Honorees Bruce Kessler, John Fitch and John Bishop Recognized; Race Groups Begin Competition Saturday Afternoon

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – The Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW commenced its silver anniversary event on Friday with a series of practice laps by race groups throughout the day, followed by an honorary dinner to recognize motorsports pioneers and raise money for charitable organizations.

Race entrants and fans flocked to the scenic surroundings of Lime Rock Park, now in its 50th year, to witness the 25th running of the Rolex Vintage Festival. Practice groups began mid-morning with the pre-1941 Sports and Racing Cars, and ended in early afternoon with the 1965-1972 FIA Sports Racing & Can-Am; IMSA GT Cars to 1980. The groups then repeated laps later in the afternoon.

“We’re delighted to join the great people here at Lime Rock, along with our sponsors Rolex and BMW, for another exciting Labor Day weekend of racing,” said Steve Earle, president of Lime Rock Vintage Events, the official race organizer. “It’s been 25 years, but the variety of cars we see on the track brings fans back again and again.”

Following the day’s activity on the track, entrants and event VIPs gathered for a welcome dinner to honor racing legends Bruce Kessler and John Fitch, who placed second and third respectively in the first race at Lime Rock in 1957, as well as John Bishop for his lifelong work in motorsports.

With more than 50 years in motortsports, Bishop helped create three of the most exciting and successful organizations in history, including the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Camel GT and the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC), along with his leadership with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Bishop had an influence on both top sports-car series currently running, and more importantly, his work represents the entire history of post-war road racing.

During the night’s festivities, host Murray Smith had the opportunity to interview Bishop. When asked how IMSA began, Murray spoke of the fond memory. “We had a meeting with Jim France, and he loaned us the money to get IMSA going,” said Bishop. “It wouldn’t even be enough to pay for racing tires today! But it allowed us to get started and to run it like a professional business-not just a club.”

The evening also provided an opportunity for attendees to win exclusive memorabilia, including a signed helmet by Paul Newman and Skip Barber, and a commemorative 50th anniversary painting by local artist Pieter Lefferts. The helmet, auctioned for $4,000, was designed to reflect the outdoor theme of both Lime Rock Park and the Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. All proceeds from the helmet auction went to the Camp, an organization for seriously ill children.

The oil painting celebrated 50 years of Lime Rock Park by creating a scene at the track with iconic race vehicles through the years. The painting received an auction price of $3,200, which benefits the Survive the Drive program, a driver education program founded by instructor Bob Green.

After another series of practice laps on Saturday morning, official racing began with 10 laps from each of the groups in the afternoon, beginning with the pre-1941 Sports & Racing Cars. This first race was won by Peter Greenfield from Freeport, NY, in his 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-35.

Group two featured the 1946-1955 Sports Racing & Production Cars under 2000cc, which was won by James Donick from Pleasant Valley, NY, with his 1951 Allard J-2. In group three, the 1955-1963 Formula Cars, Bob Goeldner of Osprey, FL, took the checkered flag in a 1962 Brabham BT2.

Richard Fryberger of Watertown, MA, won the group four race, 1955-1961 Sports Racing Cars, in a 1958 Lotus 11. Group five, the 1955-1962 GT/Production Cars under 2200cc, was taken by Sandy Sadtler from Berwyn, PA, with a 1956 Porsche 356. Group six, a combined race between the 1956-1962 GT/Production over 2200cc & 1962-1964 under 2000cc, provided the closest finish of the day, with Herb Wetanson in a 1962 Lotus 7 edging out fellow New Yorker James Freeman in a 1959 Aston Martin DB4/G.

In group seven racing, Jack Busch of Lenox, MA, won the 1962-1966 GT/Procution car class in a 1962 Jaguar XKE. The afternoon’s racing concluded with 1965-1972 FIA Sports Racing & Can-Am; IMSA GT Cars to 1980, won by Joel Finn of Roxbury, CT, in a 1971 Chevron B19.

Sunday Preview: Automobile Extravaganza and Lime Rock Car Show

Racing will be halted on Sunday, but the show continues with the Rolex Vintage Festival Sunday in the Park Automotive Extravaganza, which will display historical vehicles, including multiple LeMans winners, a 50th anniversary Lotus Elite celebration and Porsche Turbo making its first U.S. appearance.

The Lime Rock Vintage Swap Meet, also located on the Lime Rock track, will provide race fans an opportunity to buy motorsports merchandise and memorabilia throughout the day from a number of vendors.


The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW
Organized by Lime Rock Vintage Events, The Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW is one of the largest vintage automobile celebrations on the East Coast, showcasing a diverse field of race cars on Friday, Saturday and Monday of Labor Day weekend that can span eight decades, from timeless pre-war classics to the roar of exotic prototypes from the 1980s.


General Racing and Lime Rock Vintage Events

Lime Rock Vintage Events is the official race organizer of The Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW. Lime Rock Vintage Events is a partnership between General Racing and Lime Rock Associates.

General Racing stages premier events across the United States to celebrate classic, historic, and vintage racing cars, where they can be shown and driven as intended. General Racing encourages the restoration of the cars as they once were and helps to preserve and promote and the history of motorsports through these events.

General Racing events include The Rolex Monterey Historic presented by Toyota at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA; The Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT; the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA; and the Coronado Speed Festival presented by North Island Credit Union at NAS North Island in Coronado, CA. Additional information is available at www.generalracing.com.