A Lap of Lime Rock Park in Photos

At right around a mile and a half Lime Rock Park (LRP) is one of the shortest road courses in the country. It is also one of the oldest and most significant. LRP opened in 1957 and, even thought the facility has seen major upgrades through the years, the original track layout has remained largely unchanged. Over the years I have spent a lot of time at LRP. I attended my first race around 1985, began working on the editorial side of things in 2012, and 2020 will be my third season as a staff photographer. To say I know my way around this gorgeous facility would be an understatement. So, just for fun, let’s take a virtual lap around the original (or classic) configuration of LRP.

The green flag waves as we cross the start/finish line in front of the iconic Lime Rock Park Pagoda. Fun fact, the Pagoda was designed by a favorite son of LRP Sam Posey.

Hard braking for the first 2 corners, a long, double apex hairpin collectively known as Big Bend.

A wide-angle view of the action in Big Bend.

Big Bend exits onto the Short Chute, a short, straight, full throttle section that leads to the only left turn of LRP.

Turn 3 - The Lefthander. The first of two corners known as the Esses.

The Esses.

Turn 4 - The Righthander. The second half of The Esses is a fast right that exits on to No Name Straight.

A wide-angle view of the Right Hander with Lime Rock’s signature spectator hillside in the background.

The exit of The Righthander leads cars down the No Name Straight. Which, as you can see, isn’t really all that straight.

A bird’s eye view of No Name Straight.

Another view of the not straight No Name Straight

Turn 5 - The Uphill. A fast right followed by a steep incline.

Wheelies are pretty common at the crest The Uphill.

A wide-angle view of The Uphill. In the background is the “Alternate Uphill” configuration which is used by IMSA and the World Challenge.

After The Uphill it’s all about speed. First down the Back Straight…

… through the cathedral lighting at the end of The Back Straight…

… and through Turn 6, known as West Bend. This is an extremely fast right.

West Bend exits with a kamikaze run to The Downhill…

… under the Bailey Bridge…

… to a six story drop leading to the final corner: Turn 7 - The Downhill.

From this vantage point The Downhill doesn’t look all that steep, but trust me, it is.

A wide-angle view of The Downhill corner.

The Downhill exits back out on to The Sam Posey Straight.

And the checkered flag back at the start/finish line wraps up our Lap of Lime Rock Park in photos.