LoTRDC – Steve Quick is Lotus Cup UK Champion

Posted on 23rd October 2011

Following on from yesterdays news from Brands Hatch, the full race report for yesterdays Lotus Cup UK race has arrived from the LoTRDC, you can find it below…

Steve Quick is Lotus Cup UK Champion

Steve Quick has won the inaugural Lotus Cup UK championship after a dramatic final round at Brands Hatch yesterday (22 October). The Norwich-based driver entered the race with a twelve point deficit to leader Ken Savage but just twenty minutes into the deciding round, the latter’s car started to smoke badly. Staying out until the pit window opened, when he returned to the garage there was nothing that his mechanics could do, leaving Quick just needing to finish the race, which he duly did. Continue reading →

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LoTRDC Lotus Cup UK Championship won by Steve Quick

Posted on 22nd October 2011

The inaugural Lotus Cup UK Championship was concluded today at Brands Hatch, with Production Class driver Steve Quick taking both the Production Class and overall Driver of the Season wins.

Elsewhere the honors were taken by Steve Williams in the 2-11 class, Glen Sherwood for in the Exige class, while Vittel Chaun won the Open Class.

Results and photographs from the day can be found on the LoTRDC Facebook Page, and we’ll be sure to post a link to the full report as soon as it’s available.

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LRGP – Eric Boullier on the Indian GP: “India is a country that loves its sport”

Posted on 21st October 2011

Lotus Renault GP have begun their Indian GP build up with an interview with Eric Boullier.

What have you heard about the Buddh International Circuit itself?
We, the team principals, have been updated regularly about the facilities by Bernie himself. It is always difficult to judge by pictures alone, but it appears to be a very promising facility with a strong, suitable infrastructure and I’m sure we will have a great event there. I, for one, am excited about it as it will be deviating from the F1 norm, and I’ve little doubt it will be a great experience all round. Let’s hope we can take a good result from the weekend too.

Source: LRGP – Eric Boullier on the Indian GP: “India is a country that loves its sport”

Posted in SELOC

Autosport – Alesi still planning to race at Indy despite Wheldon’s accident

Posted on 20th October 2011

After the tragic death of Dan Wheldon in the Las Vegas Indy 300 last weekend, Jean Alesi tells Autosport he still plans to compete in the Indy 500 next year for Lotus.

He said the passing of Wheldon had not made him change his mind, as he believes it is safe enough.

“Why should I? What happened at Las Vegas can’t happen in Indy: the banking there is negligible and most of all you never take it flat out except in qualifying,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Source: Autosport – Alesi still planning to race at Indy despite Wheldon’s accident
Discussion: SELOC Chat – Jean Alesi to race at the Indy 500 for Lotus?

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MY12 Range Set To Hit Dealers Soon…

Posted on 20th October 2011

Following on from information on the forthcoming Evora GTE the other day comes news of when we can expect to see the MY12 range of cars arriving at dealer forecourts.

The current cars doing the rounds at dealership open days and other events are the same ones used for the unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.

MY12 specification Evoras, including the latest addition to the range, the Evora S IPS, are on schedule to begin arriving with dealers in December and early January.

The new V6 engined Exige S and supercharged and chargecooled Elise S are expected to arrive mid-to-late January 2012 as production ramps up on these models, starting with dealer demo cars and then customer deliveries. Rumours suggest that the 2012 allocation for both these models are nearly sold out, so those interested should contact their local dealers soon!

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Event Review – Castle Lotus (Hilton Moss) Open day, 15th October 2011

Posted on 20th October 2011

Lotus dealer and sports car specialists Castle Lotus and its Classic and Sports car side, Hilton Moss, held an open day last weekend, giving local car enthusiasts the chance to take a trip down and marvel at some of the magnificent machinery they have in stock and take a look round their first class facilities.

A number of members from the local Essex region went along, and S2john has kindly put together a short write up of the day for us, which you can find here, or join the forums to discuss the day…

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New Evora GTE Details Emerge Courtesy Of PistonHeads Classifieds

Posted on 18th October 2011

Since the initial showing of the Evora GTE Road Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the news of its Chinese sales, and the unveiling of a European version of the car at Frankfurt we’ve seen and heard plenty about the car’s more aggressive styling, 440hp engine and comprehensive weight reduction, but little on when it might be available, and at what price.

Now, however, new information comes from an unlikely source, the PistonHeads Classifieds…

The listing by Lipscomb Lotus in Kent is purely for orders, not an already produced car, and uses photos taken at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but does confirm that the Evora GTE will indeed be producing 444ps (approximately 438bhp), will be built to order to meet individual customer’s requirements rather than in a specific production run, and will be using the IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) process, rather than being a full EU Type Approved model.

Price still aren’t confirmed but the advert gives a starting price of around £130,000 – a lot of money, but perhaps not too high a price for such a focused and low production volume car…

Source: PistonHeads Classifieds – Lipscomb: Lotus Evora GTE 444ps (2012)
Discussion: News – New Evora GTE Details Emerge Courtesy of PistonHeads Classifieds

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EVO TV – Lotus Factory Tour

Posted on 18th October 2011

EVO Magazine have posted up another video from the Lotus Champions day, this time taking a look around inside Hethel, with a tour of the production line, the motorsport facility, and Classic Team Lotus.

You can find more EVO videos on their YouTube channel, or discuss the video in our forum thread.

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Event Focus – Elise Trophy & Lotus Cup UK, Brands Hatch, Saturday October 22nd

Posted on 18th October 2011

The final round of the inaugural 2011 Lotus Cup UK season is almost upon us, with racing this weekend at Brands Hatch and everything still to play for in the Driver of the Season award.

There’s a packed schedule, not just the 1 hour Lotus Cup UK race, but also a pair of Elise Trophy races, Formula Vee, the Quaife Intermarque League and Cannons Motor Spares Tin Top Challenge, so there’ll be something for everyone.

Advanced bookings have been closed, but tickets will be available at the gate. For more details see the Brands Hatch website, or our forum thread.

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LRGP – Vitaly Petrov – “I apologised to Michael, it was absolutely my fault”

Posted on 17th October 2011

Some drivers will do anything to pin the blame on someone else, but not Vitaly, who’s held his hands up and admitted he made a mistake when he hit Michael Schumacher during the race yesterday in Korea.

Give us your verdict on the race?
Vitaly Petrov: I tried to defend my position from Fernando but I was in the braking zone on the dirty side of the track which meant I locked my wheels and hit Michael. I was focused on my battle with Fernando as there was potential for me to be ahead of him. We both braked too late as he missed the corner too. I apologised to Michael, it was not his fault, it was absolutely my fault – once my wheels were locked there was nothing I could do about it.

Source: LRGP – Vitaly Petrov – “I apologised to Michael, it was absolutely my fault”
Discussion: SELOC Forum – Morning F1 Thread! Contains spoilers…..

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