CHASSIS REGISTER

LOLA Mk5A BRJ-55

All pictures courtesy of Robin Longdon unless otherwise stated.

BRJ-55 at Goodwood in 2010.

Robin Longdon is the owner of BRJ-55 and he resides in the UK. He has recently been researching the history of his car which was originally owned by Eric Offenstadt and below are the fruits of his labours.

Eric Offenstadt.

Eric Offenstadt Born: 26 December 1939, Cognac, France.

Below is part of an article on Eric which was originally written in French.

Once upon a time there was a Swiss citizen who had some success as a Frenchman and who, if he had bitten his tongue a little, could have had a very great career. He was originally from Neufchâtel, but lived in Paris, and his name was Eric Offenstadt. No sooner had he reached the age required for a licence, he had bought himself a racing motorcycle to compete in the French championship. I don't know if he was French champion, but his boyfriend who was still with him, an apprentice butcher named Beltoise, won the title a little later.

Eric inherited a small sum of money and a few paintings, all worth 2 or 300,000 Francs and, thanks to this small fortune, he bought a Lola for Formula Junior. At the wheel of this car, including the following year in the all-new Formula 3 (1000 cm3), he was among the best European drivers. Every Sunday he was competing with of Arundel, Spence, Ahrens, Moser and Stewart. At that time in France lived a certain René Bonnet who had already built some small sports cars under the brand Deutsch-Bonnet (DB) and had raced them at Le Mans. Then, this Mr. Bonnet had built a single-seater which seldom finished, it had been taken over by a very young company which, until then, had only manufactured rockets and was called Matra. Eric was named the first driver of this new team and he was very interested in the technical side. At first the Matra didn't work very well, as the company’s bosses refused to listen to his opinion on these teething problems Eric slammed the door and, having money put aside, bought himself a new Lola, the first monohull in history. In doing so he made the biggest mistake of his career especially since, when the Matra executives had asked him who he saw as the number 2 and 3 drivers he had naturally proposed his biker friend Beltoise as well as a beginner named Jaussaud_ He had known Jaussaud from the Grand Prix in Pau, he himself was leading the race when he left the track and planted his car in the bushes of the municipal park and Jaussaud had stopped to rescue him, "Keep going you fool, you're in the lead now!" shouted Eric, and that's how Jaussaud won his first F3 victory, Beltoise and Jaussaud formed the first Matra team, while Offenstadt hired their Lola in a private capacity.

Eric's Lola Mk5 is on the left next to the Lotus 18 of Johnny Rives at Pau in 1964.

1963 Formula Junior results. Lola Mk5A BRJ-55 used in all races:

7 April: VI Gran Premio Caltex Vallelunga, Campionato Italiano, Round 1 - 7th 3 laps down

14 April: IV (V?) Circuito Internazionale Riviera di Cesenático Campionato Italiano, Round 2 - 7th 3 laps down

21 April: XV Halle-Saale-Schleiferennen Meisterschaft Deutsche Demokratischen Republik, Round 1 - 1st

28 April: XXVI Internationales ADAC-Eifelrennen Deutsche Meisterschaft, Rd 1 Nürburgring - 22nd (DNF?)

5 May: XI Trofeo Bruno e Fofi Vigorelli II Coppa Autieri Campionato Italiano, Round 4 Monza - 12th 4 laps down

12 May: XIII Circuito del Garda Campionato Italiano, Round 5 - DNQ (11th in second of two Heats)

19 May: VIII Prix de Paris Championnat de France, Round 1 Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry - 6th

25 May: V Grand Prix de Monaco - Formule Junior- DNA

2 June: XXXIII Grand Prix des Frontiéres Championnat de Belgique Chimay - 5th 1 lap down

9 June: III Grand Prix de Magny Cours Circuit Automobile Jean Bernigaud - 8th (Aggregate of two Heats - 7th Heat 1, 8th Heat 2)

13 June: III Preis von Wien Aspern Flugplatz - 6th 1 lap down

23 June: V Coupe de Vitesse de l'A.C. Normand XI Grand Prix de Rouen Championnat de France, Rd 3 - 11th Heat 1 DNQ for Final

30 June: VII Coupe Int. de Vitesse des Juniors Championnat de France, Round 4 Circuit de Reims-Gueux - Retired after 10 laps

7 July: V Trophée d'Auvergne Championnat de France, Round 5 Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand - 8th

14 July: XXX Int. Schleizer Dreieckrennen Meisterschaft DDR, Rd 4, Schleizer Dreieck - 1st

25 August: XIII Závod druzby narodu XII Velka Cena Ceskoslovenskà Race of Friendship of Nations Brno - Retired but classified 6th

8 September: XXI Grand Prix d'Albi XXI Grand Prix du Midi Pyrénés Languedoc, Championnat de France, Round 7 DNQ for Final (DNF Heat 2)

15 September: Flugplatzrennen Achum Deutsche Meisterschaft, Rd 8 - DNQ

22 September: Coupe de Paris Championnat de France, Rd 8 Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry - 4th

29 September: IV ADAC-Eifelpokal-Rennen II Graf von Trips Gedächtnis-Rennen Deutsche Meisterschaft, Rd 9 Nürburgring Südschleife - 7th 1 lap down

6 October: XIX Coupe de Salon Voitures Junior Championnat de France, Round 9 Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry - 2nd (Pole Position and Fastest Lap)


1964 Formula 3 results:
All races car entered by Ecurie Ford France SA.
Offenstadt kept the same car for 1964 but converted it to F3 spec.

05 April: I Coupe de Vitesse XXIV Grand Prix Automobile de Pau - 10th DNF (Was in the lead, left the track)

19 April: XVI Halle-Saale-Schleiferennen, Meisterschaft DDR, Rd 1 - 23rd (Probably Retired)

26 April: Montlhery Coupe de Vitesse de l'U.S.A. - 1st

03 May: Monza I Coppa di Città di Milano - 10th

07 May: XII Trofeo Bruno e Fofi Vigorelli III Coppa Autieri - DNA

09 May: Monaco VI Grand Prix de Monaco - 5th

24 May: Montlhery IX Prix de Paris - 4th

31 May: IV Grand Prix de Magny-Cours - 1st

07 June: VIII Circuit de la Châtre - 1st

14 June: XXXI Int. Schleizer Dreieckrennen Meisterschaft DDR, Round 3 Schleizer Dreieck - DNA

28 June: IV Coupe de Vitesse de l'A.C. Normand Circuit de Rouen-les-Essarts - 17th (accident: broken vertebra)

05 July: VIII Coupe Int. de Vitesse Reims - DNA

19 July: Coupe de Vitesse VI Trophée d'Auvergne Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand- DNA

08 August: I Trophée de Cognac - 12th (Retired)

15 August: V Grand Prix de Nogaro - 11th

30 August: I Zandvoort Trophy - DNS

Eric Offenstadt's full racing career:

1963:
Formula Junior in Lola Mk5A BRJ-55

1964:
Formula 3 in Lola Mk5A BRJ-55 and in Cooper T72-Holbay F3-14-64

1965:
Formula 2 in a Cooper T75 F2-7-65
Formula 3 in Works Matra MS1 01 and in Lola Mk5A BRJ-55

1966:
Formula 2 in Lola T60 SL60-4
Formula 2 in the semi-Works Ron Harris Team Lotus 44F-3 and Formula 3 in a Pygmée F3-266

1967:
Formula 2 in the Ron Harris Team Protos P16 01
Formula 3 in a Ron Harris Team Lotus 35.

1968:
Formula 3 in a Pygmée F3-4-68
Formula 2 in the Ron Harris Team Tecno 68 T00288 (Two races)

1969:
Formula 2 in a Pygmée MDB12 #269

He has also owned a restaurant on the outskirts of Paris but sold it (Auberge de la Vigne Gourmande in Osny).

Robin at the 57° Coppa Intereuropa Storica, a round of the Trofeo FIA Lurani in 2009 leading the Mk5A of James Claridge. (Picture courtesy of Peter Collins)



Robin at the 2008 Goodwood Revival. (Picture courtesy of Peter Collins)