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[F1] N f LR: Wind tunnel lays foundation for future success

Geplaatst: 24 okt 2010, 19:25
door Frederik
Wind tunnel lays foundation for future success
Hingham, UK 24th October 2010

Lotus Racing has today confirmed the ambitious next stage in laying the foundations for the Anglo-Malaysian squad’s long-term success in the highest echelons of global motorsport, with the announcement that the team will soon be starting work on the design and build of a dedicated wind-tunnel facility at its Hingham (UK) base. In addition, Lotus Racing and Team AirAsia (competing in the 2011 GP2 series) will be expanding operations at the existing factory site to take over a further two units, giving Team AirAsia a permanent home alongside the growing Lotus Racing F1™ operation.

Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer, gave his thoughts on the exciting developments in the growth of the team, saying “To compete at the highest level in Formula One™ it is important to have all of the key elements involved in the design, manufacturing, testing and development of our cars under our direct control and on the same site. Today’s announcement about the wind tunnel, which will be combined with additional production, office and administrative elements, gives us both the facility we need to lay the foundations for long-term success and is a clear sign that we are very serious about competing at the sharp end of the grid as quickly as we can.

We have already achieved a phenomenal rate of growth for the team, and now have all the main functions in place to take the next step up, but I think it is important to also see that we are using our budget effectively, and focusing expenditure where it counts. Investing in our own wind-tunnel, to work alongside our substantial in-house CFD facility, is a key element in establishing complete control of one of the most important aspects of the design and manufacturing process in our sport, and it is clear to see that this sort of investment points towards a very bright future for the team.

Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Team Principal, is delighted with the progress Lotus Racing and Team AirAsia are both making, on and off track “We are very serious about not only competing at the highest level on the global motorsport stage, but also having the infrastructure in place for sustained future success. Having our own wind tunnel, and a permanent base for Team AirAsia right next door to Lotus Racing, gives us the opportunity to attract the best talent from around the world to join us in making our dream come true, and puts us on a par with some of the most famous, established names in motor racing. There is one key point to note, and that is that we are lean and focused, and are using the experience of our senior management to make sure our resources are directed into areas that provide positive, quantifiable returns. This is the key to long-term success, and we are going about it in the right way.

Tony Fernandes, Lotus Racing Team Principal, echoed Din and Mike’s thoughts on the exciting new developments for both Team AirAsia and its elder brothers at Lotus Racing, saying “Just over a year ago there were four people in the factory in Hingham, a team working in Cologne on the design of this year’s car, and a third group working in Italy on our aero programme. We have reached where we are today because of the hard work all of those people, and those who have joined us since, put in in the early days, and I want to thank them for helping us get to where we are today. Now it is about the future, and today’s announcement shows just how serious we are about taking the next crucial step in the continuing development of both Lotus Racing and Team AirAsia. My fellow shareholders Din, Nasa and I see the expansion of our base as not only the very best home for both teams, but also as the inspiration for future talent from around the world to follow their dreams and join us to compete at the highest level. One day very soon, we see our cars in Formula One™ and GP2 being designed, built and raced by teams of people from Malaysia, Europe, South East Asia and from around the world. This is a very exciting time for our teams, and the dream is growing bigger every single day.

Re: [F1] Wind tunnel lays foundation for future success

Geplaatst: 24 okt 2010, 19:26
door Frederik
Voor de niet engelstaligen ...

Lotus bouwt nieuwe windtunnel in Hingham
24 oktober 2010

Lotus is goed bezig met het ontwikkelen van het team. Er is al een deal met Red Bull om de versnellingsbak van de Oostenrijkers te gebruiken en naar verwachting wordt in Brazilië een motorendeal met Renault bekendgemaakt. Vandaag (zondag) liet Lotus al weten een windtunnel te zullen bouwen bij de fabriek in het Engelse Hingham.

We rijden in de Formule 1, wat de hoogste raceklasse is. Het is daarom belangrijk om alles wat bij het ontwerpen van een auto te maken heeft, in eigen beheer te hebben, en op dezelfde locatie”, vertelde technisch directeur Mike Gascoyne. “De windtunnel legt de fundering voor succes op lange termijn en het is ook een teken dat we er serieus werk van willen maken, om zo snel mogelijk aan de voorkant van de grid te staan.

Lotus bevestigde dat de fabriek van Team Air Asia, het GP2-team van Lotus, ook gebruik zal maken van de faciliteiten in Hingham.

Bron : GPUpdate.nl

Re: [F1] Wind tunnel lays foundation for future success

Geplaatst: 24 okt 2010, 19:32
door Frederik
Toch zeer veelbelovend nieuws ... toch ergens een teken dat de centen er (momenteel nog) voldoende zijn en ze erg veel ambitie hebben.

Stel u voor voor 2011 :
- 2 ervaren rijders (Trulli & Kovalainen),
- een eigen windtunnel,
- hydrolics en versnellingsbak van RedBull
- motoren van Renault.
- een gevulde portemonnee (al kan dat snel omslaan)

Mag ik stellen "een beetje van alles het beste samengebracht"?
Als Lotus beschikt over dezelfde motoren, hydrolics én vrsnellingsbakken als RedBull, leuke vooruitzichten niet? Maar ... zal Gascoyne een even goed aeropakket kunnen maken als Newey (RedBull)?

Een eigen windtunnel ... heeft Group Lotus eigenlijk een windtunnel? Misschien kan Fernandez deze aan Group Lotus voor grof geld verhuren om hun concepten te finetunen... ;)