History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[E.B]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Live Stream should be working at Loton this weekend, Lola is car # 76 for those how follow the meeting which is a round of the midland hillclimb Championship

Looks like the live stream is for Sunday only.... I checked the HDLCC website, https://www.hdlcc.com/ and it says on the home page it starts in 23 hours time.

Anyway the link for tomorrow is https://youtu.be/731u7WpdGho

[911thillclimber]

Yes, Sunday only this time.
Fab day at Loton, my Club's own hill and my favourite.
Real mix of tight bends and fast stretches where almost every next corner is out of eye line, so you need a good memory (at my age?)


5 in the Class. The class is amalgamated under and over 2 litre, so I'm the only one technically in the Overs.
Often, the little engine cars are quicker, esp Martin in his Riot, long time sparing partner.


3 practice runs in the sun with a cool breeze, perfect.


Lola did 3 x 2.02 second starts! Every start the same time! Left the line pdq.


Runs were
58.46, 57.51, 57.23
Martin
58.59, 57.56, 57.84
The other class mates were comfortably behind the 2 of us.


Hotter tomorrow, and the tension will be tight!


Odd scoring system in the Championship, if I win the Class I get 1 point.
If I come last, I get 1 point
!

[E.B]

Had to have a little snigger just now whilst watching the live stream from Loton. They had a red flag stoppage because of deer at the top of the hill. (For those unaware Loton Park is, as well as a hillclimb venue, a haven for deer amongst its 300 acres..). Not everyday at a motorsport event you get a red flag for wandering deer.
(Didnt stop Graham posting a very tidy 56.47 sec. run on his first run of the day.)

[911thillclimber]

Quite a day at Loton, the sun and temperature were my biggest problems, we were fortunate to be under a Very Big Tree, so shaded with lots of visitors..


2 Class wins!
Very close between Marin in his 1000cc bike engines riot and me in the big old lardy 3200cc Lola. We have a lot of good banter between us with a pile of BS thrown in by us both, great fun, makes all the difference.


Morning run was good and strong:
Lola 56.47/2.06, Riot 56.61/2.26 (my pb is 55.41)


Afternoon was far hotter and a lot of sweat.
Martin rocketed off the line which was a worry, so I gave it death off the line and off we went. Red Flag.
Even hotter, off we went again.
Missed a gear which took ages to sort out and I found myself in the middle of Keeper's corner in neutral, one hand steering, other looking for 3rd.


Came rolling out of Keepers and in 3rd. Floored the accelerator and hung on.
Went like a bat-out-of-hell, through the evil kink in the Cedar Straight and off to a brave 90 deg left called Fallow (deer connection!) and ripped through there too off to the final blind right and off to the finish line.


Lola 56.56/1.96, Riot 57.09/2.14


That 1.96 sec start was great, you can really feel it in the seat, over 1g of acceleration, so good.


so, there we are, all of 2 points in the class points for all this effort!
Great weekend of club motorsport at it's best.


Martin came over to congratulate me, swore at me, punched me and high-5'd me.


What a bunch of kids!
Prescott one-day Porsche meeting on Saturday and then back to a championship weekend again at Prescott late July.


Feels very busy.
Feels great.

[911thillclimber]

Bit off the live stream, this morning's run:


https://youtu.be/731u7WpdGho?t=2382

[911thillclimber]

So, to a one-day Clubbie at Prescott running with all the Porsche speed championship lads and a few from my usual meetings.
We were in the Invited Racing Class, a class I won in 2019.


Always nice to be amongst like minded people and a lovely day to be there despite overcast, but no rain1


Practice was a mixed bag but 'ok' of sorts and the 2 race runs went much the same mainly due to the 'bogie' of Prescott came in my mind...


I dread changing gear at this track, the place when the engine went pop as I changed from 2nd to 1st while selecting 3rd and a very big bang and bill ensued.
It bugged me all day and the best I could muster was a miserable 47.00 dead, 1.6 off my best set many years ago.


Still bagged 2nd in class bedind the mighty Paul Howells in his 'RSR' and whom I had zero cahance of catching (anywhere).


However, home in one piece and smiling.


TBH happy the run of meetings is finished, a bit of a rest before we are back to Prescott in late July and a Midland round.

[911thillclimber]

https://youtu.be/pdam6glIkao?t=2679

[midgetman]

Found on FB today. I think it was the Prescott page, or you could try searching the photographer's name at the bottom. Looks really racy!

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[911thillclimber]

Back to Prescott next weekend for the resumption of the Midland and British Championships, so a very full house of the very quick guys and those in the pack...


Oddly, have not been amalgamated with the under 2 litre players, but just the two of us in my class, me and Allan, Allan in his demon EVO 1 with a plastic Mini body on it.


I can only beat him in the cosmetics stakes, my car shines better than his.




Live Feed will be running, we are car # 110.

[911thillclimber]

https://live.staticflickr.com/3675/1...61aaf919_b.jpg

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Back to Prescott next weekend for the resumption of the Midland and British Championships, so a very full house of the very quick guys and those in the pack...


Oddly, have not been amalgamated with the under 2 litre players, but just the two of us in my class, me and Allan, Allan in his demon EVO 1 with a plastic Mini body on it.


I can only beat him in the cosmetics stakes, my car shines better than his.




Live Feed will be running, we are car # 110.

I like that description of Evo1 with plastic mini body on it!!!

Hope all goes well.

[911thillclimber]

It is an evil car.
Well build and driven by an ex-IOM bike race winner.


I try to get close....

[Gerard C]

Dont like the look and wonder about the intercooler outside the body. Is it allowed?

[midgetman]

Gerard, speed events here are the last bastion of brilliant engineering. I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed for circuit racing but the Sports Libre class has a much more lax approach. Which is its appeal.

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[Gerard C]

Fine, Max. I understand this class gives free reign to any form of technical creativity. All you can do to make your car faster, right?

[911thillclimber]

The hillclimb Sports Libre, liberated sports if you will has anoly a few rules.
Special safety features, dated seat belts, Hans, all the Blue Book stuff and the roll cage dimensions and design of course, WAY above most period/classic race cars on the circuits.
All wheels have to be covered by the body or wings,


Some years ago central position of the driver was not allowed, but now it is so you could take a single seater and drop a plastic body over it.


Everything else is free, so limitless engine size, unlimited transmission (hence this Mini with 4x4), unlimited suspension and aero, brakes etc etc etc.
It encourages fee thinking from Mild (Lola) to Wild (EVOMini)


About 4 seconds faster than me up Shelsley Walsh.


Then, of course, there is the pilot specification

[Gerard C]

Dont you think the 4X4 transmission makes a difference, this Mini and the Metro for instance?

[midgetman]

UK hills are all about traction. Yes it helps!

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[911thillclimber]

Certainly does!
Esp in the damp/wet, but in the dry, Allan in the EVOMini as well as the 650 ish bhp Metro need it and can cover the first 64feet in about 1.8 secs, I can on a very good day go to 1.96 secs but not consistently, they can.
Anything 2 secs or less is 1 g and more of acceleration.


Traction out of all the bends is intense and they are on the gas while I'm waiting to get straighter.


Watch the live stream clips of the cars in the class and you will see all the grip in evidence.
Adds weight mind, but the benefit is far greater.

[S griffin]

Love these insights. Must be extra fun in the wet, if a little bit worrying. Really is fun seeing how different cars perform, whether saloons or purpose built cars or single seaters.

Anyway best of luck for the next one. I am enjoying the live streams you post.

[911thillclimber]

Thank you!
Looks like it will be some rain over the weekend, so expect some tyre choice discussion too.
Wets really work but you need the wheels and space (and the money) to have them let alone lugging them about to the trailer on a damp Sunday afternoon.
A set of wets on suitable wheels would set me back ?3500.
However, it can rain quickly just before your run, during it or after it!
At Loton Park, it is normal for the rain to add 7 seconds to the dry run time.

[911thillclimber]

Got to Prescott early to find we are in a different spot for a 3rd time, getting closer to the fringes of the paddock!
You need a single seater or a Locatorfield to be in the prime 'flat' area.


Just the 2 in the class as I said earlier, but Allan got the EVOMini back together after the heavy crunch at Barbon 2 weeks ago.


This would be a great shady spot if it was to be sunny!

[911thillclimber]

Saturday, and practice only, 2 runs, possibly 3 with one more tomorrow morning before the task in hand starts.
It did not go to pan for several, including me!
Got about 1/2 way up the hill and changing from 2nd to 3rd and nothing, the gear lever was attached to fresh air quickly followed by a nasty scraping noise. Pulled into the rescue 'slot' just on the esses to get off the hill and puched deeper in to clear the other loonies charging the hill. A weld I had obviously expertly made all of 8 years ago had failed.


While waiting to be allowed to coast down the hill for a closer look I remembered I had Mk1 of this linkage still in my tool box, the failed one was a demon tweek to be better than Mk1.


Got the car into 1st manually and drove down the hillto the paddock and fitted Mk1 link. 15 mins later and we did a 2nd practice run with success, but the change is hard work, but worked.


Came home and welded FAR more expertly the broken parts and will fit them on the car tomorrow morning, not a big job at all.


Allan had a belt failure on his run and ruptured the oil pressure capillary tube out of the engine sensor, others had all manner of small issues.


Sign the cars are getting used!


Have not yet checked, but we might have missed the live stream for the day, but hope to be in business tomorrow.


Exciting times.
The 3 times this car has broken have all been at Prescott.


Today's weather was superb, cool, overcast, light breeze and dry, hoping for the same tomorrow.

[911thillclimber]

https://youtu.be/Fa5NeZaH2So?t=5019


Good solid day of nice hillclimbing in the Costswolds, fab weather and good racing.
Obviously came second to the EVO Mini, and came close to my pb.


Gear linkage now welded on the car very early this morning and feels great!

[S griffin]

So that's where it is. Yet more great weather, unlike in other parts of England. Nice work there, good luck for the next one. Glad it's going well with the car now you've got the gear linkage sorted