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| Jonathan Scarallo Fulfills His Dream At Lime Rock Park |
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© Andrew S. Hartwell
Along with the KONI Challenge races here at Lime Rock this Memorial Day weekend, the F2000 Championship series is also filling out track time with what should be some very close racing action. The series features open wheel race cars that are state of the art and can attain speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour. While photographing them during practice, we came away with a real appreciation for the speed these cars were traveling and an admiration for the talent of the drivers - both young and old - who were quickly moving in and out of our camera viewfinder.
One of the young people driving in this series is 18 year old, Jonathan Scarallo. His older brother, Joey Scarallo, has been involved in Trans-AM racing and currently drives a Pontiac GTO in the SPEED World Challenge GT class with Group A Racing.
The Scarallo's grew up on Long Island, in Hauppauge, a suburban town located about 50 miles east of New York City and along the north central corridor, just north of the Long Island Expressway. With over a dozen years separating the older Joey from Jonathan, the opportunities for learning how to race on Long Island were different when it was Jonathan's turn to move into the fast lane.
"Growing up on Long Island I didn't do much Karting because it wasn't that popular there and they only have oval tracks. And the budgets for those who do race are outrageous. There were guys with tire warmers and they were shaving tires and stuff, just for club races. It was outrageous. It seems like racing has become the anti-Christ on Long Island! When my brother Joey grew up there was a track in Westhampton but now that is gone."
An aside: Long Island has lost a number of racing facilities in the last few decades including the small ovals like the ones at Freeport Speedway and Islip Speedway. In addition, the great sportscar racing circuit, Bridgehampton Raceway - 'The Bridge" - gave way to the development of a golf course quite some time ago, The only race track left is the ΒΌ mile oval called Riverhead Raceway that was built in 1949. The racing action is decidedly not what you find in the realm of sportscar racing with the circuit hosting Demolition Derby, Enduro racing and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events.
Young Jonathan Scarallo did get some seat time in karts on Long Island, but his learning process was really carried out inside a much larger and faster classroom.
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