David Murry won a pair of SCCA Sports Renault races at Lime Rock in 1985.
Ahhh, 1985. It was the year of "We Are the World", Windows 1.0, "Back to the Future" and New Coke. For David Murry, it marked the beginning of a professional racing career that produced drives for some of the biggest names in sports car racing - Lotus, Porsche and BMW for example.
But two race victories at Lime Rock Park in SCCA Sports Renault 23 years ago helped launch the Atlanta resident's career.
Murry will return to Lime Park with Robertson Racing and its Ford GT-R next week for the Northeast Grand Prix. He will team with the husband-wife pairing of Andrea and David Robertson for the July 11 race. It will be a different circuit with the new 1.51-mile, 10-turn layout but still will maintain some of the old familiarity.
"It's I had heard a lot about the track; that it was really fast but only a mile and a half long," Murry said. "I wondered how that was possible given how short it was. Then I got there and realized that it was really that fast.
Murry will drive the Robertson Racing Ford GT-R in GT2 at Lime Rock with team owners David and Andrea Robertson.
"The last downhill turn is the one at Lime Rock that stands out," he added. "The track will be a little different with the reconfiguration, but before there was a bump in the racing line and you had to find a setup to go over the bump and still carry speed down the hill. It's a bit like Turn 12 at Road Atlanta. That turn at Lime Rock is very similar in that it is very challenging, fast and there are consequences for a mistake."
The break in the schedule since the Utah Grand Prix in May has been beneficial, Murry said. The Ford GT-R will run only its fifth race, and much of the focus has been on getting the Robertsons as much time behind the wheel as possible.
"This year is a unique year," Murry said. "We're running a car that no one has run before. This year and last year Ferrari and Porsche are pushing each other and their development is going forward. So we may have made a gain but they made a little gain as well."
The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144.
Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at www.americanlemans.com
- Bob Dickinson- photos ALMS
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