Unfair Advantage—Backwards Lime Rock

The rules were: One lap of Lime Rock, driving backwards from a standing start. You could bring any car, use any tires, sit however you wanted in the car, and take any drugs you thought might be suitable to the occasion. The event was sanctioned by Road and Track. The signal for the start was a waved checkered flag; for the finish, a green flag.

The call came from Oldsmobile. They were upset because their rival division, Chevrolet, had won the big race twice in a row with a four-door, dark-blue Caprice. To the untutored eye, the Caprice looked absolutely stock, and it was generally assumed that the key ingredient was the driver, the great Lime Rock meister, John Fitch. To the boffins at Olds, however, the Caprice seemed suspiciously fast, as if someone had fussed with the gears and maybe tweaked the suspension. Cheating? Definitely not. But outside the spirit of an event that had been concocted for a little zany fun? To some, yes. But the Olds people saw this as a chance to show up the Chevy boys down the hall.