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Lotus return to F1 after all
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:39 am
by maff
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78648
and in norfolk to begin with too, wheres this RTN facility they're on about?
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:40 am
by Safety_James
I knew it!!
Testing for us then!
RTN is in Hingham, Ironside Way, Near I-Sport
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:18 pm
by ginger ninja
Great news
It will be very interesting to see whats going to happen next year now with a new team with Lotus's hetitage behind it.
The RTN site is that the old Team Toms unit ??
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:32 pm
by Finchy
RTN is what was TOMS, then Toyota F1 and then Bentley Le Mans car.
Its currently got some activity happening there and a great facility considering it has a huge autoclave.
Its Litespeed F3, Mike Gascoigne as Technical Director and a Malaysian Funding company which i suspect has links with Petronas now BMW have pulled the plug. Although they have just been bought with a Swiss / Middle Eastern holdings group in partnership with Sauber.
It will certainly be good having an F1 team based locally for testing and increasing interest in the area. Lets just hope they can get a decent car off the ground within 6 months and move forward!
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:04 pm
by Gerry H
Brilliant! It's just been announced in the BBC news headlines
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:50 pm
by Stuart
How do Litespeed and these guys tie up?
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:39 pm
by maff
I think it is litespeed, its certainly Gasgoine.
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:59 pm
by blacky
stuart wrote:How do Litespeed and these guys tie up?
As far as I know Litespeed are not involved anymore...
The design of next years car will not be done in Norfolk but car build and everything else will be.
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:02 pm
by Gerry H
They're using a Cosworth engine. Shame it's not the DFV
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:40 am
by Finchy
Considering that gascoigne was working for Litespeed as Technical Director and continuing the development of the car i would assume that its Litespeed but under a different banner and with more force from higher personnel within Malaysia.
Litespeed's initial entry was rather the odd one out in terms of other large team names.
None the less i would assume the vehicle will be designed, built, manufactured in the UK as this is where the pool of F1 experience is. You cant just teach the malaysians how to build and design an f1 car that quickly.
I would also think that LOLA have a tie in with this, as Dallara do with Campos etc. They were fairly progressed with the design of an F1 car so rather than Litespeed building something from scratch they employ LOLA like Red Bull racing does with Red Bull Technology to design and build the cars.