2026 Lime Rock Race Recap
One of our favorite races of the season is Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park and this year’s event did not disappoint! With 25 entries, surpassing our record for this event by about 10 over past years, equating to lots of action on a small 1.4 mile track.
The entire field deserves a big congratulations on an excellent job going caution-free for all three sprint races and the enduro! We also had a bit of good luck, getting in the enduro race Saturday morning before the rains came!
We want to take a moment and thank the Connecticut-based teams (featured above) who supported the IGT Lime Rock event. Your participation is the major reason for the success of this year’s event.
JOEL JOHNSON #207, SpeedSport, took the overall win in two of the sprint races and second overall in sprint race 3, in the GTX category. He battled fiercely with RUSSELL FARHANG #212 from Hairy Dog Grrrage.
Both drivers call Lime Rock Park their home track and SpeedSport and Hairy Dog Grrrage are both based in Connecticut. We greatly appreciate the local support on this holiday weekend. Russell controlled the field on Saturday and took the overall win for the enduro on his birthday!!
Completing the GTX category was NICHOLAS GROOMBRIDGE #216 racing with SpeedSport. Nick took a trio of thirds in the sprint races and stepped up on the podium in the enduro to capture second.
Another Connecticut based driver and team, JOE VIOLA #262 from Corporate Motorsports. Although in a different category Viola being a GT992, he was close on the heels of Johnson and Farhang in the first two sprints and broke through to take the overall win in sprint race 3. Viola swept the GT992 category in all four races on the weekend and also went home with a free set of tires curtesy of PIRELLI.
A regular with IGT, MATTHEW COHN #210, Off Leash Motorsports who make the trip up from Road Atlanta. Cohn won all four races on the weekend in his bright green Substance race car, with KEVIN CLIFFORD co-driving the enduro. Matt’s beautiful wife, NICOLE COHN took the second seat on Saturday in the pace car for two laps around the iconic track. Cohn took over the lead in the Mission Foods GT3 Cup point championship leaving LRP.
The GT992 class was the largest of the weekend… which is becoming a trend in International GT. Another local to Lime Rock, JOHN KOSTER #573 with Connecticut-based EPS Motorsport, returned to International GT competition after a couple years and filled Viola’s mirrors all three days, finishing second in all four races.
New to IGT, STEVEN DiPAOLO #244 was third behind Viola and Koster in the GT992 class in the sprint races. Steven is friends with our most consistent IGT entrant over all the years at Lime Rock, STEVE KATZ, OnTrackInsurance.com who hasn’t miss any International GT events at LRP (we will get back to Katz). We discovered Steven owns HQ Racing in Peekskill, NY the largest indoor/outdoor go-kart track in the US!
Also in GT992 was our series regular MUSTAFA BAKIR #06 who came all the way from South Florida to join us at Lime Rock Park. Mustafa teamed with co-driver JOSH CARLSON to stand on the podium in the enduro.
Speaking of friends bringing friends to the race, Joe Viola brought along, LOU YORIO #3, Corporate Motorsports to race in the GT4.0 category. Yario had an excellent weekend at his home track, finishing in the overall lead pack in all races and sweeping the GT4.0 class wins in all four races! Lou could not have asked for a better International GT debut.
We were excited to welcome back ALBERT LUKAZIK #47, SpeedSport, to IGT competition after a couple years hiatus. It was great to see Albert and his wife Judit visiting us at the Sebring race earlier this year but even better to have Albert back in a race car! Albert took second to Yorio in all the races on the weekend.
Another great friend of International GT, TODD PAJONAS #806, EPS Motorsport returned to competition with us at Lime Rock Park. Todd stood on the podium in all races sweeping the GT3.8 category wins.
Rounding out the Mission Foods GT3 Cup categories, STEVE KATZ (we told we would get back to him) won all the races in GT3.6 but was followed closely by newcomer MIKE BEERS #186, SpeedSport. If all goes to plan, we will see Mike and several of the other LRP race participants at the International GT race at Watkins Glen, July 16-19.
Gotham Motorsports made the long trek from California to Connecticut to bring two Ferrari entrants to Maranello Cup competition. Current Maranello Cup Champion, YOUSUF NABI #03 and teammate RADU MUNTEAN #270 arrive with great new liveries on both cars and fierce battles on track. Yousuf was joined in the enduro by co-driver DARIO CAPITANIO, with DAMIANO FIORAVANTI, pairing with Radu. The duo of Nabi and Muntean traded finishing positions in the four races and leave Lime Rock tied in points. This should be a fun battle to watch the remainder of the season for the 2026 championship.
In Stuttgart Cup the field was packed with some of our favorite Lime Rock based friends as well as season regulars. TORSTEN GROSS #19, Just Hands Motorsports supported by Hairy Dog Grrrage took all four wins in the CAY3.8i category. His Just Hands Foundation, which gives disabled athletes the opportunity to compete with the rest of the world through their adaptive equipment, had a great display in the vendor village area.
Torsten brought his friend, ANDREW SMILEY #167 in a CAY3.8, also with Hairy Dog Grrrage. Andrew stood on the podium all weekend sweeping his class wins. We had the great pleasure of meeting Andrew’s lovely daughter ELLE SMILEY. That is one of the terrific things about racing at Lime Rock Park, it’s arguably the best attended event by racer’s family and friends! Since Andrew is part of the Lime Rock Drivers Club, Elle who attends NYU, got the chance to wave the green flag for sprint race 3. (Sorry, not the best photo of Elle, blame the photographer! – Julie)
Yes, we are leaving the best (or at least one of the best parts) of the weekend for last, the CAY4.0 category. In an intense points championship battle, ZACH BRADFORD #14, ZRB Motorsports took the quadruple hat trick, winning all four races including the enduro with co-driver ERIC FILGUEIRAS. However, it was not an easy task with pressure coming heavily from the rest of the field.
JEFF AFFLERBACH #10, ZOTZ Racing came out strong with a pair of second place finishes in sprints 1 and 2. It was great to meet Jeff’s teenage son JOE AFFLERBACH joining him at LRP.
Newcomer, ROSS GOLDSTEIN #714, another Hairy Dog Grrrage entrant had a great debut with International GT. Ross stood on the podium in second for sprint race 3 and the enduro and was third in sprint race 1.
Series regular JOE RIZZO #24, BGB Motorsports follows Bradford in the championship points and had a solid weekend with a third in sprint race 2 and a pair of second place finishes including in the enduro with co-driver SPENCER PUMPELLY.
We can’t leave the Northeast without a big thanks to all the folks at Lime Rock Park for another great event! We look forward to seeing y’all next year! Onto Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a couple weeks.