Lola B98/10

Lore & Background

Intended as a cheap yet capable prototype, the B98/10 was designed without the input of a major manufacturer, so it was offered to privateers to fulfill various roles in different series. The front end featured blunt fenders with headlights mounted on the side due to the extreme curving angle of the fenders, allowing a large splitter across the entire nose. The air intakes for the engines were placed underneath the rollbar in a fashion similar to an open-wheel race car. A wide variety of engines were available to customer teams, but the cars were designed around the Roush-designed Ford 6.0 Litre V8. Many B98/10 chassis used this engine, while others opted for a turbocharged Ford V6, a Lotus V8, a Chevrolet V8, a BMW Inline-6, or a Judd V10. All these engines fit in the small chassis, though minor modifications were needed for some, such as the turbocharged Ford requiring intakes for the turbo incorporated into the bodywork. A total of eight B98/10s were built.

Reader's Guide

Although intended for competition in 1998, the first B98/10 chassis was not completed until fall of that year, forcing the cars to debut in 1999. In North America, Intersport Racing and Konrad Motorsport were the first customers, debuting at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Can-Am class, where both failed to finish. The cars improved through the American Le Mans Series season, with Intersport taking a 19th-place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring. In Europe, DAMS and Kremer Racing debuted in the International Sports Racing Series, with DAMS taking four wins and earning third in the teams championship. At the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, DAMS, Kremer, and Konrad entered but none finished. For 2000, the B98/10 was effectively replaced by the B2K/10, but continued in competition. Kremer Racing upgraded their car to the B98/K2000 and took a single win in the last race of the Sports Racing World Cup. In 2001, only Kremer's car remained active, scoring points in only two rounds of the FIA Sportscar Championship. In 2002, two chassis were purchased for competition: Eventus Motorsport ran selection FIA Sportscar Championship races, while Bob Berridge Racing, with DAMS' assistance, entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a film about the comic book character Michel Vaillant, with the B98/10 representing the hero's car. The car carried film equipment for most of the race, making it uncompetitive. The B98/10 made one final appearance at the 2003 FIA Sportscar Championship Donington round before retiring.

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