Under a clear blue sky that perfectly framed the rolling hills of Lime Rock Park, Historic Festival 42 kicked off in grand style on Friday, celebrating 60 years of the Ford Mustang and Ford Performance. The atmosphere was electric as a stunning collection of more than 250 cars, representing decades of automotive innovation and racing history, took to the track for a day of practice. From the graceful curves of a 1929 Bugatti 37A to the sleek, modern lines of a 2005 Acura Integra, the event showcased an unparalleled variety of vintage race cars.
As spectators wandered through the paddock, they never knew which racing legend or motorsport personality they might bump into. Figures like Dorsey Schroeder, renowned for his illustrious career in sports car racing, mingled with fans, under the Honored Collector tent, after being reunited with the 1989 Mercury Cougar IMSA/GTO he competed in decades ago.
“I won in this car in 1989 at the 12 Hours of Sebring,” said Schroeder. “This car also won the 24 Hours of Daytona, but not with me in it.”
Schroeder’s co-pilot for that race was Wally Dallenbach. The pair qualified 17th with a time of 2m13.19s and first in the GTO class, finishing eighth overall.
The 1989 Mercury Cougar IMSA/GTO, part of Ross Myers’ 3 Dog Garage Museum collection, went on to win first in class and sixth overall in its inaugural outing at the Daytona 24 Hour. It would be the beginning of a legendary two-year streak of domination in IMSA/GTO that was unstoppable, with drivers Pete Halsmer, Bob Earl, NASCAR hot-shoe Mark Martin, and Paul Stewart, the son of Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart, competing for Roush Racing. The V8-engined cars were only used for Sebring and Daytona, and they are distinguished by the domed hood.
Schroeder is best known at Lime Rock Park for his winning history racing with Trans Am, claiming three victories over the years in a Ford Mustang, even winning in the 25th Anniversary Ford Mustang fielded by Roush. This weekend we celebrate the Mustang’s 60th anniversary.
“I remember most all of my races here at Lime Rock Park, I taught here with Skip Barber Racing School so I had a lot of laps here,” Schroeder said. “My rookie year in Trans Am was 1989 and Lime Rock was one of the six races I won that year. Subsequently, I came back two other times and won both of those as well.”
This weekend, however, Schroeder traded his helmet for a headset, serving as the chief steward for the event.
“I am the sheriff here this weekend,” Schroeder joked. “The drivers are staying in line though, just race car drivers being race car drivers. The wise ones don’t complain. But, I am here for Skip Barber. He called asking me to be part of the panel for dinner tonight, but now I am chief steward.
“Skip has had a big impact on my career. Like many guys of my era, if you were a race car driver it didn’t pay that well — you had to find some sort of way to make a living. Skip Barber offered us an opening, a career in motorsports, where we got paid to be an instructor, got paid to drive cars and test cars, and that sharpened all the skills we needed to move up to bigger better things.”
Schroeder wasn’t the only former driver helping with the weekend. Bruce MacInnes was posted around the track as an observer, reporting back to Schroeder if drivers did not behave on track. Peter Cunningham drove his first-generation Acura TSX, which won three World Challenge Touring Car championships — in 2005 and ’08 with Cunningham and in 2006 with Pierre Kleinubing — in the new Toyo Tires Turn of the Century World Challenge group.
The day concluded with a very special Competitors Dinner that honored Barber’s contribution to motorsport and featured a panel of guests — Cunningham, MacInnes, and Schroeder — who all gave anecdotes about their time with Barber over the years.
Historic Festival 42 continues on Saturday with featured racing from all the groups.