Tin Tops take Lime Rock Park Historic Festival
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Tin Tops return to the
Lime Rock Park Historic Festival, drawing a grid of pre-1970 sporting sedans for a second year of spirited competition. Volvo, Datsun, Lotus Cortina, Ford Cortina, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Morris Mini and MG will be among the marques taking to the track in pursuit of Historic Festival Chairman Murray Smith's "Tin Top Trophy."
The field will be especially tough this year with the entry of racing veteran "speedy" David Porter, who Smith predicts will be a "real threat in the tin top race." Porter will challenge the pack in his recently-acquired 1965 Lotus Cortina Mk1, which he debuted at Summit Point in May. "I have always driven open-top, purpose-built race cars since I started competing in 1981, and began to fancy a shot at a production-based racer with a roof," explains Porter. "Lotus Cortinas are iconic, having clinched victory with many famous drivers, including Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart."
Lime Rock Park is a favorite course for Porter, who has captured top three placements in past Historic Festival outings in his Lotus 69 Formula Ford and March 79B. In addition, he has garnered 10 racing championships since 1981, including a UK national Formula Ford Championship in 1987 and back-to-back Historic Indy Lights Championships in 2011 and 2012. Porter also won the Classic 12 Hour at Sebring in 2016.
Porter's Cortina was a road car until 2011, when London classic car dealer Howard Wise converted it to a FIA Appendix K. It was a consistent frontrunner in the hands of Steve Soper and John Young at both the Goodwood Revival and the Members' Meeting. The car has a highly-tuned Lotus Twin Cam engine producing 183 hp and 140 lbs of torque, and it revs to 8500.
Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 35 presented by the Prestige Family of Fine Cars brings three days of historic racing on September 1, 2 and 4; registration is open
here. The September 3 Sunday in the Park Concours d'Elegance and Gathering of the Marques punctuates the annual Labor Day weekend event. Click
here for further information.
