Lola T530
The Lola T530 was Lola's attempt to build a dedicated ground-effect single-seater Can-Am. One of the largest racing cars ever built, the T530 was used by nearly all the major teams in 1980 after Chevron, who were due to supply VDS and Newman, collapsed into liquidation. It dominated 1980, winning seven of the nine races but was overtaken in 1981 by the new March 817, CAC-2 and VDS designs.
Nine or ten cars were built in 1980 - the tenth car may not have been completed - but the VDS team built two or three more T530-style tubs for their later VDS Can-Am cars. A further "T532" project has been accumulated from surviving 1981-spec T532 parts plus a spare tub from Lola.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Lola T530 HU1 |
Built December 1979. Haas Racing 1980 (Don Harper says only one race car used with test car - he believes - never raced) - John Foulston (UK) 1982 - Alan Fowler (UK) 1984 - Peter Baljet (Canada). Retained 2003 but damaged that season. | Peter Baljet (Canada) 2003 |
| Lola T530 HU2 |
Built March 1980. Haas Racing 1980 (Don Harper says only one race car used with test car - he believes - never raced) - John Foulston 1982 - David Brazell 1996. Retained 2000. | David Brazell (UK) 2000 |
| Lola T530 HU3 |
Built March 1980. VDS Racing 1980. Thought to be the car destroyed in Geoff Brabham's accident in practice at Road America (20 Jul 1980). Parts of this car found their way to New Zealand. In 2006, the chassis plate to this car was auctioned on Ebay and was bought by Shane Windelburn (NZ), who had previously acquired the surviving components of HU3. | Destroyed |
| Lola T530 HU4 |
Built April 1980. VDS Racing 1980 - Rex Ramsey 1982 - Mike McComas (Pampa, TX) 1988 - Paul Sauer (Woodside, CA): retained 2002. | Paul Sauer (US) 2002 |
| Lola T530 HU5 |
Built April 1980. Budweiser Newman 1980 ... Mike Brayton - Burke Ratcliffe (UK) 1986 - Rosso Bianco Collection (Germany) 1990. Believed retained 2000. | Rosso Bianco Collection (Germany) 2000 |
| Lola T530 HU6 |
Built April 1980. Ricardo Londoño-Bridge 1980 - unknown Columbian and later turned into flower bed - rescued by Oswaldo Farjado and restored for racing by 1990. Believed to be still in South America in 1999. | Unknown |
| Lola T530 HU7 |
Built April 1980. Budweiser Newman 1980. Wrecked Brainerd 1980 ... Mike Brayton - Burke Ratcliffe (UK) 1986 (built up as show car) - Mike McComas (Pampa, TX) 1989 - Shayne Windelburn (Auckland, New Zealand). Retained 1999. | Shayne Windelburn (NZ) 1999 |
| Lola T530 HU8 |
Built May 1980. RJ Nelkin (rebuilt on fresh tub after accident) - Budweiser Newman 1980 - Garvin Brown 1981 ... Mike Brayton - Burke Ratcliffe (UK) 1986 and wrecked in testing accident (Brands Hatch June 1986). Replacement car built for 1987 - Mike McComas (Pampa, TX) 1989 - Bud Bennett 1996 - Scot Kennedy 1996/7 - Norm Goldrich 1998/9: retained 2001. | Norm Goldrich (US) 2001 |
| Lola T530 HU9 |
Built July 1980. Garvin Brown 1980 - Mike Freberg 1982. Wrecked Laguna Seca October 1982. | Destroyed |
| Lola T530 HU10 |
Built July 1980 and invoiced to Bobby Rahal but may not have been completed. This number used on VDS car raced by John Foulston (UK) 1985 - 1987. From Foulston estate - Nick Whale (UK) 1997 - Don Braaten 2000: retained 2001. | Don Braaten (US) 2001 |
| Lola "T532" | Accululation of T530 and T532 parts plus tub acquired from Lola by Burke-Ratcliffe (UK) in 1986. Believed to be the car advertised by BRR Motorsport November 1988 ("currently being built up with new tub. Available race ready February 1989")? To Mike McComas (Pampa, TX) 1989 - Bill Chizar 1995 - Mike Duncan - Mel Stillman. Retained 1999. | Mel Stillman (US) 1999 |
In June 1983, Proformula (Sacramento, CA) advertised a "VDS Lola 530", describing it as "1981, Can-Am series winner as driven by Patric [sic] Tambay and Jeff [sic] Brabham ... complete ... with VDS body moulds". This description closely matches that used for "HU10" when it was auctioned in 1997 and again when it was sold in 2000. However, the only VDS car driven by Tambay was VDS-001. Jerry Hansen had bought the "ex-Brabham VDS Lola T-530", later identified as VDS-001, for 1983. So is this advert for the Hansen car? Or the Ramsey HU4?
Or could a car have gone from Haas, where Tambay would have driven it in 1980, to VDS? Or could HU10 have gone to VDS after they wrecked a car at Road America and then be used as the basis of VDS-001?
These histories last updated on 7 February, 2010 .