CHASSIS REGISTER

LOLA MK5A BRJ62

All pictures courtesy of Laurent Dutoya.

John Cannon receives the chequered flag in BRJ62. Canadian Cannon would go on to race in CanAm and in Formula One for BRM.

MK5A BRJ62 is now owned by Laurent Dutoya who tells us of its very interesting history.

Results for BRJ62 Lola FJ 1963:

26.5.1963 Mosport Park Lola Mk5A John Cannon Formula Junior - Race 1- 1st
01.6.1963 Mosport Park - Players '200' Lola Mk5A John Cannon Formula Junior - 1st
15.6.1963 GVCC Mosport car #51 Lola John Cannon Comstock Racing Team DNA
13.7.1963 Harewood Acres Trophy Races Ontario John Cannon Lola Ford Mk 5A (Formule Junior) 1st
15.7.1963 Harewood Harewood Trophy Races Lola Mk5A John Cannon Race 1 1st
27.7.1963 OLCC Mosport [Main] car #52 Lola John Cannon Comstock Racing Team 2nd
27.7.1963 Preliminary Mosport [Modified+AP+BP+CP+FJr.] #52 John Cannon Comstock Racing Team DNA
24.8.1963 Watkins Glen Seneca Driver Charles Kelsey Formula Junior #44
15.9.1963 MMGCC St. Eugene IV [FJr./Sports] car #52 Lola John Cannon Comstock Racing Team 1st
15.9.1963 MMGCC St. Eugene IV [Production +2.5/FJr.] #52 John Cannon Comstock Racing Team 2nd
15.9.1963 MMGCC St. Eugene IV [Main] car #52 Lola John Cannon Comstock Racing Team T-car
21.9.1963 Lime Rock Mid Ohio Charles Kelsey 4th behind Ernest Devos Brabham
28.9.1963 Pepsi Cola Trophy Mosport Park #52 Lola John Cannon 1st in Front of Ernest Devos Brabham

Sold to Serge Tesolin.

History

Comstock, widely regarded as Canada’s first professional racing team, purchased the Lola for the 1963 season, along with a Lotus Cortina, XPS prototype, two new Cobras for Ken Miles and Eppie Wietzes.

Comstock also raced the King Cobras, and later a GT40 Ford with factory support. Cannon, an up and coming racing star in Canada, won multiple races with the Lola, and the Formula Junior Canadian Championship that year.

At the end of 1963, the Lola was sold to a stock car driver, name Serge Tesolin.
Tesolin had been successful at stock car racing in Canada and North America. However, he saw the light Lola Formula Junior as a perfect platform for building a mid-engine, Ford V8 powered, sprint car!

The Lola was discovered in Phoenix Arizona. How it wound up there is still unknown.
The only reason the car was thought to be a Lola racing car was the “Lola” badge that was still on the nose of the car.
The car was still in its sprint car configuration, almost complete with removable nerf bars for the sides of the car.
The original frame is surprisingly complete with most modifications added to the original frame, not cut into the frame, except for changes to the engine bay to fit the V8, and moving the seat and dash forward to accommodate the larger engine.

Cannon's MK5A at Mosport in 1963.



Serge Tesolin in the Lola at the West Virginia International Speedway, Huntington in 1964 complete with Ford V8 and rear nerf-bar!



BRJ62 as it is today and needing a substantial restoration.