[h=2]Lime Rock's Historic Festival 34 reveals entry list[/h] RACER staff
Subject to minor changes, the 263-car racing entry list for Historic Festival 34 Presented by the Prestige Family of Fine Cars, set for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-5, has been released by Festival Chairman Murray Smith.
Smith's created nine race groups averaging almost 30 cars per, highlighted by the new-for-the-Lime-Rock-Festival "Tin Tops" (Group 5); an all-Formula Ford grid (Group 2); and 29 of the Ken Epsman-run "Historic Trans-Am" organization's fabulous – and authentic – pony cars (Group 4).

• Click here for the full Historic Festival 34 entry list

"I'm not only delighted at the enthusiastic response from the tin-top racers, as 26 have joined our festival, but are excited about paying special tribute to two groups at far ends of the racing spectrum: Formula Ford and classic (1966 - 1972) Trans-Am," Smith said. "On the one hand, Formula Fords are the nimblest of little single seaters powered by the same ubiquitous Ford four-cylinder engine, where design excellence from houses such as Merlyn, Crossle, van Diemen and Lotus had to be combined with driving finesse if success was to be achieved.
"While the Formula Fords are small and efficient and repay an appreciation for maintenance of momentum, our other featured group trades in the currency of big power... the Trans-Am pony cars. Driven in the day at 11/10s by legends such as Follmer, Gurney, Posey, Parnelli and dozens of other famous shoes, the cars here are the authentic, actual cars they drove. Fabulous."
Smith also touched on the two Lancia D50 replicas (pictured) he's accepted into the weekend...
"Under normal circumstances we accept only real race cars at our Festival, but this year we have made an exception: we've invited two replicas of the Lancia D50. While the immediate post-war era of Grand Prix competition was dominated by Ferrari and Maserati, the middle 1950s saw the arrival of the Vanwall from Britain, and the first overtures of rear-engined cars from Cooper and Lotus (nurtured by the advent of Formula Junior, a featured race group coming in 2017). And out of Italy and the house of Lancia arrived the D50.
"Tiny. Short. Employing all kinds of revolutionary approaches such as saddle tanks to obviate handling changes as races progressed, and the use of the motor block as a stressed member to save weight while adding rigidity. These cars were withdrawn from service before their time as a result of the death of Alberto Ascari (in a Ferrari), but many of their parts and design features were incorporated in the 'Squalo' (Italian for shark) series of Ferrari Grand Prix cars. A dedicated British enthusiast located many of the original parts... and two replicas were constructed. They're here at Lime Rock this weekend.
"While I do not agree with replica Lister Jaguars and D-Types running against genuine examples, I do think that when none of an original car exists, there is stout justification for drawing attention to these extraordinary clones. Without them we would never be able to experience, in action, these splendid experiments."
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One of the two Honored Guests at the Festival is here not only to meet-and-greet, sign autographs and make new friends – he's here to race. John Morton is bringing his gear bag to pedal three cars over the weekend:
In Group 3: For the VSCCA Award, "Venerable sporting cars," he's in one of the amazing 1955 Lancia D50 recreations, this one courtesy of The Revs Institute, Naples, Florida
In Group 5: For Murray's Tin-Top Trophy, "Wildly assorted sporting sedans," John will be racing the #50 1970 Fiat Abarth TC-1000
In Group 8: For Finn's Formula Libre Award, "Post-1970 sports & racing cars," John's racing the #01 1962 Lotus 23B (Morton raced his own Lotus 23 successfully in the 1960s)
Morton and the other Honored Guest, Peter Brock, were a dynamic duo in the early 1970s; Peter's BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises) team hired John to drive one of its Datsun 510s in the SCCA Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge – and won the championship in 1971 and 1972.
BELOW: 1972 Lime Rock. Trans-Am "Two-Five" Challenge, John Morton (second from left) and his #46 BRE Datsun 510 failed to make the start, but Bob Sharp (second from right, in the background) and his BRE #68 510 (shown) won the race.