Despite the recent announcement that Malaysian government-owned Proton had sold its interest in Lotus to DRB-Hicom, the end result won’t have any impact on its IndyCar involvement.
But Team Lotus is still facing a lot of challenges, one being that it will have to ensure that enough of its new 2.2-liter V6 IndyCar engines will be ready in time for the season-opening race at St. Petersburg on March 25th.
The engine manufacturer has begun its on-track testing last Friday with HVM Racing’s Simona de Silvestro behind the wheel—more than five months after its rival Honda started testing its single-turbo 2.2-liter V6.
At the present time, Lotus has four teams, with six cars for sure but it still has to meet its contractually obligated 40 percent of the field, which could be between 10 and 11 cars.
If necessary, the series will also make additional test days available to any teams affected by engine shortages leading up to the first race.
The supply issue Lotus faces is a short-term problem, but whether those issues can be resolved in time for the 2012 season opener has the series and the other two engine manufacturers engaged in an ongoing dialogue.
But Team Lotus is still facing a lot of challenges, one being that it will have to ensure that enough of its new 2.2-liter V6 IndyCar engines will be ready in time for the season-opening race at St. Petersburg on March 25th.
The engine manufacturer has begun its on-track testing last Friday with HVM Racing’s Simona de Silvestro behind the wheel—more than five months after its rival Honda started testing its single-turbo 2.2-liter V6.
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| Photo: IndyCar |
At the present time, Lotus has four teams, with six cars for sure but it still has to meet its contractually obligated 40 percent of the field, which could be between 10 and 11 cars.
If necessary, the series will also make additional test days available to any teams affected by engine shortages leading up to the first race.
The supply issue Lotus faces is a short-term problem, but whether those issues can be resolved in time for the 2012 season opener has the series and the other two engine manufacturers engaged in an ongoing dialogue.