Type 124 Endurance Racecar

Lotus Evora race car revealed

Aus Autocar:

Friday, September 11, 2009

This is the Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar, which will compete in selected endurance events in 2010 and 2011.

Developed in-house by Lotus, the Type 124 (pronounced 'one twenty four') has a race-tuned version of the mid-mounted Toyota V6 engine, with power increased to over 394bhp, up from 276bhp on the standard road car.

A weight-saving programme has also shed 200kg from the road car dropping it below 1200kg.

It also has a six-speed sequential paddle shift racing gearbox, full FIA-spec rollcage, FIA-compliant 120 litre ATL fuel system, FIA fire extinguisher system, competition carbonfibre rear wing and a diffuser and front splitter.

The race car is fitted with AP Racing six-piston callipers front and rear, with a race-tuned Bosch ABS system, four-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars.

It runs on 18-inch rims shod with Pirelli racing slicks and the wheels widths have been increased over the roadcar.

Luke Bennett, director of Lotus Cars, said, “Motorsport has been in our blood ever since our founder, Colin Chapman, built the first Lotus back in 1948.

"We are proud of our motorsport history, which includes victories in Formula One, Le Mans, saloon car, rally car and sportscar racing around the world; more recently, we won the British GT3 Championship in 2006 with the Lotus Exige.

"The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar is from the same unique stable and we expect it to be a competitive racecar when we enter various endurance races next year.”

The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar is expected to compete inseveral endurance races in 2010/ 2011, forming part of a factory-supported race program.

Although no race calendar has been confirmed, Lotus says it intends to compete in the 2010 ADAC Nurburgring 24 Hours in May 2010, Merdeka Millennium 12 Hours in Malaysia in August 2010, BritCar 24 Hours at Silverstone in October 2010 and the Dubai 24 Hours in January 2011.

Aus: Pistonheads

Hethel takes the new Evora 24-hour racing

Lotus has revealed a racing version of its new Evora specifically designed for 24-hour endurance racing. The Lotus Evora Type 124 will make its racing debut at the 2010 Nurburgring 24-hour race, and will compete in several other endurance events next year, including the planned BritCar 24 hours at Silverstone.

The Evora might seem an odd choice to take racing - Lotus would be the first to admit that the Evora is Lotus's least track-focused product for quite some time - but engineers at Hethel say it's something they always planned.

"Every Lotus car is designed to be at home on the race track as well as the road, and the Evora is no different," says Roger Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director for Group Lotus Plc. "Designed primarily as an everyday road car, the Evora's lightweight and stiff structure, its aerodynamics and performance means that it is perfectly suited to taming race tracks around the world, and we are looking forward to seeing the new Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar line up on the grid for the 2010 season."

The Evora Type 124's Toyota V6 has been tweaked to put out 'around 400bhp' - approximately 120bhp mor ethan the standard car, while Lotus has managed to lop around 200kg from the car's kerb weight.

The Type 124 is fitted with AP Racing six-piston calipers front and rear, a race-tuned Bosch ABS system, four-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars.

Lotus has also fitted a six-speed sequential paddle shift racing gearbox, a full FIA-spec roll cage, and a carbon fibre rear wing, diffuser and front splitter.