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IndyCar
INDYCAR: More Lotus-Powered Teams On The Way
With a half-dozen teams still needing an engine contract, Lotus Indy Manager Olivier Picquenot tells SPEED.com his marque is ready to step in and fill the void.
Some teams will carry the Lotus colors next year as part of an expanded factory contract, while others, including a few teams in current discussions, will simply use Lotus power in 2012. (IndyCar Series)
“I’ve realistically talked to everyone left,” said Olivier Picquenot, the Frenchman who manages the Lotus IndyCar program. “Of all the teams left, Dale Coyne, Ed Carpenter, Eric Bachelart, Jay Penske…we’ve talked to all of them. We are just waiting for them to commit to us or another [engine manufacturer].”
With four confirmed programs heading into 2012—factory partnerships with Bryan Hera Autosport, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and HVM Racing, along with a standard engine supply agreement for the new Michael Shank Racing team—a greater portion of the team/engine combinations are now known.
But with a half-dozen teams that have yet to either sign a contract or declare whose powerplant they’ll use, Picquenot expects to have lease agreements in place with many of the remaining teams before long.
“I know for [a] fact we have spoken to other [teams] that have pushed back or have not committed to IndyCar, but we are talking seriously with Eric Bachelart, Jay Penske for sure, I have talked a few times last week with Dale Coyne and Ed Carpenter, as soon as he made the announcement he will have a new team,” he continued. “I had a call from [Ed Carpenter Racing co-owner] Tony George and [Team Manager] Derrick Walker to come meet and tell them what we can offer.”
The teams mentioned, including Carpenter's new outfit, are also known to be in discussions with Chevrolet and Honda, but where they end up likely won't be known until next month.
Lotus, like its two IndyCar engine rivals, agreed to supply as much as 40 percent of the 2012 field if necessary, and Picquenot says the British manufacturer is prepared to meet that maximum supply number if more teams want to use its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 powerplant.
“We are waiting, offered what we have to offer, and if [the teams he’s spoken to] want to work with us, we would be very happy to do this,” he confirmed. “We are not set on a number. We are ready to go up to 40 percent and are happy to do it. The three teams we just announced are for sure doing one car, and some are working hard and seriously on a second car. It could be three [engines] for them today and six tomorrow… I know Michael Shank only wants to concentrate on one car while they learn IndyCar, so we know that number.
“We have for sure four cars for the season, but this could be seven quickly. It could become nine if Dale Coyne comes with two cars, and then we can also supply Ed Carpenter if he wants, and Jay Penske. Many things can change in the weeks and months to come.”
Lotus, as this writer has chronicled, has not always been successful in clearly communicating its plans and intentions, but an improvement has been quite noticeable in recent weeks. Lotus has been active in another area over the past few months which, on the contrary, had been kept private, but after some of its teams revealed how helpful the storied marque has been on the commercial side, Picquenot shared a few details.
“We try on our own to help the teams if we can,” he said. “If we have to go visit a sponsor with the team as the Lotus brand, we--myself and [commercial director] Christian Vine--have met with several potential sponsors for our teams to convince them to work with that team, or to do a B2B with us to help the team. Hopefully we can help to influence some sponsorship negotiations so the teams can sign with that sponsor.
“We really want to do all we can to help the teams that work with us to find the sponsors so they can be [as] strong as possible. We are very young in IndyCar; we don’t have the [same] experience as Ilmor or Honda, so if we want to be successful next season or for many years, we know we have to make our teams as successful as possible in every way.”
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. He also contributes to Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
With four confirmed programs heading into 2012—factory partnerships with Bryan Hera Autosport, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and HVM Racing, along with a standard engine supply agreement for the new Michael Shank Racing team—a greater portion of the team/engine combinations are now known.
But with a half-dozen teams that have yet to either sign a contract or declare whose powerplant they’ll use, Picquenot expects to have lease agreements in place with many of the remaining teams before long.
“I know for [a] fact we have spoken to other [teams] that have pushed back or have not committed to IndyCar, but we are talking seriously with Eric Bachelart, Jay Penske for sure, I have talked a few times last week with Dale Coyne and Ed Carpenter, as soon as he made the announcement he will have a new team,” he continued. “I had a call from [Ed Carpenter Racing co-owner] Tony George and [Team Manager] Derrick Walker to come meet and tell them what we can offer.”
The teams mentioned, including Carpenter's new outfit, are also known to be in discussions with Chevrolet and Honda, but where they end up likely won't be known until next month.
Lotus, like its two IndyCar engine rivals, agreed to supply as much as 40 percent of the 2012 field if necessary, and Picquenot says the British manufacturer is prepared to meet that maximum supply number if more teams want to use its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 powerplant.
“We are waiting, offered what we have to offer, and if [the teams he’s spoken to] want to work with us, we would be very happy to do this,” he confirmed. “We are not set on a number. We are ready to go up to 40 percent and are happy to do it. The three teams we just announced are for sure doing one car, and some are working hard and seriously on a second car. It could be three [engines] for them today and six tomorrow… I know Michael Shank only wants to concentrate on one car while they learn IndyCar, so we know that number.
“We have for sure four cars for the season, but this could be seven quickly. It could become nine if Dale Coyne comes with two cars, and then we can also supply Ed Carpenter if he wants, and Jay Penske. Many things can change in the weeks and months to come.”
Lotus, as this writer has chronicled, has not always been successful in clearly communicating its plans and intentions, but an improvement has been quite noticeable in recent weeks. Lotus has been active in another area over the past few months which, on the contrary, had been kept private, but after some of its teams revealed how helpful the storied marque has been on the commercial side, Picquenot shared a few details.
“We try on our own to help the teams if we can,” he said. “If we have to go visit a sponsor with the team as the Lotus brand, we--myself and [commercial director] Christian Vine--have met with several potential sponsors for our teams to convince them to work with that team, or to do a B2B with us to help the team. Hopefully we can help to influence some sponsorship negotiations so the teams can sign with that sponsor.
“We really want to do all we can to help the teams that work with us to find the sponsors so they can be [as] strong as possible. We are very young in IndyCar; we don’t have the [same] experience as Ilmor or Honda, so if we want to be successful next season or for many years, we know we have to make our teams as successful as possible in every way.”
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. He also contributes to Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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