senor honda

[h=2]INDYCAR: Wilson’s first Champ Car winner set for restoration and auction[/h] Marshall Pruett / Images by LAT

The Lola chassis Justin Wilson drove to earn his first Indy car victory will undergo a full restoration before it is auctioned off with all proceeds benefitting the Wilson Children's Fund.
The incredible gesture from KV Racing IndyCar team owner Jimmy Vasser, who also owns the Lola chassis, is the latest effort to help the Briton's widow Julia and their daughters Jane and Jess after Wilson was killed in a racing accident at Pocono in 2015.
Driving for RuSPORT, Wilson piloted chassis No. B04/00-01 in seven races, earned poles at Portland and Mexico, and claimed his first and second Champ Car wins in 2005 at Toronto and Mexico. The restoration project will be led by his close friend (and current KV team manager) Chris Mower, who ran Wilson in F3000 and again on his Champ Car debut with Conquest Racing in 2004.
Once the chassis arrives in Indianapolis, Vasser and Mower will seek assistance from volunteers within the IndyCar community to inspect, refurbish and reassemble the car to the exact condition and livery Wilson used in Toronto.
Vasser and Mower also plan to assess its ability to be restored as either a static display vehicle (minus engine) or a running Champ Car, complete with a 2.65-liter turbocharged Cosworth V8. In either state, the car is expected to generate significant interest once it is ready for auction.
Like the project itself, the story behind the chance occurrence that led to Vasser's decision is thoroughly amazing.
"We've had a display car at one of my auto dealerships for a while now – a roller without the engine – and it's been done up in the old orange 'Champ Car' livery," Vasser told RACER. "I don't know why, but I got a bug to go look up the history on the car and wrote down the chassis number. I sent it to Jeremy Shaw, who keeps track of all the old Lola Champ Cars, and he got back to me and my jaw hit the floor. Turns out we've had Justin's Toronto and Mexico winner all along – the car he won his first races with – and didn't even know it."
The idea to turn the car into a restoration project benefitting the Wilson Children's Fund was the next revelation for the 1996 CART champion.
"I thought about Julia and the girls and figured the car must be worth a lot more if we restored it back to its original state when Justin won those two races," Vasser added. "So I called Mower and we began to put a plan together. I figured if we get the car moved from the West Coast to Indy, we would probably get a lot of mechanics and team guys who worked with Justin or maybe just want to help his family come and help restore it and do something really cool for a good cause."
Vasser's friends at Chip Ganassi Racing volunteered to transport the car to Indy, and with the Lola due to arrive in the coming weeks, Mower will pin down the exact location of where the restoration will take place.
"Once it's in town, we'll establish the place where it will be renovated, and then put a call out for all the local mechanics who would like to make their time available," Mower said. "I don't think it will take that long. Other than painting and whatever needs to be done with refurbishing and assembly, it shouldn't take more than a month."
Vasser has spoken with fellow KV Racing co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, who also owns Cosworth, about donating an engine if the chassis is up to the task.
"We know the car had a pretty good crash before it was retired, so once we get a look when it's stripped bare, Kevin and I talked, and if the chassis isn't damaged to the point where it shouldn't be a runner, the ultimate goal would be to get it back out on track again," Vasser said. "We've already lined up a test driver if we can do that."
Justin's younger brother Stefan Wilson, who made his Indy 500 debut in May, would climb into chassis No. B04/00-01 if the car becomes a runner, and even if it is better served for a museum or private collection, Vasser says the winning bidder will have a one-of-a-kind Champ Car.
"When I looked in the cockpit to get the chassis serial number, I was also blown away by what was still inside: Justin's seat and his custom steering wheel – with his molded hand grips – have been there the whole time," he added. "So I spoke with Stefan, and he says he'd be honored to test the car if we can get it to that point.
"He's probably the only one who could fit right in Justin's seat and drive the car. But whether the new owner gets to drive it or not, they'll still be getting Justin's first Champ Car winner, with his seat, and his steering wheel. It's going to be an incredible deal for somebody."
If you're a veteran IndyCar mechanic who'd like to volunteer for the restoration project, send me an email here.