Besides the Lotus racing and DTM there are some exciting attractions in store, including a pair of F1 World Champions, with Damon Hill’s comeback to racing in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup and McLaren’s Jenson Button getting behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz DTM ‘race taxi’.

You can find the latest information for the weekend on the MSVR website, or in our forum thread.

Source: Lotus Cars – Something From The Weekend – 14/05/2012

FORMULA ONE – SPANISH GRAND PRIX

Kimi Räikkönen bagged his second podium on the trot in Barcelona, charging hard to finish third behind first time grand prix winner Pastor Maldonado and, by just half a second, Fernando Alonso.

The Finn was disappointed not to finish on the top step, though, claiming that the Lotus E20 had the potential to have won every race this year so far. Nevertheless, he is now fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, just 12 points behind leaders Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

Starting on the second row behind team-mate Romain Grosjean, he passed the Frenchman at the start. He held third till the second round of stops, and when Alonso pitted from the lead on Lap 45 the Iceman enjoyed two laps at the front, before being passed by the resurgent Maldonado. Struggling with degradation, he was soon holding up Alonso before pitting for late rubber on Lap 49 and then setting off on

a final sprint on fresh rubber. As the laps counted down he slashed the gap to Alonso by a couple of seconds a lap while the Spaniard struggled with grip. He entered the final of 66 laps 2.3 seconds behind the Ferrari and screamed across the line just 0.6 adrift.

Romain took the chequered flag just ten seconds behind his team-mate, securing fourth place. He had lost several positions at the start, and lost a bit of front wing to Bruno Senna which didn’t help matters, but he recovered to score 12 points.

Currently sitting third, the team now moves within 14 points of McLaren and 25 behind leaders Red Bull Racing in the Constructors Championship.

Kimi Räikkönen: “I had a good start, but I hit the rev limiter and couldn’t take the other two, and then we fell back too far in the middle stint. By pitting late the third time I had a lot of speed for the finish and, given one more lap, I probably could have overtaken Fernando, but that’s easy to say afterwards.”

Romain Grosjean: “Both cars finishing strongly in the points is great for the team. It was pretty difficult for me at the start of the race as it was hard to get the front working properly with the wing damaged, but we made some changes and at the end of the race the car was really flying.”

GP2 – BARCELONA

Lotus GP’s James Calado took a storming pole position and second place in Barcelona’s Saturday round, followed by a strong drive to fourth on Sunday to push his way up the driver’s standings to third.

While others, including team

-mate Esteban Gutierrez, were impeded by a yellow flag on their flying run in qualifying, Calado was two tenths faster than anyone else. In the race, traffic and a bold tyre strategy from rival Giedo van der Garde pushed Calado to second. Starting P7 in Race 2 he then battled Gutierrez through Turn 1 and then hunted championship leader Davide Valsecchi down but just missed out on the final podium place, finishing fourth.

Gutierrez left with five points to show for a testing weekend. Qualifying 11^th because he had to abort what looked like a pole lap due to yellow flags, he finished Race 1 tenth and earned a further two points for setting the fastest lap. On Sunday he fought his way up to seventh.

Lotus GP sits second in the team standings on 128 points, behind leaders DAMS on 157.

James Calado: “Race 1 I started from pole and was quite aggressive with Fabio [Leimer] at the start. I was leading when I came into the pits but Fabio was right behind, and we left side-by-side. Giedo [van der Garde] only changed two tyres, which is how he managed to move ahead in the stops. We should look at that for Monaco because there’s obviously a lot of time to be found. From there I just tried to save my tyres, and had to make do with second. Race 2 I made a good start but then got boxed in at Turn 1, where Giedo and Esteban got past. Then I made it past him and Max Chilton too. I got right up behind Davide [Valsecchi] at the end there, but I couldn’t get past and seize third because the car was sliding around too much while I was in his slipstream and I was hitting the rev limiter at the end of the straight.”

Esteban Gutierrez: “The result is not ideal, and our qualifying position affected us a lot. But I did my best. I enjoyed the latter stages of Race 2 as I fought with Giedo [van der Garde], but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take sixth. Five points from this weekend is better than nothing, but I know we are capable of a lot more. We’ll keep pushing!”

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SOMETHING FROM THE WEEKEND

Monday, May 14, 2012 – 12:45

Race Reports from Barcelona and Snetterton (11 – 13 May)

FORMULA ONE – SPANISH GRAND PRIX

Kimi Räikkönen bagged his second podium on the trot in Barcelona, charging hard to finish third behind first time grand prix winner Pastor Maldonado and, by just half a second, Fernando Alonso.

The Finn was disappointed not to finish on the top step, though, claiming that the Lotus E20 had the potential to have won every race this year so far. Nevertheless, he is now fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, just 12 points behind leaders Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

Starting on the second row behind team-mate Romain Grosjean, he passed the Frenchman at the start. He held third till the second round of stops, and when Alonso pitted from the lead on Lap 45 the Iceman enjoyed two laps at the front, before being passed by the resurgent Maldonado. Struggling with degradation, he was soon holding up Alonso before pitting for late rubber on Lap 49 and then setting off on

a final sprint on fresh rubber. As the laps counted down he slashed the gap to Alonso by a couple of seconds a lap while the Spaniard struggled with grip. He entered the final of 66 laps 2.3 seconds behind the Ferrari and screamed across the line just 0.6 adrift.

Romain took the chequered flag just ten seconds behind his team-mate, securing fourth place. He had lost several positions at the start, and lost a bit of front wing to Bruno Senna which didn’t help matters, but he recovered to score 12 points.

Currently sitting third, the team now moves within 14 points of McLaren and 25 behind leaders Red Bull Racing in the Constructors Championship.

Kimi Räikkönen: “I had a good start, but I hit the rev limiter and couldn’t take the other two, and then we fell back too far in the middle stint. By pitting late the third time I had a lot of speed for the finish and, given one more lap, I probably could have overtaken Fernando, but that’s easy to say afterwards.”

Romain Grosjean: “Both cars finishing strongly in the points is great for the team. It was pretty difficult for me at the start of the race as it was hard to get the front working properly with the wing damaged, but we made some changes and at the end of the race the car was really flying.”

GP2 – BARCELONA

Lotus GP’s James Calado took a storming pole position and second place in Barcelona’s Saturday round, followed by a strong drive to fourth on Sunday to push his way up the driver’s standings to third.

While others, including team

-mate Esteban Gutierrez, were impeded by a yellow flag on their flying run in qualifying, Calado was two tenths faster than anyone else. In the race, traffic and a bold tyre strategy from rival Giedo van der Garde pushed Calado to second. Starting P7 in Race 2 he then battled Gutierrez through Turn 1 and then hunted championship leader Davide Valsecchi down but just missed out on the final podium place, finishing fourth.

Gutierrez left with five points to show for a testing weekend. Qualifying 11^th because he had to abort what looked like a pole lap due to yellow flags, he finished Race 1 tenth and earned a further two points for setting the fastest lap. On Sunday he fought his way up to seventh.

Lotus GP sits second in the team standings on 128 points, behind leaders DAMS on 157.

James Calado: “Race 1 I started from pole and was quite aggressive with Fabio [Leimer] at the start. I was leading when I came into the pits but Fabio was right behind, and we left side-by-side. Giedo [van der Garde] only changed two tyres, which is how he managed to move ahead in the stops. We should look at that for Monaco because there’s obviously a lot of time to be found. From there I just tried to save my tyres, and had to make do with second. Race 2 I made a good start but then got boxed in at Turn 1, where Giedo and Esteban got past. Then I made it past him and Max Chilton too. I got right up behind Davide [Valsecchi] at the end there, but I couldn’t get past and seize third because the car was sliding around too much while I was in his slipstream and I was hitting the rev limiter at the end of the straight.”

Esteban Gutierrez: “The result is not ideal, and our qualifying position affected us a lot. But I did my best. I enjoyed the latter stages of Race 2 as I fought with Giedo [van der Garde], but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take sixth. Five points from this weekend is better than nothing, but I know we are capable of a lot more. We’ll keep pushing!”

GP3 – BARCELONA

Lotus’ American GP3 driver Conor Daly took his first GP3 win on Sunday at the Circuit de Catalunya, at the opening round of the 2012 GP3 Series.

On Saturday, he qualified his black and gold car on the front row behind Antonio Felix da Costa, with team-mates Aaro Vainio in P3 and Daniel Abt in P6. Abt made a jump start, managing to get into the lead before he being penalized. Meanwhile, Daly went backwards and finished sixth. Vainio battled throughout to retain his third place.

In Race 2, Daly started third. He outsprinted polesitter Robert Visoiu via the grass into Turn 1, while Tio Ellinas took the lead after a jump start. When he pitted for his drive-thru penalty on Lap 6, Daly was able to cruise into the lead and seal a popular victory. Vainio, meanwhile, finished fourth and Abt seventh.

After two races, Daly sits second in the championship behind Race 1 winner Mitch Evans. Lotus GP leads the Team’s Championship by three points.

Conor Daly: “It’s really cool. I made a mistake yesterday in Race 1, I didn’t have the best start, and I didn’t put ourselves in a good position. I was lucky enough to redeem myself today at the start. It feels so nice to have my first podium and my first win. It feels really good to be in this form heading to Monaco. The car has been really good. The Lotus GP guys have been fantastic, the way we have worked together during testing has been awesome.”

BRITCAR MSA BRITISH ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP – SNETTERTON 300

Team Bullrun’s Lotus Evora GT4 finished second in its class on Saturday at the Snetterton 300, just up the road from Lotus’ headquarters in Norfolk. Martin Byford’s qualifying lap was enough for third on the grid, and team-mate Richard Adams did the first stint of the three hour race. There were six safety car periods during the race, and two were particularly costly for Team Bullrun as they, with third driver David Green, had to unlap themselves twice. Nevertheless, they adapted their strategy and managed to move up a position, scoring the fastest lap along the way, to finish second. The team now leads the championship.

Richard Adams: “Our nearest rivals finished fifth, so this second place is really great news and now we lead the championship, which obviously feels fantastic. It wasn’t an  easy race and we lost out twice behind the safety car, having to unlap ourselves. What really got us this result today was the Evora’s excellent fuel consumption. Driving behind the safety car for so many laps meant we were able to take a gamble and pit one time less than we ordinarily would have, and the gamble paid off.”

The result gives the team another useful haul of points, closing the gap to McLaren in 2nd in the constructors points and keeping them ahead of Ferrari.

While it wasn’t Lotus’ day to return to the top step of the podium few will begrudge William taking a much deserved race win, their first since 2004.

Lotus F1 Team – Photo Finish – 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, The Race [Report + Pictures]
Lotus F1 Team – Kimi Räikkönen – “I’m sure we can make that last step” [Q&A + Pictures]
Lotus F1 Team – Romain Grosjean – “There is a real belief within the team that we can win” [Q&A + Pictures]

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Spanish GP

The car will be run in Britcar by Team Bullrun, who are upgrading their existing Evora GT4, as well as McMahon Raceworks with Condor Motorsport who will be entering a newly built car in the America Grand-Am road races, the Rolex Sports Car Series.

Improvements to the GTC include a drop in weight thanks to the use of carbon fibre for the doors, roof and engine cover, along with plexiglass windows. The car also features wider arches to accommodate a larger wheel and tyre combination, along with new BOSCH traction control and ABS systems to help drivers maximise the cars performance.

Source: Lotus Cars – Lotus Racing Launch New Evora GTC
Discussion: SELOC Chat – Lotus Evora GT4 evolves into GTC

Flared wheel arches, more rubber, less weight, and new technologies have added extra spice to Lotus’ race winning Evora, the GT4 Enduro. The new GTC licks the Evora’s performance envelope, delivering more speed and increased grip.

Having been honed on Lotus’ Hethel Test Track, the car has already found its first customers. McMahon Raceworks with Condor Motorsport has just placed an order for their Evora GTC, and will enter it in America’s Grand-Am road races, the Rolex Sports Car Series. The team led by David McMahon with Armando Trentini as lead driver and consultant, spent two days this week getting familiar with the machine on the ragged edge at Lotus Headquarters.

Meanwhile, Team Bullrun’s Evora GT4 will be converted to GTC-spec in June. Raced by British drivers Richard Adams, David Green and Martin Byford, Bullrun’s Evora has proved phenomenally competitive in the 2012 Britcar MSA Endurance Championship and currently leads the standings.

The engine and gearbox of the GT4 Enduro are carried over to the GTC, but the car has been on a diet. Carbon-fibre doors, roof and engine cover have replaced fibreglass panels, and Plexiglas replaces the windows in order to trim yet more weight off what is already a very light car. At 1,130-1,140kg, depending on customer specification, the GTC is 30kg lighter than the Enduro.

It’s not all take-away. Traction control and BOSCH racing Anti-Lock Brakes system have been added to optimize power delivery and braking control. With England being particularly damp for the past month, serious testing of the GTC has taken place in the wet where the car’s intelligent traction control and ABS have come to the fore. A definitive comparison test will be conducted shortly, but already it has proved to be faster than the previous evolution.

The wheels and tyres are wider which not only gives the car more grip through the curves, the front and rear wheels rise to 18x10Js and 12Js respectively, mated to 27/65-18 tyres at the front and 30/65-18s at the rear..

In order to accommodate the wider wheels, flared arches have been fitted, which give the car a more aggressive silhouette.

Its 4-litre V6 continues to pump out 450bhp and 460Nm of torque, linked to an XTRAC six-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox.

As well as the MSA Endurance Series and Grand-Am GTC (undergoing homologation), the car is eligible for the British GT Championship, VdeV Series, Dutch Supercar, and CREVENTIC Endurance Races, such as the Dubai 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Bathurst. (All subject to confirmation)

Louis Kerr, senior motorsport engineer, Group Lotus: “The GTC is faster than the GT4 Enduro even though the powertrain remains the same. We’ve managed to reduce the weight, and added ABS and traction control. Wider wheels mean customers now have a much greater level of traction and selection of tyres they can use, the flared wheel arches accommodate this, which gives the car its visual definition and makes it look more muscular without hampering the aero.”

Claudio Berro, director of Lotus Racing: “The Evora’s development and a front-row racing car is achieving its performance targets and the GTC is an evolution of a car that has already taken wins on the track – the GT4 Enduro. Last month Team Bullrun took victory at Silverstone in the Britcar endurance championship with a GT4 Enduro that benefitted from GTC development parts, and the team’s upgrade will be completed in June when there’s an appropriate lull in their racing schedule. The car’s weight-saving and improved grip and braking abilities should help increase the gap between them and the teams chasing them in the championship. We’re very pleased to welcome McMahon Raceworks to Lotus ownership and will provide them with a car adapted to US racing rules, and look forward to seeing the GTC make its marque in Grand-Am.”

The posting confirms that the 4,800 sq ft store will be opening in June 2012 at No. 52 Regent Street in what promises to be a great summer for the nations capital with the Queens Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Games taking place in the coming months.

Source: Lotus Cars – Lotus Originals Store to Open Summer 2012
Discussion: SELOC Chat – Lotus on regent street?

If you walk along Regent Street lately it’s hard not to notice new hoardings covering number 52.

In June 2012 the hoardings will be removed to unveil a new flagship store and Lotus will be showcasing its iconic brand in a new and accessible way.  Group Lotus is delighted that the ‘LOTUS ORIGINALS’ store opens its doors in London’s prestigious Regent Street at such an exciting time for the UK and everything British. As the nation embraces a swell in national pride, during the year of both the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee it is the perfect time for Lotus to demonstrate how its legendary British brand, one steeped in heritage and international reverence, deserves its place in the buzzing 2012 summer calendar and by making its home in the Grade II listed site on Regent Street is the perfect testament to this.

Situated in London’s Piccadilly, the 4,800 sq ft space, previously the ‘Café Royal’ will be host to a diverse collection of luxury apparel, luggage, gifts, toys, and limited edition collectables, this is a store for the fashion conscious, luxury-loving gentleman, not purely a shrine for Lotus fans.

Lotus has painstakingly selected the very best suppliers and materials to create this luxury British casual wear line. Aimed at those who want out-of-office wear that in no way compromises quality or style, the collection includes indulgent 100% cashmere sweaters and hand-treated leather wear, for example a stunning leather jacket inspired by the 1970’s drivers’ race suits is proving to be amongst the most popular items from the collection of relaxed luxury apparel.

The development of the LOTUS ORIGINALS retail concept has been rapid, upon its launch in September 2010 the dedicated website www.lotusoriginals.com was the only retail outlet for the collection. The London flagship store is the next step in a fully integrated, international retail strategy for non-car Lotus products.

Maurizio Parlato, Commercial & Marketing Director for Group Lotus said, “We are delighted to secure this iconic location, it’s the result of many months of careful planning and negotiations – the completion of this milestone really demonstrates the success of the LOTUS ORIGINALS offering and the potential we have for the future. This is the cornerstone of our global retail strategy and we have lots to look forward to.”

Inside you’ll find facts, statistics and interviews with the key technical staff and drivers as the team hopes to continue it’s recent string of good form which has seen it take a double podium in Bahrain and topping the time sheets in testing at Mugello.

Source: Lotus F1 Team – Spanish GP Preview
Discussion: Chapman Arms – For the win at the Spanish GP?

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Damien Hirst design on Lotus race car

The Maidstone Sports Cars race team have unveiled a special livery for their Lotus Exige race car, which is competing in this year’s Lotus Cup UK Championship. The livery is a design from acclaimed artist Damien Hirst.

The Maidstone Sports Cars Exige has already raced in the opening round of the MSVR-organised Lotus Cup UK Championship at Silverstone. Driven by Adrian Hall, the team qualified on pole position, before leading the early stages of the race.

The unveiling coincides with a Damien Hirst exhibition which has just opened at the Tate Modern, and will see the first major survey of Damien Hirst’s work to be held in the UK, presenting seminal works spanning 25 years of the artist’s career.

Andrew Marsh, Team Principal of Headcorn-based Maidstone Sports Cars explains ”The whole team feels privileged and honoured to be allowed to have a design from this world renowned artist displayed on our car.”

The Maidstone Sports Cars Exige liveried with the Damien Hirst design can be seen at all rounds of the Lotus UK Cup in 2012 and at various motorsport events throughout the year, starting with the DTM-supporting round on May 18-20 at Brands Hatch.

We’ve got 3 weekend camping tickets up for grabs with for SELOC readers, giving access to the circuit and campsite for August 16th-19th.

To enter all you need to do is ‘Like’ the SELOC Facebook Page and our competition post before 6pm on Sunday 13th May.

Source: LoTRDC – Lotus Cup Europe Report: Magny-Cours 5-6/5

Jon Walker prevailed over the Rasse brothers in two closely-fought Lotus Cup Europe contests at Magny-Cours yesterday (6 May). The 2-Eleven series regular claimed pole position but lost the early lead in race one to Exige drivers Jean-Baptiste Meusnier and John Rasse, both taking turns to lead on the damp surface. However after a battle with eventual third-place finisher Christophe Lisandre, Walker fought back to stalk Rasse in the closing laps, before resuming his place at the head of the field.

In the second race, earlier absentee Gregory Rasse burst through into second place, to take the fight to Walker. However the Evora driver was unable to get within striking distance, whilst behind him Christophe Lisandre held off Thierry Verheist. The second Evora was heading a train of cars, including Exige winner Meusnier, up to tenth place for the duration of the 11-lap encounter.

David Harvey and Christophe Calley shared the Open class spoils, whilst in the Production category, Matt Bartlett replicated Walker’s late-race strategy in the opener to beat Markus Nikowitsch, who took victory next time around from Nigel Ayres.

The next round of Lotus Cup Europe takes place at Hockenheim on 16-17 June.

You can read the full report below, or on the Classic Team Lotus website.

The New Year started with the best possible news of a baby boy, Max (as in Maximillian), born to Classic Team Lotus merchandising and events coordinator Sapphire and husband James on New Year’s Day. Splendid! For the time being Sapphire’s role is being ably fulfilled by Harriet Edelston.

The team made its annual January pilgrimage to the NEC for the Autosport International Racing Car Show. Nick Yallop and Tim Gardner did a great job to get the truck in and the cars unloaded, ready for Steve Allen, Greg Chandler, Harriet Edelston and Clive Chapman to pitch in and get the stand looking good in time for the Thursday morning opening.

On behalf of the family of Peter Warr we were very pleased to make the stand available to host the launch of the excellent memoir written by Peter before his untimely death. During the day a lovely group of Peter’s friends and colleagues gathered, in time for a champagne reception together with the media. Peter’s son, Andy, made a fine speech, under the watchful eyes of mother Yvonne and sister Susie plus various PEW grandchildren. Both a happy and poignant occasion.

The stand featured 97T/2, in honour of Peter Warr, Nick Fennell’s 26R, in recognition of the 50^th anniversary of the Elan, the Chapman Family Eleven, recently restored by Bob Dance, and the prototype 12, unrestored and en route to the CTL workshops with the intention of making her run for the first time ever. In particular the unrestored 12 drew a lot of attention.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the CTL crew have been busy with regular winter overhaul work on customer cars plus various special projects. Bob Dance has made a start on assembling a sequential box for the type 12. Nick Yallop has been getting started on 81B/5. Kevin Smith is restoring Nick Fennell’s type 23B. Lewis Cullington has been focused on type 76, type 30 and type 97T/2 issues. Tim Gardner continues to sort out Paul Dezelsky’s Cooper and has been giving 72E/5 a welcome overhaul. Recently we welcomed 98T/3 back to the workshops after many years away. New owner Zak Brown has asked us to prepare the car for a run at Ricard in May.

Emerson Fittipaldi is now officially an ambassador for the Lotus brand – as if he was not in any case – and we were pleased to welcome him to the CTL workshops during a recent goodwill trip to Hethel. Emerson made a particular point of visiting Hazel Chapman for tea at East Carleton Manor; what a gentleman.

Lotus Cars is the principle sponsor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012. As a result Goodwood invited CTL customers Andrew Morris (type 102), Dan Collins (type 88B) and Andrew Beaumont (type 76) to attend the Press Day, with their cars run by Chris Dinnage, Nick Yallop and Lewis Cullington. The day went well, with Dan in particular making lots of new friends…..

Actor Paul McGann (a former Doctor Who, amongst many other significant movie and TV roles) was given his first taste of single seat racing cars when he got to drive the CTL type 18 Formula Junior around the Hethel test track as part of a documentary currently being aired on Sky, namely ‘The Petrol Age’. He acquitted himself well and genuinely seemed to enjoy his adventure.

‘Rush’ is the working title of a major Hollywood movie about the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda for the 1976 F1 World Championship. Directed by Ron Howard this is going to be one of the biggest ever motorsport themed films. CTL has been involved at various stages, including facilitating some recent research filming at the Hethel test track. Subsequently 72/9 from the Works Collection was despatched to the film set under the ever watchful eye of Greg Chandler. Happily Greg was able to capture some evocative shots which captured the spirit of the era. Nice!

The race season started with Kevin Smith running Nick Fennell in his type 27 in the opening round of the UK FJ Championship at Donington. On his first visit to the circuit Nick acquitted himself well, qualifying 9^th out of 29 and raced well to hold his own and finish 9^th. A good result after quite a lot of engine work over the winter.

Meanwhile a number of other CTL customers participated in the second annual ‘blow the cobwebs away’ couple of days at Croix En Ternois; many of them, happily, with an eye on the forthcoming Grand Prix De Monaco Historique. Dan Collins (type 21), Andrew Beaumont (LDS and type 76), Andy Middlehurst (John Bower’s type 25) and Andrew Morris (type 102) all enjoyed relatively trouble free and worthwhile testing. Excellent preparation for what is looking like another busy season for Classic Team Lotus.

Please visit the CTL website to get a better idea of what CTL will be up to during the forthcoming season and, if anyone ever reads these quarterly reviews, please make a point of finding Clive and telling him. Please! (Yes, Dan. I know you do.)