MLOC Latest Topics

Tagliani Successfully Completes Test At Texas Motor Speedway

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:36:57 +0000

After a day of waiting on Monday for track weepers to dry at Texas Motor Speedway, Alex Tagliani and the Lotus test team were ready to hit the 1.5-mile oval on Tuesday.
The test marked the second chance in as many months for the Canadian driver to continue learning the new features of the Lotus-powered Dallara DW12. With only three install laps completed on day one, the second outing brought better results as the Lotus test team, comprised of members from Team Barracuda – BHA, Lotus HVM Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, completed 132 incident-free laps.
“Overall, I think it was a good day,” said Tagliani. “For our first time on an oval in the new car, we learned some amazing things. Of course, we still have some work to do and we didn’t have as much speed as we would have liked, but every time I came into the pits with a change, the guys were able to make it happen.
“I am so thankful and proud to be working with this amazing group of guys. Plus, this is the track where Todd [Malloy] and I had a great event last season, so we kind of started today where we left off.”
Tagliani also noted that the Lotus group was helpful and positive. He added, “They were receptive to the things we need to improve. It’s great to work with people like that.”
Now, it’s onto the next test with an exciting twist. The official unveiling of the Team Barracuda – BHA car is scheduled for next Tuesday, February 28, during the team’s test at Barber Motorsports Park. Media is encouraged to attend. After that, Tagliani and his crew head to the IZOD IndyCar Series open test in Sebring, FL.
On March 25, the season kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg, FL, where Tagliani has his sights set on Victory Lane. Fans can watch all the action live on ABC.

Tests In Estoril

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:18:35 +0000

Lotus GP has done two days of testing on the Portuguese circuit of Estoril with its 3 GP3 Series cars. Daniel Abt, Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio were at the wheel of the cars dressed up with the 2012 livery.
The team has collected a lot of datas that will help to prepare as much the qualifying sessions and the races to come. Added to that, it has the fastest lap time of both days in its bag, courtesy of Aaro Vainio who lapped in 1:30.466.

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: 4,000: That's the number of parts th

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:42:49 +0000

grouplotusplc: 4,000: That's the number of parts that make up each RS27-2012 V8 F1 engine. It's, you know, complicated

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: Team Lotus AJR http://t.co/6XeMCA0D

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:48:02 +0000

grouplotusplc: Team Lotus AJR http://t.co/6XeMCA0D

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Lotus Racing And Alex Job Racing Form Team Lotus Ajr To Compete In Ame

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:36:58 +0000

- Bell and Sweedler to drive

- Battery Tender, Yokohama and WilliamRast sponsors

Hethel, England and Tavares, Fla., (February 15, 2012) -- Lotus Racing and Alex Job Racing are joining forces to compete for the American Le Mans Series GT (ALMS) championship beginning in 2012. The team will be known as Lotus Alex Job Racing (AJR). The factory endorsed sportscar team will focus its primary efforts in North America.

Team Lotus AJR will campaign the 2012 Lotus Evora GTE car beginning with the ALMS Long Beach Grand Prix, April 14, 2012.

Alex Job, team principal of Team Lotus AJR Racing said, "I am truly excited to announce the partnership between Lotus and Alex Job Racing in North America. Our efforts and ability to attract Lotus is a testament to the hard work that AJR has put in over the past several years. This partnership, along with our key sponsor's Battery Tender, Yokohama, and WilliamRast represent a new chapter for our seasoned organization and for the ALMS.

I'm especially excited to announce my partnership with Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, and Colin Dyne (CEO, WilliamRast) in forging this long-term relationship with Lotus Motorsports. We collectively look forward to representing this iconic sportscar brand for years to come in GT racing."

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus said, "we are focused on winning - Alex Job has one of the best records in sportscar racing. We look forward to working together and developing a top-tier team over the coming years. Racing is a core component of the Lotus brand, and we are thrilled to have this new partnership to further enhance our winning race heritage."

Alex Job has confirmed that Indy Car driver Townsend Bell will be joining the team and partnering behind the wheel with two-time ALMS Founders Cup winner and AJR driver Bill Sweedler.

"We are delighted to welcome Townsend to the Lotus AJR Racing family," Job continued. "Townsend comes from a distinguished career in IndyCar racing and open-wheel in the U.S. and Europe. His natural speed and personality will make for a successful partnership with Lotus AJR Racing, Battery Tender, Yokohama, WilliamRast, and veteran AJR co-driver Sweedler.

Bell's racing pedigree boasts an Indy Lights Championship in 2001, Rookie of the year in 2000, and 12 top-five finishes in the Indy Car Series. He finished fourth in the 2009 Indy 500 and was the first American to have a podium finish in the FIA Formula 3000 series.

Sweedler added, "I am really excited about 2012 and driving with Townsend - he will be a strong addition to the team. I had a fantastic time working with AJR for the last couple of years and am honored to continue as one of their drivers. Alex and his team run a first class operation just like Lotus. It will be a strong partnership."

Townsend Bell stated "Having the chance to represent such a great brand like Lotus is simply awesome. The fact that I get to work with one of the best teams in sportscar racing is icing on the cake. I’m really fired up to work with AJR and Bill Sweedler in what will undoubtedly be a great adventure. Time to buckle up!"

Team Lotus AJR also announced sponsorship from Battery Tender, Yokohama and WilliamRast for 2012.

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Cylinder Head Removal, Leaving The Clam On ?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:07:35 +0000

My car is currently running rather well. There are a couple of anoying issues however.

1) When she has been given a bit of a workout it takes a long time to return to normal idle speed. The engine holds at about 2000 rpm and then slowly returns to its normal idle of just under 1000 rpm ( it takes around a minute for the idle speed to return to normal )

2) The engine has quite a tappety top end knock and after the recent trackday at Blyton this seems to be slightly worse.

My first thought regarding the high idle is that the throttle boddies could do with a strip down, a clean, some lubrication and a general once over.

At the same time I would like to quieten down the tappety knock. My plan is to remove the cylinder head and take it to Sabre heads for Rog to inspect, replace any worn valve guides, oil seals etc and re shim the cam followers.

I do have a problem in that my garage is only the size of a shoe box and I don't have anywhere to store the rear clam if this has to come off.

How difficult would it be for me to do the work required leaving the clam on ? I would have thought most of the work can be done ok. I realise that fitting the new timing belt is a PITA but understand this can be done.

Are there any other issues / reasons why I would be better to bite the bullet and find some way of removing the clam ?

All advice will be very welcome.

We Can Work It Out

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:24:16 +0000

Lotus F1 Team will not run for the remainder of the second test at Barcelona, scheduled from today until Friday.
Barcelona test finishes early for Lotus F1 Team
Lotus F1 Team will not run for the remainder of the second test at Barcelona, scheduled from today until Friday.
During initial runs this morning with Romain Grosjean at the wheel, the team identified an issue with the chassis. After investigation at Enstone, initial plans to bring out chassis E20-01 to Barcelona have been held in order to give the team enough time to rectify the situation.
Lotus F1 Team will be back on track next week in Barcelona (1-4 March)
James Allison, Technical Director:

“Before we were due to fly chassis E20-01 out to Barcelona in replacement of chassis E20-02 - damaged this morning - we ran a series of simulations at the factory based on the data provided by our brief running on track today. As a result, we were able to identify an area which requires some additional work. It will be more productive for us to carry out these modifications to both chassis at Enstone rather than send E20-01 out to this week’s test. We’ll put the right measures in place and we will be able to fix the problem before next week.”
Eric Boullier, Team Principal:

“Not running this week has been a tough decision to take, but we feel that our choice is the right one. On the positive side, we have quickly identified the issue with the chassis and our design office has already devised a solution. We will be present at next week’s test in Barcelona. We draw faith from the fact that the E20 was quick out of the box in Jerez and showed its reliability there. We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next week but everyone at Enstone is ready for this challenge.”

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Early Bath On First Day In Barcelona

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:52:38 +0000

Lotus F1 Team has stopped running early in the first day of testing at Barcelona and will not run for the rest of the day.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “We completed a few aero runs and then started timed runs, but I was very quickly aware that the car wasn’t responding as it should. It’s not ideal to lose track time, but fortunately we will have the chassis which ran perfectly in Jerez so I should get some good track time tomorrow. It’s far better that we have an issue like this now rather than in Melbourne.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “This morning was our first shakedown of our second chassis. Once the car was on track it was soon evident that everything wasn’t quite as it should be. As a precaution we are returning the chassis to Enstone for further investigation. Chassis E20-01, which we used in Jerez, is being sent over and we expect to be on track with that chassis tomorrow.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: “This is a minor setback to our overall test programme. Fortunately we accumulated good mileage in Jerez. If this is the only issue we have during testing then we will still be well prepared for the start of the season. We’ll be back on track tomorrow with chassis E20-01 and assessing chassis E20-02 back at Enstone.”

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: 11,000: The number of technical sketches

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:19:37 +0000

grouplotusplc: 11,000: The number of technical sketches produced ahead of the E20 F1 car's build - 28% more than any previous Enstone car.

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[MLOC TV] The New Lotus Exige S - The Car

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:32:10 +0000

The New Lotus Exige S - The Car

Fancy taking a guided tour through the Exige S at the expert hands of Design Director Donato Coco and our Testing Guru Matt Becker? Sit back, relax and prepare to get very excited by watching our new and exclusive video here.
From:MidlandsLotus
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0ratingsTime:03:19More inAutos & Vehicles

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Lotus Hvm Racing 2012 Season Launch

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:17:41 +0000

Lotus HVM Racing hit the streets of Baltimore on 16 February for the unveiling of the 2012 #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Lotus-powered DW12 IndyCar. The new car boasts a 2.2 litre, twin-turbo V6 Lotus engine and brings with it the new sound of IZOD IndyCar Series racing.

HVM Racing's partner, InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore, played host for the announcement and unveiling, while HVM Racing's pilot Simona De Silvestro and her crew lit up Light Street, directly in front of the InterContinental, with a pit stop demonstration. Euromotorcars Lotus of Bethesda had several Lotus cars on display in the courtyard of the hotel.

HVM Racing partners with Lotus Racing for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series and will compete under the name Lotus HVM Racing. Lotus engines will power multiple teams in the IZOD IndyCar Series and are being built with the assistance of John Judd's Engine Developments Ltd. firm. Lotus Racing operates the motorsports activities of Lotus and returns the Lotus name to a great number of series in addition to the IZOD IndyCar Series, including a return to Formula 1 with Lotus GP.

Entergy Nuclear and the Nuclear Clean Air Energy sponsorship begin their second season with Lotus HVM Racing. Entergy is the second largest producer of nuclear electricity in the U.S. and sponsor for the Nuclear Clean Air Energy national education initiative. The goal of the initiative is to broaden awareness of the benefits of safe, clean, affordable and reliable nuclear energy. The #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy IndyCar brings national and global visibility to the initiative. Other elements of the educational effort includes Power Path, a curriculum for middle and high schools; promotion of educational events during National Nuclear Science Week; and relationships with national organizations that promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics to students with a focus on careers in the sciences. www.NuclearCleanAirEnergy.com

Living Classrooms Foundation was also present at the event to acknowledge the successful efforts of HVM Racing and their partners in raising funds for the foundation and its initiatives. Living Classrooms Foundation is a Baltimore-Washington based non-profit educational organization with a distinctive competency in experiential learning-literally learning by direct experience. For more information about the foundation, visit www.livingclassrooms.org.

INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and Baltimore Grand Prix promoter Dale Dillon also spoke at the event. The IZOD IndyCar Series will return to the streets of Baltimore Labor Day weekend, September 2, 2012. Continue to check www.IndyCar.com for more announcements on this and all other IZOD IndyCar Series events.

Joining Entergy Nuclear CEO John Herron in attendance at the event, were leadership from team partners Areva, Holtec, Rev1, and Wachs Technical Services.

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: Lotus HVM Racing 2012 Season Launch http

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:56:02 +0000

grouplotusplc: Lotus HVM Racing 2012 Season Launch http://t.co/rg0NDABA

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Anyone Know This Car?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:35:11 +0000

Hi guys,

I'm on the verge of buying this car:

http://www.redlinespecialistcars.co.uk/car.php?id=2296

Original reg is RX54 HFW.

I think it's spent the last few years in the midlands as its been serviced by Top Gear but they're reluctant to give me copies of the paperwork for work done without the permission of the last owner so I'm hoping someone on here may know the car. Top Gear have given me a detailed history over the phone so I know the cambelt's been done and head gasket replaced with an MLS one amongst other things but it would be nice to have the receipts!

Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

Paul

[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: A lot of sponsors. Not a lot of dessert.

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:11:53 +0000

grouplotusplc: A lot of sponsors. Not a lot of dessert. You can't have everything, huh... http://t.co/NTYSOAsX

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: Simona De Silvestro arrives outside the

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:03:50 +0000

grouplotusplc: Simona De Silvestro arrives outside the Intercontinental Harbour Court Baltimore - Now that's valet parking! http://t.co/0Vd8tI8P

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: Lotus HVM Racing have launched their Lot

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:02:05 +0000

grouplotusplc: Lotus HVM Racing have launched their Lotus V6-powered IndyCar on the mean streets of Baltimore http://t.co/yjdqih3E

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[Group Lotus] grouplotusplc: 10,000: The number of parts tested each

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:17:53 +0000

grouplotusplc: 10,000: The number of parts tested each year in the Lotus F1 Team wind tunnel.

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So, What Is The Story Behind Mloc?

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:57:55 +0000

Given that this is a big year for MLOC, what is the story? How it is start, who, why, and how many of you were here from day one?

Anyone Up For Snowboard/ski Soll On The 25Th?

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:22:40 +0000

A group of us from JLR are going to sol for a week, but one guy has dropped out!
So we have a space

�298, b&b, allocation on arrival, flying from Birmingham.
I'm the only snowboarder, the other 4 are skiers

Anyone interested?

Photoshoot Last Night At Airbase

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:14:44 +0000

Went with some fellow MLOC'ers to a local airfield for a photoshoot, here are the first of many of the photos.

The photographer George is a fellow petrolhead and can be contacted for shoots here:

http://www.gfwilliams.net

Will post the others up as they are processed by George, nice to meet some more MLOC'ers I hadn't met before and some I had Airfield was very cold and windy last night though, not helped by the rain shower mid way through!!