Lotus Motorsport confirmed at the Los Angeles Autoshow that it will supply its twin-turbo V6 IndyCar engines to Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing and HVM Racing for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series.
“At the L.A. show last year, we announced that we will be an engine supplier to IndyCar and exactly 12 months on, we are here with an all-new Lotus engine and three teams, ready to go," declared Miodrag Kotu, Group Lotus director of motorsport operation. "The numbers that the engine is already achieving in our dyno testing are extremely encouraging so our hard work is well and truly paying off.
“These partnerships with Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, and HVM Racing mean a great deal to Lotus Motorsport and mark the start of a new chapter for Lotus in the IZOD IndyCar Series. We're thrilled that these already successful and illustrious teams have chosen Lotus, as we believe that our capabilities as a partner will pay dividends for them in the future. These three teams have immediately become part of the Lotus legend and have joined us in our journey as one of the most innovative and successful sports and racing car brands in the world.”
"Obviously, this is an incredibly exciting step for us," said Herta. "Our goal all along has been to build our foundation to eventually compete as a full-time entrant in the series.
"To partner with Lotus, which has such a rich history and tradition in racing including at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is just tremendous. All of us are looking forward to working closely with Lotus to support their effort."
Lotus said that all three Lotus partner teams will benefit from the extensive testing and development work of the others to more quickly achieve the mutually desired competitive results. In addition to the new Lotus V6 twin-turbo IndyCar engine, work is continuing on the new Lotus Motorsport facility in Indianapolis, which will give the company a base for its IndyCar operations close to the action and its partner teams.