Category: racing

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Lotus to be the featured Marque at the 2010 Classic Motorsports Mitty

Classic Motorsports magazine will be returning to Road Atlanta for their annual celebration of all things automotive, and this year’s event promises to be the best yet. Lotus will be the featured marque for this year’s event, and will celebrate the honor by showcasing their new Evora coupe along with scores of historic Lotus racing cars. The Barber Museum will be displaying 10 historic Lotus cars from its collection in the Lotus tent.

Peter Brock will be the guest of honor at the event which will be recognizing the accomplishments of Peter and the rest of the Brock Racing Enterprises team in the automotive world. Peter Brock on hand to address fans in the Cobra Corral Area on Friday along with a BRE tent with many famous BRE racing cars on display

Other events include:
Concours d’LeMons– We love classics in all shapes and sizes, so we wanted to find a way for some of the orphaned and unknown to enjoy the spotlight. To that end, we’ve worked with the same minds that created the 24 Hours of LeMons to create the Concours d’LeMons. This event promises to be a light-hearted highlight of the weekend for lovers of underappreciated classics.

Mazda Drivers Party– After the racing action on Friday, Mazda will be hosting a special party open to anyone with a Mazda key in their pocket. Come to meet and talk with the Mazda Pro racers, factory representatives, and executives that help make this company the number one choice of amateur racers.

Classic Motorsports Cup race– The Classic Motorsports Mitty will host the second round of a new series for 2010—the Classic Motorsports Cup. The series is open to small-bore cars produced before 1965 and their continuation counterparts. this race promises to be a hotly contested battle among the cars that make up the core of our reader’s interests.

Kumho autocross– Thanks to Kumho Tires USA, the 2010 Mitty will again offer spectators the chance to drive a Kumho-equipped Mazda MX-5 around our infield autocross course. This driving experience is completely free of charge, so make sure you sign up for some top-down driving fun!

Moss pub– The Moss pub will be open for business during the evening hours on Friday and Saturday night. Come by for a cold drink and the best bench racing you’ll find this side of Siebkins. Challenge a friend to a game of darts or a spin around our slot-car track anytime, but don’t miss the live music performed by Wess Cobb on Saturday night.

Historic Stock cars– No cookie-cutter “Cars of Tomorrow” here—HSR’s Historic Stock Car class features a full field of competitive racers piloting the cars from NASCAR’s past. Be sure to walk through the paddock to see these famous former race winners.

Swap meet– Need headlight trim for your Spitfire? How about a new bumper for your Jag? Expanded for 2010, The Classic Motorsports Mitty now offers spectators an opportunity to find those elusive parts for their own project at our Swap Meet.

Vintage motorcycle racing– More than just four-wheel fun, the Classic Motorsports Mitty will also feature vintage motorcycle racing around Road Atlanta’s 12-turn circuit. See and hear classic marques like Vincent, Triumph, Matchless and Norton in a nostalgic battle for bragging rights.

The latest information for the event is available at http://classicmotorsports.net/events/mitty-2010/

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Jarno Trulli develops his first Lotus race car

F1 Racing driver Jarno Trulli assists in the development of the Lotus Evora Cup race car during its first test session at Snetterton.

Lotus_Evora_Cup_Driven_by_Jarno_Trulli_at_Snetterton

The Lotus Evora Cup race car is the latest addition to the Lotus Motorsport racing stable. Fresh from its debut at the Autosport International racing car show in Birmingham the Evora Cup race car was given its first shake-down test at a wintery Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, UK on the 10th and 11th of February 2010.

Lotus Motorsport is conducting an extensive development program for the Evora Cup race car, with Jarno Trulli and his Race Engineer, Gianluca Pisanello bringing their vast racing, development and engineering experience to fine tune the latest Lotus mid-engined race car.

Jarno Trulli and Gianluca Pisanello provided specific input into the aerodynamic balance for slow, medium and fast corners, guidance on the racing setup of the suspension geometry and direction on the engine’s calibration.

After driving the Lotus Evora Cup for the first time, Jarno Trulli said, “I have enjoyed driving the road going Lotus Evora very much and I believe that the Evora Cup will be a very competitive race car package. It was very rewarding to be the first to drive the Evora Cup race car even though the snowy conditions at Snetterton were fairly challenging at times!”

Jarno continued, “The car will continue to be developed with new updates coming soon, but even after the initial drive it is obvious that the car has huge potential. I look forward to working with Lotus Motorsport in developing the car further and I know that my years of motorsport experience will help make the Evora Cup race car even better.”

Claudio Berro, Director of Motorsport at Group Lotus plc stated, “It is a privilege to work on the development of the Evora Cup race car with such an experienced driver and engineering team as Jarno Trulli and Gianluca Pisanello and I believe that this collaboration will produce a great race car for a range of motorsport applications. It is a very exciting time for Lotus and I am honoured to be leading the motorsport programmes at Lotus, starting with the Lotus Evora Cup racing car and race series.

Gianluca Pisanello, Race Engineer for Jarno Trulli said, “I am impressed with the whole Evora Cup race car package, which demonstrates that the road going Lotus Evora is such a competent sports car in the first place and an excellent basis to develop a competitive race car.”

In the past a number of Lotus F1 drivers have successfully raced or assisted in the development of Lotus Cars including F1 World Champions Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell. Jim Clark was a great exponent of the three wheel drift in his Lotus Cortina, campaigning the Lotus to win the British Touring Car Championship in 1964. Whilst Nigel Mansell raced for Lotus he was involved in the development of the prototype Active Suspension Lotus Esprit.

The Evora Cup race car is an evocative sports car that will offer a great platform to race in high level motor sport. The GT4 race car will go on sale starting at £120,000 excluding taxes for the sprint racing version, with the endurance specification race car £150,000 excluding taxes.

The final design, aero’ package and techincal specifications will be presented at the Geneva Motorshow in March 2010.

For more information please check out http://www.lotusevoracup.com

[press release from Lotus]

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GGLC Lotus Corral @ 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion (13-15 August 2010)

The GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion (nee: Monterey Historic Races) at Laguna Seca Raceway on August 13-15, 2010. Purchase your Monterey Motorsports Reunion ticket and Lotus corral pass from the GGLC and for a discount. The GGLC must sell at least 25 tickets. Please order early and reserve your spot in the corral. GGLC membership is NOT required, but you must drive your Lotus to the event to park in the GGLC Lotus Corral.

# A few things have changed since last year. The GGLC/Lotus Corral is available all 3 days!
# A corral pass is $10 and is good for all 3 days.
# You must purchase a ticket from the GGLC to be able to purchase a GGLC/Lotus Corral Pass
These new “rules” are based upon the new policies from the Monterey Motorsports Reunion organizers.

Click here to buy your Monterey Historic tickets. Typically the tickets are sent to the GGLC 2-3 weeks prior and we will then immediately distribute them to you. Expect your ticket(s) and corral passes approximate one week prior to the event.

DEADLINE TO BUY TICKETS & CORRAL PASS: MAY 25, 2009! We will not be able get tickets and corral passes after this deadline!

[Buy GGLC Corral Pass + tickets]

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Steve Earle out at Monterey Historics

In response to the press release issued by SCRAMP on August 16, 2009 (dated August 17) regarding the future of the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Steve Earle, President of General Racing, Ltd., has issued the following statement:

General Racing, which has created and produced the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR for 36 years, will no longer be doing so. In the future SCRAMP, the Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula, will organize a new event.

On September 5, 2008, I was advised that the economic terms for the agreement between General Racing and SCRAMP were no longer commercially viable for SCRAMP. I’m disappointed that we were not able to come to an agreement that would allow our event to remain in Monterey. General Racing will allow SCRAMP a one-time use of the name Monterey Historic Automobile Races for the 2010 event.

General Racing will continue the tradition of the Monterey Historics at the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., in early June 2010.

We are very proud of all that we have accomplished with the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, and I truly believe that we have brought something special to the community of Monterey as an event of world renown and the generator of substantial revenue for the local economy and the charities to which SCRAMP contributes.

The purpose of General Racing, Ltd., is and always has been to encourage the restoration, preservation and use of historic, sports and racing cars. General Racing events and races are for the enjoyment of participants and enthusiasts alike.

More information at Autoweek

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Lotus to sponsor the Lotus Challenge Series

Lotus Cars USA has become the title sponsor of the Lotus Challenge Series for the 2009 season. Head on over to Lotus Challenge Series website to sign up for one of their 5 remaining dates this year including Laguna Seca (July 16-17), Infineon (Oct 8-9) and Spring Mountain (November 8–9, during WCLM 09)

PRESS RELEASE

Lotus Cars USA, Inc. Announces Title Sponsorship of Growing Lotus Challenge Series

Duluth, GA, June 25, 2009 – Lotus Cars USA, Inc. is pleased to announce that Lotus will be the Title Sponsor of the growing Lotus Challenge Series.

The Lotus Challenge Series was begun in 2008 by long-time Lotus enthusiast Jim Navarro along with critical support from other Lotus aficionados Jack Fried and Robb Bonanno. To help expand the Lotus Challenge Series to the east and continually improve the series, Jim recently took on a fellow racer as a partner in the series – Tom Hughes.

“When the Series 2 Elise came to the United States market for the first time in 2004, I immediately bought one and drove it straight to the track,” said Lotus Challenge Series founder and President Jim Navarro. “I decided it would be great to have a time trial and club race series where like-minded Lotus enthusiasts could enjoy their cars and improve their driving skills together, so Jack, Robb and I worked hard to build up the series last year. I’m proud of what we’ve built thus far in the Lotus Challenge Series and I particularly appreciate that all of our participants understand our series emphasizes safety and intelligence on the race track and they all drive accordingly.”

The inaugural year of the Lotus Challenge Series in 2008 was comprised of eight events with six at various California tracks and two events at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. The first year of the series was a great success with full grids and a lot of fun and camaraderie enjoyed by all the Lotus racing participants.

With a good, solid first full year of learning and experience under their belt, the Lotus Challenge Series has been expanded for the 2009 season to 10 western US events (see included schedule), initially, and is now in the process of expanding further with an additional 4 events being planned for Lotus owners to enjoy in Texas. As the race schedule is expanding for the series, the variety of the venues is as well with upcoming events scheduled at the revered Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey and famous Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

“The Lotus Challenge Series is a very well run organization that’s expanding through providing Lotus owners a fun, safe and positive environment in which to enjoy their Lotus vehicles and improve their driving skills,” said Lotus Cars USA, Inc. Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “What Jim Navarro, Tom Hughes, Jack Fried, Robb Bonanno and all of the participants in the Lotus Challenge Series are doing is fostering tremendous enthusiasm and goodwill for our treasured Lotus marque. We’re extremely proud to support the expansion of the Lotus Challenge Series as the title sponsor and show some of our most devoted Lotus owners how much we appreciate them.”

The full array of Lotus’ current North American product offering competes in the Lotus Challenge Series including various Elise and Exige models and the track-only Exige Cup Car 255 and the current ultimate track-only Lotus 2-Eleven.

Lotus Challenge Series 2009 Competition Schedule:

* January 23 – Streets of Willow, Willow Springs
* February 21 – 22 – Streets of Willow, (SCCA School)
* March 28 – 29 – Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch
* April 23 – Willow Springs International Raceway
* May 30 – 31 – Buttonwillow Raceway Park
* July 16 – 17 – Laguna Seca Raceway
* August 8 – Streets of Willow, Willow Springs
* September 3 – Buttonwillow Raceway Park
* October 8 – 9 – Infineon Raceway
* November 8 – 9 – Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch

As the Lotus Challenge Series continues to grow in participation and expand into other parts of the country, the dates and details for new events in the south and on the east coast for 2010 will be announced in August 2009.

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Team Lotus returning to F1

The Norfolk-based Litespeed Formula 3 team has announced plans to enter the 2010 Formula 1 season under the iconic Team Lotus name. The founders of Litespeed, Nino Judge and Steve Kenchington are both former Lotus engineers, and have received permission from Lotus name rights-holder David Hunt to use the evocative title for their F1 bid. Former Team Lotus driver Johnny Herbert has joined the team as driver manager and commercial ambassador.

Design work on the chassis has already been started by Mike Gascoyne who welcomed the news that the project would use the Lotus title. “I am Norfolk born and bred,” said Gascoyne. “For me to continue my F1 career under the banner of the Team Lotus name and help to bring it back to its deserving place in the world championship is a fantastic feeling and something that I am extremely proud to be doing.”

[via Autosport]

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Truth in 24 today on ESPN

Truth in 24

Tune into ESPN at 5pm PST today to watch Truth in 24 in High Definition. It is the story of the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans as seen from the eyes of the Audi team. The movie was made by the wizards at NFL Films and as you can see from the image above it is a must-see for all racing fans.

Update: Garage 419 has a great behind the scenes look into the making of the documentary

Update #2: The whole documentary is available for free on iTunes – click here to download.