I don't know if he really does sit on the Caterham board but his AirAsia and Caterham advertise a lot on his grandprixplus magazines...Quote:
Originally Posted by N4D13
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I don't know if he really does sit on the Caterham board but his AirAsia and Caterham advertise a lot on his grandprixplus magazines...Quote:
Originally Posted by N4D13
He is a consultant (and possibly therefore a director) of the Caterham road car division, not the F1 team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malbec
Before or after Fernandes came among?Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Btw hadn't realised this was the official China press release.... Wow. I couldn't have done a worse job if id tried.
Ah, that I don't know. There was a bit of a hoo ha on his blog about his 'impartiality', which is where/when I learned of his involvment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malbec
Whatever - it looks like the TFKAR (team formerly known as Renault) is in deep doggy doo. There is a high court case been instigated by a local builder to recover costs on Dany Baher's house, that was apparently paid for partrly with Lotus cheques! Perhaps they bounce like a Pirelli tyre!!!
I think the Enstone team are fine actually, they have signed good sponsors and seem quite comfortable. Its Group Lotus that are in trouble. If Dany Bahar has the problems you mentioned there I wonder whether the inland revenue will be interested...Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Proton holds rights to buy 10 percent of Lotus F1
Proton holds rights to buy 10 percent of Lotus F1 | Reuters
this is geting a bigger joke day by day
breach of contract by naming rights sponsor and they get away with it by a loan of $47.71 millionQuote:
(Reuters) - Group Lotus owner Proton loaned Lotus F1 $47.71 million and retains the rights to purchase 10 percent of the Formula One team despite the end of a title sponsorship agreement, the car maker said on Wednesday.
The terms of the loan though are pretty typical and aren't outrageous by any means. Proton can only buy its share and take over the infrastructure if Lotus defaults.Quote:
Originally Posted by CNR
But if they put up 100% equity as sucurity for that loan, a default will see automatic transfer of ownership? Or am I (as usual) being a bit fick, init?
That would imply that Enstone are only worth $45 million which would undervalue the team no?Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
From the facebook article;Quote:
Originally Posted by Malbec
The new agreement was reached following Group Lotus owners Proton providing team owners Genii with a £30m loan which is repayable within three years. In order to secure the loan Genii used 100% of the F1 team’s assets as collateral meaning that under the conditions of the loan agreement Proton have been given full title guarantee to all plant, machinery, show cars, computers, office and the Lotus F1 Team headquarters.
This is stupid, I have really had enough of this situation. Move on and get a real name already
That PR message was the equivalent of watching a company have a nervous breakdown live, on Facebook!
As for who is at faults, I can't really blame the Enstone team, nor Genii Capital for anything. Group Lotus on the other hand, with their pathetic playboy CEO, is something else. Pity, cause I actually liked their road cars before this clown became their CEO.
Meanwhile in Ethiopa, countless children die every day from famine.
Total non-sequitur. Even if Lotus shut down tomorrow and every person in the company donated every penny they've ever earned to famine relief, what exactly would change?Quote:
Originally Posted by 52Paddy
I'm just trying to illustrate how such a trivial matter as a name can get so far out of hand and cost people millions. I know there's more to it than that but a lot of the issues are concerned with the labelling of a team, no?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave B
I hope you didn't find my comment provocative but I do hate it when bureaucratic-esque issues like this reach significantly ludicrous heights.
lotus needs to step up and do more than sponsor the renault car. they need to act and be a CONSTRUCTOR! bahar et. al got jealous when they saw they missed a marketing opportunity that tony fernandes saw and acted on. tony is the man, who got sh*t on by the other powers that be. but he is a business man, and racing enthusiast who also saw the opportunity in caterham. a good move for caterham and for tony.
who knows what bahar is thinking; he is out of touch with the loti nation and thinks they can be and want to be ferrari fashionistas. he is wrong. letting go of the original elise design is a mistake.
it's all about money. group lotus is priming the pump with it's name - lets see if they follow through and make their own car to claim ownership of the records lotus holds.
7 constructors championships!
6 drivers championships!
one indy 500 win!
amazing drivers including andretti
numerous success with formula 2, formula ford, formula jr.
indeed lotus does rule, but not with the current clowns.
down with danny boy bahar!
go caterham F1!
go raikkonen!
The only thing that would result in is that they would reproduce even faster there and because the average IQ there is about 40, then it would be up to us to help them again and again when another generation is born (who will then suffer again), because they are quite clearly not capable of doing anything by themselves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave B
It seems that the Lotus branded engines are unlikely to be seen in Indycar for very much longer as teams switch to Honda or Chevrolet
Sad to see a company that once had a great history going this way.
Autosport is reporting that Lotus is backing Jean Alesi in a Fan Force car for the Indy 500 .Quote:
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
I certainly wish Jean well, but on the evidence of the races so far his car will not be on the pace. He's a high profile ambassador for Lotus entering the race for the first time with a rookie team but elsewhere Dragon Racing are suing Lotus (link) for what they say is "contractual fraud". Add that to the two other Indycar teams who have already dropped Lotus and the picture does not appear to be good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
The good form of the "Lotus" Renault team in F1 seems to have more to do with the boys from Enstone than anything else and it just appears that this is an organisation that has promised much, got extensive coverage, painted its cars a nostalgic black & gold but has delivered little of substance.
:dozey:
Perhaps I sounded like I was defending them .Quote:
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
Sorry about that .
It has become a sad farce .
And , they aren't fooling anyone in the F1 paddock , or for that matter , anyone has any degree of F1 knowledge .
But , branding can work for the general public , which is what they hope comes from F1 .
The problem is , though , that brands can be easily tarnished when the company is attached to feeble arrogant moves like we see in the Indy series .
They fought tooth and nail for the proud name of Lotus , and have dragged it through the mud ever since .