[low2ground]

What better way to show off the performance and (potential) durability of the car than to have it compete against 911s, Corvettes, Astons, 458s, R8s and Z4s in the GT class at places like Daytona and Sebring? It could help bring positive attention and give the factory additional impetus for improvements.

Thoughts?

 

[cyow5]

I know some guys were campaigning an evora last year in Grand Am (there is no American Le Mans anymore), but I don't think they are running now.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[KCZ]

Yes, there were several threads here in 2012 following the efforts of Alex Job Racing in campaigning the Evora in ALMS and their struggles to develop the car without factory support from Lotus. We'll have to see if Lotus' new CEO is interested in racing development.

 

[cyow5]

Does anyone have updates on these guys:

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181514

It says they are coming back for 2014 but it doesn't specify which car. It was awesome watching them in Detroit last year


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Dylan]

Saw the AJ Racing team at the Baltimore GP a couple of years ago. Extremely nice people, as were the drivers. Very willing to discuss Lotus, interested in the fans, etc. I think they were getting -5% support from the factory, although they didn't say that or complain. I do think the cars were just underpowered; each race was a learning experience, however, and with factory support, I think they could have become competitive.

 

[bri3d]

Does anyone have updates on these guys:

FS: Lotus Exige S World Challenge Race Cars - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community

It says they are coming back for 2014 but it doesn't specify which car. It was awesome watching them in Detroit last year


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

Taggart Autosport Tests Lotus Evora GT4 in Florida | Pirelli World Challenge

They bought and ran an Evora GT4 at at least some SCCA races.

A few weeks later they decided to switch from the PWC GTS class to GTA and bought a 911 GT3 R to race in that class instead:

Taggart to Run Porsche 911 GT3 R in PWC ? Taggart Autosport

No idea if they didn't take the Evora to PWC because they didn't feel it was competitive in GTS, or because the opportunity to change classes came up. They're on the forum - maybe they'll see this and chime in.

 

[addertooth]

The Taggart team was handicapped with lower HP and heat issues with the Evora engine.

 

[XHILR8N!]

Jim procured a race spec Evora and showed up with her at Road Atlanta last year.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f223/who-dood-190873/

 

[Abe]

Teams like Taggart and AJ Racing need factory support (more than what's been given) to be competitive otherwise they switch cars which is the case. Hopefully this new CEO will allow for this type of assistance on this side of the pond.

 

[cyow5]

I think it's also inherently hard to race a Lotus in today's "equalized" race series. They have to be underpowered on the tight tracks, leading them to be severely underpowered on the fast tracks. If they were given a proper power/weight, they'd blow the doors off everyone else on all but the most open tracks. It was incredibly watching the Exige just tap the brakes when the big cars were doing full braking zones at Belle Isle.

 

[MickOpalak]

It will be difficult to get an Evora into ALMS since the series wrapped up last year.

 

[shay2nak]

I don't like how they combined the different racing series into one. ALMS + Grand-am.

Laguna Seca: It was dumb watching a P2 car getting held up by an [those] ugly daytona prototype(s). Lap after lap, the P2 was trying to pass the Daytona for the lead. Was getting annoying. I guess they put big-ass restrictors on the P2s.

 

[pray4mojo]

ALMS is now GT Le Mans series. Everyone dropped out when they were bought out. There were only 9 cars (2 Z4s, 3 911s, 2 Corvettes, 1 458, 1 Viper) in the series when I watched the race at Long Beach.

 

[brgelise]

Saw the AJ Racing team at the Baltimore GP a couple of years ago. Extremely nice people, as were the drivers. Very willing to discuss Lotus, interested in the fans, etc. I think they were getting -5% support from the factory, although they didn't say that or complain. I do think the cars were just underpowered; each race was a learning experience, however, and with factory support, I think they could have become competitive.

Townsend Bell and ??Switser?Swindell were great. Handling and braking were with the best , Cosworth needed to give them 50 more HP and the'd have been a serious contender. This was at time that Bahar was pilfering the company.....