I posted this story some months ago but as many new members have joined since they could have missed out. This is a revised version and it could be an appropriate follow up to kvissers interesting pics of the Mecom Lola Mk6.
The Lola MK6's three races in total in Europe were a baptism by fire!
The MK6's first race was at Silverstone in mid-May, 1963. John Surtees was due to drive the car but at the last minute had to withdraw because of his contract with Ferrari. The South African, Tony Maggs, a Cooper F1 works driver at the time was asked to step in. So short was the notice that Tony didn't have time to practice with the car, not even one inch and he had to start at the back of the grid. I wonder in the history of motor racing if a driver ever raced a strange car without practising!
During the race Tony battled with the cable driven gear change on top of which the car kept cutting out. He had to do some deft ballerina type footwork to keep the car on the island and in so doing got the car at some alarming angles. He did well to finish in 9th spot on the same lap as the winner.
Two weeks later he was teamed up with his fellow countryman, Bob Olthoff , to drive the car in the Nurburgring 1 000 kms race. I was there that day with the Porsche team. To illustrate how little was known about aerodynamics at the time the Lola's rear end would lift clean off the deck on the long undulating straight leading up to the start and finish line. Bob and Tony told me a different times how they would play games with the throttle at some 140 mph by blipping (quite a good word!) it and watching the rev counter shoot up. There were two rows of neat hedges on either side of the track and the Lola's tail, apart from lifting, would sway from side to side and clout the hedges leaving a trail of swirling leaves next lap round.
Then Tony noticed something glinting in the rear view mirror. It was a rapidly departing right rear wheel spinner followed by a crunch as the wheel came off. Tony then found the wheel in the undergrowth and then found a pole and stones with which to jack up the car. He was encouraged by spectators who offered him hamburgers and beer, etc, but if one of then laid a finger on the car to help he would have been disqualified. Eventually he got going and handed over to Bob who continued for a while until the distributor shaft broke.
Bob then wanted to get to the pits in a hurry and tried to jump a fence to cut through the forest. A cop didn't think it a good idea and tried to stop Bob who promptly punched the custodian of German law and order on the jaw. As the cop fell over backwards from the blow he drew his firearm but some spectators shielded Bob who then made his getaway over the fence. I wouldn't have thought it a good idea to punch a member of the German Polizei!
Two weeks later I was at Le Mans to see the Lola MK6 in action again, this time driven by Richard Attwood and David Hobbs. In its first two races the car was the silver original one but at Le Mans it was dark green second car.
See two pics of the Lola at Le Mans. In the one of the start I was more focused on the Edgar Barth/.Herbert Linge eight cylinder Porsche Spyder but luckily the Lola was in the firing line. Please note Attwood driving without gloves! Imagine that today! Do the doors and windscreen look familiar?
Once again there were gear selection problems and in the early hours of Sunday morning Hobbs crashed the car in the Esses whilst he was trying to find third gear, luckily without injury.
As Lola expert and historian, Rob Beddington, has posted above, the third and last MK6 was bought by US Lola distributor, John Mecom, who entered the Chevvy powered car for Augie Pabst for the Nassau Speed Week in 1965.
That was the end of the MK6's race career. The Broadley/ Ford deal followed and the MK6's only claim to fame was that it gave birth to the GT40.
Thanks to an introduction by Rob Beddington I got to know Allen Grant who owns the original MK6. Allen was a Shelby Daytona Coupe works driver in 1965 and won the Monza 1000 km race with Bob Bondurant. Allen, a property developer and building contractor from Vancouver in Washington came to stay in August last year and it was a great experience to chew the fat with a former Shelby works driver and owner of the original MK6. Even more interesting was when I took Allen to have lunch with Tony Maggs who lives about 80 miles from Cape Town at a seaside resort. It was great listening to tales of the original driver and the owner of the original. When Tony asked Allen to autograph his book on the history of Lola, written by Dave Friedman, who happens to be a personal friend of Allen, he wrote 'Thank you for not crashing my car' to which Tony replied, 'You are lucky!'
A Lola MK6 replica? Would there be a market?
Carroll Shelby recently said that 40 years went away and have come back again. Right!
Enjoy the small world!
Andre 40