11 replies to this topic

[chunky50]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to all this so please bear with me.
A good friend of mine, Tony Dunne, built the original M30 in the early 80's - he used to race for McLaren who offered him the car, but as he couldnt afford it complete he built it in kit form. I believe it was then raced by Alain Prost a few times before a guy called Alo Lawler raced it and won two championships in 84/85. The car was sold in 89 to a guy called George Nuse from Atlanta, Georgia for his historic collection. Does anyone know the whereabouts of George Nuse or the car now?
Cheers
Annie

[Darren Galpin]

I believe that this was the car with which Alo Lawler set the outright Castle Combe track record (old configuration) until it was finally broken by Nigel Greensall in a Tyrrell-Cosworth in the 1990s. Sorry I can't tell you anything about today's whereabouts,

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Darren Galpin
I believe that this was the car with which Alo Lawler set the outright Castle Combe track record (old configuration) until it was finally broken by Nigel Greensall in a Tyrrell-Cosworth in the 1990s. Sorry I can't tell you anything about today's whereabouts,

I remember Alo as a usually-impecunious FAtlantic battler - Irish guy who used to concentrate on racing up North and drove in a real no-holds-barred style - how on Earth did he come into enough cash to run even an old F1?! If there weren't F5000s around Alo or Kim Mather were usually the men to beat in FLibre races at Aintree...

(I think he eventually ended up in Thundersports, haven't heard the name for about 15 years...)

pete

[Allen Brown]

Last time I spoke to George, he still had it. That was probably a few years ago now.

Allen

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Last time I spoke to George, he still had it. That was probably a few years ago now.

Allen

Actually April this year. My memory is not to be trusted

[chunky50]

Cheers guys,

I'll pass the message on to Tony and see where we go from here.

Annie

[bmc_racing]

Sean Allen has owned and raced the car in the USA in the Historic Grand Prix series since 2004. http://www.historicg.../Sean Allen.htm

[alansart]

I believe that this was the car with which Alo Lawler set the outright Castle Combe track record (old configuration) until it was finally broken by Nigel Greensall in a Tyrrell-Cosworth in the 1990s. Sorry I can't tell you anything about today's whereabouts,

Alo Lawler in the McLaren at Oulton Park.



He once turned up at Aintree, on a test day, just to see by how much he could beat the outright lap record

Edited by alansart, 27 July 2009 - 07:10.

[La Sarthe]

He had a big crash into one of the banks round the back of Castle Combe during practice one year - I'll have to check though my programmes to get a date but it was a BRSCC Formula Libre round. Alo was carted off to hospital and the front of the car looked quite badly damaged in the paddock afterwards. I don't remember seeing him out in it again but presumably it was rebuilt later. Tony Trimmer in his Lola T332 was another regular in this championship at the time.

Peter

[La Sarthe]

Found the relevant programme

The date of the accident was 11th October 1986. Also, correcting my previous post, Tony Trimmer raced a T330, not a T332

Peter

[mja]

Alo Lawler in the McLaren at Oulton Park.



He once turned up at Aintree, on a test day, just to see by how much he could beat the outright lap record

Yes, I was the organiser of the first ever Saturday test day at Aintree, in 1987, and Alo and Tony Dunne turned up with the car (have some pics too!) - I'm sure Alo said it was jointly owned. Also, it was the only McLaren F1 that McLaren didn't have in their collection

He had a slight problem with the clutch slave cylinder seal ("its ****ed" said Alo!) so we had to push start the car in first gear. The car was fitted with a Le Mans spec DFV putting out about 470bhp. For the record, he set a time of 49.8sec

[simonlewisbooks]

The car was fitted with a Le Mans spec DFV putting out about 470bhp. For the record, he set a time of 49.8sec

I remember the M30 well as a regular star-turn at Combe - it had the sweetest sounding DFV I can ever recall, not shrill,just very melodic.
On one ocassion it stuck in top gear soon after the start and when Trimmer's car lapsed into ever fewer cylinders, still managed to win.
That accident in 1986 was at the now chicaned Old Paddock in the days when that half of the track was non-spectator and I think had a bank rather than a barrier on the outside. A reported altitude of 30 feet was reached in mid roll...