Lime Rock Park CW
Lime Rock Park CW Notes:
Lime Rock Park is a road course with a long tradition in the New England Motorsports scene, located in Salisbury, Connecticut. The 1.5-mile raceway stands on a hill, traveling up and down the natural terrain to create a fascinating driving experience. The park includes the main road course, an infield autocross track, and a skip pad. Trans-Am, IMSA, and SCCA races are on schedule most of the year, and drivers can get their tires on the snow during special Winter Autocross Days. Lime Rock Park opened its doors in 1957, attracting racers and spectators from all around New England and the Tri-state area. A curiosity about the track: it does not have grandstands, so people sit in the grass on the designated areas to watch the races while having picnics and enjoying the greeneries around the track.
Lime Rock Park layout is straightforward with only seven turns, 3 of them coming back-to-back and requiring heavy steering. Races start and finish in the middle of Sam Posey Straight, the longest straightaway of Lime Rock. Turn number 1 is known as Big Bend, and the Lefthander-Righthander combination comes immediately after it. Racers can accelerate in the No Name Straight heading towards the Uphill turn number 5. Another long straightaway ends in the West Bend, closing the loop after going through the Downhill.
CW Notes:
Lime Rock Park's clockwise configuration reverses Connecticut's historic 2.462-kilometer natural-terrain circuit, transforming the traditional counterclockwise 7-corner layout into an entirely different challenge where the famous uphill climbing section becomes downhill braking, left-hand corners become rights, and familiar reference points disappear. Located in Lakeville, northwestern Connecticut's Salisbury township, this reversed direction operates during specific events and track day sessions, creating novelty for regular Lime Rock visitors who know every inch of the traditional layout but face completely fresh challenges when chicanes, elevation changes, and corner cambers work opposite to decades of muscle memory. The clockwise direction fundamentally alters Lime Rock's character—the uphill becomes downhill, Big Bend's sweeping left becomes a right-hand challenge, and the entire rhythm shifts from what drivers expect at New England's most iconic club racing venue.
The CW configuration's significance lies in mental recalibration rather than physical layout changes. Lime Rock's traditional counterclockwise direction creates institutional knowledge among northeastern club racers who've run hundreds of laps learning brake points, turn-in locations, and apex curbing details by heart—reversing direction deletes all that familiarity instantly. The famous uphill section becomes a downhill braking zone testing different techniques, while corners that felt natural in one direction require completely different approaches when reversed. Connecticut's New England climate creates dramatic seasonal variation from summer heat to spring and fall cool conditions, but clockwise versus counterclockwise makes bigger difference than weather for experienced drivers suddenly navigating a 'new' track. The 1.5-mile compact distance means lap times only shift 1-3 seconds between directions for most vehicles, but psychological impact runs deeper as drivers struggle with reversed reference points. Lime Rock's clockwise configuration sees less frequent use than traditional counterclockwise, making it special occasion format for track day organizations and club events seeking variety. The reversed direction particularly challenges longtime Lime Rock regulars who've internalized traditional layout so deeply that running clockwise feels like visiting an entirely new circuit despite identical corners and straights simply traversed opposite direction.
| Name | Organization | Date |
|---|
