Lola and Yamaha partner up to join Formula E
Lola Cars will return to global motorsport by joining the FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 11 (2024/25) and have announced a multi-year partnership with Yamaha, who will develop and supply high-performance electric powertrains.
Founded by Eric Broadley in 1958, Lola Cars has designed and produced nearly 5000 race cars which achieved more than 500 championship wins across series including IndyCar, Le Mans, Formula 1, Can-Am, Formula 3000, Formula 5000, A1GP, Formula Ford and Touring Cars - becoming an iconic brand in the process.
The brand was taken over by US-based Briton Till Bechtolsheimer in 2022 who immediately voiced his intention to return Lola to the grid by 2025 at the latest. The new partnership with Yamaha is the first of several major projects planned by Lola and is designed to re-establish the brand at the upper echelons of motorsport design and engineering. The focus for the company in the future will now be on sustainable motorsport which uses electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials.
Mark Preston, Motorsport Director, Lola Cars Ltd: “We are thrilled to confirm our entry in Formula E. For us, this is more than just an opportunity to return Lola to the track, it’s also a fantastic platform for technological development.
“Lola Cars has a decorated history of success in chassis and aerodynamic design. This project will allow us to create a unique electrified platform with a software focus at its core to provide a basis for Lola’s wider plans in defining the future of motorsport technology.”
Till Bechtolsheimer, Chairman, Lola Cars Ltd: “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with the Yamaha Motor Company as we enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. To be selected by one of the most innovative OEMs in the world to partner on a project of this significance is a testament to the caliber of the team that we have been building at Lola.
“The focus of this project is squarely around technological development in which Lola is fully invested. We see the highly efficient 350 kW electric powertrain that underpins the manufacturer’s perimeter in Formula E, as a cornerstone technology with exciting applications across many forms of topflight international motorsport in the coming years.”
Heiji Maruyama, Managing Executive Officer and Director, Yamaha Motor co., ltd.“Yamaha Motor Company is accelerating the research and development of various technologies that contribute to sustainability. As the technical partner, we hope to acquire more advanced energy management technologies through the highest level of electric racing in Formula E. We also share Lola's new philosophy of sustainable motorsport and we are very pleased and honoured to form this partnership with them."
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Lola Cars