Lotus aiming to hunt Rebellion down

Lotus drivers James Rossiter and Pierre Kaffer believe that they can soon be challenging the Rebellion Racing cars in the LMP1-L class.

“We are still trying to understand the car. I only got to drive the car during the race at Austin, so everything is still at a very early stage and there is much more pace to come,” said Rossiter. “We are trying different set-ups and seeing what suits the package best. There is a lot to be positive about after such little running in the car. The good thing is that Pierre (Kaffer) and I seem to give the same or very similar feedback on the balance, so going in to the race we can learn so much more before heading to Shanghai.”

Kaffer, who is getting his first taste of the CLM P1/01 LMP car, believes that it is only a matter of time before they can exploit the potential of the car.

“I think we have a very quick car for the future,” said Kaffer. “The straight-line speed of the engine is excellent and as James says we now need to learn more about the whole package together. We have the opportunity to get more performance and be closer to the Rebellion cars. I am sure we can get close to them. It will be all about perfecting the balance.”

The Lotus entered LMP1-L car is thought to be approximately 75kgs heavier than the Rebellion cars. It also lost precious time in Free Practice 3 with a technical problem. If the expected potential of the car meets the driver’s expectations expect a battle royal in the LMP1-L class during the final races of the 2014 campaign.

Sam Smith