Mansell back on track with Lotus
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| Mansell with early F1 mentor Colin Chapman |
Nigel Mansell will return to the cockpit of a Lotus when he takes to the track in the Type 125 Formula 1 inspired customer race car at Yas Marina Circuit this week. Lotus Motorsport are delighted to announce a new ambassador in the form of Nigel Mansell. Mansell will also complete the Type 125 test driver line-up as he joins fellow former F1 driver Jean Alesi and Lotus factory driver James Rossiter to put the F1 inspired customer race car through its paces at Yas Marina Circuit™ in Abu Dhabi this week.
Nigel Mansell is no stranger to Lotus, over 30 years ago Lotus founder Colin Chapman spotted him when he was racing in F3 and signed him up as a development driver giving the future world champion his break into the sport. Mansell rejoins Lotus to take on another development role and, alongside Alesi and Rossiter, he will play a crucial role in ensuring that the Type 125 is the most enjoyable and challenging race car experience on the market.
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Commenting on the announcement Nigel Mansell said: “I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Type 125, I can’t wait to see how it handles the new circuit in Abu Dhabi. Returning to Lotus in this capacity brings back a lot of memories for me. I will always be extremely grateful to Lotus and especially to Colin Chapman, who was so inspirational and almost like a second father to me. I’ve been watching the developments that have been taking place recently at Hethel with their ambitious race and road car projects with great interest. I’m really delighted to see that Lotus is back where it belongs competing with the best in the top echelons of motorsport."
Nigel isn’t the only member of the Mansell family to be welcomed into the current Lotus Motorsport fold. Mansell’s two sons, Leo and Greg received their Lotus debut just over a week ago as they formed part of the team that took on the grueling Dubai 24 hour race, the team had a spectacular first outing in the new Evora GT4 Endurance race car, with a great performance resulting in a third place podium finish for the category.
Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro said: “We’re very pleased to have Nigel on board for the test in Abu Dhabi, he brings a wealth of experience to the team and we’re looking forward to getting his feedback on the Type 125 experience. In addition to the test, we also have a group of private individuals who will be the first to drive and possible own this incredible race car in Abu Dhabi and these guys will be looking to the professional test drivers for advice on how to get the most out of the car."
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Last week Alesi and Rossiter gave the F1 inspired race car through its first official run out at the Autodromo di Vallelunga track, the pair completing over 200 kilometers during the two day test.
Alesi, who competed in 201 Grand Prix races, said, “Testing is always a big challenge, it’s a different kind of pressure to racing but you still can’t relax for a second. I enjoyed my first outing in the car, it’s great to be involved at such a crucial stage in the cars’ development, I really feel like I can help to make this car as fun to drive as possible."
Lotus Type 125 Overview
The Lotus 125 is an exclusive ultra high performance F1 inspired race-car complete with Cosworth 3.5 liter GP V8 engine producing 640bhp linked to a six-speed semi automatic gearbox with paddle shift.
A bespoke carbon composite with Nomex and aluminum core chassis with carbon composite panels contribute to a super light weight of just 560kg resulting in a phenomenal power to weight ratio of nearly 1000 hp per tone.
Unlike a Formula One car however, an army of technicians and mechanics is not required to start the engine and keep the car running. The start button is all the driver needs to press to get going.
Purchasers of the Lotus 125 will be able to chose from a stylization of a classic Lotus livery, the Exos (explained below) concept design, or as an option, request their own, bespoke livery.