Doug Hamilton: a tradition was born

One of my best memories from Lime Rock Park is perhaps my very first visit.  I believe the year was 1982, and I had found an ad for Lime Rock and the Memorial Day festivities in my local paper.  My wife and I found a sitter for our two very young children, and hopped into my old pick up truck, then off we went to Lime Rock.

We had no idea about the lay out of the track or any fan amenities, but we were going!!  We got to the track early that Monday, and found a spot on the infield hill to watch the action.  We had my Marin Corps poncho liner to sit on, and a small cooler with sodas for refreshments.

When the Camel GT cars first took the track that day, I got so excited I could hardly sit still!  These were the type of cars I was interested in as a youngster, and there they were, with the best drivers in the world, going door handle to door handle right in front of me!!

I also remembered it rained during the day, and the action went on.  This was very cool!!  The rain continued, and I sat on my little cooler, with my wife right in front, both of us huddled under my poncho liner getting soaked!  We didn’t care though, because the cars were still racing, and we weren’t going to miss a minute of it.  After the event, we got back into my old pick up, and decided on the spot to go again the following year.

The next year we did indeed go back, but this time brought the kids, a bunch of friends and enough food for a magnificent tailgate, plus rain gear just in case.  A tradition was born, and I’ve been to every Memorial Day event since.  I managed to work with the TV production crew one year, but the rest of the years have been purely as a spectator.

We’ve also been to many other events over the years, even camping at a few.  Trips to Lime Rock have become a family tradition, and now that our kids are grown, and moved to far away places, whenever they’re planning to come home they always ask, “Is anything going on at Lime Rock?  If there is, do we have time to go?”

My best Lime Rock memory is that first trip that left such a lasting impression and all the family fun we’ve enjoyed over the years.  To my family, and me Lime Rock will always feels like home.

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