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Lotus in the Peak |
| 27th - 29th June 2025 |
Lotus Indycar
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The IZOD IndyCar Series has announced that it has released Lotus from its contract as an engine supplier to the US open wheel championship, after just a single year together. "Lotus has made a business decision not to return in 2013 and asked for its release," Brian Barnhart, IndyCar's president of operations and strategy. "We wish them well and would welcome their participation again in the future." Lotus started 2012 supplying several teams with engines after IndyCar introduced new technical specifications for a 2.2-litre, twin turbocharged V6 engine and opened up the supply chain to multiple companies, with Honda and Chevrolet taking up the lions share of contr…
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Lotus HVM Racing unable to utilise strategy as the Mid-Ohio Indy race runs green from flag to flag The day in Mid-Ohio started out with the IndyCar warm-up session being delayed because of pouring rain, thunder and lightning, and a few power outages. When the Indy cars did go out to warm up, Lotus driver Simona De Silvestro took advantage of the wet track and clocked the fourth best time of the session. Unfortunately for the Lotus HVM Racing team, the weather cleared, and by the time the green flag flew, the Indy cars were running on a dry track. Ambient temperature was 76 degrees with a relative humidity of 83 percent. The race was somewhat of a repeat of th…
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The end of a very difficult season for Simona De Silvestro and the Lotus HVM Racing team. De Silvestro struggled with over-boost issues on the engine of her #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car from the start of the race. We had over-boost issues right away and started to work on it," said Tom Brown the team's technical director. "It's an issue that plagued us all weekend. We had no pulling power and that was not a good situation to be in at this track." Keith Wiggins, team owner, felt the situation with the engine was not something the team could safely overcome. "The engine had issues with over-boost making it difficult to maintain pace in traffic," he said. "We felt it b…
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A Good Drive for Simona Despite an Early Finish The Grand Prix of Baltimore was one of those races that kept you sitting on the edge of your seat the whole time. “What a race!” was on everyone’s lips when the checker dropped. Nine caution flags and twelve lead changes along with crashes and spins. Lotus driver Simona De Silvestro (#78 Lotus HVM Racing) was hoping this would be a good day for her, as the weather forecast was calling for rain. Unfortunately, the heavy rains did not come in time. Only light sprinkles covered the track, and only for a few laps. And even though De Silvestro had to start from the back of the grid again for today’s race (because of a 10-grid …
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Lotus’s Simona de Silvestro had to start at the back of the grid for Sunday’s Californian round following an unapproved engine change, but bounced back to gain ten positions in the race. Good strategy and perfect pit stops made a big difference for the Swiss driver and her Lotus HVM Racing team during the action-filled race at the Infineon Raceway. After 85 laps, De Silvestro finished in 17th position. She performed a nice pass on Ed Carpenter’s eponymous #20 car near the end of the race. Simona de Silvestro: “I guess P17 is okay; I think it was all we could get. We’re still getting passed like we’re standing still on the straightaways, but I think it was a…
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Simona is looking forward to Mid-Ohio With 4 races to go in the IZOD IndyCar 2012 season, Lotus driver Simona De Silvestro is hoping for good results in this weekend’s upcoming race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. ”I’m looking forward to Mid-Ohio. It has always been a good track for me; it’s a lot of fun to drive there! The team has been working hard and I’m sure they’ll give me a really good car again this weekend. We have a lot of guests coming and we’re going to do our best to have a good finish for them.” One test day at Mid-Ohio Even though Simona de Silvestro (#78 – Lotus HVM Racing) is very familiar with the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course, s…
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Sunday’s sunny Edmonton Indy was America’s first premier open-wheel race to run ‘caution free’ since Portland 2007. Lotus HVM Racing’s Simona de Silvestro drove a consistent race and showed good speed through the corners, pulling a nice move on Ed Carpenter Racing’s No.20 car on Lap 17. Unfortunately the car’s lack of pace on the straights made it difficult to gain more positions, and she finished 23rd. Simona de Silvestro: “It was kind of a weird day. No yellows, so we couldn’t really get off strategy. We had to make one more stop than everybody else because our fuel consumption is comparatively poor. We had a strong race car today, but we’re still not fast enough.” Vi…
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They say it’s the Racing Capital of Western Canada. The City of Edmonton, Alberta, is buzzing this week with race activities, in preparing for the upcoming Edmonton Indy. This Sunday, all 25 drivers from the IZOD IndyCar Series will compete in this season’s 11th race event at the City Centre Airport course, just a stone’s throw from the downtown streets. "I’m looking forward to Edmonton, it’s always a fun event,” says Lotus HVM Racing driver Simona De Silvestro. “The team has been working really hard. My Lotus car in Toronto was the best I’ve ever had there, and I think we’ll have another good car in Edmonton. So, hopefully, we’ll have a good finish.” After Toronto’s en…
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It wasn't an easy day for the Lotus HVM Racing #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car at today's Honda Indy Toronto. A day that dawned bright and sunny and full of hope, quickly took a turn for the worse when De Silvestro hit a tire that was knocked into the racing line by Sebastian Bourdais. De Silvestro hit the wall hard and sustained considerable damage to the car. The team worked frantically, managing to repair the car just as the grid was being set. De Silvestro started 25th after being assessed a 10-spot penalty for the unapproved engine change that brought her a bit more power this weekend. On lap 8 she reported an issue with power and was brought into the pit on lap 9.…
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With top-10 finishes in her previous two starts at this track, a new updated engine, and strong practice sessions all weekend, Lotus HVM Racing driver Simona De Silvestro was poised for a strong qualifying session at the Honda Indy Toronto. Unfortunately, qualifying didn't go as well as she and the team had hoped. On a mostly wet track, De Silvestro had the #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car in the top-12 for the majority of this morning's practice before encountering some braking issues on the final two laps resulting in an 18th place finish in the session. With her pace on par with the rest of the field on the 1.75-mile street course, thanks in part to the new engine upd…
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The 10th round of the 2012 season will take place on the 1.75-mile temporary street circuit at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, by the lakeshore. And Lotus is excited because the engine builder is packing an upgrade. Lotus HVM Racing driver Simona De Silvestro is looking forward to a great race weekend. The Swiss Miss is hoping to see some improvements on her #78 machine when the newly installed Lotus engine runs its first laps on the Toronto street circuit. “Lotus will be bringing us an update, before every race, starting this weekend” she said. “We’ll see how Toronto works out, but I think with an upgraded engine, we should have better results. We just need to keep focu…
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Iowa's long draught came to an end today as a severe thunderstorm hit the Iowa Speedway around 5:45 p.m., pushing back the start of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to around 9:45 p.m. today. The rain and the late start didn't put a damper on the hopes of the #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Lotus HVM Racing team. The team has struggled on ovals this season and was eager to get their first oval finish of the season. Not only did they finish, they had their second-best finish of the season. The race saw some attrition, starting with a blown engine by pole-sitter, Dario Franchitti on the warm up lap. Cars continued to struggle throughout the evening, but Lotus HVM Racing driver Simona D…
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Iowa Speedway saw a change in the qualification format tonight with IZOD IndyCar drivers participating in a three heat race format rather than the traditional single-car qualification process. The new format benefited Lotus HVM driver Simona de Silvestro as her pass of Simon Pagenaud netted her two spots on the starting grid instead of just one. It was a bit confusing, but in the end worked out well for the #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car. Here's a breakdown of how it worked... Teams were split into three groups based on their performance in today's second practice session. Race one consisted of the cars that finished the practice session in an even-numbered spot starti…
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The Iowa Speedway is a 7/8 mile, semi-banked oval, where the drivers will be going flat out on Saturday night, under the lights. While similar in length to Milwaukee, its high banks yield racing that is similar to Indianapolis and Texas. Having passed the halfway mark in the season, Simona De Silvestro #78 and the Lotus HVM Racing Team, the hope to see even more improvement this weekend, when they hit the track on Friday. Weather is a very important factor again, as cars do not race on ovals in the rain for safety reasons. So far, this weekend’s forecast is pretty good, but there is a chance of rain for the race on Saturday. It’s All About Setup, Tyres, and …
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After a lengthy rain delay, the Milwaukee IndyFest started well for Simona De Silvestro and the Lotus HVM Racing team. The #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car started 23rd on the grid and had some over-steer issues early on. De Silvestro made some adjustments in the car and settled into a good race pace. De Silvestro was running 22nd when she entered the pits on lap 59. The team made tire and wing adjustments before re-entering the track. Just 8 laps later De Silvestro got into the marbles and brushed the wall in turn 3. De Silvestro was taken to the infield care center where she was examined and released. As she left the care center she had this to say, "I just made a mis…
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