Thompson Speedway

Those of you in the Northeast with sufficient quantities of grey, or long departed hair, will recall that there was also a road course at the Thompson Speedway in northeast Connecticut. Historic photos from back in the day show everything from Jaguars to MG’s to Allards, Porsches, and Maserati’s competing on the track. It operated in several configurations from the early ‘50’s until the late ‘70’s, after which only the short oval on the site continued to host racing.

Until this year. Thompson’s road course is being restored, and they will host several road racing events this summer, including opening with a combined VRG and VSCCA Vintage show on the June 27 – 29 weekend. A car show is also planned. As I write this, they haven’t posted all the details on their web page yet, but it promises to be a great show. Check it out at:

http://www.thompsonspeedway.com/events/vintage-motorsports-festival

Stu

Thanks for reviving my original thread that I started on Aug. 27, 2012 concerning the new Thompson road course (i.e., "Road Racing Returns to Thompson"). I plan to be at most if not all of the road racing events at Thompson this season. Maybe we'll meet. Look for a black first gen triple black lowered Miata with RI tags in the spectator parking lot. I'll look for your Tiger.

My friends ashes are scattered there. He loved that place. He raced there. It was his wish to be scattered there.

I never thaught I would get a chance to ever drive there. I must look in to this.

It was a beautiful spring day in southern New England yesterday so I took a ride to northeastern CT, the region known as "the quiet corner" and "the last green valley." That's where Thompson is located so I stopped to see the progress of the new road course. Track management was very cooperative and all I had to do was sign a liabiliity release to get in. I drove in on the new front straightaway (which actually has a left hand kink just after the start/finish line). There were a few stock cars on the oval and a couple Lamborghinis and a Ferrari on the new autocross track. There was some landscaping activity going on. The bridge to the infield is nearly finished. The new track surface looks very good. So it looks like they're on schedule to be ready for the first main event next month. While in the ares I took a short drive over to nearby Alm Road and Baker Road just south of the new track. That's the site of the old Thompson Raceway, the track that George Weaver and the SCCA built in the 50s and where I attended my first sports car race in the 60s. There's not much left of the old track now except a small section of the back straight. It's pretty much back to natural woods and meadows.

Thompson Speedway is still owned and operated by its founding family, the Hoenigs. The adjacent property that made up much of the original road course still belongs to the Weaver family.

A brief history here>> Thompson history

Should be a great event, looking forward to going.

The 2015 schedule for the Thompson road course was just released, and the Vintage weekend will be June 19-21. Also, and I think this is fantastic, the 24 Hours of LeMons will make a stop at Thompson the weekend of Aug. 7-9. That'll be a hoot!

Dang.. The June dates are in direct conflict with the Canadian Historic Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (aka Mosport) this year... Maybe one of these years we'll get down to Thompson.

I first heard about it on the original post here. Hoping to get there this year. I'll have to look up and see what is running there....anyone know what races / types of racing are running?

In addition to the two events I mentioned above there's a Formula car event on Memorial Day weekend an a couple SCCA club racing events, one in July and one in October. Check out their web site Thompson Speedway Motorsport Park. They also have stock car racing on the oval.

I just saw this thread, must have missed it back in the spring. I ran my 63 Spitfire with the VRG there at he opening event. The track takes some getting used to, I've never had a track that was so had on the brakes. Several cars had brake failure resulting in off course trips into the barriers. My SCCA Historic Race Group will be there for the SCCA event in 2015 so I'll change my rear gearing and put the close ratio tranny in the car and try to save the brakes.

The event had much more to it than just a race though, the history of the track really came through.

I met a guy who was the 2nd owner of my car, back in the 60s and we had a nice talk. I also met a fellow who's parents used to flag and do registration for the SCCA at the track, back in the day. His father, who passed away several years ago, wanted to race but couldn't seem to get a car together so he kept flagging. He was a class A welder at the sub base and would weld up, dirt cheap, the alloy wheels for racers who were always hitting things and cracking them. One weekend he showed up to flag a school and unknown to him, the drivers had chipped in to buy him a seat in the school. The guy who owned my car lived in Woodstock CT, 10 min from the track and lent "my" Spitfire to him for the school. It turned out to be the only time the father drove a race car. The son had a picture of his Dad in a borrowed driving suit next to my car. He flew out from LA just to take his mother back to the track for the event with the hope she would get back in contact with the old gang.

I event got into the event photo recap, I'm the Spitfire chasing the Fiat waiting for the Turner to get back on all 4 wheels.

Pictures Here mike h

Mike, excellent story. Your Spitfire race car has a fantastic history as one of the first Spitfires brought into the U.S. to Jake Kaplan's foreign car dealership in Providence, RI. Charlie Rainville did the initial prodification to it for SCCA racing. (Charlie was a top national SCCA racer in the 50s and 60s, and went on to be the Chief Steward for IMSA in the 70s). I wrote the story of the June, 2014, Thompson revival race for Spitfire & GT6 magazine. (Remember I took your picture on the pre-grid for Saturday's qualifying race?) My report of the event will be published in the next issue of Spitfire & GT6 magazine coming out in the next month or so. You're featured in my article, so watch for it.

In reply to Gary Thanks Gary, Spitfire and GT6 published a nice article on the car in the 50th anniversary of the Spitfire issue and followed it up with a great photo at the Mitty. I'm waiting at pit out, with the other Triumphs for the qualifying session be be resumed after, surprise, surprise, a Triumph oiled the track on lap one. To me, the picture summed up why I love vintage racing. I'm surrounded by a bunch of cool cars, everyone is laid back even though it's qualifying, and my oldest friend and crew chief is leaning into the cockpit BS*ing with me.

Life is good

mike

In reply to OFracing:

Hi:

Thanks for pointing out the Thompson gallery. I was there just one day. My son and I are in their gallery, in a photo from when I was playing photographer at the car display they had in the pits before the track action started. I hope to make it again next year, this time maybe with the Tiger.

Stu

Thompson just announced a couple more road racing events for the 2015 season: an "ice breaker" in April for sports cars (all organizations, contemporary and vintage), and a stock car event in September for mini stock, street stock and trucks on the road course. They have a lot of road racing going on this season. Should be interesting. Check their web site for details.

Great photos! Thanks for the link.

We can only make it for one day of the festival, anyone know which one would be best for seeing the car show and maybe a race if possible?

Are there pit passes available or aren't spectators allowed in the pits? Always loved the vintage festival at Lime Rock because of near all-access aspects of the event.

Thnaks—

In reply to TeamEvil:

The Vintage Festival is the same weekend as Father's Day this year. (They moved it up a week from last year's schedule). The car show along pit lane will be Sunday morning before racing begins. That's the only time spectators are allowed there. However, admission price to the event ($45 per day last year) includes full entry into the paddock. The way the Thompson road course is configured, in order for spectators to access some areas of the track, they have to pass right through the paddock and garage areas.

For anyone in Southern New England, there's an event coming up at Thompson the weekend of April 24-25. It's called "Icebreaker Road Racing Style" put on by OTB Promotions. It's open to anybody with an SCCA, NASA, IMSA, VRG, VSCCA, PCA, or BMWCCA license.

Spectators are welcome. I plan to be there (inside the fence).

http://www.thompsonspeedway.com/events

Hi Guys: The Thompson Vintage show is about a month away, so make your plans now. Just added to their plans are car corrals and parade lapping of the track at lunch time on Saturday and Sunday. Porsche and BMW both days, along with Alfa Romeo Saturday, and all British Sunday. Reservations required (plus $10), the first 30 registered in each category get to do the parade laps. I just made my reservation to put the Tiger in the British corral.

Check it out at:

http://www.thompsonspeedway.com/events/2nd-annual-vintage-motorsports-festival

Hope to see you there!

Stu

I'll be there. The Spitfire isn't roadworthy yet so I'll be driving my Miata. Therefore, no corral and no parade laps for me. Nice to see that they reduced the admission price from last year ... substantially. And I even qualify for a senior discount. Life is good.

In reply to Gary:

The admission is $20 or $25 depending on your amount of grey hair. The $10 is extra for the corrals.

Stu