LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Warm temperatures and overcast skies set the stage for a record-breaking afternoon at Lime Rock Park for the Trans-Am Memorial Day Classic.
Lime Rock Park officially kicked off the track’s 65th season on Friday with on-track sessions from Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, International GT and Skip Barber Race Series.
Mike Skeen captured the pole for the Trans Am TA2 class in the closing minutes of the qualifying, turning his best lap of 51.455-seconds on his sixth circuit in the No. 89 3Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang.
The flat-out flyer broke the class track record, set by Thomas Merrill in 2019, by exactly one second.
“The session went really well,” said Skeen. “It was busy out there but we were fortunate to get a clear track to set the record here at Lime Rock Park. I am looking forward to starting out front on pole for tomorrow’s race.”
Misha Goikhberg will share the front row with Skeen, locking in the spot with a fast flyer of 51.600-seconds. Merril (51.676-seconds) will start third with 14-year-old Brent Crews slated to take the green alongside him (51.824-seconds) in fourth.
It wasn’t just the speeds that set new marks, as the entry for the first Trans Am race of the weekend set a new high water mark for the category. 20 rows of two will take the green for the 100-mile feature at 11:55 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.