I am surprised we have no thread on Mecom . There are a couple on some of his cars , perhaps we should merge them.
I am not sure if I had a book on him , if , then I sold it , I idiot!

I dont know or remember much on him except for some of his cars. Are there any members of the team still around for an eventual contact , perhaps ?

From Goodwood





Roger Lund

John Mecom blazed across the sky of US racing like a comet; first came to my attention around 1962 and was through in 1967 when he formed the New Orleans Saints NFL team. Won a bunch of races in the meantime, including the 1966 Indy 500.

Roster of drivers absolutely top drawer. Roger Penske, Bob Schroeder, Augie Pabst, AJ Foyt, John Cannon, Jack Saunders, Walt Hansgen, Mark Donohue, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Parnelli Jones, Rodger Ward, Al Unser, and others.

Car lineup was, shall we say, enviable: started with DeTomaso, then on to Ferrari GTO, Cooper Zerex Special, Lola Mk 6 GT, two Cooper-Chevs, Lotus 19 originally with 2.0 Climax and later with Olds V-8, Scarab Mk IV, three Corvette Grand Sports, Ferrari 275-LM, Cooper-Dodge Hussein Spl, rented Lotus 24, Genie Mk X, many Lola T-70s, several Lola T-90s, also Lola T-92s. Probably several more.

Wins included '62 Nassau TT, '63 Sebring GT category, '63 Marlboro SCCA National, '63 Cumberland SCCA National, '63 Brands Hatch Guards Trophy, '63 Nassau TT, '63 Nassau Governor's Cup, '63 Nassau Trophy, '64 Daytona Challenge, '64 Galveston SCCA Divisional, '64 Road America 500, '64 Bridgehampton 500, '65 Laguna Seca Monterey GP, '66 Trenton USAC Indy cars, '66 Indianapolis 500. Probably several more.

Yes, a book about John Mecom, his drivers, cars, and races, would be very interesting.

Tom

Don't let us stop you, Tom

A few shots from the period when John Mecom was Lola's North American agent (All pictures copyright of the John Mecom Collection). The Lola Archives contains a wonderful collection of Lola-related pictures that Mr Mecom kindly donated and they will appear on the Lola Heritage site in the future, just don't ask me when ;).

John Mecom Jr., John Surtees and Eric Broadley at the Mecom racing Team workshops.




AJ Foyt has a look at the new Lola T70.




Jackie Stewart, Eric Broadley and John Mecom Jr. at Indy in 1967




Al Unser and John Mecom Jr. at Indy in 1967 with the Lola T92 (or T90 Mk2 to the Indy Stewards)

did Davy Jones , British F3 racer from the 80s become his son in law ?

Yes.

At Goodwood FoS.



Roger Lund, copyright.

The recently restored Mecom Racing Lola T70 at Mallory Park testing (recently).....


By giraffe138 at 2010-06-23

John Mecom/Parnelli Jones 1966 Lola T70 at a local car show in the Denver area Sept. 2009

At Pacific Raceways on the weekend...



Allen Grant with the ex-Mecom/Pabst Lola Mk 6 LGT-2. To the left with grey hair is Byron Sanborn, who was driving the Lola when the rear bodywork came off (hair a little greyer?)...........The second photo, from 2007, shows the prototype which Allen owns. Allen says Bruce McCaw and VRM have been very helpful in the restoration of the prototype, including lending him some Colotti parts. The cars are quite different. Allen has quite an extensive history of the Lola Mk 6s, and is giving it to VRM.



Mecom driver Augie Pabst with a couple of my models. A few feet away was Adrian Ratcliff's ex-Mecom/Pabst Genie Mk 10, now in Hilton/Parsons colours. Adrian said Augie remembered the Genie and signed it for him (it's for sale).

Vince H.

Is the first shot of the GT the one which was at Goodwood FoS a few years back?
Roger Lund

No I think that one was the Hayward Halfpenny car which had spent a long time in Canada clothed in a rather iffy GT40 type body.
The car in Washington was a Ford engined Mecom car-though it has a Chevvy now.

No, I meant the blue one which was there some years earlier, looking rather tired on its recut Goodyears. Photos here somewhere. I will check the programme for the then owner.
RL

Vince, thanks for the post and the photos. Had to have been a fine weekend. Augie always says that the Lola GT was the best handling race car he ever drove. He also has many times graphically described his big crash in the car at Riverside when it submarined a guard rail, with the guard rail pinning Augie's head to the rear bulkhead. Yes, it was that close! Augie tells of taking stock of his limbs, etc., after the dust settled and then spitting a lot of hard stuff out of his mouth. He thought it was teeth, and was very relieved to realize that it was glass from the windshield!

Anyway, back to your photo of the Lola. I see where it is blue, but not the Mecom metallic blue that I recall. Did you pick up anything on why the off-color blue?

Tom

Great stuff, everybody. Thanks!

Gary Wheeler, a local to this venue, circulated this photo, among others from that weekend:



© Gary Wheeler, by permission

Ferrari 250GTO # 3987GT; class win at Sebring in '63 with Penske/Pabst. The car was also first O/A in the Nassau TT in December, 1962, also with Roger Penske. (Isn't it amazing that his racing involvement has now touched seven decades?) I believe the car is now in the Ralph Lauren collection, but not in Mecom colors.

(I'll just get me anorak......)

Jack.

PS: No hijack intended, but I've always wondered if there were any particular relationship (good, bad, or healthy rivalry) between Mecom and Team Rosebud. Any enlightenment?

No doubt some of you will remember the John Mecom entries in the August Bank Holiday Guards Trophy races at Brands. Roger Penske of course won the 1963 event in the Zerex Special. Augie Pabst was also entered in the Lola GT.

In 1964 Pabst returned with the Lola, finishing 11th overall, whilst Walt Hansgen was in a Lotus 19 and A.J.Foyt in the Scarab. Foyt retired early on whilst Hansgen crashed out whilst well up the field. Walt Hansgen was back in 1965 in a Lola 70 finishing 9th overall. No entries in 1966 though and after that what had evolved into Group 7 sports car cacing came to abrupt end in the UK.

Goodwood FoS 2000 ; owner listed as Rosso Bianco, so not the Haywood Halfpenny one which was there a couple of years later.
RL

None that I know of, other than they are both from east Texas, Mecom from Houston, and Rosebud down the coast a ways in Victoria. As I recall, Road & Track ran three very interesting articles in one issue in 1962 or '63 on Texas racing teams, one each on Mecom, Rosebud, and the Hall/Sharp operation that was evolving into Chaparral.
Tom

Both the cars in the photos are in Washington...the Mecom car with VRM, and the photo of the prototype was taken at Allen Grant's shop in Sequim, on the Olympic peninsula.



Actually, Byron Sanborn said it had a lot of lift. As for the color, Allen Grant commented (quietly) on exactly the same thing. I don't know why the off-color blue.



Yes, I believe Bruce McCaw got the car, via auction, from Rosso Bianco.

Vince H.

Thanks for all these good infos and pictures. I do now remember much more on Mecom , but most of this is new to me.

Makes me wonder again if anyone know of teammember still around from then .

Having seen a big transporter painted in Mecom colours in GB 1964 for the Brands Hatch race , I am burning to know more about that vehicle. It was a British big van BRP transporter ,but what happened to it after the race ? Is that the one that burned under the name of Pearce ?

Augie says that it had no lift at all --- when the nose was buried under the guard rail!
Tom

Some more on the Allen Grant restoration: http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/scrapbook/078/078.htm and http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/scrapbook/092/092.htm.

Allen Grant said there was a former Mecom crew member at the race last weekend who lives near him.

Vince H.

Thanks everyone !

Now I need confirmation of Mecom/Hansgen T70 's CAR NO. at the Brands Hatch British Sports car championshiprace 30/8 1965 , please.

The program says #16. Here is the link:

http://www.racingsportscars.com/covers/_Br...1965-08-30e.jpg

Vince H.

Great help ! Thanks a lot .

Any knowledge to whom this ex Scarab guy was , or perhaps a contact to Allen Grant ?