Lola Cars Silverstone Classic preview

LOLA AT THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC

Golden wonders line up at the Silverstone Classic An impressive field of 14 Lola sports cars will take centre stage at this year's prestigious Silverstone Classic (27 -- 29 July). The golden wonders from Lola will range from the Mk 1, the first car built by the world's oldest and most successful manufacturer of race cars, the T70, which put Lola at the forefront of world motorsport, through to the Mk 4, which signified the company's first involvement in Formula One.

Two privately owned Lola Mk 1 race cars will be competing in the Duncan Hamilton Trophy. Established in 1958 by founder Eric Broadley, the Mk 1 was the start of Lola's extraordinary rise to fame. The Mk 1, driven by Eric Broadley was the first sports car of any size to lap Brands Hatch in under one minute, and it will now go head-to-head against 15 other marques at this year's international classic race at Silverstone.

The Hagerty World Sportscar Masters could well be the most spectacular race of the weekend. A grand total of nine Lola cars, including five iconic T70's, will compete against a range of race cars from the late 1960s, with the drivers battling it out over 90 minutes during the Saturday evening 'dusk race', which finishes at 9pm. The 1962 Lola Mk 4 will be racing in the John Cooper Trophy for HGPCA pre 1966 Grand Prix cars. Providing Lola with its first taste of Formula One action, the Mk 4 was initially driven by John Surtees and Roy Salvadori. Surtees' achievements in the Mk 4 included second position in the British and German Grand Prix and fourth overall in the 1962 World Championship.

Surtees will also be remembered for his Mk 4 winning drive at the non-championship '2000 Guineas' race at Mallory Park. The Lola Mk 5 and Mk 5a will complete the wide variety of Lola cars competing at the Silverstone Classic. In 1963 both cars claimed a number of wins in the Formula Junior category, notably the support race at the Monaco Grand Prix. The following year this class was replaced by Formula 3.

Martin Birrane, Executive Chairman of Lola Cars commented, "Lola applauds the dedication of the private owners racing at the Silverstone Classic, who work tirelessly to preserve the history of our sport. Next year Lola will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the vast array of Lola cars racing at Silverstone is a wonderful testament to the company's successes in motorsport."

Supporting the notable Lola collection racing at the Silverstone Classic, a display will be set up next to the 'art and photo gallery' area of the entertainment zone, showcasing the Motorsport, Technology and Manufacturing divisions of Lola. The display will include Ireland's A1 GP car, the RML MG-Lola LMP675, the Mecom Lola Indy 500 car driven by Sir Jackie Stewart in 1967, and a rare public appearance of the Voodoo, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that Lola co-designed for Meggitt Defence.

At 1.15pm, on each day of the Silverstone Classic, a public Q & A will be hosted at the Lola stand, featuring guests that have driven cars built by the iconic British manufacturer. The guest line up will include Nigel Hulme, David Leslie, Bob Marston, Duncan Dayton and John Watson. The Q & A appearances will be complimented by Lola's Executive Chairman Martin Birrane, and Bill Binnie, the team boss of the Binnie Motorsports team, which marked an unprecedented fourth consecutive Le Mans LMP2 class victory for Lola.

-credit: lola cars