Lotus unveil the T127: A tremendous journey ahead

Lotus became the second of the newcomers to unveil their 2010 challenger, taking the covers off the T127 in London on Friday evening.

Lotus is one of four new teams signed up for this year's Championship, which marks the return of the legendary Lotus name to F1. Lotus last competed in the sport back in 1994.

The revival of Lotus comes courtesy of Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who was on hand at the Royal Horticultural Hall to introduce his team's first F1 car to the world.

"Words cannot express how I feel today," said Fernandes. "It is an amazing job to get a Formula One licence, have five people in Hingham and turn up today with this car.

"I was thrilled when Clive [Chapman] said that this was just like the beginning of Lotus back in the early days.

"We know we have a huge burden on our shoulers, standing on the shoulder of giants - Clark, Moss, Hill, and Mansell.

"We know we have a tremendous journey in front of us, we are honoured and cherished to be a part of history - we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts and we will do our best to return Lotus to its glory days."

The car was decked in a green-and-yellow livery in tribute to the proud heritage of Lotus and will be driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

The T127 was designed by Mike Gascoyne, who previously worked with teams such as Toyota and Renault.

"The launch of the car is a very proud moment for the design team and the whole team," said Gascoyne.

"This one is very special for me personally for two reasons - firstly the Lotus name coming back into F1 is something very special.

"I grew up in era when Lotus was winning races and championships, so the opportunity to work with this team is very special. But also it is the challenge of bringing a new team and a new car into F1 in such a short space of time.

"What this is about for me, and it is the first launch I have been to where whole team is here, there is a fantastic buzz about this place, the whole team has given heart and soul to this project. I want to thank Tony on behalf of the whole team to have the courage to back us and trust us.

"We have a fantastic driver line-up who have put faith in whole design team. I am proud to be up here on stage as a representative of that team, they have done a fantastic job."

Source: Lotus unveil the T127: A tremendous journey ahead - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com