Lola celebrates best-ever Le Mans showing

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 

4:43 PM

IT WAS a best-ever showing for Lola at the weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours – with three Huntingdon-built cars making the top 10.

IT WAS a record-equalling showing for Lola at the weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours – with three Huntingdon-built cars making the top 10.

The sports car manufacturer also took the unofficial ‘petrol class’ honours at the world’s most gruelling endurance race and racked up a 25th podium finish with a third place in the LMP2 class.

Only the diesel-powered Audi and Peugeot LMP cars got the better of the first Lola home, the Rebellion Racing Lola driven by Neel Jani, Nicolas Prost and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

They completed 338 laps, 17 laps down on the leaders but 10 laps ahead of the Kronos Racing Lola Aston LMP2 in seventh, piloted by Maxime Martin, Bas Leinders and Vanina Ickx, who scored the best result for a female racer since 1983.

Lola’s historic showing was rounded out by the Lola Level 5 Motorsports LMP2 of Christophe Bouchut, Scott Tucker and Joao Barbosa (from left, above).

Executive chairman Martin Birrane said the “truly classic” race had proved one thing: “In terms of design, build and after sales support, Lola are the number one choice when it comes to LMP sports cars and if you want the edge, you want Lola.”

Picture: YELDI MEDIA