Lime Rock Saturday Notebook

Photo: Brian Cleary/BCPix.com

***Marc Lieb will start this afternoon’s Pirelli World Challenge SprintX Race 2 from the pole, courtesy of the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R setting the fastest lap in Race 1. Click Here for the starting grid for SprintX and Click Here for the starting grid for GTS Race 2.

***Lieb, the reigning FIA World Endurance Champion and overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, last raced at Lime Rock Park in 2004, at the wheel of an Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. He finished third in that race, alongside co-driver Romain Dumas.

***Rod Kurst of Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y. will be grand marshal for the SprintX race. Kurst, as a high school freshman, attended the very first race at Lime Rock Park, a New England Regional SCCA event, on April 28, 1957. The famed circuit is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

***While an announcement has not yet been made, it appears the rained-out SprintX Race 2 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will likely be rescheduled for the Circuit of The Americas weekend in September. PWC President and CEO Greg Gill told Sportscar365 that it would be logical to choose COTA over Utah Motorsports Complex, the only other remaining SprintX venue this year, due to the altitude variable Utah presents.

***Chief Steward Peter Roberts is not here this weekend due to his commitments in the Porsche Supercup event at Monaco, leaving the PWC officiating staff to a three-man team, led by Brian Hughes, who is acting chief steward, alongside Race Director Dorsey Schroeder and Chief Driving Steward Brian Till.

***The Lime Rock event marks one year since Andrew Palmer’s serious accident in warmup while at the wheel of Absolute Racing’s Bentley Continental GT3. Palmer, who sustained head injuries in the accident, continues his recovery, although his family has elected not to provide any further updates on his condition. Palmer remains in the thoughts of everyone at Sportscar365 and respects the family’s wishes. 

***It’s been a busy week for Ricky and Jordan Taylor, who fitted in a two-day test with their Cadillac DPi-V.R at Watkins Glen on Wednesday and Thursday, between Tuesday’s PWC test day at Lime Rock and the start of official PWC on-track activity at the Connecticut circuit on Friday. The Taylors tested their Cadillac DPi in IMSA’s latest BoP configuration. 

***Magnus Racing has debuted a unique sign board for its No. 44 Audi R8 LMS of John Potter this year, that was actually a lawn sign for Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter, who is no relation to the team owner/driver. “John saw it, stole it and it’s been part of the team ever since,” a team representative told Sportscar365.

***Watch the second SprintX race at 1:10 p.m. ET on Motor Trend on Demand, with the GTS race set for 2:40 p.m. The races will air on CBS Sports Network on Sun. May 4 at 5:30 p.m. ET (SprintX) and Wed. June 147at 9 p.m. ET (GTS).

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John