Lotus make a historic return

It has been fourteen years since Lotus were last at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The entry of two Evoras in LM GTE Pro is the realisation of one of many projects involving the British marque, which has great ambitions on both the road and track.

Jetalliance has  two  Lotus Evora GTEs in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE Pro. "Firstly, it is magical to participate in the return for such a prestigious brand," enthuses Hirschi, driver of #65. Furthermore with 79 victories and six drivers' titles in Formula 1, the  Lotus Elite and  Eleven were great competitors in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the late fifties. "The return of Lotus is also a very big program conducted within a very short time, which required a lot of work because we did not start  until late March, said the Swiss driver. "Our first objective was to run without a hitch during the Test Day on 24 April, which was the case. "

The whole program is run by Lotus sports chief Claudio Berro, former head of Corse Clienti,part of  the Ferrari racing department." He's really the man for the job", said Hirschi." It was his desire to return to Endurance racing in  LM GTE Pro, it's still a big challenge, given the number of teams supported by manufacturers. "

The announcement at the last Paris motorshow of a new road car and a racing programme over the next five years, in a partnership with Renault in Formula 1, in Indycar in the United States and also  Endurance racing in GTE. "This project is a work in in progress", confirms Hirschi." In my case, I really want have a  long term involvement with the project. As I have done a lot of running in the car, I can see myself maybe  driving a future prototype Lotus. But for now, the Lotus Evora has a huge scope for growth and  our goal is to be realible and finish  the 24 hours on Sunday. "

Jean-Philippe Doret

Photo: 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, June 8, 2011. Hirschi sharing the wheel of the second Lotus Evora combining experience and speed with two drivers: Johnny Mowlem and James Rossiter.