Lotus Granted 13th Spot On 2010 Grid

[WhiteBlue]

The only time that I will be cheering for Legally Lotus will be when their machinery fails, which is probably a good thing because I've not had anyone to jeer at since Mr Schumacher retired : every good pantomime needs a villain to boo.

I find myself almost in the same position since fish face Ron Dennis has stopped coming back and asking for more punishment. Martin Whitmarsh so far isn't really entertaining. His sentences are nothing like the convolutet diagonal invertet ramblings we have come to expect from Britain's finest.

[gridwalker]

Here is a link to the Group Lotus Media Centre : http://www.grouplotus.com/mediacentre/index.html

There is absolutely NO mention of F1 at the time of me writing this, which would be very strange behaviour if Group Lotus PLC were actually involved in the F1 project.

How hard would it be to put a press release on a website?

[sticky667]

I believe you are quoting the press release from June 2009

Lotus company not behind 'Team Lotus'

By Mark Glendenning Wednesday, June 10th 2009, 19:49 GMT

Group Lotus plc and its subsidiary Lotus Cars Limited have moved to distance themselves from the recently-announced "Team Lotus" that has submitted an entry for the 2010 Formula 1 world championship, and signaled that they are prepared to take action to protect the Lotus brand name.

British Formula 3 squad Litespeed, which was founded by former Lotus employees Nino Judge and Steve Kenchington, announced last week that it wished to enter F1 next year under the Lotus banner.

Permission to use the Lotus name had apparently been granted by rights-holder David Hunt, however the Lotus company challenged that in a statement released today.

"Group Lotus plc and its subsidiary Lotus Cars Limited, the manufacturer of the legendary Lotus Elise and global high technology engineering consultancy, are not connected or affiliated to, nor in any other way associated with the newly-announced 'Team Lotus' that has submitted an entry 2010 Formula 1 championship," the statement said.

"Group Lotus plc will take all necessary steps to protect its name, reputation and brand image."

The news follows a similar statement issued by the Brabham family last week indicating that it intended to challenge Formtech's plans to enter F1 using its name.

They distanced themselves from the Litespeed operation using their name.

The new Lotus entry with Malaysian backing is surely Group Lotus PLC directly, not a re-badged F3 team.

[gridwalker]

And yet no press release on the Group Lotus website.

Your use of "surely" simply masks a lot of supposition.

Show me the press release confirming the involvement of the Group Lotus parent company and I will retract my statement : as far as I can see, Group Lotus want to keep their distance from the sport that nearly sank Spyker & the Team Lotus banner is available for any team who wishes to pay the rights holder enough money.

If Group Lotus were involved, surely they'd be shouting about it from their website as it'd be the biggest announcement that they've made in a decade, but there isn't even a hint of an announcement.

That doesn't seem like the actions of a company entering into the world's largest automotive PR circus, does it?

[Michiba]

It's going to be a proton... with a badge saying 'handling by lotus' on the steering wheel

[PlatinumZealot]

I think this is going to be a real lotus.. I mean it will be made in the same places that Lotus makes its street cars.
Just because the Parent company is Malaysian that doesn't make it any less of a Lotus.

[modbaraban]

I really like this one:

#F1 NEWS - AYRTON SENNA TO DRIVE FOR NEW LOTUS TEAM! (But it's actually just some Malaysian bloke using Senna's name)

[xpensive]

If they can get John Player Special sponsorship on a car designed by Mike Gascoyne I can die a happy man.

[Jukebox]

It's really a total waste of the tax payers money if you ask me and since i'm one of those tax payers.....certainly not happy with the decision made by the government.

Proton is not making money currently and definitely the government will have to pump in the dough for Proton. If AirAsia and Naza wanted to shower money for this team then i have no problem with it at all and haven't they learned anything from past mistakes made?

No wonder Petronas is no where near in this deal considering their failed investment entry into the SBK with Foggy Petronas team

Proton's participation into BTCC was a total failure too....

[sticky667]

It's really a total waste of the tax payers money if you ask me and since i'm one of those tax payers.....certainly not happy with the decision made by the government.

Proton is not making money currently and definitely the government will have to pump in the dough for Proton. If AirAsia and Naza wanted to shower money for this team then i have no problem with it at all and haven't they learned anything from past mistakes made?

No wonder Petronas is no where near in this deal considering their failed investment entry into the SBK with Foggy Petronas team

Proton's participation into BTCC was a total failure too....

What is the position on the circuit?

[Jukebox]

What is the position on the circuit?

Who's position? The PSP with BTCC?

They were only there for 3 years if i'm not mistaken....stopped following their development after a year or so

[sticky667]

What is the position on the circuit?

Who's position? The PSP with BTCC?

They were only there for 3 years if i'm not mistaken....stopped following their development after a year or so

more so the taxpayers

[rich1701]

They want to eventually have their entire base of operations in Malaysia, surely with the greatest respect to Malaysians, most talented engineers and designers live and work in the UK. How many of them will be willing to live and work in Malaysia? I seriously doubt Mike Gascoigne would move there either. For me that is a recipe for uncompetitiveness, Having said that a tandem project in both countries would be an advantage in some respects.

But If the Malaysian government wants to have a Malasysian national team, then it should be called Team Proton Malaysia, not Lotus, It's like ford buying Ferrari and doing everything in America, it's just wrong.

[ISLAMATRON]

Yes because only europeans could ever be good engineers.

[Scotracer]

Yes because only europeans could ever be good engineers.

UK is the centre of Race Car Engineering - the best engineers will gravitate to the area.