With Lotus' display at the Los Angeles Auto Show as a backdrop, Lotus announced it would be the third automobile manufacturer to join the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012 as an an engine and aerokit supplier in the IndyCar series in 2012, expanding its motorsport ambitions. It will be the first time Lotus has produced an engine for IndyCar competition and gives the IZOD IndyCar Series an international global series profile including manufacturoring representation from the U.S. (Chevrolet), Europe (Lotus) and Asia (Honda). Lotus Group CEO Dany Behar commented:"We want to really fight and compete with the big guys. But we have a Lotus way to do things. We always try to understand what we are getting into. That's why we started this year with a very small activity with Takuma Sato with one car to understand IndyCar racing and to see whether there was an opportunity for us to become a real contender.
We made the brave decision, yes, this is where we want to be. We believe in the series. We believe the series is developing very, very well. I think it fits perfectly very well our activities and strategies in the U.S., which is our biggest market. What we tried to do with the Lotus brand is to pay our heritage and our past justice. I believe our heritage is all about motor racing. As you could see, this is all about motor racing. We believe that our road car should have a significant connection with the motorsports program. That's why we have also announced recently we will be going and racing in LeMans, GT2, GT4 car racing, obviously IndyCar.
Lotus, Chevrolet and Honda engines will power the new IndyCar Safety Cell that is being developed by Dallara Automobili with input from current drivers and team principals. The platform allows for the design and implementation of aero kits around the rolling chassis.
Lotus, based in Norfolk, England, has competed in a variety of motorsports disciplines since the legendary Colin Chapman founded the company in 1952, including Indy car racing, Formula One and sports cars. Jim Clark drove a Lotus chassis to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500, and Lotus sponsored the KV Racing Technology car driven by rookie Takuma Sato in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series.
Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Motorsport commented:
"The history and DNA of Lotus is all about extracting the most performance out of a car in return for maximum efficiency, and we are delighted to offer our engine and aero body kit to the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series. We will be using the knowledge gained from our extensive research into E85 biofuel and turbo-charged engines to ensure we extract the maximum performance.
As you would expect from the company that pioneered aerodynamics in sports car and F1 racing over the years our aero body kit will also be a world class solution. So, all in all, will the 2012 Lotus IndyCar will be as innovative and revolutionary as the Lotus Type 38 that won in 1965 and changed Indy forever? Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Group Lotus is still in court with current F1 team Lotus Racing over the use of the Lotus name in F1. It is also rumoured to be in talks with the Renault F1 team about sponsoring the outfit in 2011 and even a potential buyout.
