Lotus Racing:
Engine: 9th
Gearbox: 7th
Brakes: 7th
Front Wing: 10th
Suspension: 9th
Rear Wing: 10th
Overall: 10th
Yes, we have a new front wing, but the front and rear wing are the areas where we are ways behind the competition. It is an upgrade, but there is lots of work to be done here.
Now, developing the Type 202. Here is a little overview of what we will start the 2017 season with:
Engine:
1x modified 2016 Mk 5 Whitehouse Special(currently
Vidal's car)
1x 2017 Mk1 (in development)
Gearbox:
1x modified 2016 Mk 5 Whitehouse Special(currently
Vidal's car)
1x modified 2016 Mk 2 (currently
Woodford's car)
Brakes:
1x modified 2016 Mk 5 Whitehouse Special(currently
Vidal's car)
1x modified 2016 Mk 2 (currently
Woodford's car)
Front Wing:
2x 2017 Mk1
Those are already finished as the design went quick and successful as they are already better than our existing front wing... and highly illegal under the 2016 rules. However, they had a lot of untapped potential, and we will have to spent the next six weeks in the factory to unlock that one. With this being one of our weakest parts, we will do just that.
Suspension:
1x modified 2016 Mk 5 Whitehouse Special(currently
Vidal's car)
1x 2017 Mk1 (to be build after the engine)
Rear Wing:
1x modified 2016 Mk 5 Whitehouse Special(currently
Vidal's car)
1x 2017 Mk1 (to be build after the suspension)
We will leave brakes and gearbox as it is... because there is not a lot of additional potential in them and we can save THAT money for once.
Sponsors:
Fixed Payment Sponsors:
Kashima(13/13 races) $300k per race
Bebelitas(3/8 races) $2.75M upfront
Hyper Tech(1/14 races) $500k upfront, $500k per race
Hyper Tech is a Russian high tech entertainment technology company trying to push into the European market, and they offered us a big deal worth alot of $$$. That one is worth $7.5M into next season, and $500k per race is better than the Bebelitas deal, and that one was pretty good.
Race Bonus Sponsors:
Golden Tiger Bank(2/7) $900k upfront, $200k bonus pool for 13th or above
Northern Harbour(2/6) $1.25M upfront, $880k bonus pool for 2nd or above
Vamoose(2/6) $1.5M upfront, $1.2M bonus pool for 3rd or above
The Track:
The next race... the Singapore GP. It almost was the first and last one as the GMA for some reason wanted to vote it out of the calendar, but team principals and fans stopped that initiative right away. A street track that requires a good gearbox, good brakes and a good front wing, it should be not that bad for our car.
It will be cloudy all weekend long, and there could be some light rain in the air for qualifying... and as we know, forecasts are not precise. This could be another chance for us, and we should grab it.
Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
Trying to survive, the
Thornton car made a step forward, bringing a new front wing AND gearbox to Singapore, two crucial parts there. They need to score at least three points to have a fighting chance in the Championship.
Kitano-Honda brought a new brake solution from their home base in Japan to Singapore. "This should put us top 3 in decceleration," via technical director Sarah Kane.
"The new rear wing will help us in the final two races,"
Windsor team principal Claire Williams said about the newest part on her cars. They jumped
Kitano in rear downforce.