JUNE 30, 2010

Lotus lets the fans up close

Lotus Racing is throwing open the doors of its new factory in Hingham for fans to take an exclusive look behind the scenes of the inner workings of an F1 team.

Lotus Racing is throwing open the doors of its new factory in Hingham for fans to take an exclusive look behind the scenes of the inner workings of an F1 team.

Paying guests will have the chance to see the team's Norfolk, UK, home in 1 1/2 hour tours, where they will see each of the key areas of the factory, including the design office, composite and machine shops, race bays and race team workshops. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to see the T127 race car up close and meet the people who make it all happen.

Guests will be shown around by dedicated tour guides, who will ensure that every visitor leaves with a detailed understanding of all the processes that go into making a modern F1 car as well as a gift bag to commemorate their day

The Hingham factory is less than 10 minutes from the original Lotus factory in Hethel, only 15 miles from Norwich and 105 miles from London, so can be reached in less than three hours from the capital.

To ensure the race cars are in the factory, limited dates are available and requests will be accommodated on a first-come, first served basis. Three tours will take place each day, for groups of ten, and times can be arranged to suit each group. The first available dates are listed below - more dates from August through to the end of the year will be announced shortly:

Wednesday June 30th; Thursday July 1st; Friday July 2nd; Monday July 5th; Tuesday July 6th; Tuesday July 13th; Wednesday July 14th; Thursday July 15th; Friday July 16th; Wednesday August 4th; Thursday August 5th, Friday August 6th

Prices are 80 pounds per person, with under-17's half price and under-12's free. Fans interested can email a dedicated booking service at factorytours@lotusracing.my