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Group Lotus' plans 'perplexing' - Gascoyne

Mike Gascoyne: "We've brought the Lotus name back to F1 and have done a great job" © Getty Images

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Lotus Racing's Mike Gascoyne is at a loss to explain Group Lotus' plans to expand its involvement in motorsport but cut off its naming rights deal with his team.

Group Lotus, owned by Malaysian car manufacturer Proton, allowed Lotus Racing to compete under the historic name this season, but has terminated the deal for 2011 and is challenging the team's plans to use the Team Lotus name it has bought in a separate deal. Meanwhile, Group Lotus is rumoured to be in talks with the Renault F1 team about a sponsorship deal for 2011, will partner the GP2 team ART next season and announced last week that it is set to supply engines to the IndyCar series in 2012.

Gascoyne said he could not understand the decision to expand in one area of motorsport but cut off the Lotus Racing team in Formula One, which was generating exposure at no extra cost to Group Lotus.

"They seem to have announced they'll do every racing series that there is but the question is who is going to pay for it," Gascoyne told BBC Radio Norfolk. "For a loss-making car company that seems a bit perplexing. But if that's what they want to do then good luck to them."

He said Lotus Racing had done a good job this year and that the team would continue to race next year, regardless of the naming dispute.

"We've brought the Lotus name back to F1 and have done a great job," he said. "We don't understand why Group Lotus don't want to support us in doing that job for them. We think we brought great value to the brand.

"The shareholders have invested something like £80 million into the brand and development of the team and we're failing to understand why Group Lotus seems to want to try and kick us out or have us compete. But that's not in my hands, my job doesn't change with the name and it's the same with all the engineering staff."

He added that the team's plans were on track for next year's car, which will make its first on-track appearance at the Valencia test in the first week of February.

"We'll be firing the car up on January 25 in readiness for the first test in February," Gascoyne said. "We've had lots of exciting announcements with Renault supplying us with engines, Red Bull supplying us with gearboxes and our own windtunnel developing. It wasn't just about finishing 10th in the championship this year, it was about building the team up so that we move solidly into the midfield next year. Those announcements are all very much part of that and we're bang on schedule."

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