-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GRAND-AM
ALMS: AJR Lotus Evora Unlikely For 2013
"I really feel like there's unfinished business with it. But if I don't have the budget to develop it, what's the point?" team owner Alex Job tells SPEED.com...
Alex Job Racing's Lotus Evora is unlikely to feature in the American Le Mans Series in 2013. (Photo: John Dagys)
Following a challenging first season in the American Le Mans Series, the Lotus Evora GTE is unlikely to continue in the hands of Alex Job Racing in 2013, at least in the series’ highly competitive GT category, team boss Alex Job revealed to SPEED.com.
Announced as a factory-supported program between Group Lotus and the multiple ALMS class championship-winning squad, the mid-engined sports car made its debut at Long Beach last year but struggled with reliability and performance issues.
Drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell managed to score a season-best sixth place finish in class at VIR, in the penultimate round of an initial two-year planned program with the car.
“It's a very tough challenge to continue that program in the ALMS,” Job said. “We just don't have the budget. The car still needs huge amounts of development. We did a lot of the development this past year on our own, on a very small scale, and I wound up paying for the development.
"If we're this far away, we've maybe come halfway, based on where the season ended last year. But nobody is sitting still, so you know that bar is going to be raised again this year.
"It's a really good car. The car has huge potential and I really feel like there's unfinished business with it. But if I don't have the budget to develop it, what's the point?"
While AJR will continue fielding at least one GTC-class Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the ALMS, with Cooper MacNeil returning to defend his class title, Job is also exploring the possibility of a full-season GRAND-AM program, either with an Audi R8 or the GTE-spec Lotus, should it become legal for the Rolex Series.
"It's been looked at right now but I don't think [GRAND-AM] wants two of the same model in two different classes,” Job said. “So the [Lotus Evora] GX car is going to take precedence. So that may not work either.
“But obviously my first desire is to see what the Audi develops into it. There's no way I would run an Audi and a Lotus [both in the Rolex Series]."
The team will debut its WeatherTech-sponsored Audi R8 GRAND-AM in this month’s Rolex 24, as part of a four-car factory backed program by the German manufacturer in the season-opener. It's believed AJR has the option to purchase the car following the race.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Announced as a factory-supported program between Group Lotus and the multiple ALMS class championship-winning squad, the mid-engined sports car made its debut at Long Beach last year but struggled with reliability and performance issues.
Drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell managed to score a season-best sixth place finish in class at VIR, in the penultimate round of an initial two-year planned program with the car.
“It's a very tough challenge to continue that program in the ALMS,” Job said. “We just don't have the budget. The car still needs huge amounts of development. We did a lot of the development this past year on our own, on a very small scale, and I wound up paying for the development.
"If we're this far away, we've maybe come halfway, based on where the season ended last year. But nobody is sitting still, so you know that bar is going to be raised again this year.
"It's a really good car. The car has huge potential and I really feel like there's unfinished business with it. But if I don't have the budget to develop it, what's the point?"
While AJR will continue fielding at least one GTC-class Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the ALMS, with Cooper MacNeil returning to defend his class title, Job is also exploring the possibility of a full-season GRAND-AM program, either with an Audi R8 or the GTE-spec Lotus, should it become legal for the Rolex Series.
"It's been looked at right now but I don't think [GRAND-AM] wants two of the same model in two different classes,” Job said. “So the [Lotus Evora] GX car is going to take precedence. So that may not work either.
“But obviously my first desire is to see what the Audi develops into it. There's no way I would run an Audi and a Lotus [both in the Rolex Series]."
The team will debut its WeatherTech-sponsored Audi R8 GRAND-AM in this month’s Rolex 24, as part of a four-car factory backed program by the German manufacturer in the season-opener. It's believed AJR has the option to purchase the car following the race.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Road Atlanta
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
INDYCAR: 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh To Pace The Indy 500
Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, will drive the… -
MILLER: Dinner With Legends
It’s become an annual event and, as my pal and longtime Indy… -
VIDEO: Dyson Tech Talk - Tires 101
The art of going fast: what kind of feedback does a driver want from… -
VIDEO: SPEEDing Through Hinchtown, Episode 2
Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe utilizes the… -
LE MANS: Driver Lineups For LM24 Finalized
Seats at Delta-ADR, Morand Racing, JMW Motorsport and others confirmed… -
PHOTOS: V8 Supercars COTA Gallery
UPDATED: View more than 150 photos from Austin as V8 Supercars Austin… -
GT: Black Falcon Mercedes Wins Rain-Soaked Nurburgring 24
Sean Edwards, Bernd Schneider, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Nicki Thiim… - More News
