Lotus GTP - Page 8

JAG · 19 Jun 2004, 17:30 (Ref:1008772)

I'm sure those behind TT would be interested in the chat session.

Seeing as this forum is the best around for Sportscar/GT, and already has many contributions from team members and drivers, it would be ideal to host such an event.

Fogelhund · 21 Jun 2004, 16:44 (Ref:1011007)

I understood the car was still in Florida. Any idea on when it will be sent to the new shop?

Graham Goodwin · 21 Jun 2004, 16:55 (Ref:1011026)

If not Ten Tenths then doesn't the ALMS site have a chatroom?

ah746 · 21 Jun 2004, 17:06 (Ref:1011048)

It may still bein Florida... It was supposed to have been moved two weeks ago, but a few other things curtailed that.... I will check into it, but if it is still down there, it wouldn't be available for viewing....

As for the ALMS site... I will look into it.

Fogelhund · 21 Jun 2004, 17:15 (Ref:1011059)

Well, lets hope the team finds some funding, so that it can take care of the situations "curtailing" the cars movement. Perhaps then some development work can begin, though it is well behind schedule now.

At this point, without the funding to bring the car to Indy, still further funding needs to be done to get a new engine, install and test it... seems like the we won't see the car until the fall now?

**FIRE** · 21 Jun 2004, 18:00 (Ref:1011108)

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham Goodwin
If not Ten Tenths then doesn't the ALMS site have a chatroom?

http://www.motorsportsearch.com/chat/

marcush. · 21 Jun 2004, 23:41 (Ref:1011496)

looks like the window of opportunity has closed on the lotus project a bit.
with reference to a second car I would consider aquiering a 111R type or Vauxhall speedster chassis and build the car on that base.
The chassis has shorter rear legs and this would facilate engine installation.the original lotus chassis was very tight in terms of engine compartment,the GT1 chassis legs even longer than the street chassis and so totally unavailable(accidents?)
As for the bodywork you ´d need to have moulds to make parts anyway,don´t you?

ah746 · 22 Jun 2004, 00:06 (Ref:1011523)

The team has plenty of funding.... That is not a real concern... Just typical of sponsorship contracts that they kick in at inconvenient times!!!

The development of the car was always going to be a winter project... The first thing is to get the car established, and get a good datum on where it is at right now, so that modifications can be made with knowledge of what the problems are....

The car will be on track soon, and certainly before Fall...

As for the 'window of opportunity'.... It is far from closed... Everything is ongoing, it is just that in typical industry fashion, we can't talk about anything until it has been agreed upon...

As for the Type 111R... Way off base... Our car is a dedicated GT1.. The 111R is in no way comparable to what we now have....

cybersdorf · 22 Jun 2004, 07:13 (Ref:1011646)

Quote:

Originally posted by ah746
The team has plenty of funding.... That is not a real concern...

Congratulations - you are one of the Happy Few!

Tim Northcutt · 22 Jun 2004, 15:20 (Ref:1012215)

Thanks for the update, ah746, and for the e-mail you sent me....

Hope everything sorts out OK for Team Elite...

I know everyone there wants to get racing sooner as opposed to later...

Graham Goodwin · 2 Oct 2004, 06:02 (Ref:1113067)

Dragging an old thread back to life - Any Elise GT1 fans might like to know that the one and only road car version will be at Brands hatch this weekend - It should do some demo laps and there is a competition running with the prize of winning a trackday with rides in the Elise and a race prepped Ginetta.

We're hosting it at DSC but its on the free area (via the front page) www.dailysportscar.com all in the name of raising sponsorship for young Eddy Morris.

If this is too much of a plug (perish the thought!) please pull it but this really is about pointing people in the direction of a quick young racer who needs the exposure.

marcush. · 4 Oct 2004, 07:12 (Ref:1114591)

The lotus chassis is basically a flat bottom .wich makes for a good base to get some ground effect.
But realistically the forward Aero is constrained by it´s
flat bottom ,even with the wide track of the GT1 the space to build some sort of diffuser ramps is halved by the big cross section of the chassis,and no way to build something like a raised footbox area.
So,in my opinion the Lotus maybe a nice car but it is a few years late to jump ahead of the new cars.I would have gone for a Zytek engine/Ricardo Gearbox as these have proved reliable as well as very lightweight.This would include the elctromagnetic paddle shift as well..so in that area you´d be on the best possible level by drafting a cheque/and at least the engine is available on a lease basis...

Graham Goodwin · 4 Oct 2004, 08:22 (Ref:1114630)

Gutted - It was simply too wet to take the Lotus out on track yesterday at Brands Hatch. But what a Fabulous bit of kit - every time the engine was fired up we got a crown 9 deep!

gwyllion · 15 Feb 2005, 12:49 (Ref:1226132)

It seems a similar thread on the DSC forum has some small news. Team Elite is still alive and hopes to run some ALMS races in 2005 (Sebring is too early).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah746

Sorry for being EXTREMELY late with a reply!!!

Why did we choose the Lotus???

Firstly because we are all Lotus nuts, and secondly, because it gives us a wild card... The car was not fully developed back in 1997, and as nobody else is running one, then we might be able to make something of it....

Sure, we may fail, but what if....

And sorry for the silence in 2004... Team Elite is still there, and we have hopes of running a programme in 2005.... just had to work our way through some complications!!!

source: http://www.dailysportscar.net/dailys...?p=25776#25776

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah746

Well, we have put things in place for the development of the car, and financially, the team is looking good, with a tie-up with Active Mountain Raceway (www.amraceway.ca)...

Right now, however, the team principal is working on one of his other projects that is seeing him spend a lot of time in Europe, but once that is finalised, things should start happening.

I don't anticipate us running at Sebring... I think we need to walk before we run, and so we need to get the car up to speed before we tackle the reliability thing...

Remember, you can make a fast car reliable... You cannot make a reliable car fast

source: http://www.dailysportscar.net/dailys...?p=25786#25786

Fogelhund · 15 Feb 2005, 15:59 (Ref:1226293)

Don't believe what ah has written. I've talked to the team principles recently, and the car is along ways from being on the track, with nothing more then dreams and desires being left of the project.

ah746 · 18 Feb 2005, 13:33 (Ref:1229317)

Would love to know which of the team principals (Plural???) you spoke to...

fia289 · 18 Feb 2005, 13:45 (Ref:1229330)

Time is running out isn't it ?

Correct me if I'm wrong but the car is not getting any younger, nor is it being developed. A few new prototype should start apearing in LMP1 next year, making the gap even bigger. I'm under the impression that next time we see the car it's going to be in vintage racing....

I respect that the team's principale have other priorities, but the reality of this lotus is that it needs full time commitment to do some respectable LMP1 times.

ah746 · 18 Feb 2005, 14:05 (Ref:1229350)

Time is running out isn't it ?
Of course it is.

There are plans to develop the car, and we genuinely feel it has potential, otherwise we could just as easily have grabbed ourselves a Prosche GT1 or even an Audi... but we didn't.

Ideally, we would love to have Group Lotus on board, but that is not likely to happen at this time.

And if the car appears in vintage racing... Is that such a bad thing? At least it would be out there racing, rather than gathering dust like the other six cars....

I respect that the team's principale have other priorities, but the reality of this lotus is that it needs full time commitment to do some respectable LMP1 times.

Things are in place to allow for the programme to get the full-time commitment it deserves... The other project is a means of keeping the money flowing....

cybersdorf · 18 Feb 2005, 14:17 (Ref:1229360)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah746

There are plans to develop the car, and we genuinely feel it has potential, otherwise we could just as easily have grabbed ourselves a Prosche GT1 or even an Audi... but we didn't.

Oreca owes Audi $3.5mil. for the use of the R8 this year, so I would think budget is also a factor. An R&S Mk.IIIC or Dome or Zytek would have been more realistic, but they are not Loti are they

the vintage racing suggestion seems like a good idea, why tinker much with the car now, why not mothball it for a few years, and then return to the track at the Le Mans Classic.

What a colourful history this chassis has had, and sadly so little of it on the track.

ah746 · 18 Feb 2005, 14:19 (Ref:1229364)

I say this with sincerity... We genuinely hope to return the car to the track, and to the winners enclosure... If effoprt alone were enough to run the car, we would be right at the front.

cybersdorf · 18 Feb 2005, 14:25 (Ref:1229369)

Fair enough

What's happened to your website?

ah746 · 18 Feb 2005, 14:32 (Ref:1229376)

Witht he team principal being away working on the other thing, we overlooked the fact that we hadn't updated the domain subscription!!!

Fogelhund · 18 Feb 2005, 16:37 (Ref:1229480)

ah - I talked to Gary recently, and Keith a couple of months ago.

ah746 · 24 Feb 2005, 15:05 (Ref:1234549)

Ah that makes sense now about the use of plural.... Gary is no longer with Team... And since you would have spoken to them, a lot has happened....

ah746 · 24 Feb 2005, 15:20 (Ref:1234561)

Let me rephrase that... Gary is working on other things.... That is more like it

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