Sure, McTaggart gets all lumpy in the shorts area when he sees something about a Bugatti Veyron going 246mph or some such stuff but let’s be honest here. Jim Pace isn’t going anywhere near 246mph but this former John Surtees raced Lola T70 with an absolutely rip-roaring small block is way neater than some Bugatti, right? As we always intimate, we want to be Jim Pace when we grow up. On any given weekend, the man finds himself behind the wheel of race cars that vary from modern endurance racers to absolute classics like this Lola which have a power to weight ratio that’s about the way we like it, meaning more power than weight. Don’t be fooled by how smooth and controlled this lap is with Pace at the controls. If any of us on the BS staff jumped into this car we’d either loop it or wad it up seconds after thinking we had the situation under control. Can Am cars were and still are nutso in all the right ways. While many were big block powered and even more hairy than this one, we love the wail of the mouse motor behind Jim’s head.

John Surtees is a man unique in the history of racing because he was the world motorcycle Grand Prix champion and later became the Formula One world champion as well. He is the only guy to ever do that and we’re guessing he’ll be the only guy ever to do that because the world of racing has become so specific and each series is its own animal with its own commitments and schedule. So much overlap and so little time. It has to be a thrill for Pace to know that he is experiencing exactly what Surtees did back in the day. We know we’d be freaking out about it. That’s for sure.

Jim, the man and you’ll dig this video of him handling the car around Road America in his typically fast and smooth style. Go Jim, GO!

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE JIM PACE GET IT DONE AT ROAD AMERICA –