Season three of the Lotus on Track Elise Trophy has just come to an end and Race.TV have put together a light hearted look back at those 80+ races. We should point out that no Animals or Children were hurt in the making of this programme, even if a few wallets are a little lighter. We are also trying to find out how much car numbers 4 and 99 paid to have their indiscretions left out.

The recent appointment by Lotus of a Director of Motorsport has led to speculation as to exactly what plans the company has for motorsport involvement. We of course already know that a return to the Formula 1 grids is planned for 2010, via the newly launched Lotus F1 Racing team, but in reality that has little to do with Hethel as it has been created by parent company Proton in Malaysia. We already have Lotus Cup Europe catering for the 211/Elise/Exige variants, and similar series such as Lotus Cup Japan and Cup Italia and of course there is L-o-T’s own highly successful Elise Trophy series, so what else is there? Well, there have been throwaway comments about Indycars, Le Mans and GT, and the latter is already underway with the Evora racecar project.

Evora racecar

Lotus-on-Track, Europe's largest trackday club, have for the past eight years organised a week-long trip to France, allowing enthusiasts – not just Lotus owners – to take-in a variety of circuits.

This annual summer event known as ‘French Frolic’, or FF for short, costs around £750 per car and attracts around 60 cars with Lotus enthusiasts coming together from Britain, France Belgium and Holland to enjoy three or four track days at different circuits. The organisational back up includes a mechanic and spare parts van, whilst lunch and drinks at the circuit are taken care of. Otherwise those taking part are free to organise time between meeting up at the tracks and hotels.

The week began on Sunday when LoT took over the Mercure Hotel in Le Mans for two nights, the car park rapidly filling up with a mixture of Elise, Exige, 340R, Caterhams and VX220's plus the odd BMW. An extra 20 cars joined the core 60 at the first two track days, Le Mans and Val de Vienne. Inevitably there was some last-minute preparation work as some worked late into the night changing brake pads and even radiators, whilst the rest enjoyed a few beers, catching up with old friends.

Monday morning saw a short trip to the nearby Le Mans Bugatti track, a fast and safe circuit with plenty of run-offs, but not really one for the beginner. However, a relaxed open pit lane day made it possible to cater for the whole range of experience levels from the novice through to seasoned racer. There was some very quick non-Lotus cars taking part too, such as a supercharged Ariel Atom, the Ultima SS and some tweaked BMW’s adding to the variety.

Inevitably there were a few problems; with around a dozen cars experiencing overheating despite the mild temperatures, some had electrical problems whilst others soon wore tyres out. Nevertheless all but two cars were sorted in time for the next day. From then on not a single car was lost to mechanical trouble, a tribute to the way in which club members always come to the aid of others.

Tuesday was a relaxed day, where everyone drove at their own pace to the next destination, the Ibis hotel in Limoges, which was to be our base for the rest of the week. Previous experience had shown the organisers that it was better to do it this way rather than keep changing hotels, even if it meant longer journeys to the different tracks.

It was back to track action on for the next three days, starting with Val de Vienne, a fast circuit situated near to Le Vigeant. This track was new to LoT and included some very technical sections with plenty of gravel traps, some of us likening it to a larger and faster version of Abbeville. The day was hot, so the drinks provided were very welcome, as was the limited shade provided by the pit garages. A small restaurant called La Ferme, situated in the infield, provided lunch. As with Le Mans no damaged cars even though a couple of regulars played in the gravel after some sideways driving.

Weeks, months of rumour, conjecture and innuendo finally came to an end yesterday, 15th September, when the FIA issued a simple press release announcing the fact that Lotus F1 Team – not Team Lotus, note – had been awarded the 13th team entry into the 2010 World Championship. But just who is behind the new team?

The team has been registered with the FIA as Lotus F1 Team, under the company name of 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd and the team principal is Tony Fernandes, a 45-year-old Malaysian entrepreneur who currently owns budget airline Air Asia (presently a Williams sponsor) and a chain of hotels, amongst other things. He is British educated and began his working career with Virgin Records.