This complete, and running Lola T8700 Indy car, chassis #10, is believed to have been raced originally by Dick Simon in the 1987 Indy 500, and at other Indy car events in 1987. The car was a spare car for Derek Daly in the 1988 Indy car season and was subsequently leased from Dick Simon/Raynor Garage Doors Racing in 1988 for Dominic Dobson in his second attempt at the Indy 500, after failing to qualify for the 1987 event in a tired March/Cosworth.
The team Dobson put together for the 500 was a shoestring effort, sponsored by Columbia Helicopters & Moore Industries. Dobson has minimal practice time and struggled early on with the setup and had one engine, few spares and limited sets of tires. A chance meeting with Eris Broadley, the founder of Lola Race Cars, provided some critical setup information, making the car more comfortable for the rookie and provided the confidence he needed to make a single four-lap qualifying run on the last day of qualifying for the 1988 race. His future as an Indy car driver rested on making the race this year.
That qualifying run summed up Dobson’s commitment to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He managed to go flat out for four laps and set a new all-time speed record for a Rookie at Indy, with a 4-lap average of 210.096 mph, and earned him the coveted award for the “Fastest Rookie in History”!
Dobson went on to qualify for, and race in a total of seven consecutive Indy 500 races through 1994. With a best qualifying position of 11th in 1992 and a best finish of 12th in 1992.
This nicely restored car comes complete with a Cosworth DFX V8 Turbocharged engine capable of nearly 800 HP and speeds of over 215 MPH! A complete spare Cosworth engine on a stand, Dobson’s original drivers suit, helmet and loads of documentation make this car a collector’s dream. The car would need some attention, of course, before being raced again, but everything is there to make it a track-ready machine.