Coming 'home' to vintage weekend at Lime Rock

LIME ROCK — A look at the microcosmic world that is the campground at Lime Rock Park was my goal when I headed for the track Labor Day morning.

The race park has a special air about it as it is just waking up on the last morning of a busy race weekend. Even for those, like me, who savor the roar of the racecars and the heat of the sun baking the paddock, the coolness and relative quiet are a rarity to be enjoyed.

I pulled into the campgrounds amid the morning pedestrian traffic between the hilltop campsites and the restrooms and showers. I quickly came to the realization my intended interviewees — I had come with a plan — were not going to be easily found.

I mentally kicked myself for not coming armed with the names, then wondered if it would have mattered. I gave the folks at the first campsite I came to their first good laugh of the day when I told them I was looking for four men. Obviously, I wasn’t the law or Dog the Bounty Hunter, so their minds took them elsewhere.

Did they not know of the famous sausage guy? I was quick to ask them. The one whose grilling exploits bring the hungry begging?

No, but maybe the camper a few tent flaps down — he’s been coming here forever — would know. Or not.

Neither did two other groups.

Drat. A new strategy was needed. I remembered one man was from New Jersey, and at least one from Massachusetts, the other two from Connecticut (I think). Since everyone parks their cars at their site, maybe license plates would help me zero in. I began to wonder semi-aimlessly.

What’s special about these four people?

I met them last year while they were waiting in line for autographs from the famed Carroll Shelby (a former racer and the man responsible for the legendary Shelby Cobra). They told me they had met at the Lime Rock Park campgrounds exactly 20 Labor Day weekends before. Their annual reunion is their only contact. But during that weekend, they are the best of friends.

I was intrigued by their story, but I was waiting for an interview with Shelby at the time. The guys invited me to come for dinner. They’d be grilling sausage. I told them I’d plan to catch up with them next year. I may have mentioned them in my Shelby story.

As it turns out, I never did find them. I am hoping they still get together, and I simply missed them. I’m also assuming I didn’t miss the world’s greatest sausage.

What I did discover is that there are many stories like theirs at the track.

“People call to reserve spots so they can camp near friends they only see at Lime Rock each summer,� said Renea Topp, the park’s marketing and public relations manager.

“Some even pay extra to reserve a site in advance.�

From Topp, I learned that the nature of each racing event dictates the type of crowd at the campgrounds. From the campers, I learned that if you shun the sometimes rowdy evenings around a string of campfires, you’re going to miss a great reason to be there.

Practice runs

By far the best reason was evident Monday morning, when warm-up laps began at 9 a.m. Campers in various stages of their morning, from lingering over a second cup of coffee to just rolling out of the tent, headed for the fence. A lumpy sleeping bag is quickly forgotten when one can literally roll out of bed and watch the action.

I ran into Joshua Houghton of North Andover, Mass., who deals in vintage auto parts. Road & Track magazine had just beaten me to talking to him about his original speedster, which he built based on a 1922 Model-T Ford.

“I started working on it in 1998 and I’ve been bringing it here for years. People here have been watching my progress,� Houghton said.

A 1966 Jaguar XKE, with its classic hood that goes on forever, caught my eye. The guy cooking eggs over the nearest campfire reluctantly admitted it was not his. He joked that he charges the owner, who had left for breakfast, to park there. Not surprisingly, between him and a guy camped on the hill above, they knew the Jag belongs to Jay Siegler of Old Lyme.

I learned that there are no presumptions to be made here. That guy riding his bicycle from the restrooms, magazine tucked under his arm, may be headed for a campsite that includes a classic Porsche. You can find people happily dwelling in tents beside expensive race cars pulled by SUVs painted to match.

The final word is location (only you have to say it three times, like a real estate agent). If you’re going to camp, get there early and head for the fence. From the chicane (the tight “S� curve, for you non-racers), through the back straight and around the west bend, you’ll have a front-row seat to an exclusive view of the track. And you can enjoy the races in your pajamas, or while cooking your lunch.