-
Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- 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
IndyCar
INDYCAR: Lotus Release BHA, DRR
UPDATE: Team Barracuda-BHA and Dreyer & Reinbold have split with Lotus, and INDYCAR says it will help them find new engine supplies.
After three brutal races to open the season, Alex Tagliani and the Bryan Herta team can look forward to a change of fortunes once a new engine supply has been secured. (Photo: LAT)
After revealing last week that Lotus received paperwork from two teams wanting to leave the historic marque, the manufacturer confirmed in a statement Tuesday morning that Team Barracuda-BHA and Lotus DRR have been released from their contracts (DRR shipped its cars to Brazil before the agreement was finalized and will compete this weekend for the final time with Lotus power).
"Lotus has acknowledged that whilst the engine has demonstrated a lot of promise, minimal testing has resulted in reliability issues," it read. "Having now had the experience and feedback from the first three races of the season, Lotus undertook a strategic review of its position to decide what course of action would be in the best interests of IndyCar and the teams it supports.
"Following this review, Lotus is pleased to announce in cooperation with IndyCar that, whilst it remains fully committed to IndyCar in the long term, Lotus has taken the decision to reduce the number of cars it runs from five to three for the remainder of the season. As a consequence of this decision, Lotus has made offers to Bryan Herta Autosport LLC and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing LLC to end the agreements with them. Bryan Herta Autosport LLC will not participate in any further races as a Lotus team and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing LLC will race one more time in Brazil next weekend."
The three-party split, made with the support and sanctioning of INDYCAR, will see BHA and DRR receive assistance from the series to find new, season-long engine leases.
“IndyCar is committed to ensuring that our teams and manufacturers have a platform to remain competitive," said CEO Randy Bernard. "We support Lotus' decision and will assist Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Bryan Herta Autosport in securing engine support for the remainder of the season.”
The in-season change of engine manufacturers, which should allow BHA's Alex Tagliani and DRR's Oriol Servia to be far more competitive, still leaves more questions than answers on how all sides of the fracas will now move forward.
BHA co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey elected to drop the race at Sao Paulo, citing the need to prepare for the Indy 500, and it’s likely the contract dissolution with Lotus factored into that decision. And BHA, compared to a few other Lotus-powered teams, retained its corporate identity as part of its Lotus engine supply arrangement and is also believed to own all of its equipment.
Things could be trickier for DRR to extricate itself from the Lotus relationship. In addition to carrying Lotus’ factory black and gold livery, the team also re-named itself Lotus DRR and was said to receive at least one free chassis from the engine manufacturer. How all of those concessions and business arrangements are reconciled after Brazil is also unknown.
With only three full-season teams on its roster heading in to Indy (and a fourth, 500-only entry filed by Newman/Haas Racing), it’s now clear that Lotus wants to improve its standing in the series by reducing its team-based commitments. The marque's new approach could benefit the remaining two-car Dragon Racing team and the single-car HVM Racing effort, and with less overall funding than it needs at present, rushing to return to four or five full-time entries isn't on the cards for 2012.
Tuesday's oddly-titled "Lotus Raises IndyCar Commitment" press release also contained confirmation of the marque's planned re-investment in its IndyCar engine program.
"Lotus also intends to continue to assist its engine supplier Engine Developments Limited (EDL) by providing additional resources and financial support to expedite the development program," it read. "The details of the arrangement are currently being finalised and the additional support should result in an increased engine performance for the rest of the season."
"Lotus has acknowledged that whilst the engine has demonstrated a lot of promise, minimal testing has resulted in reliability issues," it read. "Having now had the experience and feedback from the first three races of the season, Lotus undertook a strategic review of its position to decide what course of action would be in the best interests of IndyCar and the teams it supports.
"Following this review, Lotus is pleased to announce in cooperation with IndyCar that, whilst it remains fully committed to IndyCar in the long term, Lotus has taken the decision to reduce the number of cars it runs from five to three for the remainder of the season. As a consequence of this decision, Lotus has made offers to Bryan Herta Autosport LLC and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing LLC to end the agreements with them. Bryan Herta Autosport LLC will not participate in any further races as a Lotus team and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing LLC will race one more time in Brazil next weekend."
The three-party split, made with the support and sanctioning of INDYCAR, will see BHA and DRR receive assistance from the series to find new, season-long engine leases.
“IndyCar is committed to ensuring that our teams and manufacturers have a platform to remain competitive," said CEO Randy Bernard. "We support Lotus' decision and will assist Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Bryan Herta Autosport in securing engine support for the remainder of the season.”
The in-season change of engine manufacturers, which should allow BHA's Alex Tagliani and DRR's Oriol Servia to be far more competitive, still leaves more questions than answers on how all sides of the fracas will now move forward.
BHA co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey elected to drop the race at Sao Paulo, citing the need to prepare for the Indy 500, and it’s likely the contract dissolution with Lotus factored into that decision. And BHA, compared to a few other Lotus-powered teams, retained its corporate identity as part of its Lotus engine supply arrangement and is also believed to own all of its equipment.
Things could be trickier for DRR to extricate itself from the Lotus relationship. In addition to carrying Lotus’ factory black and gold livery, the team also re-named itself Lotus DRR and was said to receive at least one free chassis from the engine manufacturer. How all of those concessions and business arrangements are reconciled after Brazil is also unknown.
With only three full-season teams on its roster heading in to Indy (and a fourth, 500-only entry filed by Newman/Haas Racing), it’s now clear that Lotus wants to improve its standing in the series by reducing its team-based commitments. The marque's new approach could benefit the remaining two-car Dragon Racing team and the single-car HVM Racing effort, and with less overall funding than it needs at present, rushing to return to four or five full-time entries isn't on the cards for 2012.
Tuesday's oddly-titled "Lotus Raises IndyCar Commitment" press release also contained confirmation of the marque's planned re-investment in its IndyCar engine program.
"Lotus also intends to continue to assist its engine supplier Engine Developments Limited (EDL) by providing additional resources and financial support to expedite the development program," it read. "The details of the arrangement are currently being finalised and the additional support should result in an increased engine performance for the rest of the season."
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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
