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Lotus Racing has today confirmed that the
team will be known as Team Lotus from 2011. The
migration from Lotus Racing to Team Lotus will
take place over the coming months and the
renamed team will be the direct successor to the
iconic previous incarnation of Team Lotus when
they take to the track in the 2011 FIA Formula
One™ World Championship and beyond. Tony
Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun’s Tune Group has
acquired Team Lotus Ventures Ltd, the company
led by David Hunt since Team Lotus was last on
track, and through that agreement now has full
ownership of the historic rights and goodwill of
the Team Lotus brand and heritage.
Tony Fernandes, Lotus Racing Team Principal, is
delighted that the hard work that has been going
on behind the scenes to make this acquisition
can now be announced, saying: “Kamarudin, Nasa
and I are absolutely delighted to have completed
this transaction - It’s difficult to express
just what it means to us to now be able to say
we are Team Lotus, one of the most iconic names
in any form of sport worldwide, but we have been
working very hard to make this dream come true,
and today it has. My thanks go to David for
looking after the Team Lotus brand so well over
the period of his stewardship, and keeping the
integrity of Team Lotus together. We are very
excited about now taking over the brand and
after our first year in Formula One™, we believe
we are ready to do justice to the legacy we have
inherited. These are heady days for Team Lotus,
and it will be a very exciting process for the
team we have in place to help us achieve our
goals, on and off track.
“It was always important to us that Lotus Racing
and Team Lotus could be brought together to
unite the past and the present, and now we have
done so. We have enjoyed a successful first year
as Lotus Racing, and our thanks go to Proton,
Group Lotus and all our partners for the parts
they have played in our year as Lotus Racing.
But now we move on to a new chapter, and as Team
Lotus we will be an even more potent force, both
on and off track. Everyone associated with the
team is looking forward to the challenges that
lie ahead – even more so now we will be bringing
back one of the most loved, revered and
respected names in motor racing history. A new
dream starts today – Team Lotus is back.”
David Hunt, who has overseen the negotiations
with Tony and his team, has been Managing
Director of Team Lotus since 1994. He revealed
his feelings about returning Britain’s greatest
motor racing name to Formula 1™, saying: “I’m
delighted this day has finally arrived. In
January 1995, when I had the simply awful task
of making the loyal Team Lotus personnel
redundant, I promised them, the fans and the
media that somehow we would return Team Lotus to
F1™ in good order and properly funded. We had no
idea of the huge difficulties we would have to
overcome when I made that statement.
“Nevertheless, I simply would not allow the
legacy of Colin Chapman’s extraordinary
achievements to die and I want publicly to thank
the many loyal individuals who have worked to
reach what sometimes seemed an impossible goal.
The custodianship of the iconic brand and
history now passes from me to Tony, Kamarudin
and Nasa. In relinquishing this responsibility I
am confident I am handing over to a team who
have the financial resources, passion, energy,
vision and long-term commitment to give Team
Lotus the best possible chance of returning to
the sharp end of the grid. I look forward to
assisting the team towards scoring Team Lotus’
80th Grand Prix win – that will be the day when
all the effort of the past 15 years will finally
seem worthwhile.”
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