History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[MGDavid]

Glad it all went as well as expected, or better. If any consolation Spa 6 hours was also very wet but the car I was looking after survived in one piece with a very creditable result for a father and son driver team (also self-preppers and run by amateurs.)

[A.C.Clegg]

Glad to hear that you finished a successful season. That's good considering what the two of you have been through.

[911thillclimber]

Thanks for the kind wishes.
Cancer comes along and the bullet hit you or misses or simply wounds, but you have to carry on.
Mrs Hillclimber is a tough girl!
If she can miss the chemo then the treatment is simple and she's been there before..

The car looks a a real mess, so tomorrow is clean down (3 hours) and oil drain.
I fear that the oil will be metal contaminated with a main bearing shell and if so a full strip and rebuild will be one of the winter projects that I will start in late October while the days are warm.
It will be the chance to consider a simple refresh or to go far deeper and change this road engine to an 8K screamer, but that could be £500 v £4500....
Wonder if I have enough Brownie Points?

Such a big move would vastly improve the car to around 290 bhp but also to be able to stretch the car in second between various corners on the hills I do and avoid a gear change.
Good bit is these air cooled engines are in high demand, esp those in rude health and so are the magnesium cased gearboxes, so we can get the $$$$ back later.

Of course, all this talk says I'm keeping the car much as it is.
I'll be 70 in 3 years time, so that may be the sensible watershed to turn my helmet into a Hanging Basket.

During this Cancer time we have had a lot of warm wishes from those in the hill climb and racing friends we have met over the 30 years or so, we would be wrong to walk away.

[911thillclimber]

Good news today on the engine front.
Dropped the oil out after warming up the car and there is no showing of any metallic contamination of the copper type or steel, and after opening the filter the paper element is clean of anything.

Thus the engine will stay as it is for 2020.
I had planned to rebuild the engine if there was evidence of bearing metal and build the engine to run 8,000 rpm, which would be quite a task and not cheap, about £6K, but it is hard to justify this cost to gain very little.

The car will stay as it is but will have the tyres cut to 'intermediate' cut by Empire Racing Cars so I stand a good chance in the wet and little compromise in the dry either.

[911thillclimber]

2020 potential fresh class mate news slowly coming to light.
Twin bike engine Clio, just over 2 litres, so with me!



And I think this one too, but unless forced induction will be sub-2 litre (phew)

http://www.uphillracers.com/attachme...4&d=1573506528

My old adversary Nigel will be coming back too in his tweeked-for-2020 NG V8...
Going to be a challenge to get points let alone a good position!

[911thillclimber]

Happy Xmas and a very healthy New Year.
Graham.

[S griffin]

You too, enjoy the break

[MGDavid]

And you Graham, always good to have a garage to run to if it all gets too stressful....

[911thillclimber]

Thanks!
Just had a very heart warming pm from an ex UK hillclimber with lots of good wishes.

Mrs Hillclimber doing really well in the post Cancer op phase, she will soon be fighting fit to assist in brake bleeding, Lola pushing and general Trolley-Dolly duties as usual!
Good job she doesn't read 10/10ths.....

[911thillclimber]

After a very long winter the season is very soon here!
The only thing done to the Lola has been an oil change..
Never in my 30 years of doing this sport has the garage been so silent over winter.
Finished the 2 old French motorcycles and wrenched my left arm doing so, and this has slowed things down considerably.
'Rest it for a year' was the advice.
How do you do that?
Mrs Hillclimber is back to near fighting health, so the Team Manager and General BOSS will be in the team at full capacity.

Last year throughout the season we had some evil wet meetings, and this car on slicks is undrivable by one as untalented as I.
I sat out 3 runs which was very poor.

In an attempt to help me on the wet ones I've had the slicks cut to a mild intermediate pattern, better in the wet and still ok in the dry.



This will have 2 effects; firstly it will never rain this year at a hill where we are 'competing' and secondly I will be at least 7 seconds faster everywhere!
Doing the Midland Championship again, my 26th year doing so and so far have the same pesky drivers to spoil my day in the Pilbeam, the EVO Mini and the Metro 6R4. I think Nigel is also coming back in his NG V8 and I know to 2 other 'maybe' cars too.

My plan is to be as consistent as possible and get 2nd in class again, 1st is far and beyond reach.
First race will be a little clubbie meeting at Loton Park ( www.hdlcc.com) and then the first real race weekend will be at Prescott at the end of April.

[MGDavid]

Very pleased to hear the good news re: your Team Manager :-)

[E.B]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

Very pleased to hear the good news re: your Team Manager :-)

Ditto.

Best of luck with the season Graham. Look forward to you keeping us posted here as usual.

Chris

[911thillclimber]

Thank you both.
Winter needed to be an easy time and this has helped a lot.

Built a classic model aeroplane too, one of my schoolboy hobbies, hope to pursue this in the summer for some week-day relaxation.

Car needs a DEEEEP clean standing in the garage.
I can hear Shaun at McClurg Motorsport laughing now as I'm not sure my version of clean matches his preparation cleanliness levels!
Once clean I'll get it going and the garage will smell right then, petrol, Co2, CO, paraffin, WD40 and brake cleaner topped by Autoglym resin polish.

How have I lived so long? Maybe this elixir is a preservation mix?
These odd pictures keep me in Love!

[S griffin]

Good luck. Nice to see the prep work paying off. Hope you enjoy both this and your model plane hobby.

Hope the car does well. It should be worth the effort. Bet you can't wait. And I bet wouldn't trade what you have done for anything. I can see why, it's very hard to turn your back on something you love so much

[911thillclimber]

Yes, it will be a tough decision when I have to make it to give up hill climbing.
I started 30 years ago in my then fully self re-built Porsche 911 which I used for 13 years.
I still have the 911, a wonderful little classic car.

It will be because of trailers and all the mauling around that will finish it or poor health, but there are many far older than I who are still doing the sport, so maybe hope for me yet!

The answer would be to return to Road Going over 2 litres where I started, not with the 911, far too precious, but with my Boxster that has everything going for it.
Anyway, that has been discussed with the Team Leader (and approved) and is Plan A.
Plan B is to stop altogether and simply drive the 911 to infinity and beyond.

Nothing depressing, just a bit of Boy Scout, Be Prepared.

The Lola is a nice bit of kit, not fast but reliable, bit like the driver.

Here it is amongst some great company and the gang of people who use their Porsche's to the extreme. You have to love this sport when it gets like this!

[E.B]

Nice pics Graham.... my memory from the 70's tells me the group shot is between Ettores and Pardon at Prescott, the single car shot approaching Pardon by the little short cut used in the short track configuration.

As for age, its only a number!. We have a racer, Ted Brewster, in our HTC club who is well into his eighties (started racing over 60 years ago) and still turns up with his Cooper S, still races it successfully, usually showing the young 'uns the way and loads it up and tows it on a trailer with his wife always at the meetings. He also self prepares and runs the car himself. In fact when Martin Clunes the (Doc Martin) actor was doing a special on Australia's Islands, Ted took him for a hot lap of Phillip Island in the Cooper S. Ted is running this weekend at the Phillip Island Historic meeting.

He tried to retire from racing when he turned 70, and again at 80, but could not give it away either time.

https://www.mini.com.au/60-years/ted-brewster/

Actually I am just moving house, downsizing and am wondering whether to be sensible with the surplus money I will end up with, or by myself a weekend toy. Its very hard to stop when you have got used to doing it.

[911thillclimber]

Good grief!
He looks such a typical hill climber!
Your locations are spot-on.
Prescott is my 2nd most favorite hill after our club's very own Loton Park.
We celebrate 50 years at Loton this year in early August.

I seem to be in charge of Regalia, volunteered by the Committee as always!

[S griffin]

Certainly looks like he has been at it a long time. Of course Prescott is a great place to go, as is Shesley Walsh and Loton. Hillclimbing is still going strong. Great grassroots motorsport.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Prescott is my 2nd most favorite hill after our club's very own Loton Park.
We celebrate 50 years at Loton this year in early August.

Yes, Loton was also my favourite too with Prescott 2nd, although I also liked Wiscombe. Gurston Down was my local(ish). I was also a member at the Hagley Club. My first ever event was at Loton in a Modsports Midget back in 1976, before moving on to Clubmans Sports Cars the following year. Oh and I used to enjoy sprints at Goodwood.

Happy Days

[911thillclimber]

I've been a Hagley member since about 1993, became President for 2 years, Newletter editor for a 1,000 years and now run the Drivers' School days and Chief GoFer.

Very involving being at the Committee end of a large motorclub, many rewards, few downs.

[A.C.Clegg]

Glad that your'e carrying on with the hill climbing!! Would have been a shame to end this thread.

[911thillclimber]

I am stunned that it is still going after 12 years! 12 years, that is a very long time, though the first years were very involving searching out the chassis number, what an effort by all involved.

The race meeting reports are fun I hope, I know seeing the UK venues etc we run the car at bring back some memories for many now away from the sport and even the country.
Our fingers are crossed the Virus will not affect these local club level meetings, but I suspect things may turn sour.
We shall see.

The car is ready bar a good clean and a bit of polish. I'm going for 2nd in class or maybe better in 2020 as I'm not sure what Christian Mennif is running this year.
If it's the Pilbeam MP43 than I'm doomed to 2nd at best.

Not that bothered nowadays, just love the who affair.

[Gerard C]

Not only the race reports are interesting but your whole story is fascinating and often moving. Please go on, you have quite a few fans overseas. Thank you!

[911thillclimber]

Thank you for your kind words Gerald.

Looks like the season will be halved the way things are going!
The virus thing is killing off my mojo, and I'm not alone!
Need to be patient, hard for me to do.

[Gerard C]

I know what you mean. As you I have two cars but they are garaged far away from me and the needed spares parts are… at home! As you probably know we are not welcome to go out those days… The first fine is 135 € and the second is higher. But they are things stronger than us. Keep cool. The "revenge" will be sweet for sure!