Le Mans Classic 2023 Edition

When long term Tolman Motorsport customer Gary Furst approached us with the idea of fulfilling his long held dream of competing at Le Mans, we couldn’t wait to get going!

Good preparation of the Lola T212 would, as always, be key. No problem there.

Run in the warm European summer, the heady atmosphere in June/July at the Circuit de la Sarthe is legendary. 2023 did not disappoint.

Arriving at an event like this, with something like 700 competing cars can be a little daunting, however despite the scale of it, you soon get into the rythm of the Classic Le Mans.

The irregular hours and being billeted in a chateau only add to the magic.

Running in Plateau 5 for cars from 1966 - 1971, the daytime qualifying session brought a healthy 13th place (from 63 starters) and 3rd in class. This was followed by a busy night time free practice session to acclimatise to running in the dark.

Each lap is a daunting 13.65 kilometers in length with very high average speeds and quite some speed differential between the cars, it is challenging to say the least and this was the first time for Gary to drive this circuit.

Race one brought an excellent 16th position, 5th in class. In race two Gary crossed the finish line in 23rd place, a hard fought but credible result. A thorough re prep was necessary before the final race with some transmission work being required.

The third and final race produced a storming drive from Gary and a flawless 100% reliability record for the Lola.  A superb 10th place overall and 3rd in class were a fitting reward and worth all the hard work put in by Gary and the Tolman team.

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