The excitement is building at Lime Rock Park as the Connecticut circuit gets ready to kick off its 66th season. In just a few weeks, a full field of 850+ horsepower machines will echo through the Berkshires as the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to Lime Rock Park for the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic May 26-29.
The lush 300-acre hillsides of Lime Rock Park will play host to a riveting mix of modern and vintage race cars, a craft beer festival, live music and two curated car shows this Memorial Day weekend.
Fans can expect non-stop action this Memorial Day weekend.
Starting Friday, May 26, a “rolling history” of motorsports, from 200mph Indy cars and vintage Formula 1 cars to classic Jaguars and Porsches, will take the track with SVRA and International GT.
Trans Am will deliver a massive dose of Americana in a pair of 100-mile races on the original 1.53-mile Lime Rock circuit. The highly competitive Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series, which features muscle cars like Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers, is experiencing another record-breaking year with historically large fields and will storm the track on Saturday, May 27, (1:20 p.m. ET).
Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) will once again be celebrated with the thunder from 850-horsepower American V8s in the Trans Am class along with top production-based GT cars battling it out in the XGT, SGT and GT classes (1:55 p.m. ET). The Trans Am class brings big names back to the legendary track with Matt Brabham, grandson of Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, Boris Said, NASCAR Trackhouse Racing Team owner Justin Marks and hometown favorite Chris Dyson.
Honoring active military and veterans
For every major event, Lime Rock Park honors active military and veterans with free admission. However, on Memorial Day weekend, Lime Rock will extend that offer to include complimentary tickets for their direct family as well as a special Veterans Outpost hospitality, hosted by FCP Euro. Located on the hillside between the Lefthander and Paul Newman Straight, military personnel will have views of the Trans Am feature race and SVRA/International GT races.
“We are grateful to our veterans and honored to be able to host them at Lime Rock Park,” said Dicky Riegel, Lime Rock Park President & CEO. “This Memorial Day weekend, we are pleased to partner with FCP Euro to offer a dedicated hospitality space for the military community to experience the thrill of the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic.”
Also on Monday (Memorial Day), The Park will host a Military Service Car Corral. Former and active military members can purchase a $40.00 car corral pass, which will grant access to the VIP Parking Area, along with parade laps during lunchtime. Space is limited, the corral can only hold a maximum to the first 50 participants.
Sunday Funday
Following a very successful inaugural event in 2022, the Connecticut Craft Beer Grand Prix will return to Lime Rock Park bigger and better on May 28 from noon-4 p.m. as part of the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic. Curated by Great Falls Brewing Co. and Lime Rock Park, the ultimate craft beer experience allows fans to discover the best brews in the state and meet the talented brewers behind them while supporting the Salisbury Winter Sports Association in the process.
Also on Sunday, fans can mingle amongst hundreds of cars that will be on display from the Royals Garage Car Show and Hagerty Cars and Caffeine as part of the Sundays at The Park event. Gates for the car shows open at 8 a.m. for particpants, with viewing starting at 10 a.m. and awards presented at 2:00 p.m.
VIP access
Fans can get the full Lime Rock Park experience with two different VIP Fan Hospitality options. Guests are welcomed, in the first package, into their shaded seating with a continental-style breakfast and an event-related gift followed by a delicious buffet lunch catered by Park Provisions. Snacks are available all day with complimentary beer and wine services beginning at lunch. VIP Hospitality is available on Saturday only and can be purchased here.
Give your group the VIP experience in the new Camp Airstream at Lime Rock Park. Up to 20 guests can watch the race in their own private climate controlled 28′ Lime Rock Park Airstream Lounge Trailer overlooking West Bend. The Airstream Lounge is outfitted with snacks and complimentary beer and wine along with outdoor lounge-style seating.
Television broadcast
The Trans Am Memorial Day Classic will be edited into two 60-minute features and broadcasted to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices following the race. The Thursday-night primetime slot (June 2) will include a two-hour block of racing, with the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series airing at 8:00 p.m. ET and the TA/XGT/SGT/GT class race airing at 9:00 p.m. ET. The block will be capped off by the 30-minute Showtime Motorsports docuseries, Road to Glory. The Greenlight TV production team will be posted in the Averdi Office trailer recording all the action from the weekend.
Tickets
Fans are encouraged to reserve tickets and camping spots ahead of the weekend. Advanced general admission tickets start at $60, with full weekend passes, VIP Fan Hospitality Tent and Semi-Private Cabana upgrades available.
For race and Royal Garage Car Show tickets visit: Lime Rock Park
For CT Craft Beer Festival tickets: Memorial Day Classic – Lime Rock Park
Trans Am Memorial Day Classic provisional schedule: https://bit.ly/3oTHb6P
Abbreviated schedule (Listed in local Eastern time):
Friday, May 26
-Gates open at 8:00am
-Practice and Qualifying Rounds from SVRA, IGT, TA
-Track Activities end at 5:45pm
Saturday, May 27
-Gates open at 7:00am
-Races from SVRA, TA2, IGT
-Track Activities end at 4:45pm
Sunday, May 28
-Gates open at 8:00am for Royals’ Garage Car Show and Hagerty Cars & Coffee
-Noon CT Craft Beer GP begins
-All activities end at 5:00pm
Monday, May 29
-Gates open at 8:00am
-Races from TA/XGT/SGT/GT, SVRA, IGT
-Track Activities end at 5:00pm