► Lotus takes to two wheels again
► Hope/Lotus track bike on podium at #B2022
► Lotus Engineering developed front end
If you’ve been glued to the Commonwealth Games for the past week, you might’ve noticed a striking bike in action at the velodrome. The clue’s in the name – the Hope/Lotus racer was part-developed by sports car specialist Lotus in Norfolk.
Its consultancy division Lotus Engineering developed the front end of the track bicycle. Look closely at the pictures and you’ll spot that the forks are wider than any competitor, designed to cleave through the air cleanly for extra speed yet retain the handling predictability needed to maintain the racing line on a banked circuit.
Automotive engineers lent their expertise in lightweight materials, advanced structures and aerodynamics to the project. The same bike was used by British teams at the Tokyo Olympics last year. Fancy one? You can buy the track bike for around £25k fully built…
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Lotus and racing bikes: a long history
Lotus has form in the velodrome. Three decades ago it developed the revolutionary Lotus Type 108 pursuit bicycle ridden by Chris Boardman to gold-medal glory in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He then went on to break the World Hour Record four years later on the Lotus Type 110 (below).
Lotus Engineering works in the background with many of the world’s biggest car makers and component suppliers. These days it is based around three pillars, sharing Hethel’s expertise in platforms, controls systems (like ECUs) and technical services.
Mark Stringer, commercial director, said: ‘Lotus Engineering is a world-class consultancy that’s completely unique in the global automotive business. As part of the ongoing transformation of Lotus, we are rapidly expanding our client base and our portfolio of expertise. It’s a hugely exciting time for us.’