Did anyone, organizers or team manage to get some times on the Lotus in Ypres?
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Did anyone, organizers or team manage to get some times on the Lotus in Ypres?
The presence of the Lotus in Ypres was plain awesome! The looks very agile, a lot better than the Porsche I think.
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Sousa told me his times were good enough for the Top 10..
so not so good...Quote:
Originally Posted by mousti
The Lotus was quite fast. It seems to be efficient, easier to handle than a Porsche, but it seems to be less powerfull !
Lotus have to continue it development, a battle Porsche / Lotus / Nissan 370z could be very great !
No, top 10 in Ypres with a new car would have been a horrible result.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
I saw the car on quite many stages in Ypres, always fast places, often with bumps.
As it was said, the engine isn't powerful like one would expect for a GT car. The engine sounds rather quiet and boring. The restriction by the rules together with extra weight is probably too much.
Suspension is a lot worse than in S2000 cars but that's nothing new I think.
Overall there is no chance this car could fight with S2000 cars but I think everyone knew that already before the rally. It would be more interesting to compare times with Aigner or especially Van den Heuvel.
But... the car IS beautiful!
Geko Ypres Rally 2012 - Bernardo Sousa - Lotus Exige R-GT - YouTube
Mirek, as you can see from this video, Bernardo is not pushing the revs to the maximum! I will expect to see a bit more of the car, especially when it goes on his official debut, not as a course car. But I conquer with you... the suspension seems to be rubish... at least in this rally!
Cheers
+1 not rubish but also dangerous comparing with other cars passes from same corners.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheFlyingTuga
The engine has supercharger and rather small restrictor. The power can't be in very high rpm. I really don't believe he was not using the power of the car. In the video he is shifting quite well according to the indication.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheFlyingTuga
By the way we were on this stage at the combination of corners after 7:10 :)
Well, normally I change gears when the dots are all lighten. So, it's because of that, that I said that he was not using all the juice!
OnBoard Bernardo Sousa (Lotus Exige R-GT) Ypres Rally SS. 2:
https://vimeo.com/44562054
How did the car sound and look handelingwise from the outsid, you that saw it in Belgium?
What did Sousa say after the rally about driving it in half-anger, and the potential he feels it has?
The Lotus Exige has finally been homologated! It can thus definitely start at the Madeira Rally.
Lotus Exige S está homologado e estreia na Madeira - Autosport.pt
Looking forward to see the performance of the car and hope more will follow.
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Is Sousa a good development driver, or are there other reasons for choosing him to be lead driver for the Lotus Team?
Nice video of Lotus tests before Madaira. I like it definitely more than any modern FWD car and I hope someone will use it in the IRC 2WD cup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzuMT3h3dSg
Here is a report from Lotus on their first rally, with lots of videos: EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP - RALI VINHO DA MADEIRA | Lotus Cars
Interestingly, they say that there was an electronic problem already on SS2, which affected the times. As they finished that SS 10th, behind most N4 cars, there is some hope that the R-GT is actually faster than N4 - once they sorted out the little problems....
The next step is a 4-day test session in Italy at the end of August.
Sousa and his Lotus will participate in the Rally Príncipe de Asturias, 13-16 September, the 9th round of the ERC.
El Lotus Exige R-GT planea estar en el Rallye Príncipe de Asturias
If the FIA isn't expecting R-GT cars to make regular appearances in 2013, what happens if Lotus enter the WRC on a regular basis? Would they be in competition with the WRC cars? Because if nobody makes a regular appearance, there's not much point to it.
I don't think they will actually compete in the WRC, maybe participate in some of the tarmac rallies. They will focus on ERC and IRC, where they might have a chance vs. S2000 (and in IRC to win the 2WD cup).
Too bad that there are no other R-GT manufacturers. I hope that at least Lotus produces more Exiges, so we will at least have a competition among different Lotus drivers.
Image problem with the R-GT class is clear as to what the world rally car category rules allow.
As in the man on the street will see the following:
Fiesta / DS3 / Mini / Polo etc is faster than a Lotus / Aston Martin / Cayman etc
Why would Porsche, Aston, Lotus etc want to get involved in a form of motor sport that shows that?
Plenty of people who have the money for expensive sports cars and will just casually watch/read about rallying in the media when they see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommeke_B
It's the image problem that manufacturers do not want. Especially the likes of Aston and Porsche, two highly respected car brands to be beaten by a Fiesta.
If you were one of the main people of Aston or Porsche and were in a board room meeting discussing what motor sport to spend the millions on with the other top people, share holders etc. How would you sell them the idea of going rallying if someone asked if the Fiesta and DS3 will be faster?
Aston-Martin & Porsche are quite used to being beaten by Audi, Peugeot & Toyota, however, they aren't in the same class; LMP1 V GT-Pro/Am So would it really be any different? WRC Fiesta v R-GT Lotus...
Navtheace, does it really matter to a company if their cars are racing in the gentlemen's league and may be slower than World Rally Cars.
By your logic Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari and Chevrolet with their Corvette should be embarrassed of doing endurance racing, when Audi has dominated the sport for the last decade. It doesn't matter that there are shopping carts faster than your high end sports car, when you are the fastest in your own category.
EDIT: AndyRAC beat me to it.
Yeah, that is the reason there is no R8 in Le Mans GT class, there is no point actually for the brand when the LMP1 one wipes out everything else.
Back to the point - that's why there are the different classes. I don't see anything embarrassing for a sports car brand to be in rally GT class while the fastest cars out there are in quite different category - World Rally Car, which usually are everyday city cars.
That IS a problem, I see your point. But somebody maybe just a little more cynical than me might point out that's always been the point---and why people that make "sports" cars sell them to millionaires and only bring them out when there's nothing but other millionaires playing with their millionaire cars and some suitably safe and easy venue-----like some simple circuit.Quote:
Originally Posted by navtheace
It was always a bit amusing to see the confusion , then anger and disgust when one would show Porsche 911 fans that their beloved cars were routinely annihilated by boxy little MkII Escorts when those cars were driven of normal roads.
They simply could not concieve of the concept that anything was better than their 911.
Any news on Lotus? Why don't we hear anything anymore from then? Has the project ended? Lack of budget? Or will they drive (ERC?) in 2013?
According to post of Pluto few days a go the project was canceled.
What a pity... So the GT class is 1 big fail...
Was it the Lotus or the rules that were wrong?
Or just lack of developmemt money?
From today's World Motor Sport Council:
The WMSC has mandated relevant FIA commissions for concrete proposals to empower the presence of GT cars in rallies as soon as possible.
World Motor Sport Council | Federation Internationale de l'Automobile
Well, hopefully we will soon see those GT cars!
The other point is also very interesting - since 1st January 2014 it is allowed for R1-R3 cars to use engine from another stock car (from the same manufacturer's portfolio I suppose). That means for example to build Fabia R3D using engine 2.0 TDI CR from Octavia RS (just a random example).
From the latest WMSC meeting:
World Motor Sport Council | Federation Internationale de l'AutomobileQuote:
In order to promote the entry of R-GT cars in FIA rallies, with immediate effect tuners will be permitted to develop cars, in accordance with the criteria defining eligible cars. The FIA will issue a technical passport, allowing the car to be eligible for events accepting R-GT cars.
Whatever this means now...
I interpret this that the cars don’t have to be homologated in the traditional way by the manufacturer. Maybe this will help to have more R-GT cars in rallies?
I hope this is the beginning of new way of homologation for all small classes, from R4 to R1 :)
I'm guessing it's intended as a way of getting these cars into rallies as quickly as possible. The R-GT rules will likely be pretty broad in what they are willing to accept, and will be based on other GT racing series around the world. Provided a car fits the rules of another series, it would be eligible to take part in rallies under the R-GT class. That's what the "technical passport" would be.
If this means what I think it does, it is a great move.
It hopefully means the start of some real exotica in rallying. Without the homologation process with manufacturer consent, we may now see some 'supercars' taking to the stages, especially on the tarmac rally.
The old R-GT rules obviously weren't working with only Lotus having a go at making an eligible car.
Can't wait. Thank you FIA for a good decision.
The GT class is meant for gentlemen drivers that does this for fun, and not to have them in a WRcar.
This might be the trick to get the class moving.
maybe the same could be done for R4 to get a 4wd class for private tuning firms to be creative within a set of sensible rules?
When it comes to motorsport, "creative" and "sensible" are rarely the same thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland