History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[911thillclimber]

Thank you, seems my mojo is slowly rising!


Fingers are crossed we have a place at the Prescott 24/25 first round of the Midland Hillclimb Championship, it will be so good to get the car on a hill.


will be an awkward meeting due to restrictions, but we are all so used to ' 2 meters and a Mask' nowadays, rest will be normal.
As most hillclimbers are over 50, or in my case WELL over 50, we will be the most protected group in the area!
My 2nd jab is the day after the event.


Started the Lola yesterday to check on the LiPo battery fitted that gave us a bit of reluctance on the rollers, everything fine.
After holding the carbs open a touch to get things warming it settled to a very stable and super smooth tick over with electric throttle response and really even exhaust flow free of the occasional 'pulse' that had started to creep into the engine which started off this mini adventure.


Really sounds nice and sorted, must have a 1,000,000 bhp more than before, esp with the new stickers on the nose.....


Yep, boy racer to the bone marrow.

[S griffin]

Glad it's all going well. Be so good to see that car compete, really looks the business

This is what is so great about hillclimbing is the variety of cars that compete and it's relatively cheap for people to do. Proper grass roots motorsport. Best of luck. Hopefully all that effort will be worth it. And love the colour scheme too.

[911thillclimber]

Indeed, you will never find a paddock in UK motorsport so varied as a good Club meeting at a good hillclimb (or sprint).
Sports Libre, (liberated sports cars) has widened to anything goes, just the wheels need to be covered and you need all the safety stuff , but not over the top, ie no FIA seat, no compulsory fire system, but dated seat belts, full HANNS helmet restraints etc.


Brings out the Wacky Racers.


At Shelsley Walsh the top car approach bottom Esse at 140 mph through the speed trap and are still accelerating.
I brave it at 89 and ready on the brakes.....


3 weeks to Prescott and we shall see who is in my class. I think I will be in a difficult position again!

[911thillclimber]

So!
To Prescott this weekend for the first 2 rounds of the Midland Hillclimb Championship, my 26th year.
Just the 2 of us in the class, my old oh-so-close sparing partner, Nigel in his 4.8 litre NG V8.
I hope he is as rusty as me!
The fast boys are still locked in Scotland so a respite come early.


Started the car a few days ago and it was great, numbers and go-much-faster stickers on and a quick wipe over and we are ready to go.


Confirmed for Shelsley in early May and I think Loton is assured to.


Slowly slowly catch the monkey will be the order of the day.

[Mike Harte]

Good luck and have an enjoyable weekend, Graham.

[911thillclimber]

Thank you both; just found out Mike Manning in his 2 litre turbo Fiesta is transferred to my class...
That is a very very very very fast combo, I'm doomed!
He is a great bloke too just to make it worse and an ex rally cross champion.


It will be nice just to be out there.
The Lola looks great sitting in the garage tonight!

[chrisklein90]

Keep us posted on how it did go, we need some photos.

[911thillclimber]

Ref pictures, I think on the Sunday coming there is live streaming of the day, car by car right through the track length and is really good coverage.
You can find it on YouTube and other media.

[911thillclimber]

Got there a bit early!
Will look very different in 12 hours time

[911thillclimber]

What a fab day at Prescott!
Weather was perfect, a real 'normal' buzzzzz about the place, full of colour sounds and smells.
Did 2 practice runs, first was a tall 49 secs, second a low 48 so in the right direction.
Car was fab too, the engine really different with a much stronger punch mid range.
Forgotten how quick it is, 485 bhp/ton....
More tomorrow, hoping to come close to the 46 sec best time.

[Mike_Powell]

Good luck. Hope it all goes well.

[S griffin]

Hope it's all prepared for the off and you can get a good performance out of it. I'm sure you will

[911thillclimber]

What a great weekend!
Sunday has been sunny to say the least with a cool breeze.
We had a practice run first, then 2 timed runs with other Championships running in between, but great stuff.


Practice went well, a touch quicker than yesterday, into the 47's and I'd hoped for a 46 in race trim, so came so close...
One of my class mates suffered a broken electronic throttle 'cable' and then a snapped drive shaft, so the Fiesta was out, but another class mate in his Skoda really went well, also being an ex hill climb champion made a difference and Roger scored a pair of 44 sec runs to bag both runs.


I sat in the 47/48's and Nigel, a bit under the weather sat a pair of 50's, so we came 2nd in class, not too shabby!


Car ran well but had some reluctant starting in the cold early morning, the LiPo battery does not like the cold!
I'll change back to by boat anchor Red Top battery for next weekend's Shelsley Walsh to be sure of a good engine start.


3 in the class at Shels, Nigel in the NG, me and a demon real 6R4 Metro, should be easy....


So the season opener was great, loved it.


https://youtu.be/6YCK2oVmMLM?t=4109


Here is my Class winner's Skoda.
A full-on, works built rally car in tarmac trim.
Heaven help me.

[midgetman]

Would that be Roger Moran by any chance? A formidable competitor.

Junk the lipo battery. We use them in karting and they are so unreliable. I've had them go down for no reason, and I even had one explode with half a lap to go - quite a feat when we don't have a charging system!

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[911thillclimber]

Yep, Roger Moran. Easy...


Just removed the Lith batter and re-fitted my old heavy red top. I'll carry the 5Kg for reliability.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Yep, Roger Moran. Easy...


Just removed the Lith batter and re-fitted my old heavy red top. I'll carry the 5Kg for reliability.

Re the Moran family Roger's son Scott is pretty rapid also. I seem to recall Roger and Scott used to share a car in the outright class and take much of the silverware home with them.

Re the extra kgs have to get down the gym Graham, and get the nett weight down that way!

Sounds like a good weekend was had and that's the bottom line..

[andy97]

Originally Posted by E.B

Re the Moran family Roger's son Scott is pretty rapid also. I seem to recall Roger and Scott used to share a car in the outright class and take much of the silverware home with them.

I

Yes, they shared a Gould single seater bespoke hill climb car for several years and I think they were both British champion at various points. The Gould was powered by Cosworth developed n/a engine based on an Indy car unit!

Roger also rallies/d a Mk2 Escort, I think in pukka historic spec with 2 litre BDG although I have a vague memory of it being for sale a year or so ago.

[911thillclimber]

Scott is a very strong hillclimber, 6 time British Champion and followed on from is Champion father Roger.
They still have the Gould and that has been prepared by them both from the start, a very accomplished team.
Scott is this year sharing a modern Gould with Graham Wynn.


Roger's Escort was/is running a full house Millington N/A 4 pot.
He has been through some great cars, I was given a day in his orange Porsche 911 which was something else, and have been driven (at 10 tenths!) up Loton Park hillclimb in that 911 by roger, and I assure you all that WAS something else.


So, beaten by an old man in a Skoda Fabia!


He is in my Class this weekend too along side a full gravel spec Metro 6R4.

[rbs]

As you said a good day but cold, Alex Summers car was impressive and showing plenty of promise, it could be a good season once it gets underway and Wallace is let out of Scotland.

[S griffin]

As long as you were all wrapped up warm. Sounds like a great event and you guys have lots to look forward to. Here's to a great season ahead

[911thillclimber]

It's raining!
Shelsley in the rain is not a nice thought, but at least my rear tyres are groved in the right direction now to match the fronts which is a slightly complicated story of the crossply carcase stiffness direction fitted to the rims for optimum braking (fronts) and optimum drive (rear). BMTR cut the rears incorrectly, so swopping the rear left to right gives me 4 tyres orientated for stable braking but with the rain groves shedding water from the centre to the outside.


Hope that made sense to you all!
We are parked on a grassy slope in the open on slicks while some road spec cars are on level tarmac with a garage cover...not sensible.


4 in the class, That Skoda, That Metro 6R4, the NGV8 and me.
I have a battle on for 3rd or last!

[Gerard C]

Weather forecast says no rain tomorrow but cold. Have fun!

[E.B]

I was watching the live stream from Shelsley and saw Graham have a very tidy run to beat the NGV8, almost match the Skoda of Roger Moran with the very quick off the line 6R4 Metro a bit too quick with a sub 30sec run. Looks like Graham got a decent patch of weather as it seemed to get a little damp later on in the proceedings.

The Lola sounds great.

[911thillclimber]

Yep, that sums it up!
Bit of a weather guessing game and this afternoon 'just' got ahead of the rain. Got very damp waiting to come down off the top of the hill, but not a bad day, but MUST TRY HARDER.


PB is 31.6 for me, set some years ago.


Best times for today for the class;
Metro 29.83 (has gone faster)
Fiesta 31.4
Skoda 33.14
Lola 33.61
NGV8 35.8


Very hard to get a grip on the start so a poor 2.2 for me, have cut a 2.00 before.
Car ran great, gearbox worked perfectly and with the huge red top battery it even started well!
Shelsley is a magic place, lovely to be there.

[911thillclimber]

https://youtu.be/1EmPj45eE-U?t=11553