Lola T190 car-by-car histories
This beautiful Michael Keyser picture shows Ron Grable's T190 at St Jovite in 1970. Copyright Michael Keyser 2004. Used with permission.
After the relatively unsophisticated T140-142 series, Lola moved to a monocoque F5000 design for 1970. The T190 had a very short wheelbase, and few drivers could make it work until a lengthened version was developed later in the season.
Although the Lola T142 had been numerically dominant in 1969, it had been unable to challenge the monocoque Eagle, McLaren and Surtees cars. For 1970, Eric Broadley started again and produced a lower, slimmer and lighter machine: the monocoque T190. A full 7.5 in shorter than the previous season's McLaren M10A and 2.5 in narrower, the Lola was priced a good 10% more than rival designs from Leda, Lola and McLaren. In the first half of the season, Ron Grable did very well in the US series, winning two races and taking four pole positions, but in most other hands the T190 was off the pace, still well behind the lightly revised McLaren and Surtees designs. Mike Hailwood made some progress in the UK series but it was only when Frank Gardner starting developing his car with a longer wheelbase that the Lola became a more competitive proposition. In May, Gardner tried an increase from 88 to 91 inches, but in August he was more radical, increasing the wheelbase to 97½ inches, widening the track and lowering the nose, and beat Gethin first time out in the revised car. Gardner was amongst the quickest for the rest of the season, and his changes were adopted into the 1971 production T192, which had a 100-inch wheelbase.
The T190 saw Lola's "market share" decline from the 42% of 1969 to 33% in 1970 and then slipping behind McLaren to just 28% in 1971. A far better car was needed, and even the heavily revised T192 would not be enough.
Four of the cars were wrecked in period and eight or nine are known today, although a couple of those have been dismantled. At least four are still missing. Thanks to Wolfgang Klopfer, Chris Townsend, Chuck Haines, Robert Ryan, Shayne Windelburn, Jim Gustafson, Lola archivist Gerald Swan, Reinhold Jung, Norbert Vogel, Tony Russell, Ted Wenz and many others for the material used in these histories.
All and any help would be gratefully received. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
Jerry Hansen US 1969 (R13 Sebring only); also driven by Chuck Parsons (his #44 Aqua Velva T190 at US R1 1970); Jerry Hansen US 1970 (R4 Laguna Seca 14 Jun only - DNS); advertised 25 Jul 1970. Apparantly sold to Rich Galloway US 1970 (4 races; debut R9 Brainerd 16 Aug 1970); probably car used by Galloway Tasman 1971 (crashed by Bobby Brown in practice for R1 but rebuilt for Brown in remaining New Zealand races and then for Galloway in Australia - then crashed at last race). To Charlie Hayes: for Bobby Unser at Questor GP ("ex-Hansen") 1971; presumably then the car advertised by Charlie Hayes 7 Aug 1971. Advertised "Bobby Unser's Questor GP T-190-92" from Los Altos, CA 15 Apr 1972. Subsequent history unknown
Driven by: Jerry Hansen, Chuck Parsons, Rich Galloway, Bobby Brown and Bobby Unser. First race: Sebring International Raceway (US R13), 28 Dec 1969. Total of 12 recorded races.
Ulf Norinder Tasman 1970 (7 races); UK 1970 (first three races then crashed in practice for R4 Zandvoort - 19 April 1970). Car rebuilt on 11th T190 tub as 190/F1/2-2. Norinder UK 1970 (5 races + 1 DNS); raced by Tony Lanfranchi (2 races then crashed on warm-up lap at Oulton Park Gold Cup 22 Aug). Car broke its back on landing and was not seen again. Presumed destroyed.
Driven by: Ulf Norinder and Tony Lanfranchi. First race: Baypark Raceway, 28 Dec 1969. Total of 18 recorded races.
Ron Grable in his Lola T190 at Dallas IMS in 1970. Copyright David Hutson 2006. Used with permission.
Ron Grable in Don Williams' Lola T190. Copyright Al Moore 2003. Used with permission.
Penske for Mark Donohue US 1969 (Sebring only) - Don Williams for Ron Grable US 1970 (10 races + 2 DNS; 2 wins). Probably not the car updated by Hayes for Questor 1971 (shown as "T190/H3" in Motoring News). Then Grable again early US 1971 (R1 Riverside won Heat 1, R2 - then American 1 - then not seen after Donnybrook). Is this then the car Williams advertises as "T190-192" on 12 Jun 1971 and later as "T191" Riverside Heat 1 winner 23 Oct 1971. (Not the Felter car as that ran from start of 1971, although Erwin identifies Felter's Watkins Glen 1972 car as "ex-Grable Questor".)
Subsequent history unknown until acquired from Chuck Hayes (Orange County, CA) by Joe Hunt of Joe Hunt Magneto when Hayes was selling off old inventory. Sold to Don Baker Jr. Later bought by Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) from Vic & Walt, a VW shop (Acron, Ohio) in Feb 1980 by which time the car was black, with Baker's name still on the side and still wearing the chassis plate 190/F1/3. Sold by Chuck to Reinhold Jung (Hauser, Idaho) Feb 2007.
See the colour picture of this car at the top of the page which was taken at St Jovite 1970 and the car looks very different to Al Moore's picture shown here.
The restoration of this car was documented by two videos on YouTube.com: Part 1 and Part 2. Ron Grable was reunited with the car for a press event in in Prescott, AZ in Sep 2013.
Driven by: Mark Donohue and Ron Grable. First race: Sebring International Raceway (US R13), 28 Dec 1969. Total of 13 recorded races.
Jo Bonnier (Geneva, Switzerland) and raced in the F5000 race at Sebring 28 December 1969. To Daniel Rouveyran 1970 for hillclimbs but crashed. Returned to Bonnier and rebuilt on new T190 tub. Sold to Roland Heiler (Kirrlach, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany) and loaned back to Bonnier again for 1971 Argentine GP. Peter Wiechert (Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany) and Heiler UK 1971. Likely to be the blue-and-white Lola raced by former Ford Mustang racer Hans Furian (Austria) in Swiss Championship events in 1973 and at the F5000 races at Snetterton and Brands Hatch in Oct 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Jo Bonnier, Daniel Rouveyran, Roland Heiler and Peter Wiechert. First race: Sebring International Raceway (US R13), 28 Dec 1969. Total of 6 recorded races.
Nolly Limberis in his T190. Copyright Doug Brown 2005. Used with permission.
Garry Price's newly-acquired Lola T190 in early 2016. Copyright Garry Price 2016. Used with permission.
New to John McNicol (Alberton/Sandton, South Africa) and raced in the South African national championship in 1970. Sold to Nolly Limberis (Germiston) for 1971 (debut Goldfields 1 May 1971) and for the Killarney race in January 1972. Then to Fred Cowell (Johannesburg) for the 1972 season but only appeared at two races that years. Raced again by Cowell in 1973 (6 races) and 1974 (3 races). To Mike Hearn later in 1973 when Cowell bought a Surtees TS8, but then returned to Cowell when he and Hearn swapped cars prior to the 1974 season. Subsequent history unknown, but in 1984 it was being used in drag racing by Barry Nel (Krugersdorp).
According to South African historian Ian Hebblethwaite, this car was exported from South Africa in 1988, when it was sold to David McLaughlin in England.
Next seen when a car with this number and said to be ex-McNicol was owned by Paul Haywood-Halfpenny of Bugatti specialists Sherwood Restorations (Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire). Unfortunately, Paul died in April 2016 and the company's stock books only go back to 1992, so the previous owner of the car is not yet known. Sold to Poul Christie (Auckland, NZ) in the early 1990s and shipped to New Zealand. Raced by Christie in the 2007/08 Formula 5000 Tasman Cup Revival, in the 2008/09 series, at the Australian GP meeting 28 Mar 2009, in the 2009/10 series and the 2010/11 series. Christie then moved to a recently-constructed McLaren M10B. Sold to Garry Price (Feilding, NZ) in February 2016.
Driven by: John McNicol, Nolly Limberis, Fred Cowell and Barry Nel. First race: Kyalami (R2), 31 Jan 1970. Total of 26 recorded races.
Test car. Epstein-Cuthbert for Mike Hailwood UK R1 1970 but crashed Heat 1 and replaced by 190/F1/15 for next three races. Original car apparantly to Dow 'Jack' Byers II US 1970 (11 races) and presumably the car he raced at Questor 1971 ("T190/6"). Advertised by Jack Byers 12 Jun 1971. Subsequent history unknown. Note that two cars in the US may have carried this number, Byers' and Don Dierking's ex-Epstein car (see 190/15).
Driven by: Mike Hailwood and Dow "Jack" Byers II. First race: Oulton Park (UK R1), 27 Mar 1970. Total of 12 recorded races.
Ian Ashley in the Rocky Plumridge Lola T190 at Brands Hatch in October 1971. Copyright Peter Knights 2021. Used with permission.
New to Doug Hardwick's Henley Forklift team for the 1970 British Formula 5000 series. Raced by Mo Nunn at the first couple of races, then taken over Davey Powell from Zolder in April up to Salzburgring in July. When the car next appeared it had been rebuilt with a 3-inch longer wheelbase and was driven by Trevor Taylor, who then raced it to the end of the season.
Sold to Kaye Griffiths for 1971, but also driven by Terry Sanger once, by Ian Ashley and by Tony Trimmer once. The car was by now in the ownership of Rocky Plumridge, and he then entered it for Ashley for the rest of the 1971 season. The car was retained by Plumridge for 1972, and entered by WMG Marketing for Ashley to drive that season. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Mo Nunn, Davey Powell, Trevor Taylor, Kaye Griffiths, Terry Sanger, Ian Ashley and Tony Trimmer. First race: Oulton Park (UK R1), 27 Mar 1970. Total of 33 recorded races.
Chip Boatright's newly acquired Lola T190. Copyright Chip Boatright 2006. Used with permission.
Eric Haga (Seattle, WA) US 1970 (11 races). Subsequently traded on T192. Must be the car used by Don Baker (Long Beach, CA) in local SCCA events in 1971 as Jim Gustafson (Bessemer, MI and Costa Mesa, CA) bought a modified Lola T190 with new 192 front radiator and low nose from Baker in Long Beach in 1974. Gustafson raced in West Coast SCCA events (finished 8th in 1974 Southern Pacific Division with 1 pt) and in the 'Pro' series at R5 Ontario 1 Sep 1974 and R7 Riverside 27 Oct 1974. Advertised as a T190/2 on 1 Feb 1975 and sold to Richard Votava (Southern California). First entry in the log book (which identifies the car as 190/F1/8) is dated February 1976 and shows Troy R. Milken (or Millen or Milleau) driving the car in a school on 21 Feb 1976. Then Votava in SCCA Regionals (mainly at RIR) in 1976 and 1977; SCCA Nationals in 1978 (Votava in SCCA Southern Pacific Div points table 1978) and 1979 - Marshall Tarnow Mar 1980 - Alan Sevadjain (owned with Don Johnstone) and raced at Texas in 1981 - Larry C. Clain (Tulsa, OK) and raced at RIR and elsewhere 1982 - Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) 1984 - Chip Boatright (Illinois) 2006. Sold back to original driver Eric Haga (Renton, WA) for historic racing. Shipped to New Zealand for the 2011/12 Tasman Revival series. Returned to New Zealand for the 2012/13 series, but wrecked at Teretonga Park in February 2013. Tony Garmey built a new monocoque for the car, but it was still incomplete when Haga died in November 2021. Ted Wenz bought the project from the estate in early 2022 as a retirement project and completed it. After testing, it was sold via Art Hebert at Motorsports Market to Paul Kuhl (San Diego, CA) in 2023.
Driven by: Eric Haga, Jim Gustafson and Richard Votava. First race: Riverside (US R1), 19 Apr 1970. Total of 18 recorded races.
Jack Conely's Lola T190 at the Narhi auction in September 2018. Copyright Doug Toms 2018. Used with permission.
Invoiced to Charlie Lucas (Ellington, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire), but his thriving car and engine businesses caused him to drop his F5000 plans in March 1970, after the Lola was delivered. Acquired in late April or early May by Tony Lanfranchi (Dartford, Kent) who entered the "ex-Lucas" Lola for the Castle Combe race on 9 May 1970, but did not arrive. Next seen when advertised by Fred Opert (Paramus, NJ) in Autoweek 25 Jul 1970. It appears to have been unraced at that point ("driven 25 laps"). Its initial movements in the US are unclear, but it may have been acquired by Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) after he sold his original T190 to Richie Galloway in August. However, no record has been found of Hansen racing this car. To James Dunkel (Rockford, IL), and raced in Pro and SCCA events in 1971. Dunkel entered the car as #45 (a number used by Felter's T190 elsewhere) in Pro events (R4 Mid-Ohio 4 Jul 1971, R5 Road America, R7 Donnybrook and R8 Lime Rock) and as #4 in SCCA Nationals (from Michigan 16 May onwards). He finished second in this car at the SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta in November. Dunkel advertised the car in November 1971. Sold to John B. Stringer (Ann Arbor, MI), and registered with his local Detroit Region in April 1972. Entered for the Road America Grand Prix 16 Jul 1972, but there is no evidence that Stringer arrived. Subsequent history unknown.
In 2018, a Lola T190 was offered for sale by Tim Narhi Auctioneer & Associates (Whitmore Lake, Michigan). The car had been owned for many year by Jack Conely (Brighton, MI) and was in white, orange and blue livery, still wearing the #48 that Stringer had used. The gearbox number matches that in the car sold to Lucas in 1970, and a stamped SCCA number on the rollhoop matches the number allocated to John Stringer by Detroit Region in 1972. However, the car's history between Stringer and Conely remains unknown.
The Lola sold, for $27,500 plus commission, but the new owner is not yet known.
Driven by: James Dunkel. First race: Michigan International Speedway, 16 May 1971. Total of 11 recorded races.
Invoiced to Carl Haas. Nothing more known but see the 1970 mystery cars. Could this have become 190/F1/2-2?
Mike Goth US 1970 (3 races, crashed at R4 Laguna Seca 14 Jun) - Crockey Peterson US 1970 (from R7 Elkhart Lake 18 Jul; 2 races + 2 DNS; crashed in practice for final race); also driven by Gus Hutchison at R11 Mosport Park 13 Sep. Adv 19 Feb 1972 "reskinned". Later to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and then, probably, to Mac McClendon (Yorba Linda, CA) 1979. Subsequent history unknown but would have been stripped for parts to contribute towards McClendon's run of new Lola T70s. The bare tubs were later sold to Bud Bennett (Wixom, Michigan) and then on to Eric Haga (Renton, WA) in Nov 2010. The remains of the car were bought from Bud Bennett in April 2016 by Mike Moss (Ottsville, PA) who intends to use the parts to build a Lola T70 Mk3B.
Driven by: Mike Goth, Crockey Peterson and Gus Hutchison. First race: Edmonton (US R2), 24 May 1970. Total of 6 recorded races.
Listed as "Test car" in Lola records. Entered by Motor Racing Research for Frank Gardner in the British UK 1970, starting at the third race, at Zolder, due to Gardner's Group 2 racing commitments. In July, Gardner and Eric Broadley redeveloped the car with a 10-inch longer wheelbase and revised suspension, Gardner then winning the next two races, and setting pole position five times in six races. Malcolm Guthrie raced this car in the 1971 Tasman series, where it was described as the prototype T192. Not used during the rest of 1971, and advertised by Frank Williams in Autosport in March 1972. To Chris Featherstone and raced as a T190/2 from August 1972 until the end of 1973. Advertised by Featherstone (Rochester, Kent) during 1974, when the car had Falconer bodywork. Advertised by GTR Racing Equipe (High Wycombe) May 1975.
This must be the "Lola T190/2 ex-Gardner F5000 with deformable structures" advertised by Terry Herman (Lake Tahoe, CA) in June 1976 and then the "Lola FA" raced by Herman (Mill Valley, CA) at Sears Point Apr 1978.
Subsequent history unknown but acquired some time before 2004 as a rolling chassis by Nick Shrigley-Feigl (Ramsey, Isle of Man), having apparently been used in US oval racing. The tub was well worn and it came with offset suspension and indications that it had been fitted with an automatic transmission. Still with Shrigley-Feigl in November 2017.
Driven by: Frank Gardner, Malcolm Guthrie, Keith Holland, Chris Featherstone and Terry Herman. First race: Zolder (UK R3), 5 Apr 1970. Total of 29 recorded races.
Mike Hailwood's ill-fated Lola T190 at Brands early in 1970. In the red and white jacket on the left of the full size picture is team boss Jackie Epstein and to the left of him is Eric Broadley. Copyright Nick Gurney 2006. Used with permission.
Don Dierking's ex-Epstein Lola T190 photographed in 1973. Copyright Don Dierking (image provided by Phil Henny). Used with permission.
Invoice date 8 May 1970 (sold to 'Haas'). Intended for Byers but grabbed off the production line to replace 190/F1/6? Mike Hailwood UK 1970 (R2 to R6 where crashed; maybe crashed again in testing). Another car(?): R8, R9 Mondello (DNS, crash - wrecked? ). T190 "A" Same or different car at R12 Anderstorp and four further races before being replaced by a new T192. Advertised by Epstein as "F5000 Long Wheelbase Lola T190/1, rolling chassis" 18 Mar 1971 and as "T190/1 ex-works" (Hailwood's name on car) 7 Oct 1971? Sold by Epstien as 190/6 to Don Dierking (Los Angeles, CA) and shipped back to the US. Raced in SCCA Nationals (first outing Riverside May 1972). Later sold to Dr Frank Morgan (Woodland Hills, CA). Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Mike Hailwood. First race: Brands Hatch (UK R2), 30 Mar 1970. Total of 11 recorded races.
Invoice date 10 Mar 1970 (sold to 'Haas', colour not shown). Nothing more known but see the 1970 mystery cars.
Invoice date 21 May 1970 (sold to 'Haas', colour not shown). Nothing more known but see the 1970 mystery cars.
Mike Brockman in his Lola T190 at Sebring in October 1970. Copyright Harry E. Hurst 2022. Used with permission.
Ronnie Bucknum in the Priester/Eisert T190 at Laguna Seca 2 May 1971. Copyright Al Moore 2003. Used with permission.
Invoice date 26 Jun 1970 (sold to 'Haas', colour not shown). Mike Brockman US 1970 (8 races; debut R5 Sears Point 28 Jun 1970), then believed loaned to Priester/Jerry Eisert US 1971 (#51; driven by Ron Bucknum: unable to compete at R1 due to multiple problems; qualified 4th and also 4th in Heat 1 at R2 Laguna Seca 2 May 1971; driven by Mike Hiss at R3 Seattle and crashed, bending the tub; not at R4). Then back to Brockman and repaired. Brockman US 1971 (#87; two races only: R5 Elkhart Lake 18 Jul 1971 and R8 Lime Rock 6 Sep 1971. Subsequent history unknown until sold by Stu Barnett to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) June 1982. Barnett said bought from Dennis Day (at Classic Auto Parts, Safety Harbor, FL). Day believed the car was "ex-Lothar Motschenbacher". Retained by Haines until sold to Bill Vande Vord (Chicago, IL) 2004. Raced by Vande Vord (Highland, IN) at Road America Sep 2004. Not seen again since.
Driven by: Michael Brockman, Ronnie Bucknum and Mike Hiss. First race: Sears Point (US R5), 28 Jun 1970. Total of 12 recorded races.
The 1970 mystery cars
Lola records indicate that 11 T190s (chassis numbers 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18) ended up in the US. We know the 1970 owners of six of those: Hansen (190/F1/1), Grable (3), Byers (6), Haga (8), Goth (12) and Brockman (18); which leaves F1/9, F1/10, F1/11, F1/16 and F1/17 to determine. One of these, F1/17, was not invoiced until May, and two more, F1/10 and F1/18, did not arrive in the US until June or July, but all the other eight could have been in the US in time for the opening race of the US series on 19 April. Two drivers of unidentified cars, Spencer Stoddard and Richie Galloway, were at that opening race, so their cars are likely to be two from F1/9, F1/11 and F1/16. Gus Hutchison's car, first seen in July, could be one of those three or could be F1/17.
The number of T190 drivers is still one less that the number of cars that went to the US, so there is one T190 still to be explained. One possibility is that Dow Byers' "F1/6" was misreported, and he actually had F1/16. This would make more sense that Byers having a car that had been wrecked in England eight weeks earlier. Another possibility is that Mike Brockman's 1970 car was not the same one he drove in 1971. Alternatively the extra car could have been a replacement car for one that was wrecked, or could have gone to a driver whose race appearances have not yet been located. Bobby Brown, for example, could have acquired a brand new T190 and only raced it in SCCA Nationals late in 1970 before taking it to New Zealand for the 1971 Tasman series.
Note that the Lola that Mark Donohue ran in the final three races (R11, R12, R13) was the first production T192.
Richie Galloway US 1970 (6 races) then crashed in practice at R8 St Jovite 1 Aug and wrecked. Replaced by the ex-Hansen T190/F1/1. This car may have been repaired to become Bobby Brown's 1971 Tasman car.
Driven by: Rich Galloway. First race: Riverside (US R1), 19 Apr 1970. Total of 6 recorded races.
Entered by Competition Development for Spence Stoddard (Seattle, WA) in the 1970 US series (12 races). Presumably the same car entered for Stoddard by Northwest America Racing at R1 Riverside 25 Apr 1971 and crashed in the race. Stoddard advertised a Lola "T192" in January 1972 which was said to be unraced due to lack of sponsorship, but may have been his T190 extensively rebuilt. It did not sell, and Stoddard raced it in SCCA Nationals later in the season, winning a National at Seattle in August 1972. Subsequent history unknown but see the John Ransom T192 which appeared in Oregon in 1973.
Driven by: Spence Stoddard. First race: Riverside (US R1), 19 Apr 1970. Total of 15 recorded races.
New to Champlin Racing in July 1970 for Gus Hutchison to drive, replacing the F1 Brabham BT26 with which he had won two rounds of the US F5000 championship. Crashed in practice at Mosport, where Hutchison drove Crockey Peterson's T190 in the race. Hutchison was a non-starter again at Sebring in October, after which he and Doug Champlin parted company. The T190 was advertised by Champ Carr (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Champlin's new venture with Fred Carrillo, in Autoweek 13 Feb 1971. Bafflingly advertised ("ex-Hutchison") by Michael Brockman (Orlando, FL), the owner of T190/F1/18, in September 1972. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Gus Hutchison. First race: Road America (US R7), 18 Jul 1970. Total of 5 recorded races.
The 1971 mystery cars
In January 1971, two T190s head off for Tasman. One is presumably Galloway's ex-Hansen car but we can't be sure about the other. Grable, Byers, Peterson (ex-Goth) and Brockman retain their cars and Hutchison's is advertised in February so that only appears to leave the Haga and Stoddard cars missing at that point plus the mysterious F1/10 that turns up with Dunkel in May 1971.
Disappearing later into 1971 are the cars of Galloway (advertised by Hayes 7 Aug 1971), Byers (advertised 12 Jun 1971) and the car Champlin ran for Hutchison (advertised 13 Feb 1971).
The Questor GP, the first race of 1971, saw a number of T190s, most notably the pair of cars run by Charlie Hayes for Bobby Unser and Ron Grable. Grable's car wasn't his usual one, as that appears again later in the season still in 1970 specification.
During the 1971 US season, Grable and Brockman drive their 1970 cars, Ed Felter appears in the ex-Hayes/Grable car, and Ronnie Bucknum and Mike Hiss both drive the Brockman T190 for the Priester team. There seems to have been a limited market for second-hand T190s.
Bobby Brown Tasman 1971. Wrecked in testing before first race. Not seen again and probably donated parts to the rebuild of teammate Galloway's T190.
First appearance: Levin (Tasman R1), 2 Jan 1971.
Uprated with T192 bodywork by Charlie Hayes and run for Ron Grable Questor GP (evidently not Grable's usual car as that appeared again in 1971). To Ed Felter US 1971 (first three West Coast races only), SCCA Nationals (won at Laguna Seca 20 Jun), USAC Seattle 7 Aug; Jack Peterson for Felter US 1972 (four races); advertised by Petersen and Felter in October 1972, but Felter raced the car again in SCCA Nationals in 1973.
Sold to Tony Russell 'in the fall of '74" and fitted with an engine built by Russell. Cal Club (CSCC) Formula A champion in 1975, second in 1976 and champion again in 1977. Also second in SoPac Division in 1975 but did not attend the Runoffs due to lack of funds. Sold in 1978 to someone in Yorba Linda, almost certainly Mac McClendon who was then buying up Lola T190/192s to donate components for his series of new Lola T70s. Russell was later called by Bud Bennett (Wixom, Michigan) who had acquired the T190 from McClendon. The tub then passed as part of a batch of six such tubs to Eric Haga (Renton, WA) in Nov 2010.
Driven by: Ron Grable, Ed Felter and Tony Russell. First race: Ontario Motor Speedway, 28 Mar 1971. Total of 27 recorded races.
The 1972 mystery cars
If the market for T190s had been a bit thin in 1971, it effectively vanished in 1972. Two new combinations appeared on the entry list for the opening race but neither made the start. Oddly enough, Don Dierking chose this moment to buy another T190 from the UK. At the end of the season, Arizona B-Prod driver Don Roberts also appeared in a T190.
Of the other cars, Ed Felter was still running his updated ex-Hayes car but all the other T190s had vanished.
Cal Rayborn (Spring Valley, CA) was a highly successful motorcycle racer in the US, who by 1971 was looking at moving into car racing. He acquired a Lola T190 for SCCA Formula A in 1972, first appearing at a Cal Club National at Riverside in February, where he finished second. He drove it in practice at the Pro race at Laguna Seca in May but did not start, and although he was entered for the Riverside Pro race in September, there is no record of him appearing.
Over a year later, in December 1973, Rayborn took the T190 to New Zealand for the Tasman series. Unfortunately, he was killed in a motorcycle accident before the event and the T190 remained unraced. It was sold to Red Dawson but he did not race it either and it was the end of 1974 before it finally raced, having been sold, or leased, to Gary Devon. The car appeared in New Zealand Gold Star events but did not take part in the 1975 Tasman. Robert Ryan reports that the car was crashed in 1976 and was sold, or virtually given away, to Graeme Addis who used most of the components for his 6-litre Chev-powered Valiant Charger Sports Sedan. The T190 tub became a bird bath. Addis kept the Lola chassis plate, which reads "190/F1/15", indicating that the car was related in some way to the two T190s that Mike Hailwood crashed during 1970.
Robert adds:
It won everything, till MANZ, the New Zealand body banned it as they wanted to switch to the US Trans Am style cars (Corvettes, Mustangs etc) Graham became so annoyed he put the car in a shipping container, welded it up and then left it on his property, only recently opening the container, to find the car was in very good condition.
In 2004, the sedan was being restored in New Zealand for Historic racing.
Driven by: Calvin Rayborn and Gary Devon. First race: Riverside (R1), 13 Feb 1972. Total of 4 recorded races.
Dick Losk (Bellevue, WA) entered a Lola T190 at R1 Laguna Seca 1972. He is not shown in the practice sheets and did not start. He then appears on the R2 Edmonton 1972 practice sheets in a Lola T192 with a slow time of 1m 36.1s but is not listed as a finisher. Advertised by Losk in June 1973 as a T190 with T192 body.
Driven by: Dick Losk. First appearance: Edmonton (US R2), 4 Jun 1972.
Don Roberts (Phoenix, AZ) raced a Lola T190 in late 1972 and 1973. He was second to Warren Flickinger's newer T300 in a National at Phoenix on 1 Oct 1972 and won, again at Phoenix, on 23 Sep 1973. Formula Magazine (Vol 1 No 6 p21) identified his car as a Lola T190. Pylon Press, the Arizona SCCA Region newsletter for April 2004 adds that Roberts won the Clifton (Arizona) Hillclimb in the T190 in 1973.
Driven by: Don Roberts. First race: Phoenix International Raceway, 1 Oct 1972. Total of 4 recorded races.
The 1973 mystery cars
One outstanding 1973 puzzle is the "Lola T191" which "has a total of five races since new" advertised by Don Bauer (Long Beach, CA) in October 1973. Could this be Don Baker?
Hans Furian ran a Lola T190 in 1973, winning the over 1600cc Rennwagen class in an event at Sembach in May 1973. Little is known of Furian the racing car driver, his most high-profile outing having been in a Ford Mustang in touring car races at Salzburg in 1971 and at Wein in 1972, but he may be the Austrian cyclist who twice won the Tour of Austria in the 1960s. He brought the Lola to England later that 1973 season for a couple of F5000 races but crashed in practice at the first of these, the Snetterton in early October, and was not seen again.
Driven by: Hans Furian. First race: Sembach, 6 May 1973. Only one recorded race.
The later mystery cars
Starting in the late 1970s, Mac McClendon (Yorba Linda, CA), bought up a number of Lola T190s and T192s. After retiring, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and used the suspension, uprights, and other components from the F5000 Lolas in his Lola T70 restorations, recreations and "continuation cars". The monocoques of the T190s were sold to restorer Bud Bennett (Wixom, Michigan) of RM Motorsports and some of the cars were built up for racing. The remaining monocoques were bought by former racer Eric Haga.
Kirt Bennett's #0 Lola T190 at the 1993 SVRA Vintage Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. Copyright Norbert Vogel 2007. Used with permission.
Kirt Bennett drove a #0 1970 T190 at the 1993 SVRA Vintage Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. Nothing more known.
A car claiming the history of Mike Hailwood's 190/F1/15 was advertised by Bud Bennett's RM Motorsport in 2011. Bennett believed it had been acquired from Mac McClendon who is known to have bought up a number of T190s for his Lola T70 projects. Built up as a display car by Bud's son Kirt Bennett.
Sold to Lilo Zicron (Burbank, CA) in July 2011 but without any supporting documentation so the history of the car remains unknown and no link to Frank Morgan, the last known owner of 190/F1/15, has been shown. Restored to running condition and tested at California Speedway in Jun 2012. Advertised by Zicron on eBay Sep 2012 quoting the history from this web page.
According to f5000registry.com, this car was sold to Sal Trevino (Santa Rosa Valley, CA) in 2013. Still owned by Trevino in August 2019, when it was for sale via Rick Larner's www.racecarlocators.com.
Ron Coburn's #96 Lola T190 at the 1993 SVRA Vintage Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. Copyright Norbert Vogel 2007. Used with permission.
Ron Coburn (Wixon, MI), drove a #96 '69 Lola 190' at HSR Mid-Ohio Aug 1993. By 2011, this car had fallen into disrepair and was one of a group of largely stripped T190 and T192 monocoques acquired from Bud Bennett by Eric Haga. In all Haga received four T190 models and two T192s. Although the ex-Coburn car had lost its corners, engine and gearbox, it still had the same bodywork and odd extended roll hoop as seen in 1993. It was next seen when advertised on the website of Chuck Haines' Can Am Cars Ltd (St Louis, MO) with a note that it was "last raced in 1993 in SVRA at Mid-Ohio by Ron Coburn" and pictures showing Coburn's red #96 livery. Still on Chuck's website in June 2015.
Ian Webb remembers buying a written off T190 from Belgium. The suspension ended up on a Lola T70 Mk3B.
A note on chassis number identification
As the chassis numbers used here come from a variety of sources, the table below shows the reasoning behind each identification.
| Driver | Chassis | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hansen | 190/F1/1 | Invoiced to Haas 9 Dec 1969. Not presently clear on Hansen link. |
| Norinder | 190/F1/2 | Invoiced to Norinder 12 Dec 1969 |
| Donohue | 190/F1/3 |
Invoiced to Haas 12 Dec 1969. Not presently clear on Penske link. Autoweek (11 April 1970) says that Don Williams bought Donohue's Sebring 1969 Lola T190 for Ron Grable. Chuck Haines' paperwork says that he bought this car from Vic & Walt, a VW shop (Acron, Ohio) in Feb 1980. The car is black, in straight T190 spec with the name Don Baker Jr on the side and bears the chassis plate 190/F1/3. Reinhold Jung contacted Baker who said he bought it from Joe Hunt of Joe Hunt Magneto, in California. Reinhold then contacted Tommy Hunt, the son of the late Joe:
This car is identified as the Grable car by some evidence of green/yellow paint on the tub sides but is much more positively identified by 190/F1/3 by the chassis plate. It can only therefore be the Hansen car or the Penske car. |
| Bonnier | 190/F1/4 | Invoiced to Bonnier 15 Dec 1969. The Motoring News report on the Jan 1971 Argentine GP (28 Jan 1971 p10) gives full details on this car: 'Bonnier appeared with a yellow Lola T190 which turned out to be the car he had raced at Sebring late in 1969 and subsequently sold to French hillclimber Daniel Rouveyran, who crashed it first time out. Rebuilt on a new T190 chassis it now belongs to a young German named Heiler who had loaned it to Bonnier for the occasion.' |
| McNicol | 190/F1/5 | Invoiced to McNicol 16 Dec 1969. The information about this car moving to Poul Christie via Paul Hayward Halfpenny was provided by Shayne Windelburn. |
| Hailwood | 190/F1/6 | Listed as "test car" in Lola records. As such, almost certainly Hailwood's semi-works Epstein-Cuthbert car. A car with this number then heads to the US for Dow Byers where it is identified at the Questor GP as "T190/6". Presumably this car was a rebuild of Hailwood's car retaining, if nothing else, the chassis plate and replacing the 190/F1/15 which we could conclude had been intended for Byers before being taken over for Hailwood. |
| Nunn | 190/F1/7 | Invoiced to Henley Forklift 5 Jul 1970 |
| Haga | 190/F1/8 | Invoiced to Haas 5 Jan 1970. Haga has told Chuck Haines that he had T190/F1/8. It was sold by Charlie Hayes or Carl Haas to Jim Matuska of Competition Development. Haga told Chuck that the car was blue/orange, was flown into Seattle, was #8 and was chassis 190/8. Jim Gustafson recalls selling his car to Richard Votava which is the first name in a log book which is still with the car in Haines' possession. |
| 190/F1/9 | Invoiced to Haas 22 Jan 1970 | |
| Dunkel | 190/F1/10 | Undated invoiced to "Lucas", presumably Charlie Lucas. Dunkel's car is 190/10 at Lime Rock and at ARRC according to Erwin. |
| 190/F1/11 | Invoiced to Haas 9 Mar 1970 or 9 May 1970 | |
| Goth | 190/F1/12 | Invoiced to Haas undated. This identification is somewhat tentative. Chuck Haines bought a crashed Lola T190 from Crocky Peterson. Haines can't be certain, but he believes this is one of the cars he sold to H.H. 'Mac' McClendon (Yorba Linda, CA) in 1979. On that bill of sale, the T190 is given as 190/F1/12. The Peterson identification then comes from an "ex-Goth" reference in Autoweek 17 Oct 1970 p27 |
| Gardner | 190/F1/14 | Listed as "test car" in Lola records. Autosport 24 Aug 1972 noted that Chris Featherstone "has bought the Lola T190/2, which Malcolm Guthrie drove in the Tasman series and which was the revised car that Frank Gardner drove in the 1970 Rothmans series". Featherstone's car identified by Autosport as 190/F1/14 at Rothmans 50,000. |
| Hailwood | 190/F1/15 |
Invoiced to Haas 8 May 1970. Believed to have been the car destined for Dow Byers but grabbed off the production line to replace Hailwood's crashed semi-works 190/F1/6. In early 2007, Phil Henny met up with old friend Don Dierking and passed on this history of Don's T190.
|
| 190/F1/16 | Invoiced to Haas. The month on the invoice date is unclear but the invoice number suggests it is a lot earlier than 190/F1/17 or 190/F1/18. | |
| 190/F1/17 | Invoiced to Haas 21 May 1970 | |
| Brockman | 190/F1/18 | Invoiced to Haas 26 Jun 1970. Brockmans's car according to Tom Erwin's notebook for Lime Rock 1971. Identified as the Priester car by Brockman's adverts: advertised by Brockman 1 May 1971 and (as "ex-Bucknum") 23 Oct 1971. So we know from these that Brockman's Lime Rock 1971 car was 190/F1/18 and that it was ex-Bucknam but it is possible that 190/F1/18 was a replacement tub in his 1970 car, as wrecked by Hiss, and that the "ex-Bucknam" attribution was carried over from the wrecked car. The replacement could have been an unsold T190 left at Haas. So it is still possible that Bucknam's 1970 car was a different chassis. |
Sources
Sources used for this page include Autosport's 1970 F5000 Seasonal Survey (28 Jan 1971 pp22-26), Motoring News's report on the 1971 Questor GP (1 Apr 1971) and Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1968-1971.
These histories last updated on .