First 'customer' MG Lola for ALMS.
The first 'customer' MG Lola EX257 sportscar has been purchased by American-based KnightHawk Racing - who will use the car in the LMP675 class of the 2002 American Le Mans series, and hope to take it to Le Mans in June for the 24-Hours.
The rapid sportscar, demonstrated to American teams by Jonny Kane at Sebring before Christmas, is expected by the team to not only battle for class victory, but give them a shot at overall honours in races. In 2001 KnightHawk Racing were runners-up in the LMP 675 category.
The first 'customer' MG Lola EX257 sportscar has been purchased by American-based KnightHawk Racing - who will use the car in the LMP675 class of the 2002 American Le Mans series, and hope to take it to Le Mans in June for the 24-Hours.
The rapid sportscar, demonstrated to American teams by Jonny Kane at Sebring before Christmas, is expected by the team to not only battle for class victory, but give them a shot at overall honours in races. In 2001 KnightHawk Racing were runners-up in the LMP 675 category.
"We wanted to build on our 2001 success with Lola and AER (the engine builders)," said KnightHawk co-owner and driver Steve Knight, "and aim to move on to win the 2002 ALMS 675 Championship. We also have unfinished business at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in June, where we raced last year. Now in 2002, we will be in France with a package capable of winning overall - and that was also a factor in our choosing the MG Lola."
The two-litre turbo-charged sportscar is significantly lighter than the current race winning LMP 900 class cars, and its excellent fuel economy will make it a serious contender in the longer races in the series. In testing at Sebring the car went quicker than the pole time for the ALMS race at the circuit.
