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ESSEX - In Trevor Hilliar's mind there is only one thing better than a fast-looking car - getting the car on a race track and being thrust back into his seat as the speedometer shoots up 100 mph and more.
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Well, that, and the adrenaline rush of getting to the finish line first.
Hilliar got to do just that earlier this month at the 21st One Lap of America race from April 30 to May 8, the modern-day incarnation of the historic Cannonball Run transcontinental road race. After driving the 5,628 miles, he placed second in the Vintage American division.
Racing cars is a passion that was passed down to Hilliar as a boy from his father, Tom. A New London native, Tom opened Hilliar's Foreign Motors in Ivoryton and soon thereafter moved to Essex. He immersed himself in the local motorsport scene and began racing professional formula and sports cars at various races like the British Formula 3 series and the Sports Car Club of America National Championships.
If Hilliar's father sparked an interest in racing cars, it was his longtime friend, Ian Prout, who also races, who took it to the next level when he brought Hilliar to the Canadian Grand Prix in 1988.
"I was completely taken by how loud and fast the cars were," Hilliar recalled. "I could hear the cars from three miles away from the track. I only liked racecars before. That was the day I fell in love."
About one year later, Hilliar got behind the wheel and began racing cars himself. He has been competing for 15 years in large races such as the Grand AM Cup series and the Daytona 24 Hours race. The One Lap of America race - this was Hilliar's first time in the contest - has become one of his favorites.
Hilliar entered the contest as a driver along with Theodore Goneos from New York, owner of Team Theogon and the 1978 Pontiac Trans AM ("Macho T/A") they drove.
"Driving that car was the biggest novelty," Hillier admitted. "Another neat thing about this race was how all the racecars had CB radios. Truckers would buzz us as they drove by and say things like, 'Hey, nice car!' or 'What do you have under the hood?'" Hilliar also got a kick out of racing across the country.
"We were on the run from day-to-day," Hilliar said. "For nine days, Theo and I had to take turns, one of us driving, the other sleeping. If we were lucky, we could stop off at a hotel and shower. Otherwise, all we did was drive."
The first One Lap of America race was held in 1984 and began in Darien. It was fashioned after the Cannonball Run (which inspired films like "Gumball Rally," the Cannonball Run series and the Smokey and the Bandit series), a no-holds-barred race from New York to California, the racetrack being U.S. highways, with drivers narrowly avoiding crashes and speeding tickets. Today's version of the race is a bit tamer with the races held at actual racetracks across the country. However, drivers still need to travel between tracks in their racecars, all without the help of a support crew. This year, the race began in South Bend, Ind.
Drivers are scored not only on their performance at the tracks, but also according to a set of precise instructions outlining both their routes and their speed. The drivers with the lowest score - who received the fewest penalty points - win.
Hilliar and co-driver Goneos managed to avoid getting speeding tickets on the highways, but they had their share of troubles. As they were leaving Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo., en route to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., their car broke down.
"We were hard pressed for time," Hilliar said. "We only had 24 hours to drive the roughly 1,350 miles to the next track. A breakdown was obviously the last thing we needed. It took us three hours to get the car running again and then we had to really high-tail it to Sonoma."
But there was only so much 'high-tailing it' they could manage. According to the race's official rules, drivers are expected to abide by all highway laws in the states that the event passes - or face possible disqualification.
Clinton resident Mike Zoner, winner of the Vintage American division of the race, can testify to the difficulties exacted by this rule. While driving a 1981 Z28 Chevy Camaro, Zoner and co-driver and owner of the car Michael Hickman were pulled over for speeding between racetracks.
"We were pretty nervous when the police officer pulled us over," Zoner remembered. "He said he clocked us going about 80 mph. He paused, then said he clocked the Corvette in front of us (which he didn't stop, of course) at about 80 mph. The officer leaned in and said with a smile, 'You boys better hurry up if you're gonna catch him.' Luckily he let us off with only a warning."
Now that Hilliar is back home, he is excited to get back to another of his passions: building and racing go-carts. He hopes to get a business started soon, designing these cars he calls "T Karts" and sell them to professional and private racing enthusiasts. In the meantime, he enjoys racing them in his backyard.
"I have an entire racetrack back there," Hilliar said, "and two others in the area. We have little endurance races, doing about 600 laps, a total of maybe 40 or 50 miles in about three hours. We stop now and then to re-fuel and to change drivers."
The reigning backyard go-cart champion is William Rutan, who has been racing cars since the 1950s.
Hilliar is planning to stage a couple friendly, unofficial go-cart races in his backyard this summer with a number of professional drivers from the Lime Rock racetrack in Lakeville. The races are slated for the Sundays nearest the July 4th and Memorial Day holidays (since the professionals cannot compete at Lime Rock on Sundays).
The 33 year-old Hilliar still has a lot of racing years left ahead of him. His plans for the future include preparing for Le Mans, a 24-hour endurance sports car race in Sarthe, France, in 2006.
"Le Mans is the big time," Hilliar said. "There's a lot of time until the race and sponsors to get, but that's definitely what I'm shooting for."
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