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NSR 0193 Formula 86/89 Haas Lola #16 Beatrice. 1986 Patrick Tambay / Eddie Cheever.  RRP £84.95. Available soon
NSR 0194 Formula 86/89 Haas Lola #33 Beatrice. 1985 Alan Jones. RRP £84.95. Available soon

       

The latest two NSR Formula 86/89 have certainly piqued my interest. They are decorated in the colours of the Haas Lolas that were raced by Alan Jones and Patrick Tambay in the 1985 and 1986 F1 World Championship...



Although hardly a scale model of the Lola cars, the NSR Formula 86/89 looks good with most liveries from that era - and these look particularly nice...

       

Indycar team owner Carl Haas put together his F1 project with Lola and sponsors Beatrice Foods in the autumn of 1984. He recruited former McLaren Boss Teddy Mayer, Williams engineer Chris Oatley, plus young designer Ross Brawn. The new team set up base at Colnbrook in Berkshire where the cars were built. 1980 world champion Alan Jones was hired to develop and then race the car - the THL1 making its debut at Monza in the autumn of 1985. Jones qualified the new #33 Lola 9.851 seconds slower than pole-sitter Ayrton Senna and he retired after only 6 laps with a blown engine. The Lola THL1 was powered by the Hart 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, a substitute for the delayed Ford TEC V6 that would eventually be used in the THL2, part of the way through the 1986 season.

       

Jones - driving the #15 car - was joined by ex-Ferrari and Renault driver Patrick Tambay in the #16 car for 1986. Tambay was briefly replaced by Eddie Cheever for the Detroit Grand Prix after the Frenchman was injured in Canada. The Ford V6 proved unreliable and down on power - the THL2 managing top-tens when it finished, but only scored points three times. The highlight of the season was at the Österreichring - Jones finishing fourth and Tambay fifth. Jones picked up another point at the next race at Monza. However, Beatrice pulled their sponsorship at the end of the season, forcing the closure of the team and the sale of the Colnbrook factory to Brabham...



There's certainly no lack of power with the NSR Haas cars!

       

The Formula 86/89 is an awesome piece of kit and will be offering some exhilarating racing as slot car clubs return after the pandemic. The full details of the car can be found on the NSR website here.

The two Beatrice models - the #33 1985 Alan Jones car and the #16 Patrick Tambay / Eddie Cheever car - are expected in the UK very soon and can be pre-ordered from Pendle Slot Racing.