The enjoyment of Lime Rock Park’s 32nd Historic Festival was muted somewhat by the tragic loss of veteran vintage racer Lee Duran, who suffered fatal injuries in a single-car crash during the second Group 2 race. Suspension failure on his 1934 MG PA Special while negotiating the track’s Downhill Turn pitched the car into a lethal flip and roll. Duran, 73, of Lyme, Connecticut, was transported to nearby Sharon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead—the first fatality in the event’s 32-year history.
Despite Duran’s death, the Festival carried on, amending its original schedule to include a tribute to the fallen racer during Monday’s activities. Over the course of the weekend, attendees were able to peruse five cars from clothing magnate Ralph Lauren’s collection, celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Porsche Speedster and enjoy Friday night’s repartee between Honored Guest Sir Stirling Moss and local resident Sam Posey, as moderated by event chairman Murray Smith, as well as Sir Stirling’s autograph session.
Sunday’s combined Concours d’Elegance and Gathering of the Marques drew its largest crowd in recent memory. Some 800 Marques cars—Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz, Vipers, Fords, Chevys, Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles—filled the racing surface from Big Bend to West Bend. (See coverage in Vintage Roadcar this month.)
One of the weekend’s highlights was the featured race for Formula Junior, organized by Formula Junior Historics North America. Twenty-nine cars took the green flag at Lime Rock, the largest FJ field in North America this year, with three of the weekend’s four races won by San Francisco’s Danny Baker in his 1963 Cooper T61, and the fourth contest going to Floridian Bob Goeldner’s 1962 Brabham BT2. The Juniors also took part in Sunday’s concours, with the Best in Class prize taken home by Mitch Eitel’s 1959 O.S.C.A.
