Photo : - Lotus Group

19/24 - Sunday, 19th December - Lotus 

2010 was the year of the comeback for Lotus in competition, but for endurance racing it will not be until 2012, fifteen years after the last engagement of the marque in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In GT4, GT3, GTE and LM P2; in 2012, British Racing Green will shine on all fronts. The design of the LM P2 prototype has been assigned to Paolo Catone, one of the fathers of the Peugeot 908. "A first step", according to the Sporting Director Claudio Berro who "keeps in mind the idea of racing in the premier class (LM P1), when the time comes. "

While waiting to aim for overall victory, Lotus will revive a category dear to its founder: that of the lightweight prototype. It was this obsession with weight saving, which in 1957, allowed Colin Chapman to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans index of performance. The thin aluminum body and small engine (745cc) of the Lotus 11 is a wonderful example of in this classification, the true ancestor of the Michelin Green X Challenge.

In the sixties, Lotus moved away from endurance racing. It was not until 1993 when two Esprit Sport 300 took the start but without success. In 1997, the Elise showed itself more competitive, although dominated by the McLaren F1, Porsche 911 and Nissan R390. It retired during the night and remains, to date, last view Lotus in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Julien Hergault

Photo: In 2012 Lotus will return to lightweight prototypes that made them famous in the fifties and sixties.