Club news – Page 20 – Chapman Report Online

May 27, 2010

Lotus Racing Turkish Grand Prix Preview

Onto Turkey for round seven of the 2010 FIA Formula One™ Championship and Lotus Racing are looking forward to another step forward at the Istanbul Park Circuit. A new rear wing and a number of new aero and mechanical parts should help the team keep moving closer to the midfield, and both drivers are looking forward to the challenges of the 5.338km track.

Jarno Trulli (Lotus Cosworth T127-03): ‘The track in Turkey is good – turn eight is challenging but the rest of it is relatively simple, and definitely not as tricky as Monaco! I’m looking forward to getting out on track and having some better luck this weekend. My confidence in the car is growing all the time so I hope a bit of luck and the updates we’ve put on here will help me have a better race this weekend.’

Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus Cosworth T127-01): “It’s good to be back in Turkey, the weather is usually nice here and it seems the same this weekend. Turkey itself is really cool – Istanbul is a huge city with some great places to go. The harbour area is nice and it’s good to try and take some time and have a look around there in the evening – I’m staying on the Asian side this weekend, so I’m not sure I’ll get much time off, but it’s still good to be here.

“The track is great – it’s a big circuit and we get back to a normal open race course after Monaco. We’re fully prepared and I’m looking forward to practice tomorrow to see what the new wing gives us, and where we are after seeing such good pace in the car in Monaco.”

Dieter Gass, Sporting Director: “Looking back on the year so far I think we can be extremely satisfied with what we have achieved. We’ve completed all the targets we set out at the beginning of the season, and from the first time we started testing we have been reliable, which is a testament to the hard work put in by everyone in the team, and our partners. But now we are working on making the car quicker and improving the gap to the established teams – we are getting there, and this weekend, and at Silverstone, we’re looking to take more steps forward.

“Turkey is a track the drivers like as it presents a good challenge – some high and low speed corners, and the famous triple apex corner eight all test the balance of the car, and the aero performance. It’s always a challenge for the engineers and the drivers to set up the car so it’s going to be an interesting weekend here – we have very experienced people throughout the team, so I’m confident we’ll put on a good show. I wouldn’t say Istanbul Park either suits, or doesn’t suit our car, and I think we’ll be pretty much where we were in Barcelona, but with we are looking to take another step forward with the next batch of updates on the car.

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Director: “Looking back on Spain and Monaco we’ve taken a good step forward in those races and here in Turkey we’re looking to keep on improving and racing the cars in front, not those behind. We’ll be using our new pillar mounted rear wing here, and have some new parts which will enable us to optimise the weight distribution, so again, I’m quietly confident we’ll bridge the gap to those in front that little bit more.”

Lotus Racing has also confirmed it will be running the T127 at the Classic Team Lotus Festival at Snetterton on 20th June.

[press release from Lotus Racing]

May 24, 2010

Open House / Tech Seminar at Suspension Performance on Sat June 12th

Please join GGLC sponsor Suspension Performance for their first-ever open house and technical seminar on Sat June 12th, from 10am to 2pm.

Get an up-close look at one of the Lotus 2 Eleven race cars maintained by Suspension Performance.
See the new 300 hp Ariel Atom 3 on display, courtesy of Sector 111.
Talk to Steve Carson of Secant Vehicles about the powertrain upgrades for Lotus and Ariel Atom cars.
Learn about the latest Lotus aftermarket parts and upgrades.

A catered lunch will be served, so please RSVP to eric@suspensionperformance.com for an accurate headcount.

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May 22, 2010

A piece of Lotus F1 History

The mailman just brought me this amazing piece of Lotus F1 history: a piston from the Cosworth DFV engine #339 used in the Lotus 81 Formula 1 car.

In the 70s and 80s, Team Lotus was in the habit of keeping the pistons from rebuilds to use as VIP gifts. Each engine’s pistons were labeled and stored but not all were presented. With reference to the team’s archives, Classic Team Lotus is able to identify the detailed competition history for the engines in which the pistons ran. A great deal of polishing, then mounting on a wooden plinth, complete with presentation plaque, makes a rather special item of memorabilia.

Now while a piston from an F1 engine is amazing in itself (Ferrari charges >$600 for a 2000 piston), this particular engine has some additional history that makes it even more unique. The DFV 339 was used by not one but two F1 world Champions: Mario Andretti used it in his final season at Lotus while Nigel Mansell used it during his first two seasons in F1.

The piston comes with documentation of the engines usage and you can see that while it was used primarily in practice and testing, it was also used by Andretti in the 1980 USA GP West where he retired after a first corner accident.

If you’d like to get your hands on some original Team Lotus history, head on over to the Classic Team Lotus webstore and be prepared to fight the temptation to buy out the entire store.

[via The Racing Geek]

May 22, 2010

LPL Motorsports and Tyler McQuarrie rejoin World Challenge in Mosport

On the heels of their first appearance – and first win – at the World Challenge Long Beach Grand Prix, Tyler McQuarrie will return to the seat of the No.19 LPL / Lotus Exige S at the Grand Prix of Mosport to contest rounds four and five of the 2010 World Challenge season.

McQuarrie had a sensational debut for himself, as well as the LPL Motorsports team and the Lotus Exige S with a dominating performance at last month’s Long Beach Grand Prix. McQuarrie, who is best known as a star in the Formula Drift Pro Championship where he drives a V8 powered Nissan 350z for the Falken Tire team, is excited to have another go in World Challenge.

“Long Beach was really a dream weekend,” said McQuarrie, a Pleasant Hill, Calif. resident. “We definitely had some challenges that we had to overcome, but the race was phenomenal and all credit should go to the LPL / DRS crew that didn’t sleep for weeks before the event to get the car ready.”

With the win, McQuarrie and the team got a big trophy, a reduction in boost, and weight added to their Lotus Exige S. In between his Formula Drift schedule, McQuarrie has been at the track with the LPL Motorsports team, getting the No. 19 Lotus Exige S dialed in to its new configuration. After a few days spent at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, McQuarrie is confident that the car and team are ready for the challenges of Mosport – a track that he is learning thanks to a computer simulator.

“The track seems like it will suit the Lotus very well, although we may have a disadvantage on the Andretti straightaway due to the changes to the car after Long Beach,” said McQuarrie. “We also know that we are racing against guys who have lots of data, lots of laps, and have won at Mosport. We are just going to give it the same effort that we did in Long Beach, and rely on the great handling of the Lotus Exige S to get us another win.”

The weekend kicks off with practice, qualifying, and round four on Saturday, with another qualifying session and round five on Sunday. Fans will be able to keep up with the McQuarrie and the LPL Motorsports team by following McQuarrie on Twitter, at twitter.com/tylermcquarrie (@tylermcquarrie).

LPL Motorsports is currently planning to continue with the World Challenge season and welcomes inquiries from drivers interested in partnering McQuarrie in a second Exige S.

[press release from LPL Motorsports]

May 21, 2010

Lotus Challenge Series @ Laguna Seca

The Lotus Challenge Series will be having a 2 day event at Laguna Seca on July 10 and 11th. They will have their own LOTUS-only run group both days. There will be a Time Trial competition and wheel-to-wheel race on Sunday. This LCS event (and run group) will be capped at 23 participants. The 92 db sound limit be enforced by the track for this event.

New members are welcome to run as long as safety/driving experience requirements are met. The LCS organizers have extended a special invitation to GGLC members and Northern California Lotus owners to participate in the event. Please visit the Lotus Challenge Series website for more information.

Spectators are cordially invited and there may even be some VIP surprise guests in attendance. The LCS participants had a blast last year at this historic venue, so don’t wait too long to sign up — based upon preliminary indications of interest, this event looks to be a sell-out.

Click here to sign up for the event. Garages will also be available to the competitors for renting.

[via Lotus Challenge Series and British Speed]

May 16, 2010

Lotus Racing Monaco Grand Prix Report

Lotus Racing leave Monaco with mixed emotions after a very impressive display during the race came to an early end for both cars with only a few laps remaining. Despite this, the team demonstrated impressive pace throughout the race, making good on the promise shown in practice and qualifying, and will see the race as another step forward in experience and performance.

Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus Cosworth T127-01, retired lap 59) “It was a fantastic race right from the beginning. I had a bit of a struggle at the restarts to get the tyres up to temperature, but once I got everything working I was able to almost keep up with the Renault. I was pushing very hard, and the car felt fantastic – the balance was really good. Just before I retired I could feel the steering alignment was a bit uneven – on the right hand corners I had to use maximum lock, even in the tunnel, and it got the point where it didn’t feel safe anymore. In Monaco you can’t take a risk with it so I came in. It was a mechanical issue, but despite that I’m really pleased with today. We again showed we’re firmly the best of the new teams and we are nearly there with the next group, so I think we just need to keep attacking, and that’s how we’ll achieve results.”

Jarno Trulli (Lotus Cosworth T127-03: Classified 15th) “This wasn’t a great weekend for me. After we had a problem with the wheelgun in the pitstop I was stuck behind the HRTs and trying to find room to overtake – in the last lap Karun seemed slow through the second and third sector, and I’d seen he was leaving room at Rascasse, so I tried to get through but we touched and that was that – the end of the race. It was one of those things – a racing incident, but I still feel like we’re going in the right direction as a team, and I want to put the bad luck behind me when we get back on track in Turkey.”

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “This was our strongest performance yet compared to the midfield, so obviously mixed emotions for where we finished. Heikki had a very strong race and in the middle his performance was particularly good compared to the midfield group. It’s a shame we had a problem on his car – the steering joint failed, something we’ve not seen before – but overall it was a very positive weekend for him. For Jarno, he had a much more difficult weekend, clearly struggling with the balance of the car and I think as a team we have to take a look at everything to be able to do a better job for him. Obviously he was compromised by the slow pitstop, which dropped him down the field and affected his whole race. He was capable of going much faster and when he made the move he unfortunately fell victim to the nature of the Monaco circuit. So I leave feeling pleased we showed such good pace, and we move on to Turkey.”

Tony Fernandes: “I take a lot of positives from the race today and it was another one where we had at least one car classified. Most importantly Heikki made a great step forward and it was fantastic watching him race with Petrov. He and the whole team felt it was the best race of the season for him and that boosts confidence further for the season ahead. We’ve got some more new parts coming which will continue to take us forward, and hopefully Jarno’s luck will turn, but even with that we’re all pleased. It’s also great to see so many of our fans out around the track – hopefully we gave them some good racing today, and in years to come we’ll give them some good results as well.”

[press release from Lotus Racing]

May 12, 2010

Monaco Grand Prix Preview

It’s tight, it’s bumpy and it’s a major challenge for the drivers and the teams, but the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the world’s greatest sporting events, and Lotus Racing is confident of putting on a very good show at a venue where much of the Lotus history was created. Looking ahead to the weekend’s action are team drivers Jarno Trulli, a Monaco winner in 2004, and Heikki Kovalainen, with Team Manager Graham Watson giving insight into the logistical problems Monaco presents, Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne providing insights from the pitwall, and Team Principal Tony Fernandes discussing his first Monaco race at the head of an F1™ team.

Graham Watson: “The challenge really begins as soon as the Spanish Grand Prix finishes as we have to pack up everything there and then get it all over to Monaco in time to try and finish setting up by Tuesday night. We have some very experienced truckies and mechanics in the team, who know their way around the confines of the Monaco paddock, and that definitely helps us make sure we can meet all our engineering deadlines, and have the cars ready to go out on track on Thursday morning. We may be one of the new teams, and we definitely don’t have as much equipment yet as some of the more established names, but we’re still able to pack in everything we need to cope with any eventuality over the weekend, including a composite and fabrication workshop on site, which hopefully won’t be needed, but with the nature of Monaco in mind, are necessities here.”

Mike Gascoyne: “Monaco is obviously a unique place. I enjoy walking around as you realise what a mad place it is to race cars! Engineering wise it’s a major challenge – it’s very bumpy with lots of slow corners and qualifying is critical as it’s almost impossible to overtake, but I still love it! We should do ok here – we’re good in the slow speed sectors and both our guys are experienced in dealing with the bumps and the traffic, particularly Jarno whose win here was very special, so all in all I’m looking forward to it.”

Jarno Trulli: “It’s something very special in Monaco. Whether you’re driving or just walking around, you can almost breathe in how exciting it is. Every driver in the world wants to win here, and I was lucky enough to do so in ’04, but the whole experience can be tough – it’s important for us to concentrate on the race, and here you’re under so much pressure it can be difficult to get the time to think, and concentrate on the actual race, but that’s how it is, so we deal with it.

“Getting in a good lap is also a challenge, but if you can manage the traffic it’s very satisfying. One of the most important parts of the circuit is through the swimming pool – you change direction at high speed, then brake for the next chicane, which is slow but you still need to get through it quickly. You jump over the kerbs there, not too much or you launch yourself into the wall, but just enough to carry the speed through. That’s why concetration levels are important – get that right every time and you’re ok – if not, you’re out.”

Heikki Kovalainen: “I obviously didn’t get the chance in Barcelona to build on the step forward we took with the updates so I’m looking forward to getting back on track and pushing on. It’s so busy on track in Monaco there’s no time to relax, and there are no run off areas so you pay heavily for any little mistakes, but I really like street circuits as they reward good car control, and I think we’ll be pretty good here from how the car felt in Spain. I’ve managed to get a round of golf in with Tony since we left Barcelona, and it’s probably not fair to say how he got on… but generally it’ll be good to get out on track again and keep up the momentum we’ve had all year.”

Tony Fernandes: “I’ve been coming to Monaco ever since AirAsia first came into the sport as a sponsor, and it’s somewhere I love coming to. It’ll be great being here with Lotus Racing – pretty emotional as Lotus has so much history here. It’ll be a special moment for me and a huge amount of fans to see the green and yellow on track again, so I can’t wait for Thursday and to see the cars out there at what’s almost their third home race!”

[press release from Lotus Racing]

May 11, 2010

GGLC welcomes its 500th member

David Anderson (membership chair) just informed us that our club membership has hit the 500 mark for the very first time. Woo hoo!!!

Total number of Members: 500
Members owning Lotus: 298
Lotus per Lotus owner: 1.4
Members not owning Lotus: 202

Model breakdown:

Model	Count
35	1
41	1
47	1
61	1
77	1
Eclat	1
23	2
27	2
51	2
11	3
18	3
Elite (new)	4
Elan (M100)	8
Esprit	8
Elan +2	15
Elite (old)	19
Cortina	22
Exige	23
Esprit turbo	30
Seven	51
Europa	62
Elan	67
Elise	101

Roster Map:

View Larger Map

If you would like to update you location or list of cars owned please contact David Anderson (ggmail AT gglotus DOT org).

May 10, 2010

GGLC Autocross #2 (June 5, 2010) Registration is now open

Registration for the second GGLC Points Event Autocross of the 2010 season is now open.

This season the Golden Gate Lotus Club is creating a new trophy and classing system for our autocrosses. There will now be just one single consolidated trophy for all Federal Elise/Exige variants that replaces all older classes for street and race tires. The new trophy uses a PAX Index based classing system which is a commonly used handicapping system for comparing times of cars which are not in the same class. The index is composed of data from across the country, and tries to take the driver out of the equation and compare only the cars. Each class in the new Elise/Exige trophy has an associated PAX index which is multiplied against your raw run time to provide single comparable time that shows the driver performance within the car. You can determine your class using the GGLC Autocross Classification tool and entering your cars specifications and modifications. Once you have found your applicable class please enter that during the registration process. The points and overall winners for the 2010 GGLC Elise/Exige trophy will be based on the class-based, PAX-indexed times only. Additionally the Open Group trophy will now mirror the SCCA classification with no special dispensations for tire compound.

Click here to register for the event.