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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: Q&A With Alex Job
SPEED.com exclusive interview with Lotus Alex Job Racing team principal ahead of team’s debut with Lotus Evora GTE...
Alex Job Racing debuts its Lotus Evora GTE in this weekend's Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. (Photo: John Dagys)
This weekend’s Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach marks the debut of the new Alex Job Racing Lotus Evora program, which will see the mid-engined sports car take on established brands in the highly competitive GT ranks.
Open-wheel ace Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler, both winners in AJR’s No. 23 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry in last month’s Twelve hours of Sebring, step up to the new factory-supported effort, beginning with Saturday’s two-hour street fight.
SPEED.com caught up with team principal Alex Job, fresh off an encouraging debut test for the car at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, to share his thoughts on the new program and look ahead to this weekend's highly anticipated debut.
DAGYS: What were some of the things you learned during the test at Buttonwillow earlier this week?
JOB: We did a lot of testing and a lot of different things, compound and construction-wise from Yokohama. We found some things which is encouraging. It's a development program on the car and a development program on the tires. We know that it's going to take a while. It's exciting but we like the challenge.
DAGYS: After having been affiliated with Porsche for so many years, how does it feel to be expanding your efforts to include a new brand?
JOB: I'm trying to do all the right political things for both partners in keeping everything separated. For me, it's good not having to walk away cold turkey with the Porsche program after all these years. Lotus is allowing me to continue to do my other program and Porsche's been great too. So far, everything's real good. I'll continue to try to keep things politically correct for both partners.
DAGYS: Has there been any early challenges with the Evora program?
JOB: We had hoped to have the '12-spec engine here but it did have an issue on the dyno. Hopefully that will get resolved and we'll have the '12-spec for Laguna. So we know that we need a boost in engine performance.
We also know that we need some aero work; the car has a lot of drag. Those are the two biggest things but I'm very encouraged with the overall platform and the handling and braking of the car. It's a really good starting point. It's a typical Lotus; it handles so well.
DAGYS: What are the goals for the weekend?
JOB: The first goal is to finish the race and not have any mechanical issues. The second goal is to keep it off the walls and not have any damage because we're very short on spares. And the third goal, as in the racers in us, is to go for it as much as we can and see what kind of result we can get out of it. But I want to just make a good solid showing for the first time.
DAGYS: Could we see a second Lotus Alex Job Racing Evora in the ALMS later this year?
JOB: For sure the goal is to have a second car next year, maybe towards year-end, if there's an opportunity we could do it. Right now, one car is enough because we have to develop the car.
There's a second car running in Europe with Johnny Mowlem, so we're going to try to keep a line of communication with them. They're going to be on a Pirelli tire, I believe, so it will be hard to do apples to apples, but we'll take advantage of it as much as we can.
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
Open-wheel ace Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler, both winners in AJR’s No. 23 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry in last month’s Twelve hours of Sebring, step up to the new factory-supported effort, beginning with Saturday’s two-hour street fight.
SPEED.com caught up with team principal Alex Job, fresh off an encouraging debut test for the car at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, to share his thoughts on the new program and look ahead to this weekend's highly anticipated debut.
DAGYS: What were some of the things you learned during the test at Buttonwillow earlier this week?
JOB: We did a lot of testing and a lot of different things, compound and construction-wise from Yokohama. We found some things which is encouraging. It's a development program on the car and a development program on the tires. We know that it's going to take a while. It's exciting but we like the challenge.
DAGYS: After having been affiliated with Porsche for so many years, how does it feel to be expanding your efforts to include a new brand?
JOB: I'm trying to do all the right political things for both partners in keeping everything separated. For me, it's good not having to walk away cold turkey with the Porsche program after all these years. Lotus is allowing me to continue to do my other program and Porsche's been great too. So far, everything's real good. I'll continue to try to keep things politically correct for both partners.
DAGYS: Has there been any early challenges with the Evora program?
JOB: We had hoped to have the '12-spec engine here but it did have an issue on the dyno. Hopefully that will get resolved and we'll have the '12-spec for Laguna. So we know that we need a boost in engine performance.
We also know that we need some aero work; the car has a lot of drag. Those are the two biggest things but I'm very encouraged with the overall platform and the handling and braking of the car. It's a really good starting point. It's a typical Lotus; it handles so well.
DAGYS: What are the goals for the weekend?
JOB: The first goal is to finish the race and not have any mechanical issues. The second goal is to keep it off the walls and not have any damage because we're very short on spares. And the third goal, as in the racers in us, is to go for it as much as we can and see what kind of result we can get out of it. But I want to just make a good solid showing for the first time.
DAGYS: Could we see a second Lotus Alex Job Racing Evora in the ALMS later this year?
JOB: For sure the goal is to have a second car next year, maybe towards year-end, if there's an opportunity we could do it. Right now, one car is enough because we have to develop the car.
There's a second car running in Europe with Johnny Mowlem, so we're going to try to keep a line of communication with them. They're going to be on a Pirelli tire, I believe, so it will be hard to do apples to apples, but we'll take advantage of it as much as we can.
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
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