FEBRUARY 19, 1996

Lola and Pacific

PACIFIC RACING - sister company of the defunct Pacific Grand Prix - has returned to Formula 3000 racing, KeithÊWiggins planning to run two cars in the International Championship this year.

Wiggins has yet to name drivers, but there are rumors that he is likely to land a deal to run Elf men Laurent Redon and Emmanuel Clerico. Redon is the current French F3 Champion while Clerico - son of the owner of the famous Lido nightclub in Paris - has raced in F3000 for the last two seasons without much success.

Wiggins still refuses to comment on any involvement in a Lola Formula 1 program for 1997, but our sources suggest that Pacific will be involved and that research and development work is still going on at Lola headquarters in Huntingdon, although the aerodynamicist on the F1 prototype Lola-Ford T95/30, Chris Saunders, has left the team.

We understand that Lola is currently in the process of looking for a new technical director for the F1 operation. Former Lola and Lotus designer Chris Murphy is thought to be a likely candidate.