Caterham Group Announces Graham Macdonald As New CEO Of Caterham Cars

Caterham Group, the parent company of Caterham Cars, Caterham F1 Team, Caterham Composites and CTI (Caterham Technology & Innovation) has today confirmed that Graham Macdonald, previously CFO of Caterham Cars will step up to the role of CEO after current Chief Executive Officer Ansar Ali leaves the business by mutual consent.

Graham has played an active role with Ansar in helping create Caterham Cars into its modern-day guise as a core element of the Caterham Group and will now lead Caterham Cars as CEO.

Ansar will leave his post as CEO after leading Caterham Cars following a management buy-in which assumed control of the business in 2005 from the Nearn family who originally founded Caterham Cars. Ansar oversaw a program which initiated a fundamental shift in the engineering focus of the business, a move which revitalised the legendary Seven range. He also oversaw the long-term stability of Caterham Cars, building on its historic spirit of innovation, entrepreneurial endeavour with a core motorsport base and dedicated to the notion of serving the ‘unserved’, making racecar performance accessible to everyone.

Ansar has now decided to move on to new challenges and Caterham Group thanks him for the integral role he played in building Caterham Cars into a globally respected automotive brand and helping form Caterham Group in its present-day guise. Tony Fernandes, Caterham Group Chairman, said: “I want to take this chance to thank Ansar for everything he has done for the Caterham brand over many years. Without his leadership Caterham Cars would not be the world renowned, profitable business it is today and we would almost certainly not be working under the Caterham name if he had not initiated the discussions with us that led to the enviable position Caterham finds itself in today.

“Now we move on to the next phase of the expansion of Caterham Group and Caterham Cars. Graham is the perfect person to take over and lead the company and his experience and dedication will help us make a smooth transition into the next chapter of the Caterham Cars story.”

Registration for the July 7th GGLC autox is now open

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2012 Golden Gate Lotus Club autox season.

GGLC members can click here to sign up for the fourth event of the season. Non-members will be able to register one week later.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Please read over the details on the club autocross page.

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the classification tool to calculate your index points. For non-Lotus cars, please use the appropriate SCCA class.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this year’s changes or any other autox topic.

See you all next month,

Colm
GGLC Autox Chair

Thunderhill Track Day Registration is open

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Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club’s third track day of the year. This event will be at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willlows, CA on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. This will follow our traditional format of three run groups, allowing you to bridge two run groups in order to give you maximum track time. We will be running in the normal (counter-clockwise) direction and you will sign up for either Novice/Intermediate, or Intermediate/Advanced depdending on your experience level. Early Bird pricing will be $145 for members and $165 for non-members. That price will increase after 6/27/2012 to $165 for members and $185 for non-members. Click here to register and sign-up early to ensure you pay the lower price.

See you at the track

John & Scott
GGLC Track Day Chairs

Lotus Raises The Style Stakes in Monaco

Lotus Originals is the fashion arm of the legendary sports car and racing marque, and the collection is inspired by the British sense of style, heritage, innovation and rebellious spirit that goes into every on-road Lotus design.

Lotus is hailed for its engineering and thirst for competition. It is also known for style. Heroes of reality and fiction, from Jim Clark to James Bond, have outgunned their rivals from behind the wheel of a Lotus, and they looked good doing it. Partner Forza Rossa Holding, official Lotus cars dealer since 2011, recognise this and joins the Lotus family with the opening of the Monte Carlo store which carries the brand new Lotus Originals retail concept.

It’s fitting that this first franchise store be in Monaco, the scene of the first grand prix victory for a Lotus, in 1960 at the hands of Stirling Moss. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Monaco’s Mayor Georges Marsan and State Minister Michel Roger were joined by Lotus F1 Team’s Gerard Lopez, Eric Boullier and Romain Grosjean, Lotus Sales and Marketing Director Maurizio Parlato and Forza Rossa Holding’s President Ion Bazac at the opening of the store.

Here you will find apparel, accessories, gifts, toys, bikes and collectables that will thrill Lotus fans, and bring others into our Lotus world.

Speaking of which, we took the opportunity in Monaco to launch a special car designed for the next generation of Lotus drivers: a slightly smaller-than-usual Lotus Elan, one of Lotus’ most-beloved classics which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. What’s more, the car is eligible for racing. The Little Big Le Mans which forms part of the Le Mans Classic race weekend, is designed for lucky young drivers aged 6-14, and this Elan is eligible for this events.

Also, 20 years after we helped win gold at Barcelona in 1992 with the revolutionary Lotus Type 108 Superbike, we are showing for the first time, a stunning hand made carbon fibre black and gold bespoke bicycle from our new collaboration with Condor Cycles Ltd.

Lotus Originals can also be found at the company’s Hethel HQ and at Norwich City Football Club’s stadium, and we’re also opening our flagship store in the heart of London in six weeks time: 4,800 sq ft of retail space on Regents Street. It will be, as it is here in Monaco, an iconic location for an iconic brand.

Maurizio Parlato, Director of Sales & Marketing, Group Lotus: “It is our mission to grow the Lotus brand internationally, to become more of a global player, and to do that we need to produce great cars, but we also want Lotus to be a lifestyle brand of its own. Our founder, Colin Chapman, understood this. He was a trendsetter in every way. He also recognised the marketing potential of motorsport better than anyone else at that time, and had an eye for detail that pervaded every aspect of his company’s presentation. Therefore, I believe he would be very excited to see what we’re doing here today – opening this first Lotus Originals franchise.”

Ion Bazac, Forza Rossa Holding President: “It is a big honour and pleasure for us to inaugurate the first Lotus Originals franchise store in such a prestigious and exclusive place like Monte Carlo, famous worldwide for its fabulous Grand Prix. With the new Lotus originals collections and accessories you will find a unique link between the past, the present and the future of the Lotus brand and its very passionate history and heroes. Lotus Originals Monte Carlo is more than a store, it is a place of meeting and dialogue between fans and their favorite brand, so that the legend, the winning heritage and dreams of Colin Chapman be more alive than ever.”

June 10th Autox Registration is now open

The third event of the 2012 GGLC Autocross season is now open for registration for club members on MotorsportsReg. Non-members will be able to register one week later.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Please read over the details on the GGLC Autocross page.

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the autocross classification tool to calculate your index points. For non-Lotus cars, please use the appropriate SCCA class.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this year’s changes or any other autox topic.

See you all next month,

Colm
GGLC AutoX Chair

Marina Autox Registration is now Open

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2012 Golden Gate Lotus Club autox season.

The first event is now open for registration for club members on MotorsportsReg.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Details of the classification system ate posted on the GGLC AutoX page. For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the classification tool to calculate your index points. For other cars, please use the appropriate SCCA class.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this year’s changes or any other autox topic.

See you all next month,

Colm
GGLC Autox chair

Lotus at Geneva 2012

Hardcore soft-top:

More raw than a Japanese tasting menu, the Lotus Exige S Roadster combines its coupé twin’s mesmerizing grunt and handling with an open air experience that makes the driver feel all the more at one with the road. It’s the first time an Exige model has been offered with a factory-fitted soft top roof, one which is typically lightweight and easy to put up and take down. In true Lotus fashion the finely tuned suspension delivers a responsive ride and sublimely agile handling, whilst the supercharged 3.5 V6 engine with race-derived technologies delivers stunning performance. Reaching 100 kph from standing in a neck-snapping 4 seconds (0 – 60 mph in 3.8 seconds) and 0 – 160 kph (0 – 100 mph) in 8.5 seconds this little roadster packs a punch both on and off the track. The Roadster comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, but will also be available with Lotus’ Serial Precision Shift (SPS), a paddle-operated automated manual transmission, which makes life more relaxed in the city and more F1-like when it’s let off the leash.

Kimi some lovin’:


Our favourite Finn introduced a very special version of an already limited edition – the Lotus F1 Team Evora GTE is about as exclusive as a sports car can get. Kimi returns to Formula One with Lotus in 2012, and what better way to celebrate the return of the former world champion than by creating a special F1 edition? Unique F1 and Kimi-inspired touches include: An unpainted high-gloss carbon-fibre body, carbon interior with copper inlays, gold-piped black leather bucket seats, and Lotus F1 Team Limited Edition badging. The GTE, expected to be homologated for EU markets by May 2012, is the most powerful Lotus road car ever: 444 horsepower from a 3.5 V6, and with over a 100 kg sheered from the standard Evora it boasts a better power-to-weight ratio than most machines this side of Kimi’s office. What’s not to love?

Discovering the car today Kimi said: “If the Lotus F1 Team Evora GTE is as quick as it looks then it is going to be absolutely incredible. I would love to have this as my company car! I like its aggressive shape and the carbon-fibre finish makes it stand out even more – I can’t wait to drive it. It’s great to be back in Formula One and I’m really looking forward to my first race with Lotus next week in Australia.”

The evolution of endurance – Lotus style:

Lotus is competing in the 2012 World Endurance Championship with a Lotus V8-powered Lola-designed LMP2 prototype racer. The team, which is run by former F1 principal Colin Kolles and his Kodewa squad, kicks things off at Sebring on March 17.

This partnership is ideal for Lotus as it climbs the endurance racing ladder, having returned to the GT class last year with the Evora. Though hugely important in themselves, the build-up races of the season are really an amuse bouche for arguably the greatest motor race in the world – the Le Mans 24 Hours – and our LMP2 should be right in the thick of the action.

Journe Alesi:

This May, Formula One legend and Group Lotus ambassador Jean Alesi is taking on a stirring new challenge – to race in the Indianapolis 500. Lotus, of course, has a glorious history at the 500 having won it with Jim Clark in 1965. His Lotus 38 was the first mid-engined car to ever triumph at the Brickyard. Lotus returned to IndyCar last year and has stepped up its involvement in 2012 by manufacturing its own engine and powering no less then five cars. Innovation has always been key to Lotus’ DNA, and it’s something shared by Lotus’ newest partner, Swiss watchmaker F.P. Journe. The shared values help to explain why the exclusive watchmaker’s decided to support Lotus and Jean with his first Indy outing. In addition to partnering with Lotus for the Indy 500, Jean will be wearing an F.P. Journe Centigraphe Sport watch, the first all-aluminium mechanical wristwatch. At just 55 grams, its lightweight philosophy is perfectly in line with Lotus, and its high-tech aluminium alloy is normally found in aeronautical engineering and Lotus’ acclaimed chassis technology.

And there’s more:

Hall 2’s Stand 2230 in Geneva is packed with plenty more head-turners from Lotus:

Road cars

The Elise S is all torque and all action. Its 1.8 supercharged engine delivers a buttock-clenching 220 PS, which means more speed, more versatility, and more efficiency. It results in lower fuel consumption and emissions than the previous Elise SC, which the S replaced last year.

Following its debut in Frankfurt, the new Roadster’s brother, the Exige S in its coupe version, makes another appearance – the ultimate closed-cockpit road-faring missile that will make a mess of the competition but not your hair.

And if you missed it in Frankfurt then now’s your chance to see the Evora S with IPS gearbox, the paddle-shift variant of Lotus’ current premium model. Its supercharged 3.5 V6 pumps out 350 PS, which the acclaimed chassis fully exploits. The Intelligent Precision Shift allows a high and even level of power transfer as well as quick, smooth shifts. It allows for more comfort in the city, better fuel efficiency and lots of fun when it comes to the fast stuff.

Motorsport

Lotus is turning up the heat in Formula One this year. World champion Kimi Raikkonen is back in the driving seat alongside a very promising youngster, GP2 champion Romain Grosjean. The Lotus F1 Team’s E20 has been impressive in pre-season tests. While the team is hard at work, we have one of our black-and-gold F1 machines on the stand in Geneva.

We’ve also got our F1-inspired customer single-seater, the Type 125, a car so extreme that everything about it gets the heart racing. Now at the end of its extensive development program, the car has spent the winter with our F1 team in Enstone and has been tested by Romain Grosjean in Portimao. The result is a racing car that can lick F1’s performance envelope, yet is easier to drive, more accommodating, and doesn’t need a 20-man pit crew to run it. Ultimate driver thrills are yours at the touch of a button.

The Evora’s race debut went well last year and we’re looking forward to building on this in 2012. The Evora managed to complete all 24 hours of a punishing Le Mans in June and finished seventh in the GTE-Pro class, which was no mean feat given the programme’s infancy. Meanwhile, the Lotus Sport UK team took three fantastic wins in the British GT Championship’s GT4 category. At Geneva, we have a special gold-and-black Evora GT4 for you to get your paws on.

Lotus Engineering showcased a number of technologies, all of which point the way for the future of sustainable, efficient transport with ultra low well-to-wheel carbon emissions. Leading the Lotus Engineering presence was the Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender Hybrid, developed as part of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board’s REEV project. Under the skin of this innovative technical demonstrator is an electric drivetrain with two electric motors giving 800Nm of torque and 414 PS, linked to the Lotus’ 1.2 litre, 35 kW range extender engine.

Additional exhibits from Lotus Engineering included key components from the Active Valve Train technology, now developed to run at up to 8000 rpm, and the Omnivore engine which can run efficiently and optimally on almost any type of liquid fuel (including petrol, alcohol, diesel, aviation fuel and paraffin) and as such could lead the way in how engines will be designed in the future.

Monterey Motorsports Reunion tickets and Lotus Corral passes now on sale

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The GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the 2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca Raceway on August 19-21, 2011. 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 and get 25 Lotus cars in the corral. 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 to keep in mind.

  • 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.
  • We are offering “Priority Mail” delivery
  • GGLC/LOTUS CORRAL PASSES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE GGLC AND PURCHASING A TICKET FROM THE GGLC!

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: JUNE 25, 2012!

We will not be able get tickets and corral passes after this deadline!

Click here to buy your tickets and passes on the GGLC website.

GGLC Paddock Tour @ 2011 Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Laguna Seca track day (5-April-12) registration is open

Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club’s second track day of the year at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California on Wednesday, April 4, 2012. Please note that this event is not open to beginners. In order to maximize track time, there will only be two run groups – Open Passing Group and Restricted Passing Group. You must have a minimum of 20 track days experience to register for the Open Passing Group and a minimum of 5 track days (or equivalent – driver’s schools, etc.) to register for the Restricted Passing Group.

Sessions will be approximately 30 minutes long. Cost will be $230 for members and $250 for non-members. There will be no bridging of run groups. Also, be aware that there will be absolutely no refunds. If you cancel before March 21 and we can fill your spot, we will give you a rain check for a future event. Only sign up if you know you can attend.

In addition, we currently have 5 track days tentatively scheduled for 2012. If you attend the first 4 track days, we will offer the 5th track day to you at $99.

Please sign up early to ensure a spot.

Last but not least, this will be yet another 92dB day at Laguna Seca. If you think you might be on the border, don’t take a chance, get your muffler fixed/installed/replaced, or whatever you need, ahead of time.

Click here to register via the MotorsportsReg site.

See you at the track,

John & Scott