Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Lotus is returning to Formula One racing.

FIA, the sport's governing body, on Tuesday awarded Lotus the 13th spot on the grid for the 2010 season.

Lotus has been out of F1 since 1994. The team, initially based in Norfolk, England near the Lotus car factory, is funded by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian businessmen.

The team headquarters is expected to relocate to a purpose-built facility at Sepang International Circuit, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix for the last 11 years.

FIA turned down an application from BMW Sauber, but said the team would be granted a spot in 2010 if a vacancy arises. FIA said it is consulting urgently with teams about a possible expansion to 14 teams and 28 cars for 2010.

Lotus' team principle will be Tony Fernandes, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team technical director is Mike Gascoyne, who held the same role with Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan.

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak held a news conference Tuesday to outline details of what was called the 1Malaysia F1 team.

"The 1Malaysia F1 team is a government and private sector initiative combining the collaborative experience of Proton and Lotus, coupled with world class expertise," a Malaysian government statement said ahead of the news conference.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the team would integrate Malaysian technical and pit crew, with the future design, research and development, manufacturing and testing conducted near the Malaysian capital. The driving lineup is set to be announced by Oct. 31 from a short list of six candidates.

Najib declined to give investment costs or other details, but said the future design and testing would be conducted in Malaysia.

He said the venture would be a big boost to local automaker Proton, a government-owned company which has suffered in recent years because of increased competition from foreign car makers after the liberalization of the auto market.

"If we want to export Proton we need to establish our brand name so that it is accepted globally," Najib said. "We are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena."

The investors in the venture are Proton, budget airline AirAsia and Naza Motors, a local auto group.

Najib said the creation of the team is a "natural progression" since Malaysia has hosted a leg of the F1 race since 1999 and national oil company Petronas has been a sponsor of BMW Sauber team for the last four years.

Lotus competed in F1 from 1958-94, winning 79 Grand Prix races and seven constructors' titles. Lotus had world champion drivers in Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi.

FIA noted that BMW has announced it is pulling out of the sport in 2010, leaving uncertainties over the future ownership of the team.

"Nevertheless, the FIA considers that BMW Sauber's application is of high quality and would constitute a competitive participant in the championship," FIA said. "As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid."

Aviation mogul helps put Malaysia on world sports map

Aviation mogul helps put Malaysia on world sports map

By M. Jegathesan (AFP) – 6 hours ago

KUALA LUMPUR — Aviation tycoon Tony Fernandes has added another feather to his cap after helping put Malaysia on the world sports map by steering his country to a place on next year's Formula One grid.

The ebullient 46-year-old is at the forefront of the return to the sport of Lotus, which announced its intention to race once again on Tuesday.

The team is backed by 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd, a public-private partnership involving a string of top local entrepreneurs, as well as national automaker Proton.

Its return to the fold comes as the sport battles the global financial downturn, which has forced major players like Germany's BMW and Japan's Honda to pull out.

Fernandes, who created Southeast Asia's biggest budget airline, AirAsia, from scratch to become Malaysia's 19th richest man worth 290 million dollars according to Forbes magazine, will be team principal.

It is a high profile role and he joins other luminaries such as fellow airline mogul Vijay Mallya of Force India and flamboyant Renault chief Flavio Briatore.

Kamarudin Meranum, deputy chief executive of AirAsia, which is one of the partners in the 1Malaysia team, said the homegrown Formula One outfit would allow Malaysia to develop new technology and boost its international profile.

"It will help brand Malaysia and spur excellence in sports and education," he told AFP.

"We are excited with this F1 programme. We feel it is good for the country. It will bolster our local auto industry ... The spill-over effect is enormous."

But he insisted that despite Fernandes's dizzying array of business and sporting interests, the new role would not be a stretch for the AirAsia boss.

"It should not be a problem for Tony. He will act as a spokesperson and liaise with the FIA and he can still give directions for his other businesses," he said.

Kamarudin declined to reveal how much it would cost the Malaysian team to compete in the expensive world of Formula One.

"I can't tell you. We are looking for investors," he said.

Fernandes, whose entrepreneurial skills have seen him called the "Richard Branson of Asian air travel", has transformed AirAsia from its origins in 2001 as a tiny two-airline operation.

It now covers more than 130 routes with a fleet of 80 planes, and Fernandes has branched out with a express courier business, a budget hotel chain and telecommunications services.

After graduating from the London School of Economics, he began his career by working as an accountant for Branson's Virgin Records from 1987 to 1989.

This is not his first foray into sports. AirAsia had a two-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United from 2005, and Fernandes is also the chairman of the Southeast Asian Basketball League which he launched in January.

Lotus is making its return to F1 after competing in the event from 1958 through to 1994. Malaysian national carmaker Proton bought a controlling stake in the company in the mid-1990s.

The team will initially be based in Norfolk, England, near the Lotus Cars factory at a facility built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

But the team's cars will be designed, manufactured and tested at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, which has hosted a Formula One race since 1999.

Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid

Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid

By EILEEN NG (AP) – 12 hours ago

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Lotus is returning to Formula One racing.

FIA, the sport's governing body, on Tuesday awarded Lotus the 13th spot on the grid for the 2010 season.

Lotus has been out of F1 since 1994. The team, initially based in Norfolk, England near the Lotus car factory, is funded by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian businessmen.

The team headquarters is expected to relocate to a purpose-built facility at Sepang International Circuit, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix for the last 11 years.

FIA turned down an application from BMW Sauber, but said the team would be granted a spot in 2010 if a vacancy arises. FIA said it is consulting urgently with teams about a possible expansion to 14 teams and 28 cars for 2010.

Lotus' team principle will be Tony Fernandes, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team technical director is Mike Gascoyne, who held the same role with Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan.

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak held a news conference Tuesday to outline details of what was called the 1Malaysia F1 team.

"The 1Malaysia F1 team is a government and private sector initiative combining the collaborative experience of Proton and Lotus, coupled with world class expertise," a Malaysian government statement said ahead of the news conference.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the team would integrate Malaysian technical and pit crew, with the future design, research and development, manufacturing and testing conducted near the Malaysian capital. The driving lineup is set to be announced by Oct. 31 from a short list of six candidates.

Najib declined to give investment costs or other details, but said the future design and testing would be conducted in Malaysia.

He said the venture would be a big boost to local automaker Proton, a government-owned company which has suffered in recent years because of increased competition from foreign car makers after the liberalization of the auto market.

"If we want to export Proton we need to establish our brand name so that it is accepted globally," Najib said. "We are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena."

The investors in the venture are Proton, budget airline AirAsia and Naza Motors, a local auto group.

Najib said the creation of the team is a "natural progression" since Malaysia has hosted a leg of the F1 race since 1999 and national oil company Petronas has been a sponsor of BMW Sauber team for the last four years.

Lotus competed in F1 from 1958-94, winning 79 Grand Prix races and seven constructors' titles. Lotus had world champion drivers in Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi.

FIA noted that BMW has announced it is pulling out of the sport in 2010, leaving uncertainties over the future ownership of the team.

"Nevertheless, the FIA considers that BMW Sauber's application is of high quality and would constitute a competitive participant in the championship," FIA said. "As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid."

Proton will back Malaysian Open tennis tourney

Tuesday September 15, 2009 Proton will back Malaysian Open tennis tourney By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd has come on board as title sponsors of the Malaysian Open tennis tournament at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Sept 26-Oct 4.

The inaugural tournament, which is part of the ATP World Tour and carries US$947,750 in prize money, will feature two players from the world�s top 10, five from the top 15 and seven of the top 20.

Tournament director Nick Freyer said yesterday that they were delighted to have a major Malaysian company backing the event.

The stars making their way here include three quarter-finalists at the just concluded US Open � Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Fernando Gonzalez and Swede Robin Soderling.

The other top players for the tournament include world No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, Gael Monfils of France and two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

�The players coming to KL are going to be such great ambassadors for the sport,� said Freyer.

�The business end of a Grand Slam starts in the last 16 and at the US Open, we had five players reach that stage � Soderling, Davydenko, Verdasco, Gonzalez and Monfils.

�Hewitt was the first player to take a set off Federer. So all the guys will be arriving in good form and that will add to the excitement of the tournament.� A lucky fan will win a Proton car on one of the last three days of the tournament (Oct 2-4) during one of the sessions of play when there will be a �Catch the Super Golden Ball� activity.

The winner of the car will be the one who catches the special golden ball hit by one of the ATP World Tour players after a match on centre court.

And daily, the winner of every match on centre court will hit signed tennis balls into the stands. Those who catch the balls will also get to claim one of hundreds of high-value prizes.

Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid

Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid

By EILEEN NG (AP) – 48 minutes ago

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Lotus is returning to Formula One racing.

FIA, the sport's governing body, on Tuesday awarded Lotus the 13th spot on the grid for the 2010 season.

Lotus has been out of F1 since 1994. The team, initially based in Norfolk, England near the Lotus car factory, is funded by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian businessmen.

The team headquarters is expected to relocate to a purpose-built facility at Sepang International Circuit, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix for the last 11 years.

FIA turned down an application from BMW Sauber, but said the team would be granted a spot in 2010 if a vacancy arises. FIA said it is consulting urgently with teams about a possible expansion to 14 teams and 28 cars for 2010.

Lotus' team principle will be Tony Fernandes, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team technical director is Mike Gascoyne, who held the same role with Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan.

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

Fernandes attended a news conference at the Malaysian Prime Minister's office on Tuesday with government representatives to outline details of what was called the 1Malaysia F1 team.

"The 1Malaysia F1 team is a government and private sector initiative combining the collaborative experience of Proton and Lotus, coupled with world class expertise," a Malaysian government statement said ahead of the news conference.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the team would integrate Malaysian technical and pit crew, with the future design, research and development, manufacturing and testing conducted near the Malaysian capital. The driving lineup is set to be announced by Oct. 31 from a short list of six candidates.

Najib declined to give investment costs or other details, but said the future design and testing would be conducted in Malaysia.

He said the venture would be a big boost to local automaker Proton, a government-owned company which has suffered in recent years because of increased competition from foreign car makers after the liberalization of the auto market.

"If we want to export Proton we need to establish our brand name so that it is accepted globally," Najib said. "We are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena."

The investors in the venture are Proton, budget airline AirAsia and Naza Motors, a local auto group.

Najib said the creation of the team is a "natural progression" since Malaysia has hosted a leg of the F1 race since 1999 and national oil company Petronas has been a sponsor of BMW Sauber team for the last four years.

Lotus competed in F1 from 1958-94, winning 79 Grand Prix races and seven constructors' titles. Lotus had world champion drivers in Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi.

FIA noted that BMW has announced it is pulling out of the sport in 2010, leaving uncertainties over the future ownership of the team.

"Nevertheless, the FIA considers that BMW Sauber's application is of high quality and would constitute a competitive participant in the championship," FIA said. "As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid."

1Malaysia F1 team to be formed

Published: Tuesday September 15, 2009 MYT 6:09:00 PMUpdated: Tuesday September 15, 2009 MYT 7:15:52 PM 1Malaysia F1 team to be formed (Update 2)

PUTRAJAYA: The 1Malaysia F1 Team, a joint venture between the Government and private sector, will participate in the F1 race beginning next year, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister said the project involved the combined expertise of Proton and Lotus with the support of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), Motorsports Association of Malaysia, Naza Motor and AirAsia.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister I, told reporters when making the announcement at the Finance Ministry that leading corporate figures such as Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M. Nasarudin S.M. Nasimuddin were also involved in the initiative.

�This is the Malaysian team. The car was designed at the SIC, manufactured at the SIC, tested at the SIC and the car is Malaysian-made. Even the pit-stop team consists of Malaysians,� he said.

He said the 1Malaysia Team would identify a suitable Malaysian driver, adding that the project could lift the country�s image in the international arena.

Najib said the FIA had received Malaysia�s application to participate in the World F1 Championship next year.

Asked on the budget and the total investment by the Government, Najib said: �The Malaysian government�s investment is through Proton.�

Najib said the project was not a waste because it would provide a strong marketing element to the country when it competed in the F1 championship.

�If we want to export the Proton, we must ensure that the brand is strong. There is a strong element of marketing.

�It is not merely a sporting activity because there is an element of marketing for Proton and Malaysia while at the same time, the AirAsia and Naza brand names can be popularised,� he said.

According to a press release issued by a local public relations company for the 1Malaysia F1 Team, the national team will be based at SIC.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Petronas as well as Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM), a leading local composite manufacturing expert, have already been engaged to participate in the project.

The statement said the national F1 team would integrate the Malaysian technical and pit crew totalling 200 people to be managed by one of Formula One�s most respected technical director, Mike Gascoyne.

He had already recruited a core team of international experts with a proven record in the various engineering, design and manufacturing disciplines needed to ensure that the 1Malaysia F1 team was of international standard, readiness and capable of competing with the world�s greatest drivers.

Currently, six local and international drivers have been shortlisted for evaluation and the team is expected to announce its two drivers by end of next month.

The statement quoted Najib as saying that the country�s participation in Formula One with the national team had far reaching objectives, mainly the advancement of the country�s automotive industry development from the technological aspect including initiatives in green technology.

�By establishing our racing centre within the country, we hope to also attract more foreign investments and the best technical minds which, in turn, will spur the growth of our automotive industry where we hope to see more R&D into lighter, safer and more cost-effective cars,� he said.

�We further anticipate higher commitment by organisations and attendance by individuals during the F1 Petronas Malaysian GP which will be coupled with increased tourism related returns,� Najib said.

He claimed that by creating a national F1 team, the country was taking �its motor sports to its pinnacle, thus ensuring its place in this internationally embraced sports that had scaled the heights of entertainment.�

The 1Malaysia F1 Team takes its name from the �1Malaysia People First, Performance Now� policy mooted by Najib in June this year as the unifying foundation for all Malaysians to come together in celebrating cooperation among its multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious society for the betterment of the nation.

Petronas, the national oil giant, has also made advancement in this arena via its sponsorship of the BMW-Sauber Team for the last four years. -- Bernama

Le Mans Series 1000KM of Silverstone - The Race

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© lendurance.co.uk - Jake Yorath

Despite a rather messy starting grid, with cars being positioned at the wrong grid place and therefore a slightly delayed start the spectators at Silverstone saw an interesting final round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. With two championships yet undecided the battles throughout the field were fought out from start to finish. Here’s a recap of the Autosport 1000KM of Silverstone.

The opening hour was a true spectacle, with the Pescarolo Sport car of Jean-Christophe Boullion as the featured artist. The French driver started from the back of the grid but cut through the field with brutal pace. In less than one hour of racing he managed to overtake the entire field and move into the lead ahead of Stefan Mücke’s Lola-Aston Martin.

Quifel-ASM Team had a dramatic first hour with Olivier Pla slowing down in the complex. Bizarrely the Zytek 09S drove past the pit lane entrance only to come to a halt on the finish straight seconds later. After restarting it again the car eventually stopped at the Hangar Straight. In GT2 the two championship contenders JMW Motorsport and Team Felbermayr-Proton had bad starts, both cars dropping to the back of the GT2 field.

The second hour brought more trouble for the Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche #77. A rather long pit stop meant the Porsche dropped back again to tenth place. Karim Ajlani spun his OAK Racing Pescarolo at Luffield and then while trying to get it back in the right direction he got stuck in the gravel trap. At the front Boullion has pulled away, despite some contact with other cars, while in GT2 the JMW Motorsport Ferrari managed to get back to the front of the field, a position they needed to be in order to fight for the title.

Rob Bell managed to get into second place at the start of the third hour, just as the #77 Porsche was pushed into the pit box with an engine related problem. Quifel-ASM Team, the new LMP2 champions retired, but there was more bad news down the pit lane when the leading Pescarolo came in to the pit and was moved into the box where the engine cover was taken off, it returned to the track some 15 laps later. As a result the Oreca 01 of Nicolas Lapierre moved into the lead.

After another round of pit stops the gaps in the different classes were all under 20 seconds, apart from GT1. And with several championships still undecided and Le Mans invitations to be won, it was far from over.

As the race got into its fourth hour the JMW Motorsport Ferrari and IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche were in a heavy battle for the GT2 lead. Unfortunately the Team LNT Zytek made contact with the IMSA Porsche, sending the #76 into the gravel trap. Not a lap later Bruni in the #92 Ferrari was hit by the Signature Plus Courage-Oreca. The resulting pit stop meant Team Modena was given the lead for the moment; fortunately the JMW team had a pit stop planned, so not much extra time was lost.
There was more drama in GT2 when the #90 FBR Ferrari slowed down. As a result the Spyker moved up into third place.

Marc Lieb moved into eighth in GT2 at the start of the fifth hour, enough to clinch the championship would the race be flagged at that point. Tom Coronel in the Spyker knew his chances of getting second place were rather big when he was informed that it was Leo Mansell in the car in front of him. Within a matter of laps the Dutchman closed the gap to Mansell and passed the Modena Ferrari towards the end of the fifth hour.

At the front the battle for the lead was still going on between Oreca and Speedy Racing, with Marcel Fässler closing the gap to the leader rapidly.

One hour and 20 minutes were left on the clock when the Oreca team made another pit stop. After a nose and driver change Panis stormed out of the pit lane, but a fuel only stop for the Fässler car meant Speedy Racing Team Sebah moved into first place.

Disaster struck however for the Swiss team. As Panis did his best out on the track to catch the Lola, Fässler is called in to the pit to have his car fixed. The left front louvers were taken care of but the time lost in this unplanned stop meant the Oreca team moved into the lead.

As Team Oreca Matmut AIM took its first ever Le Mans Series victory the battle for second was won by Speedy Team Sebah Racing, Fässler only just holding of Enge in the Aston Martin Racing Lola.

Behind the LMP1 top three it was the JMW Motorsport Ferrari that took the chequered flag as best GT2 car, the #77 Felbermayr entry came in seventh, enough to secure the championship. Tom Coronel secured the second consecutive second place for Snoras Spyker Squadron with IMSA Performance Matmut taking the final podium place, beating the Team Modena Ferrari.

The Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Judd won LMP2, but the car was damaged after the finish after hitting the Signature Plus car. Both cars ended up on the side of the track with rather severe damage. Nevertheless the win was a great reward for the Swiss team.

Peter Kox and Ryan Sharp gave the Gigawave Motorsport team a GT1 victory; the Aston Martin DBR9 more than likely got its final victory under the current GT1 specs.

As the podium ceremonies came to an end and the post-race press conference was completed the teams started to pack things up. Yet another interesting Silverstone race had come to an end…as had the 2009 Le Mans Series.