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1984 Lola-Mazda T-616 —SOLD
Two Car BFGoodrich Le Mans Team
Chassis No. H.U. 3 and H.U. 2
REQUIST A printable PDF document with Photos

Engine Type: Mazda 13B 1.3L 2-Rotor
Chassis Type: Aluminum Honeycomb Monocoque

The Lola T616 Mazda racecars made motorsports history in 1984 when the BF Goodrich/Jim Busby Racing Team scored the first 24 Hours of Le Mans class win for a Japanese manufacture.

The opportunity to own a racing car with significant history and a fully documented line of ownership is very rare. The chance to own the entire team is unheard of! This is a once in a lifetime chance to own a part of history! The two cars come with crew’s uniforms, drivers suit and a complete museum quality diorama with Mazda’s display and promotional posters from Le Mans and the full 1984 race season.

The cars have been fully restored to exact period correct specification by the team that raced them in the day. They are completely sorted and are in “race ready” condition. Their racing and ownership history is fully documented.

Team History
The team was formed in 1983 when BF Goodrich was convinced they had a great tire in their high performance radial T/A. They had won IMSA GTU races with the tire, but not races that caught widespread attention. So they conceived a bold marketing plan: create a racing team to run BF Goodrich street radials at Le Mans and win a world championship.

The Lola T–616 Mazda racecars made motorsports history in 1984 when the BF Goodrich–Mazda–Jim Busby racing team scored the first 24 Hours of Le Mans class win for a Japanese manufacturer. In a classic “David vs. Goliath” match up, two lightweight, rotary powered Lolas outlasted competitors to come home 1st and 3rd in the C2 group. Car 68, driven by Americans John Morton and John O’Steen, with Japanese driver Yoshami Katayama, took first in class, while the 67 car piloted by Americans Jim Busby and Rick Knoop, as well as Dutchman Boy Hayje, placed third in class.

Throughout 1984, the T–616 Lola–Mazdas enjoyed success at the world’s greatest racetracks, including the class win and a 3rd at Le Mans, another victory for car 67 at the Monza 1000km in Italy, and podium finishes at the Nurbürgring 1000km and at Fuji in Japan. Had the cars been flown to Adelaide, Australia for the last race of the year, simply qualifying would have guaranteed the sports car world championship! The race winning Lola–Mazda Busby team combined reliability, innovation and tenacity to win at Le Mans and score podium appearances and points worldwide.

Restoration
The Lolas laid dormant for 20 years until Busby and Knoop discovered and restored the cars in 2003. Both T–616s benefited from a full, tub–up restoration. Since then, the cars have been fan favorites and reliable participants in various events ranging from the 2004 Road & Track US Sports Car Invitational to the 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed. These cars offer race winning speeds while the package makes a museum–quality display.

These cars are eligible for any modern event: from the Le Mans Classic, to the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, to Goodwood. A full complement of spares, set up sheets, crew uniforms, posters, etc. are include

Race Team History
1984, 05 Feb., Daytona 24 hour.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Halsmer, Quester, Grable 17th.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Hayje, Knoop 31st.
1984, 26 Feb., Miami.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Halsmer, Hayje 5th.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Knoop 6th.
1984, 23 Apr., Monza Italy.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Knoop 1st, class C2.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Quester, Hayje 5th, class C2.
1984, 29 Apr., Riverside.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–1 Busby, Grable, Knoop 39th.
1984, 16 June, Le Mans.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Katayama, Morton, OÅåSteen 1st, class C2.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Hayje, Knoop 3rd in class.
1984, 15 July, Nurbürgring.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Halsmer 2nd, class C2.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Quester, Knoop DNF.
1984, 30 Sept., Fuji, Japan.
Car 68 Chassis H.U.–2 Quester, Knoop 4th, class C2.
Car 67 Chassis H.U.–3 Busby, Halsmer 3rd, class C2.

After Restoration
2004, 30 Apr.–02 May, Road & Track US Sports Car Invitational, Laguna Seca, CA.
2004, 13–15 Aug., Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, Laguna Seca Raceway
2005, Goodwood Festival of Speed.