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Team Lotus v Lotus Racing

February 22, 2010

The Lotus Engineering company was founded by Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman on 1st January 1952, as a direct result of his success in building and racing trials cars.

The company, based at Ketteringham Hall, Norfolk, has flourished over the years and took part in its 36th and Final year of Grand Prix racing in 1994. Lotus Racing was born in 2009 and will compete in their first race at Bahrain on March 14th this year. Lotus Racing have a significant legacy to live up to. Opinion is split as to whether “Lotus Racing” can be anything other than a reincarnation of the great name?

There are few circuit formulae that the team did not dominate in past years. In the 1950s, Lotus sports cars dominated their class in the classic Le Mans 24-Hour race, while in the mid-1960s the USA’s famous Indianapolis 500 race became another prize to fall to the team, along with three Grand Prix Constructor’s World Championships. In the 1970s Team Lotus continued their winning ways, collecting another four Constructor’s World Championships, the last with the revolutionary Type 79.

Colin Chapman had a profound influence in the design of the Grand Prix car in post war years, with Lotus initiating development programmes which led to innovative cars with features such as monocoque construction, four wheel drive, ground effect technology and Active Suspension. Lotus initiated the introduction of commercial sponsorship into Formula One in 1968 with its pioneering involvement wth Imperial Tobacco.

1958: Lotus entered first Grand Prix – Monaco
1960: First Formula One victory – Stirling Moss, Monaco
1961: 2nd – World Manufacturer’s Championship

First Team Lotus victory – Innes Ireland, US GP Watkins Glen
1962: 2nd – World Manufacturer’s Championship
1963: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Jim Clark

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (first title)

Jim Clark & Team Lotus came 2nd in the Indianapolis 500 at their first attempt in the race
1965: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Jim Clark

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (second title)

1st – Indianapolis 500 – Jim Clark

Lotus Type 38 is first British car to win Indianapolis 500
1968: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Graham Hill

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (third title)
1970: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Jochen Rindt

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (fourth title)
1972: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Emerson Fittipaldi

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (fifth title)
1973: 1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (sixth title)
1978: 1st – World Driver’s Championship – Mario Andretti

1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (seventh title)
1982: Tragic death of Colin Chapman coincides with Team Lotus’ first test of its Active Suspension car. New management headed by Peter Warr takes over running of the team.
1983: Lotus races Active Suspension car.
1985: Ayrton Senna wins his first GP in Portugal, followed by a second win at Belgium.
1987: Lotus starts racing with the Active Suspension system and Senna wins two Grands Prix, in Monaco and the USA (the team’s 79th GP victory).
1990: Peter Collins and Peter Wright take over the running of Team Lotus on 7th December. The team finish 9th in the FIA Constructors’ World Championship.
1991: The reformed team uses a substantially modified version of the 1990 Type 102 – the Judd EV powered 102B. Debut of Mika Hakkinen, taking 5th place at San Marino.
1992: The team started the season with a new version of the Type 102B – the 102D with the Ford F1 V8 engine – in which Herbert and Hakkinen scored points early in the season.; The all new Type 107, designed by Chris Murphy, was announced in Spain and first raced at Imola. Lotus finished in a strong 5th place in the FIA Constructors’ World Championship with 13 points.
1993: Johnny Herbert and Alessandro Zanardi took Team Lotus to 6th place in the FIA Constructors’ World Championship, driving the Ford powered Type 107B. The injuries Alessandro sustained after his accident at Spa rendered him unable to compete in the last four Grands Prix, where he was replaced by Formula 3000 Championship runner-up, Portugal’s Pedro Lamy.
1994: Herbert and Lamy start the season driving the Type 107C, which has been designed to incorporate the Mugen-Honda engine, prior to the debut of the Type 109 Zanardi is retained as test and development driver.