History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[Mike Harte]

I think that you deserve a good break over the winter this year. And how lucky you didn't choose this week to holiday in Scotland!

[911thillclimber]

No chance of a break, that would bore me to death!
Got to tinker on something, hands get too clean...

Bought another motorbike to fix, but when i got it it was too good, so that was restored really quickly.
Fastest and cheapest bike I've done.

Once the Lola is all done soon will start another small project miles away from motorsport.

This is the little Yamaha, a gem of a 50cc wonder.



The rain started to engulf Scotland where we were the day after we left. We were very lucky.

[911thillclimber]

Ran the re-installed engine and all was not quite 'well'.
This engine has a flat 6 configuration, and each side of the engine has it's own silencer /exhaust layout, so you can compare what each side of the engine is doing relative to each other. Useful!
Got it running and a bit warm and place each gloved palm of the hands very close to the silencers together, the left bank was running like a sewing machine and quite hot but very very steady, the right bank was qite the opposite. Intermittent pops (like a miss fire but no bang) and running much cooler.

Investigation found two plug leads almost disconnected at the place where the plug cap screws into the very frail carbon fibres of the special leads. Fixed those.

However, irratic running and cool still there....

Decided to have all the jets out of the PMO carb on the right side, cleaned them all and air lined the passages, re-fitted. So much better, 'misfire' almost gone and temperatures even on both sides. While this was all running decided to put the strobe gun on each lead and check the ignition pulse was there and getting to the right timing spot. With access so good this was easy, all present and correct.

I must have about 50 bhp more now for next season..

Need to drain the 99 octane out totady, final spanner re-check over the car and cover it up until late spring.
All being well, the season for us will kick-off in april at Prescott for our 32nd bash at winning the Championship Class, now the trophy has my name on it for the 6th time, can i do it again, or will some young upstart arrive?

My hoped for new project has been sidelined, so winter project is no more. will need to find something soon!

Where it all began!



Dreams come true

[Gerard C]

We've already been talking about small strainers present, or not, in the PMO's I'm sure. The best we found when running carbs is to put a fuel filter meant for injection systems. Much better. But impossible to open and clean like yours (if my memory serves). What will be your winter project, then? Its time.

[911thillclimber]

The K&N filters are specially designed for the 911 engine, esp for carbs. When on the trailer the car gets covered in dust or mud and the leading surfaces of the filters get dirty as a result.
I tow with the car uncovered when ever i can as i can see in the reverse so much better (not a fan of towing), so they get washed and re-oiled each start of the season.

The car is under cover in the garage, the old 911 similarly dormant.
The Yamaha is done and fuel drained, far far too easy a project, and filling a lot of the spare garage space.

Would love to get a 50's autocycle, a New Hudson in particular, but simply do not have the space.
This could be the first time EVER i will not be in the cold garage over a winter since I was 15.
Can't believe it.

Currently fixing up a large model glider gifted to me that was missing it's wing, and the radio control.
Self designed and built wing, awaiting some parts in the post to finish it off.

I have a great interest in model aeroplanes since I was in short trousers.

At least it is in the warm.
I miss having dirty hands.

[911thillclimber]

We attended the Midland Hill Climb Championship Awards Dinner last weekend.
There of course to collect the award for Over 2 litre Sports Libre cars, the 6th time I've bagged this in the little Lola-Porsche.

This wraps the 2023 season and the car is on the button already for 2024, our 31st season doing this Championship. Wonder who will emerge to contest the class next year, will I stand a chance?

Many thanks to so many for my exploits and the interest shown on 10/10th is so much appreciated, 'we' could soon see a thread on a UK Club racer hit 1,000,000
hits, who would have thought it?

My wife is always there to support me, be Chief Go-fer and Team Boss and looking to see if I have actually remembered to enter some events and assists in getting the car on and off the trailer and to approve the spending money needed....

To Sean at McClurg Motorsport for the detailed chassis set-up that makes this car as easy to drive as my Porsche Boxster even though it has 70 bhp more and weighs about a 1/3 of the Porsche!

And to Bill Pardoe who runs the Championship so very well, it is magic.

Just a few ego shots:

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

The K&N filters are specially designed for the 911 engine, esp for carbs/ so they get washed and re-oiled each start of the season.I miss having dirty hands.

I don't think that to oil the filters is a good idea. Slowly but surely they get dirty and this can alter the carburation richness.

Geez, you look great, I thought it was a Beatle pic! Good to have clean hands sometimes, Graham.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

I don't think that to oil the filters is a good idea. Slowly but surely they get dirty and this can alter the carburation richness.

Geez, you look great, I thought it was a Beatle pic! Good to have clean hands sometimes, Graham.

But surely that's the reason to oil the filters, so that catches the cr*p and stops it from getting into the carburettors & engine? (Plus I'm sure Graham said that the filters are cleaned regularly...)

[E.B]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

But surely that's the reason to oil the filters, so that catches the cr*p and stops it from getting into the carburettors & engine? (Plus I'm sure Graham said that the filters are cleaned regularly...)

Bear in mind also that in terms of the engine hours / miles run over a season are minimal with a hillclimb car compared to a circuit race car. Probably tops would be 15-20klms per meeting including practice and returning to the paddock.

[911thillclimber]

I clean them and re-oil using the K&N products. the oil is very thin so to migrate into the filter mesh thoroughly.

Longest hill we do is Loton, about a mile up and a mile down 5 times.
Guess i do about 40 or 50 miles a year and 15 gallons of fuel....

[Mike Harte]

I'm guessing, Graham, based on your post above that the engine is barely run in after your mammoth rebuild recently. Just imagine what you might achieve when it is truly loosened up.

[911thillclimber]

It is already getting better Mike. The tick over now is quite steady @ 1200 rpm (fast deliberately) as it warms up, year before it needed constantly tweaking.
These engines never get run in as in a road car routine, it is flat out from the GO.

Probably have about 150 miles on the engine now, most of them at wide-open-throttle, but the engine is always up to normal temperature.

[911thillclimber]

Nearly in the Xmas spirit...

Happy Xmas and a great 2024 season!

[Gerard C]

To the Graham's !

[Gerard C]

[911thillclimber]

Indeed!

[Mike Harte]

Happy New Year to you and the boss, Graham.

[911thillclimber]

At very long last a bit of 'action'!
Action in spending money to get into the 2024 season that is.

All admin I must admit, and becoming a bit of an eye-opener.

First, buy a new helmet to replace the perfect old one because the Standard has changed £600
Second, join the Midland Hillclimb Championship, £100
Thirdly, enter the first 6 meetings of the 9 we plan to do. £1300

The entry costs keep going up and starting to get a bit 'is this value for money/effort?'

Around £200 per weekend for 5 runs, each about 40 sec on average, so about £40 per run, plus all the travel etc....

I keep telling myself now the car seems ok the season should be reasonable on the money front, and far cheaper than circuits though the latter must be far greater value.

2024 will be our 33rd year of competing on the hills and i think our 31st year in the Midland Championship.
Today, if you are not a Championship runner entry acceptance can be a lottery.

On a brighter note, I'm flushing the brake fluid out of the Lola today which I do every 2 years.
I was contemplating changing the brake pads to Carbone Loraine (sp) which are the deal for most hillclimb cars.
I have had these on my old 911 for a decade and they are really good if a bit of a squeal at slow speeds.
The car seems to stop well enough now so not sure there will be any real benefit for £500 cost.

On the hills you use the brakes very few times but very hard, at Shelsley Walsh you brake just twice and change gear 5 times, maybe 6 on the 30 second dash.

Trailer will need some tlc soon to remove the green moss etc and tweak the brakes now the new shoes of last year have bedded in.

First event is at Loton Park on 13/14th April, so no rush!

[Mike Harte]

I like the reading room you've created for the boss!

[andy97]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

At very long last a bit of 'action'!
Action in spending money to get into the 2024 season that is.

All admin I must admit, and becoming a bit of an eye-opener.

First, buy a new helmet to replace the perfect old one because the Standard has changed £600
Second, join the Midland Hillclimb Championship, £100
Thirdly, enter the first 6 meetings of the 9 we plan to do. £1300

The entry costs keep going up and starting to get a bit 'is this value for money/effort?'

Around £200 per weekend for 5 runs, each about 40 sec on average, so about £40 per run, plus all the travel etc....

I keep telling myself now the car seems ok the season should be reasonable on the money front, and far cheaper than circuits though the latter must be far greater value.

2024 will be our 33rd year of competing on the hills and i think our 31st year in the Midland Championship.
Today, if you are not a Championship runner entry acceptance can be a lottery.

On a brighter note, I'm flushing the brake fluid out of the Lola today which I do every 2 years.
I was contemplating changing the brake pads to Carbone Loraine (sp) which are the deal for most hillclimb cars.
I have had these on my old 911 for a decade and they are really good if a bit of a squeal at slow speeds.
The car seems to stop well enough now so not sure there will be any real benefit for £500 cost.

On the hills you use the brakes very few times but very hard, at Shelsley Walsh you brake just twice and change gear 5 times, maybe 6 on the 30 second dash.

Trailer will need some tlc soon to remove the green moss etc and tweak the brakes now the new shoes of last year have bedded in.

First event is at Loton Park on 13/14th April, so no rush!

The cost of hillclimbing/ sprinting in terms of £ per minute is utterly bonkers. I get that some people do not like wheel to wheel racing or can’t afford a race car so speed eventing a road car is a good way of scratching the competitive itch, but when you factor in the cost of a separate speed event car and then the entry fees it becomes astronomical.
Racing something like a Caterham is far cheaper and far better value in my opinion.
For comparison, you can buy a Caterham for about £12-15k and a set of tyres will last all season. Entry fees for a CSCC race are about £420 to cover a 30 min qualifying and a 40 min race, and it mostly happens on one day.
If you don’t like racing, there is always something like the circuit rallying championship. Essentially 6-8 long sprints in a day covering a total of about 50 stage miles. A Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta or Mini Cooper S can all be had for about £10k and entries are about £360 for around an hour to an hour and 10 mins track time.
Horses for courses, I suppose, but ……

[Mike Harte]

I understand your point, Andy, but it's not all about being behind the wheel. I would imagine that a lot of the hill-climbers will be a fairly close knit group, so there will be quite a bit of socialising during the weekend going on.

Another factor, I would imagine, is that the entry costs for 3 races is roughly the same for Graham's 6 entries. Plus, I would also imagine, the cost of maintenance of the cars must be greater for all the time on track for races versus the shortish blasts up the hill.
But your point does stand.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I understand your point, Andy, but it's not all about being behind the wheel. I would imagine that a lot of the hill-climbers will be a fairly close knit group, so there will be quite a bit of socialising during the weekend going on.

Another factor, I would imagine, is that the entry costs for 3 races is roughly the same for Graham's 6 entries. Plus, I would also imagine, the cost of maintenance of the cars must be greater for all the time on track for races versus the shortish blasts up the hill.
But your point does stand.

That’s very expensive socialising! I do get the social aspect and you are right that there are more events in speed eventing for the same money as rallying or racing but I think many race/ rally clubs are very social too, but you need to do a hell of a lot of speed events to get the same track time as even one race meeting or rally.
A Caterham is actually relatively cheap to race as very light on tyres, brakes, fuel etc etc but other cars may be more expensive depending on make/ type.
The Escort is not too expensive to rally, as long as I don’t crash it, as it’s not a mega spec like some of the “modern” interpretations.
I do 3-5 races and same again rallies per year, depending on work and therefore £!

[911thillclimber]

Many in the Hillclimb circus will argue the value is poor, the number of runs/day/event is very poor and a great number want a minimum of 8 or more in a day.
You can do that if you restrict the entry you take/event. Less in the paddock means more track time, BUT the cost of entry will increase to cover fixed costs, Landlord rent, toilets etc etc.

Many hillclimb events are well over subscribed, some as much as 200%, so a lot of disapointed runners probably not in a Championship.

We all choose our way forward, the types of sports we do, and i like the whole hillclimb 'thing' but it is getting hard to justify.

Also, so many hill events clash with other car related events which i would like to do, more of an irritant than anything else, but another factor.

Brakes all flushed through this morning with DOT 4.
Not in the mood to do the 1973 911!

Nice atmosphere at hillclimb venues too, Prescott here:

[andy97]

If events are massively over subscribed then they must be doing something right!

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by andy97

If events are massively over subscribed then they must be doing something right!

Spot on!