On Memorial Day Monday,
On Sunday, RACER hosted an Indy 500 party complete with lunch for all the 35th Anniversary event participants. Steve Nickless, Editor of RACER and the ‘official historian’ of Formula Ford, welcomed the large crowd which included former AFFA Champion Bruce MacInnes, National Champion Tony Kester and two-time National Champion and Lime Rock owner, Skip Barber. On behalf of the entire Formula Ford Community, The Jim Vaill Memorial Award was presented to the ever-present Joe Stimola for his thirty-five years of participation in the class and in appreciation of the support he continues to provide to all of its participants. In the mid-afternoon, while Indy was halted due to rain, a group photo was set up with thirty-three cars neatly arrayed on the main straightaway under gorgeous blue skies. Watch for it in a future issue of RACER.
Monday started off bright and sunny but the skies occasionally darkened as the weather - arriving from
When the green flag waved for the twenty-five lap Formula Ford race, the track was dry, but an occasional sprinkle hinted at what was to come! The entire thirty-two car field made it through Big Bend and a heated battle ensued with the lead group surging ahead while the huge field began to string out in tight bunches behind. After six laps of characteristically tight and frenzied Formula Ford competition, a slow drizzle began to make the track slippery and by lap eight, a half-dozen cars, including early leaders Todd Bardwell and Richard Leslie, had spun off into the grass while a few found the barriers and were damaged. Chief Steward Dave Panas quickly recognized the changing track conditions and called the cars in for rain tires. Within ten minutes, those who could, changed tires and returned to the track while the damaged cars were brought in on the hook.
The race restarted on lap nine and for the following sixteen laps, the eventual first and second place drivers put on a tremendous show of wet weather driving skill while the remaining cars drove round at varying speeds, some taking extra care to merely stay on the track as the famously slick Lime Rock track surface became more and more treacherous.
At the end, the vastly experienced ‘old hand’, Mike Rand was victorious in his Crossle 30 followed by the very talented young driver, Jeremy Treadway in a Van Diemen RF80. Jeremy had made an uncharacteristic off track excursion and was chasing Mike down at the end but could not quite catch him. Interestingly, on Saturday, Jeremy had run his first race in a Busch North car here at Lime Rock, finishing tenth after starting 30th. Third went to Don Drislane in a Reynard. In Club Ford, first place went to Rob Weiner in a Crossle 35 followed by J.D. King in a Z10 and Joe Marcinski in an ADF. In all, eighteen cars out of the original field of thirty-two, took the checkered flag. While they were happy to make it to the end, every entrant was thrilled to have taken part in the 35th Anniversary event celebrating amateur racing’s largest, most popular and longest lasting racing class.
One additional car had taken the pace lap as well – the beautiful Viking of David Dexter which was driven ceremoniously by Davy D’Addario. In a gesture of friendship and support, longtime Formula Ford competitor Dexter – who is fighting cancer in a
A long day ended under dark clouds as the light rain continued. But the weather could not dampen the spirits of the drivers and crews who took part in this superb weekend of racing enriched by the camaraderie the Formula Ford community is known for. Nowhere in the ranks of amateur racing will you find a more enthusiastic, more dedicated or more energetic group of drivers. At the end of the day, most were heard to say “See you at the fortieth anniversary event!” Formula Ford is alive and well as evidenced by such a great event taking place here at
John Merriman
Three Decades of Formula Ford Racing
1984, 1994, 2004