Shocks are something of a black box and also "feel" is very subjective. I've run Konis for years (not the top of the line stuff) and while I like them, they generally need a rebuild after as little as one season. In other words, I do not like the durability, at all.
Other guys I know are very quick on what some would consider "junk' shocks, so again it's really hard to sort the wheat from the chaff on shocks.
I've done a lot of talking to the guys at Koni (and really no one else, so take this with a grain of salt). They say that, yes, in general, a shock is a shock is a shock in many cases, once you get past basic design choices like gas v. fluid, etc.
The real difference lies in experience in valving to spring rate and car weight, and in designing a shock that can handle heat build up and dissipate it so that the shock and the fluid retain their dampening characteristics.
The QA1s on the Lola seem fine but I'm still not personally convinced they are the "best" answer (even at that price point, you can get Koni's revalved for not much more than $400/corner) for road racing. They may be. Even if you had a ton of shock dyno plots and other data for them, ultimately the only thing that matters is if for you, as a driver, they work on the car and "feel" right. Remember, shocks only really matter on transitions -- turn in, exit and curbs -- and what "feels" right in those situations is often very subjective by nature.
Lots of options in shocks, overwhelming really, and lots of hearsay out there. Koni NA though has, as Ron notes, great support and tons of road racing experience.
All of that said, I tend to believe the thought that shocks are the last 1-2% of amateur race car performance.
