Earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show, Lotus unveiled their Mansory built “Individualisation Concept Car”, which yet again gave us real concern over the future direction of Lotus’ design and development priorities. Apparently the individualisation programme has been largely based upon customer feedback, but we cannot imagine aficionados of the brand being seduced by the show car’s appeal.

The Evora Enduro GT however has ‘seduction’ written all over it – from its Lotus Renault GP paint scheme, through to its pared-to-the-bone functionality – we love it. It’s an evolution of the podium placing Evora GT4 Endurance car, developed by Lotus Motorsport under the watchful eye of Lead Designer Nicola Scimeca.

Lotus Motorsport intend to contend the following endurance events this year, with the 24 hour races in Dubai and Daytona joining the schedule for 2012:

• 23 – 26 June 2011 Nürburgring ADAC 24 Hour Race (GER)
• 28 – 31 July 2011 Spa 24 Hour Race (BEL)
• 8 & 9 October 2011 Silverstone 24 Hour Race (GB)

The Evora Enduro can be bought by private individuals and then adapted for racing, so perhaps there is a way to achieve an individualised Evora without going down the Mansory customisation route. We certainly hope so.

Gallery

It’s something of a herculean task these days to run a profitable car company serving a ‘niche’ audience, whilst also remaining mainstream, and upsetting a few traditionalists is a great way to get your brand talked about, but like most enthusiasts I can’t help pondering the question, “what would Colin do?” whenever I see the latest product of Lotus’ New Era thinking.

The ‘Colin’ I refer to is the late Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus and proponent of the ‘less is more’ philosophy when it came to optimising the road and race cars which carried his name. Chapman believed that if something didn’t add to the performance or driving experience of his cars then it didn’t belong on them, so Lotus new ‘product customisation’ programme would surely baffle him.

Lotus entitled their press release, 'Is it always wise to customise?' Further adding the reasoning, Why: Because we can. And because we know you’re curious……

Last week several publications were wrong-footed by leaked images of the Evora, leading them to believe Lotus were readying a facelift, but instead Lotus have said this a taste of their future product customisation plans, merely the first toe in the water and a showcase of the potential future of its cars. Gulp.

The model on show at Geneva next month will include this customised Evora produced together with Mansory and will be on display from 2.15pm on Tuesday 1st March 2011, at the Lotus stand (Hall 1, Stand 1031).

If recent history is anything to go by, we’d expect a few more examples of Lotus’ customisation plans to turn up, so make sure you check out the stand if you’re planning on attending.

Photo Gallery

The team revealed their new car this morning via their website and a new special new car launch edition of Team Lotus Notes – the team’s exclusive free fans magazine that will provide unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Team Lotus on and off track. Fans can subscribe at www.teamlotus.co.uk/ and receive more than 20 editions during 2011 and if you sign up now you’ll gain your very own invitation to the launch of the brand new T128.

Marianne Hinson (Head of Aerodynamics): In aerodynamics, we’ll start thinking about a new car before any of the other departments, and we started looking at this car around Spring last year. We begin by sitting down with the new regulations because there’s almost always something new. Normally, you’d take the previous year’s car as a basis, talk about what engine and gearbox will be used and roughly what will need to be packaged inside the car, then move on to where the aerodynamic regulations have changed the most.

Lewis Butler (Chief Designer): In my role, I started looking at this car around June last year while I was working on iterations of the 2010 car.

Marianne: I have to say that the start of the process is a really fun period, when you’re looking through the new rules, thrashing out ideas and trying to find loopholes.

It's a front-running car in every area - Mike Gascoyne.

Elliot Dason-Barber (Head of R&D and Vehicle Dynamics): It’s a very complex process – take the front wing, for example. The Aero department would’ve started working on it during the middle of last year, trying to make it generate as much load as possible. Design will then focus on making it stiff enough so that it isn’t too flexible on track. Between them they’ll refine the design by going through a number of iterations. At the same time, I’ll start looking at the nose section and by crashing test pieces into a wall we can start to see if it’s a ‘little too stiff’ or ‘not stiff enough’ in the event of a real crash. It’s conflicting requirements from three different departments that make the process so complex. You’re probably looking at 20 people being involved in the design of one part.

Mike: I think the thing that was a challenge this year was that the 2010 car really was a one-o , because of the way it was done with the design team and the time we had. There’s been almost no carry-over of parts for the 2011 car, whereas normally you’d have a substantial carry-over and the chance to optimise last year’s parts. It looks substantially different from last year’s car – it has a much more ‘current’ feel about it. And it’s the basis of our cars for the future.

Lewis: I think people will be quite impressed with the shape of the bodywork compared to last year.

You can read more about the T128 from those who’ve designed and built it in the current edition of Team Lotus Notes.

Meanwhile, after the launch of Ferrari’s F150 last week we’ll get our first glimpse of Team Lotus’ main competition in 2011 – Lotus Renault GP, who will unveil their 2011 car at 12:30 CET (11:30 GMT) today. Visit launch.lotusrenaultgp.com to get your first peek in just over half an hour from now.

The new TL128 will take to the track at Valencia on Wednesday, which is the first F1 winter test of 2011.

Photo Gallery

We were already aware that Group Lotus were in discussions with Genii Capital – majority shareholders in the Renault F1 team – about bringing a tie-up for 2011. The announcement was due at the final grand prix in Abu Dhabi, but there’s been much lobbying and negotiation in the background prior to this morning’s announcement.

Last week the FIA announced the teams that would be competing in the 2011 F1 World Championship, with Tony Fernandes’ Lotus Racing becoming ‘Team Lotus‘. Fernandes’ team announced a few weeks earlier that they’d be moving from the green-and-yellow livery of their 2010 car and reviving the iconic black-and-gold livery of those 1970′s John Player Special sponsored Team Lotus cars – a move that was roundly applauded in the motorsport world.

So we shouldn’t really be surprised that in this very public game of chess, that Group Lotus have thrown a spoiler into the ring by way of the black-and-gold livery of it’s own contender, launched this morning under the name of ‘Lotus Renault GP’.

Here’s the full press release for you to pick over yourself..

Genii Capital and Group Lotus join forces in Lotus Renault GP

Lotus, the manufacturer, returns to Formula 1™

Genii Capital and Group Lotus plc today announced the creation of Lotus Renault GP, the successor to the Renault F1 Team that will contest the 2011 FIA Formula One™ World Championship. This exciting announcement is made in the context of a strategic alliance between the two companies that will provide Group Lotus with significant technological and commercial opportunities for its range of road cars.

Following the return of the Lotus name to Formula 1™ in 2010, under licence from Group Lotus, this historic announcement marks the complete return of the Lotus manufacturer to the sport, with the full backing of its parent company Proton. Group Lotus plc will become a major equity partner of Genii Capital in Lotus Renault GP, and the two parties have concluded a title sponsorship agreement that will run until the end of the 2017 season. With the continued support of Renault as a supplier of engines and technological and engineering expertise, Lotus Renault GP enjoys a strong, stable platform for future success.

Gerard Lopez, Chairman of Renault F1 Team, commented: “We are delighted that we can now go public with the news that we will be racing as Lotus Renault GP in 2011. It is extremely exciting to begin a new era for the team in partnership with Group Lotus, and we will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons. It is a tribute to the excellent work this year by the team in Enstone that we have been able to attract both major sponsorship and new investment for a very bright future.”

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1 is the very pinnacle of open-wheel racing. We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position once and for all: we are Lotus and we are back.”

The new partnership has been enabled by Renault selling its remaining shares in the team to Genii Capital. Group Lotus plc will subsequently become a major equity partner in Lotus Renault GP, which it will co-own with Genii Capital.

Renault will continue its strong support of the team with which it won the 2005 and 2006 world championships, as a supplier of engines and technological and engineering expertise. Reflecting this technological support, Lotus Renault GP will continue to compete with the Renault chassis name and Renault will enjoy pre-eminent brand exposure on the livery.

For 2011, the Lotus Renault GP cars will race in a new interpretation of the iconic black and gold colours that were last used when Lotus and Renault joined forces in the 1980s. This livery, which has been on the drawing board for over two months in order to reinterpret its iconic graphic signature to suit modern media requirements, is sure to strike a powerful chord with the sport’s enthusiasts around the world.

The team scored a strong fifth-place finish in the 2010 constructors’ championship, which included three podium finishes for Robert Kubica. Next season, Lotus Renault GP is aiming to take another step forward which will see it competing regularly with the most prestigious names in Formula 1™.

If you read our recent article – Lotus – has it all gone just a little pear-shaped? – then you’ll be aware that Proton-owned Group Lotus have tried to stop use of the Team Lotus name in 2011, despite Fernandes’ successfully purchasing the rights from David Hunt in September.

We’ve been running a poll since the article was published and so far only 19% of you believe Group Lotus should be challenging Fernandes’ use of the name. Clearly the first step for Fernandes was to successfully register the name for the 2011 season and now that the FIA have accepted the change, there’s even less benefit in Group Lotus continuing their opposition.

Team Lotus confirmed today that they will retain current drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen for the 2011 season, so let’s hope they can now concentrate on preparing their new car and fighting to improve on their 10th place finish in 2010.

And then it all went horribly wrong.

At the Paris Motor Show last month, we were expecting the Evora S and Evora Auto plus some (at the time) unannounced new car(s) – however nobody was expecting Lotus’ highly ambitious New Era Strategy, underpinned by 5 new cars on display (Esprit, Elan, Elise, Elite and Eterne). Hard-core enthusiasts claimed Lotus was selling out, betraying the very essence that founder Colin Chapman had worked so hard to create.

A few days earlier at the Singapore GP, 1 Malaysia Racing announced they would be racing under the Team Lotus Name in 2011, news that was applauded by fans and the Chapman family alike, but Proton and Group Lotus immediately moved to stop such a name change, stating that Fernandes and David Hunt’s Team Lotus Ventures have never owned the right to race under the Team Lotus name. I won’t go through all the details of Proton’s statement – you can read it here, but suffice it to say this is part of a long-running feud between Proton and David Hunt (brother of 1976 F1 World Champion, James Hunt) who acquired the Team Lotus assets when the company went into administration in 1994.

When Proton, controlled by the late Yahaya Ahmad, bought Group Lotus in late 1996 the lines of demarcation were said to be clear from the start – Yahaya knew he was just buying the car-making and engineering business of Lotus and not the motor-racing business that has claim to the drivers and constructors championships.

Proton claims this distinction is now blurred after Hunt acquired the rights to Team Lotus, saying that original agreements stipulated that a deed would have to be signed by Group Lotus if there was a change in ownership of Team Lotus. However Hunt and business partner Kenny Wapshott acquired Team Lotus prior to Proton’s ownership of Group Lotus – so if this were true, then due diligence at the time should have uncovered such an issue. Besides, Proton have had over 13 years to resolve any dispute.

This all sounds horribly messy, how about an idiot’s guide to the key points?

I sat down during the weekend to digest recent events and try and decide if this was a matter we should care about, or merely a bit of sabre-rattling prior to some back-room deal being done. Given that I’d gone to the trouble of navigating through the issues, it seemed only logical to share my conclusions here on SkiddMark. It’s just my perspective, after reviewing the information currently available in the public domain, so you should still make up your own mind (and then you’re welcome to share your views in the comments and poll below).

For those of you who’d like to really delve into the matter, I encourage you to visit the links in our ‘FURTHER READING’ panel below, especially the recent interview between Peter Windsor and David Hunt and the anonymous ‘Save Team Lotus’ page, which although somewhat emotive does a good job in illustrating how tangled this web has become. Hopefully I can help untangle a few misunderstandings.

1. Team Lotus and Group Lotus have always been separate – as you will read elsewhere Colin Chapman founded Lotus Engineering Ltd in 1952 and then the ‘sister company’ Team Lotus in 1954, this was a familiar practice for car makers entering F1 designed to limit the liability of the riskier racing operation on the main car business. The Lotus Group of Companies (now known as Group Lotus) was formed in 1959 and was made up of Lotus Cars Limited and Lotus Components Limited. Group Lotus (owned since 1996 by Proton) contains Lotus Cars (makers of the Elise, Exige, Evora etc) and Lotus Engineering (provider of engineering consultancy services to many of the world’s major automotive companies). The common link between Team Lotus and Group Lotus broke in the 1980s on the death of Colin Chapman and the acquisition of Group Lotus by General Motors, Team Lotus continued on as a separate company under the stewardship of Peter Warr, competing in F1 with drivers such as Mika Hakkinen and Johnny Herbert until the team went into administration in 1994 – David Hunt then purchased the company as a going concern from the receiver including the Team Lotus trademark, logo and staff.
2. A Trademark or brand name is not the same thing as the company itself – when reading through some of the discussions on forums and blogs, one misunderstanding that frequently arises is the assumption that “Lotus must surely own Lotus”. When you register a trademark you are registering two aspects, the name and the uses to which that name will be applied – this usage is not implicit in all possible forms but instead must be stated. So for example if I decided to register a trademark for Lotus Coffee, then it’s unlikely that Group Lotus would have any say in the matter – unless of course I linked my new brand of coffee with cars. This is known in the law of torts as “passing off” or “palming off” in the US. The English law of torts is concerned with matters such as negligence, liability, nuisance, defamation and trespass – usually the kinds of civil matter that fall outside the neatly defined boundaries of contract law. Since Proton acquired Group Lotus they’ve challenged the Team Lotus trademark several times in the courts, most recently a few years ago, and each time such a challenge has been dismissed.
3. The Heritage of the Lotus name in Racing is held within the trademark of Team Lotus – Proton/Group Lotus feels that the Lotus brand and the cars it makes are synonymous with each other, therefore it argues that all of Lotus (in both cars and racing) should by rights be held under their control (“Group Lotus is everything Lotus”). The law on such a matter is quite clear (where trademarks have been previously registered and the respective brands have been in public use) – the law is designed to prevent one trader misrepresenting his goods or services as those of another and therefore deceive customers into purchasing his goods (or services) when they thought they were purchasing those of another. Given how well known the distinction between Lotus (the car maker and engineering firm) and Lotus (the racing team) has been for over 40 years and the recent publicity around this dispute, then it’s unlikely many people would be confused except of course by the manner in which Group Lotus already present themselves as custodians of Lotus’ racing legacy.
4. So where does 1 Malaysia Racing Team and Tony Fernandes fit in? – back in 2009 Tony Fernandes realised a childhood dream, taking advantage of the proposed $40m F1 budget cap and registering a team to compete in the 2010 F1 season. It all happened quickly, and very last minute and whilst Fernandes would love to have entered F1 as Team Lotus he’d not yet come to an agreement with David Hunt (the then owner of Team Lotus Ventures), so he reached agreement with Group Lotus to race under the ‘Lotus Racing’ name in 2010 whilst at the same time entering discussions with David Hunt to acquire Team Lotus. Hunt, being the sort of decent upstanding bloke that he is, agreed with Fernandes to give Proton first refusal on the Team Lotus sale, but they apparently blew it – hence eventually in September 2010 a deal was agreed with Tony Fernandes who then announced that his F1 team would be rebranded in 2011 as Team Lotus.

What’s REALLY going on?

Okay, so now we move from the messy to the ever-so-slightly sinister. Clearly there is more going on under the covers than is spilling over into the public domain and therefore it would not be wise to enter into too much speculation. However, what we can all see is that Proton/Group Lotus have ramped up their ambitions substantially in the past 12 months – is Dany Bahar’s arrival the cause or merely the catalyst of such activity? He’s certainly been the main spokesperson from within Group Lotus and whilst we admire his un-burstable enthusiasm and energy, he clearly has strong backing and significant financial resources to see through the company’s ambitions.

Last week Lotus announced a significant further move into Indy Racing, in a five year deal starting in 2012, Lotus will supply in-house engines and aero body kits for the IZOD IndyCar Series. This is a major undertaking for a company that has never competed in racing and which, up until now, has relied upon customer engines supplied by Toyota (and previously Rover) to power its cars. Group Lotus have also been in talks with Renault F1 to participate in the 2011 F1 season together – they were due to make an announcement last week in Abu Dhabi, but things have gone a little quiet for the time being.

We understand that Group Lotus and Team Lotus are under a long-standing contractual agreement to distinguish their respective brands from each other (and avoid confusion in the public’s mind) – therefore surely if Group Lotus enter F1 with Renault and apply their brand name to teams in the IndyCar Series, then this could be construed as a breach of that agreement?

There’s clearly much at stake, for both Group Lotus and 1 Malaysia Racing – Group Lotus need to manage and protect the Lotus name that their stakeholders are currently investing so heavily in, whilst Fernandes whom we understand now owns the Team Lotus trademark and brand is 18-months into his investment in F1 which is maturing nicely (10th place in the 2010 constructors championship) and whose recent purchase of Team Lotus from David Hunt is the next step in that plan.

Neither party can afford the costs nor the distraction of a long-drawn out litigation case, but it seems that Proton’s strategy may be to apply political pressure in Malaysia to force Fernandes and his partners to release the Team Lotus rights. This is where the whole story takes on a slightly sinister tone. You see, Proton knew that David Hunt was negotiating the sale of Team Lotus to Fernandes and rather than conclude such a deal themselves they allowed Fernandes to acquire the name.

Now given Proton’s influence in Malaysia (being part owned by the government) and Fernandes’ reliance on his Air Asia low-cost airline (whose domestic hub and routes are licensed by the Malaysian government), could this whole scenario be part of a well orchestrated plan by Proton to acquire Team Lotus when they were unable to do so directly with David Hunt?

Hunt has gone on record to state that if such a scenario were to play out, then it would mean that Fernandes had deceived him (and motorsport fans around the world) in claiming to be a serious motorsport enthusiast. We doubt such a conclusion to be likely – given the high-profile manner in which Fernandes has fronted the 1 Malaysia Racing campaign, any backing down now would be tremendously damaging both to his personal reputation and his businesses.

Keep an eye on this story though, because it’s bound to affect the wider establishment in motorsport and production sports cars – the ambitions of those at the centre of the dispute it seems cannot co-exist, therefore when two finally come head-to-head, there’s bound to be a few rogue fireworks setting fire to neighbouring properties.

Will the situation be resolved soon?

I am not sure how it can be resolved quickly, both sides have invested significantly in their own strategies, so are unlikely to change tact without testing the boundaries of each other’s argument. Clearly David Hunt (former owner of Team Lotus Ventures) is seething and believes Proton/Group Lotus to have taken a position that libels his reputation. He would also be very unhappy to see Team Lotus acquired by Proton through coercion, so we suspect he would challenge such an outcome. In fact he’s offered to take back the Team Lotus name from Fernandes, licensing him to use it in 2011 and reducing some of the political leverage available to Proton, he would then be free to directly rebut Proton’s claims in court.

To further complicate matters, Group Lotus have accused Fernandes of “..flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the “Lotus” brand.” So unless Proton retract this statement, then Fernandes will probably be advised to challenge it (in court) and neutralise any lingering claim for damages that might otherwise compromise the team’s future.

Often in such adversarial situations it can be an effective strategy to file a counterclaim – in this case for the use of the Team Lotus trademark and heritage in Group Lotus’ marketing, in fact it’s a wonder why such a case hasn’t already been presented. In fact such a counterclaim might now be necessary, especially given Proton’s argument that Team Lotus Ventures have lost their rights to the name due to lack of use.

Either way, you can see there are plenty of creases still to iron out of this argument and with a court appearance unlikely until well into 2011, I could see this dispute running well into 2012. Assuming Fernandes has completed his purchase of Team Lotus, then he could still potentially run under that name in 2011, so keep an eye on Tony’s Twitter account (@tonyfernandes) for further news..

But rumours persist in and around the quiet villages near Hethel, that Lotus’ PR team may have discovered a rare elixir that is said to leave them in an elevated state of happiness and optimism for up to 8 hours at a time – long enough to sustain them through the average working day. Rival PR teams are said to be scouting the pubs in nearby Norwich for an alternative source of this most sought after treatment.

Think we’re making this up? Shame on you for doubting us.

Without further ado, I present Exhibit A, a press release sent out by Lotus this evening entitled “Once upon a time…..in 1977 “.

Once upon a time…..in 1977

Once upon a time (last week) at the Lotus headquarters in Hethel. The Communications Team were hard at work thinking about the kinds of things communications people think about. Imagine the scene…..

Silence……

Suddenly a voice pipes up: “Guys, we need a press release for the IndyCar race in Long Beach next weekend. Something clever. Quirky. Creative. Any ideas?”

Uncomfortable silence….

And then a question (and any PR person worth their salt will tell you there’s no such thing as a stupid question): “Long Beach was on the F1 calendar – didn’t Lotus win in Long Beach?”

Answer (like a gunshot or a backfire): ”3rd of April 1977. Mario Andretti!”

Silence (but you can hear the brains ticking)….

And then out of nowhere (but slightly to the left): “When was Takuma Sato born?”

Stunned silence.

“What the heck has that to do with Long Beach?”

Silence and stifled giggles……

A few swift mouse clicks later: “Taku was born on the 28th of January 1977.”

Silence….

Then (to the sound of numerous light bulbs clicking on): “Ah. Well. There we go. Good job.”

So this little story explains why we the Lotus crew ended up in a Norwich pub to celebrate the idea and raise a toast “To the 33rd birthday of Taku and Mario’s win and the ongoing success of Lotus.

The End.

Quotes:

Takuma Sato: “Long Beach is such a historical place for motor racing. Even though I’ve never been there I know the race is always an exciting one with a great atmosphere. I am getting a more comfortable feeling every time I jump in the car. I am getting used to the whole environment so I am pleased about this coming back to back race weekend especially after Barber where I collected many positives.”

Claudio Berro: “The results of the past few races don’t concern me too much, they’re definitely not reflective of Taku’s ability to perform long term. What matters most is the steady progress he and the team have made with the car, the more time spent out on track, the better he gets and the closer the team gets to the perfect set-up. I have every faith in Taku, if he can keep his cool and maintain his determination and focus, I have no doubt that he’ll do us proud.”

Well done folks and keep it up.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th April, and UK viewers with a Sky Sports subscription can watch it at 9pm on Sky Sports 4 this Sunday.

For those of you too young to remember the days when the Lotus name was as iconic as Ferrari, it all stems back to the unique partnership between founder Colin Chapman and the dominant driver of his era, Jim Clark. In 1963 Clark and Chapman secured their first Formula One World Championship in the Lotus 25, entering the Indianapolis 500 during the same year and finishing in second position – with Clark winning ‘Rookie of the Year’.

Jim Clark driving the Lotus Type 38 at the 1965 Indy 500 - Credit: IMS Photo

Clark made amends in 1965 when driving the Lotus Type 38 and recording the first win for a rear-engined car at the Indianapolis 500, in the same year as he won his second Formula One World Championship. No front-engined car has won the Indy 500 race since, which just shows how groundbreaking Lotus were as a motor racing manufacturer in the 1960s.

The Lotus Indy 500 Team at the victorious 1965 race - Credit: IMS Photo

Now in the same year that Lotus return to Formula One with Lotus Racing, they have announced a partnership with Cosworth Racing and established IndyCar competitors KV Racing Technology to run in the 2010 IndyCar Series.

The Lotus-Cosworth IndyCar will use the classic Racing Green and Yellow livery used on Lotus Racing cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and this new livery will debut at the first USA round of the IndyCar Series driven by former F1 driver Takuma Sato.

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus plc said, “Racing has always defined Lotus and on many occasions in motorsports history Lotus’ numerous innovations have re-defined racing. It’s only fitting that as the Lotus Racing name re-enters Formula 1, we will also race and innovate again in IndyCar. The Lotus name will, once again compete in the top two open-wheel racing series for the passion and enthusiasm of car fans around the globe.”

Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser, owners of KV Racing Technology said, “We are delighted to be part of Lotus and Cosworth’s return to the IndyCar Series, and with Takuma at the wheel of the classic racing green and yellow Lotus Cosworth race car, we expect to be formidable competitors this year.”

Takuma Sato said, “This is fantastic news for everyone. It is exiting for me to be a Lotus driver and I’m really looking forward to great success with this new project.”

The return to the IndyCar Series follows on from the recent announcement by Lotus and Cosworth that they are to become closely associated through a strategic partnership looking at the opportunity to develop high performance engines for Lotus cars.

The 2010 IndyCar Series starts with the Sao Paolo Indy 300, Brazil on the 14th of March 2010.

The team was among the first cars on track in wet conditions, and, despite a lack of power steering, due to supplier issues, Fairuz successfully fulfilled all his and the team’s objectives for the day.

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer, said “It’s been an excellent day for the whole team. Firstly I want to say a big thank you to Fairuz who did an excellent job today with the first proper day of running. With so much going on, such as doing systems checks, it can be a pretty disjointed day for the driver. When you add into that the changeable conditions, and also the fact we were running without power steering today, it could have been a tricky day for Fairuz but he didn’t put a foot wrong so well done to him and a big thank you.

“With the car we had no major reliability issues – a few niggles with overheating which were quickly solved and then the car ran pretty faultlessly. The power steering issue will be fixed for tomorrow so all in all a very successful first day and a busy evening ahead preparing the car for tomorrow.”

Fairuz Fauzy was also delighted with his first day behind the wheel of the Lotus Cosworth T127, saying “First of all I want to thank the team. To arrive here and complete 76 laps is fantastic. It was a big challenge, both to complete the 300kms I need for the Super Licence, and with no power steering it was difficult to drive in the dry, not so bad in the wet, so I was driving a bit conservatively but I am just very pleased.”

Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen takes over driving duties for the next two days (Thursday and Friday) before Jarno Trulli joins the action on Saturday.

As the lights came up the car’s stunning green and yellow livery was seen for the first time, striking an emotional chord with both young and old alike and evoking memories of some of motor racing’s most iconic moments in an entirely contemporary fashion.

Tony Fernandes gave his thoughts on the astonishing achievement the Lotus Racing team has accomplished in launching the car just five short months since the team was granted its entry to the FIA Formula One World Championships, saying: “I am extremely proud to be here today and to be able to show the world the fruits of the team’s hard work over the last five months. It’s humbling for me and my fellow shareholders, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin to see how a team that five months ago didn’t even exist is now a thriving workforce, full of enthusiasm and passion for Lotus Racing and the challenges ahead and capable of producing such a beautiful machine in such a short time.

“Now we’ve achieved two major milestones; confirming our entry and unveiling our car, but now the real work starts. Next we move on to testing and the season ahead and I’m confident that the team will exceed expectations wherever we go, and will do so on a wave of support around the world that has been growing daily since we first unleashed Lotus Racing back in September ’09.”

Mike Gascoyne added his thoughts, saying “The last few months have been some of the most challenging of my career, but it’s been a challenge the whole team and I have thrived on since we first started work on the car up in Norfolk. I’m delighted that we’ve reached this point, and now we have a beautiful car that gives us a great base to work from for the season ahead and a fighting chance of going racing in the right way, with a winning mentality. The hard part starts now, and I know everyone in the team and I are up for whatever lies ahead.”

The Lotus Racing T127 is powered by Cosworth and will use an Xtrac gearbox and, in line with all 2010 teams, will be running on Bridgestone tyres.