Thread: Lola T280
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Old 23 Oct 2003, 13:43 (Ref:760762)   #71
Michael Oliver
Racer
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
England
Witney, UK
Posts: 250
Michael Oliver should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Quote:
Originally posted by Kojima_KE007
Michael Oliver

The first round of the Grand Champion series 1972 was "20th of March 1972", and the delivery date being "30th of March 1972" there was no way that Takahara could run the Lola T280 at the first race. He even had to rent out a McLaren M12 from Sakai Racing.

I think you are getting mixed up with the "order date" and "delivery date". As Takahara does mention that he ordered the car, T280 chassis number 03, from Lola well before it was decided that the Grand Champion series will become an "Open Class" race from 1972 onwards.
My mistake! I don't know why but I assumed that all the Grand Champion series races took place at the end of 1972!!! I had no idea that two races took place earlier in the year, so there was no way he could have got the car ready, certainly for the first one

So he drove the McLaren M12 rented from Sakai Racing in Round 1 (20/3/72), finishing 2nd, then Round 2 (6/4/72) he finished 4th. He drove three rounds of the Grand Champion series in the Lola T280, again all at Mt Fuji Raceway. These were 3/9/72 (1st), 10/10/72 (1st) and 23/11/72 (1st).

Thanks for putting me straight on that one!

Jeremy: how come we didn't notice this before

So we have the following:

HU01 - Ecurie Bonnier (c. Jan 72)
HU02 - Ecurie Bonnier (c. Jan 72)
HU03 - Noritake Takahara (Mar 72)
HU04 - Carlos Gaspar (c. Jun 72)

HU01 goes to Rouveyran at end of 72 then ? (Willy Widar?) (Swedish guy Alain mentioned)
HU02 was written off Le Mans 72
HU03 stays in Japan and is still there
HU04 goes back to Ecurie Bonnier (hence ex-BIP references in race reports) then to Lord, then Zaborowski, Malcolm Johnstone, Brian & David Auger (hence reference to HU04), then Geoffrey Marsh/Marsh Plant and then ? (Rosso Bianco?)

A few more things are falling into place...

Michael Oliver
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