing hotbed, has three sanctioned NASCAR oval tracks (Stafford Motor Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl and Thompson International Speedway) and a road racing track (Lime Rock Park) which also happens to host NASCAR events.

I finally got to Thompson for the first time this year so Lime Rock is the last one on my check list.

Hatterasguy · #9 09-08-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4x4_Welder

For some reason I never made it there while I was living in CT. I was all the way in the opposite corner, but still I really should have gone. You gotta love watching these old cars just flogging around the track. The things they used to race with- Drum brakes, manual steering, skinny tires.

A lot of the older cars have cable drum brakes, and not always on all 4 wheels. Takes balls of steel to drive one of those into a corner at 100+

davidmash · #10 09-08-2010, 08:37 PM

That polished ss Austin is wicked.

Ara T. · #11 09-08-2010, 09:20 PM

Truly.. what model is that? Why can't cars be that pretty anymore? Must be some way to make a car look like that while still meeting crash and bumper standards.

The drum brakes that were put on these race cars weren't the crap we have today that are on the rear of your F150 or cheapo econobox.. they were finned, well ventilated, and quite powerful, though discs are obviously still better.

4x4_Welder · #12 09-09-2010, 12:24 AM

From what I've read, the brakes on the original Corvette race prototype were the cars in front of it. Horrible brake fade.
I do know a few guys who have drilled drums for better performance, and that does help quite a bit but you still have a relatively small volume of brake fluid surrounded by heat. At least with disks, you have the back side of the caliper catching some air.

Ara T. · #13 09-09-2010, 12:34 AM

I wonder what brake fluid they used back then.

dannym · #14 09-09-2010, 07:41 AM

Nice pics, would love to go see that.
I went to the AHDRA races in the spring, I think it was February. It's always the same week as bike week.
Those bikes tear it up at 200+ miles an hour.

I love the smell of nitro in the morning!

Danny

Hatterasguy · #15 09-09-2010, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidmash

That polished ss Austin is wicked.

It was as wicked on the track as it looks. I didn't even know it was there until I saw it on No Name Straight tearing up another Austin, sounds like a Spitfire too!

After I saw it I went and hunted it down in the pits.