Speed and Beauty

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1981 Lola T-600 GTP Chassis HU5

A storied, championship-winning race car.

The Lola's Kinsler fuel injection intake manifold

The Early Years: Chris Cord Racing

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Chris Cord (standing) consults with Brian Redman.

Owner Chris Cord co-driving with Jim Adams in 1982

A tight radius: ground effects in action

Scale drawing of the Lola T-600

On-grid, with Chris (between the JLP3 and a Rondeau)

Captured at speed, at the Pabst 500, 1981

At the Lumbermens 6-Hour Camel GT at Mid Ohio, 1982

Chris Cord Racing IMSA history, 1981-1983 seasons

Grand Prix of Miami, 1983 & 1984

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Official Grand Prix of Miami 1983 program cover,

featuring the Budweiser-sponsored Lola T-600, driven by Chris Cord.

(Part of a collection of mint-condition programs and posters.)

More promotional material featuring HU5.

A featured story.

Lola T-600 leading the Fitzpatrick 935 Special

in the rain at the Grand Prix of Miami.

Artist's rendition of the Lola T-600

for the cover of the Grand Prix of Miami 1984 program

The lead story in the 1984 race program

again featured the Lola T-600 HU5

Brian Redman and John Bright

at Lola Cars UK

Chuck Kendall Racing: 1984-1987

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Now sponsored by Daffy Swimwear, the Lola T-600

was repainted and renumbered; its new drivers included

Chuck Kendall, Tommy Kendall, Jim Cook, and Paul Newman.

Chuck Kendall, at speed at Sears Point Raceway

Back at the transporter after qualifying at Sears Point.

Chuck and crew trackside.

Daytona Speedway is unforgiving!

Race results for the 1984-1985 seasons.

The "Lost Decade": 1988-1998

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The Lola T-600 HU5, part of Chuck Kendall Racing's

diverse collection of race cars.

Following HU5's seven years of IMSA competition--during which time the race car became the longest-campaigned Lola T-600 of them all--Kendall would only bring out the car for special occasions such as celebrity fundraising events.  Kendall stored the HU5 alongside his RSR, Porsche 935, M-1, and various other Trans-Am cars belonging to his son Tommy.

Kendall's collection of history-rich race cars was impressive by any metric.

In early 1999, I purchased the car from Chuck Kendall.  I had already embarked on my career in motorsports and wanted to explore full-time historic sportscar racing.  HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing), SVRA, and numerous other organizations were forming in North America and other continents as racing enthusiasts discovered the thrill of driving these early war-horses.

The Lola T-600 HU5 qualified for participating in a variety of world-class races: it had standing invitations at the Monterey Historics, as well as Historic GTP/Group C European events.

During the 1999-2000 seasons, HU5 was fully restored.  Every mechanical part was crack-checked, and every spare Lola part that existed on the planet was located and purchased--leaving nothing to contingency--before the car would be campaigned again.  In fact, I tracked down even the rarest parts, ones that were considered unobtainable, and added them to my already-comprehensive collection of race-ready spares.  After years of negotiation, Danny Ongais agreed to sell me the complete rear section of his ex-Ted Fields Lola, including the transmission, differential, rear axles, and rear uprights.  The gearbox (pictured below) was restored and rebuilt to new by Albright Engineering.

Despite grumbling from a few fellow racers accusing me of "not sharing" Lola parts with other owners, I knew that assembling a comprehensive supply of authentic parts was mandatory if I was to campaign this car--and win!--in a class that included P-cars from the 1981-1985 period.  In fact, doing so would require a car set-up that was superior to HU5's original status at delivery, albeit without any modifications whatsoever.

Big Bamboo Racing: 2000-Present

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Clockwise from bottom left: On the podium at Sears Point; Robert Tornello; the Lola T-600, restored to its original cherry-red and surrounded by admirers; crew chief Steve Freund with Tornello; Tornello signs an autograph; Tornello with friend and author Amy Tan; the trophy.

"The best-prepared T-600 I've ever driven!" -- Brian Redman

Once it was readied for testing, motorsports legend and friend Brian Redman drove the Lola T-600 HU5 and pronounced it "The best-prepared T-600 I've ever driven."  Vintage Motorsports magazine said Tornello's Lola was "as pretty as a race-car gets".  And then there was its incredible speed.

In the 2000-2001 race season, in the fully-sorted Lola T-600 HU5, I completed sixteen events. The races included supporting AMLS and new IMSA classes; they were held across the country.

At Watkins Glen, NY

At Road Atlanta, GA

At Daytona Speedway, in qualifying order.

At Sebring International Raceway

There were 84 elite drivers competing that year in classes GTP1 through GTP4. (The oldest class, GTP4, included early Rondeaus, Lolas, Marches, and Porsche 956's.)

Victory! At the end of 2001, driving the magnificent Lola T-600 HU5,  I won first place in the GTP championship, both in class and overall, and was awarded the International Thundersports trophies.

In subsequent years, the car was campaigned seasonally as time allowed. Of course, I always maintained it to the highest standards.

At Daytona Speedway at the end of the 2007-2008 season, HU5--with original-style bias-ply Goodyear tires--won its class again, setting times that were up to 10 seconds per lap faster than those set by newer March prototypes driven by their original owners!

The Lola T-600 GTP HU5 is, simply, a brilliant and extremely competitive car, particularly on short tracks like Sebring, where it routinely charges ahead of 962's and late-model turbos.  It has a balanced mid-engine design, and boasts a level of torque exceeding that of a Mack truck.

Today, in 2012, the Lola T-600 HU5 remains a formidable historic competitor.

Before v. Current images

Before: Note the early Lucas McKay injection system above: these diaphragm pumps were difficult to keep calibrated and required constant tuning and maintenance, as they fed raw fuel into the intake trumpets.

After: Note the constant-feed fuel injection systems by Kinsler, which deliver fuel on demand and increase torque. The air box, also a Kinsler design, is a carbon box with K&N filtration.

Before: The early T-600 cockpits were spartan, and controls were not easy for the driver to operate.

Comfort and ergonomics in early race cars were an afterthought.  

After: With the original hidden below my redesigned dash, all of the gauges are easily seen and read, even in turns. Where the RPM was once centered, now oil pressure and water temperature (more critical) are always in the driver's sightline, without him needing to take his eyes off the track. The gauges are all aligned with the driver's needs, and everything--including lights, radio, track position, and cool-suit controls--are race-glove friendly and within simple reach of a strapped-in driver. All corresponding pop-out breakers are also within reach.

Driving at night is made easy, as everything is adjustably illuminated. 

The carbon fibre seat is a 962 seat, fitted and padded. At speed in the turns, the driver's body will not move unless he wants it to. 

From the archives

The HSR race poster featured HU5 as it qualified for the featured race.

Above, Victory Lane newspaper covered another class win and top ten finish at Daytona.