Four Questions With KV Racing Technology-Lotus Driver, E.J. Viso

KV Racing Technology-Lotus #59 Dallara driven by ChampCar alumni EJ Viso as he takes turn #9 during qualifications at the 37th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)


Four Questions With KV Racing Technology-Lotus Driver, E.J. Viso
E.J. Viso Interview, July 21, 2011

Ernesto José Viso Lossada (born March 19, 1985) is a Venezuelan race car driver. He is commonly referred to as Ernesto Viso or, since his move to American racing, E.J. Viso.

Viso was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He has raced in the 2005 and 2006 GP2 Series seasons, and has also driven the third car for Spyker MF1 Racing. In 2007 he competed in the GP2 Series for Racing Engineering. Starting in 2008, he raced in the United States for HVM Racing which had just merged into the IndyCar Series (ICS) from the ChampCar World Series (CCWS). He raced through the next year until joining another CCWS merged team of KV Racing Technology-Lotus in 2010.

We catch up with E.J. before the second race of a 2 race swing through Canada, the 11th race in a 18 race season at Edmonton, Alberta Canada.


You are now in your second season with KVRT-Lotus, do you have opportunities to learn by sharing information, technical feedback or experiences with teammates and their engineers?

Yes, it’s always good being part of a team. A lot of what we’re doing now is a continuation of work we started last year with Takuma and the guys, and Tony brings new information. We really don’t change very much, its more like evolving the program and it just keeps growing.



You had some tough luck in Toronto [Race 10 of 18 in 2011] but still finished pretty well. Is that kind of representative of your year so far?

Well, I did have some bad luck with punctures in Toronto. I think really every race this year except maybe Iowa, where we had a major problem with the car, we’ve always been very competitive, running a lot in 5th or 6th, but unfortunately we haven’t finished as many races as we’d like. Sometimes my fault, sometimes the team’s and sometimes other circumstances, but we know we’re good, we know we have the speed , we’re getting better all the time and just need to stay strong and do it.

E.J. as he gets instructions from the team manager in the pits at the Honda Indy Toronto. Image Credit: LAT/Webb via Motor Sports Unplugged (2011)


Nobody is familiar with this new Edmonton track, but with the long straightaways and hairpins many drivers say there are passing opportunities but it could be a demolition derby. What are your thoughts?

That’s probably true. The first corner is way slower than it looks and is very tight in the exit. It’s almost like a dragster, you’ve got to stop and go, so car setup is very important and you need good braking and good traction. I’m sure a lot of people are going to be driving very soft cars to try to accommodate the needs of the track. With 3 very slow corners you’ll need to get power early.

This race, I think, is going to be similar to Toronto. It’s funny, because my mentality there was only to finish. I never, ever, took any kind of risk during the race and kind of let the race come to me and that’s the same mentality to bring to this place. It will be a very physically demanding race here, it’s easy to make mistakes and there are going to be some accidents. Just by keeping calm, having good pit stops and trying to save a little fuel so the last stop is as fast as possible is important.


On the business side of things how has the relationship with a name like Lotus affected your ability to expand your personal brand or create marketing opportunities?

The program we put together, that is, Lotus and KV, is very important. At the end of the day KV is a team, but Lotus is a car company, is bigger and very appealing to sponsors and the media. It’s positive for me, the team, for everybody and I hope it’s the first of many years.

-- END --

FOOTNOTE: E.J. Viso, in "Knockout" qualifying made it into the "Firestone Fast Six" and registered a P5. KV Racing Technology-Lotus teammate, Takuma Sato took his second pole position of the season, and his first road course pole position in the IndyCar Series.

... notes from The EDJE


Follow E.J. Viso Here:

website: www.ejviso.com

twitter: @ejviso

facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/E-J-Viso/54874179953?ref=ts

KV Racing Technology – Lotus

www.kvracingtechnology.com

twitter: @kvracing

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(ht: KV Racing Technology–Lotus, Motor Sports Unplugged, Wikipedia )


[Article first published as Four Questions With KV Racing Technology-Lotus Driver, E.J. Viso on Technorati]

From England to Iowa: It's Been a Great Week for Lotus

Nigel Mansell, Group Lotus ambassador and 1992 Formula One World Champion said: “What a joy it was to be reunited with my old 81B after 30 years. This is a very special place, Hethel, and it was wonderful to open the circuit today by driving alongside my sons Leo and Greg.” [ctrl-click photo to launch YouTube video taken at the event] Image Credit: Lotus Group (2011)

From England to Iowa: It's Been a Great Week for Lotus

Group Lotus has had a pretty great week for its brand and its addition to motor culture history.

Earlier this week, across the pond in England, Nigel Mansell officially opened Group Lotus’s revised and restored Hethel test track with a roar from the 1981 Essex-Lotus 81B in which he started his glorious Formula One career more than 30-years-ago.

Mansell led a convoy of seven stunning racing cars from the Lotus stable, including the innovative 1980 Type 88 twin-chassis car – which the rule makers never allowed to race; the Lotus Type 125 Exos Experience car driven by fellow F1 legend Jean Alesi; and a brace of Lotus Renault GP cars piloted by current F1 stars Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna.

This was the first time that modern-era F1 cars had blasted around the historic Hethel tarmac since the early 1990s. The layout of the 2.2 mile circuit had changed very little, with one extra corner added, but the new asphalt and larger run off areas are better suited to modern racing and performance car testing. Its mixture of corners, straight and braking zones makes it ideal for testing and optimizing every performance aspect of the new era of Lotus products, and evaluating car control at the Lotus Driving Academy.

"A year ago we set out our plans to introduce a new model line up, ambitious motorsport plans and a revitalization of the iconic Lotus brand," said Dany Bahar, Group Lotus CEO. "A year in, we are meeting all the targets and milestones we set ourselves. One of the milestones was the opening of our test track. You might say this is just a refurbishment of a track and not a major achievement in itself, and I agree. However, mentally and psychologically seeing this project accomplished demonstrates that step-by-step our vision is becoming a reality. It shows our entire workforce and our partners that we are delivering on our promises."

In addition to a spacious new workshop, the Hethel test track will soon be accompanied by a new pit building and hospitality suite.

On this side of the pond here in little ol' Iowa, the crucible of motor culture, where the IndyCar Series (ICS) will be holding its ninth race in a 18 race season, former F1 Japanese driver, Takuma Sato notched his first pole position in the ICS and in his career.

In qualifying for the Iowa Corn 250 held at the .875-mile oval at Iowa Speedway, the KV Racing Technology-Lotus team No. 5 Dallara beat out Danica Patrick, driving the No. 7 Team GoDaddy car for Andretti Autosport. In keeping P2, Danica earned her first front-row start since Nashville Superspeedway in 2008.

"I want to say a big thank you to the whole team, the fans, the sponsors and everyone who has supported me," said Sato, who is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Milwaukee 225 (starting fifth). "It is a fantastic achievement. I knew we were going to be competitive because of last year (started seventh), and this morning I was truly comfortable in the car. I could feel where we needed to be with the setup for qualifying. Working so closely today with the three KVRT-Lotus drivers, working so closely with my engineers, we had a great answer."

The joy was short lived, however, when three hours later in the final practice session, the first Japanese driver to earn a pole position in IndyCar made contact with the No. 77 car driven by Alex Tagliani and the two cars slid into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier. No one was injured but this may alter the starting order when the checkered flag drops at 8:00pm ET Saturday, June 25, 2011.

Regardless, Dany Bahar has to be happy with the successes this week - the unexpected delivery of promises here and those expected over there.

... notes from The EDJE

UPDATE from the Iowa Corn 250:

Takuma Sato raced upfront very well against Dario Franchitti but crashed out during the last round of pitstops. Teammate, Tony Kanaan was able to race hard to the end with Marco Andretti, swapping places P1 and P2 until Marco got the better of him.

KVRT-Lotus brought home a P2 podium finish and Tony Kanaan moves up to 4th place in the IndyCar Series season points championship.

(Article first published as From England to Iowa: It's Been a Great Week for Lotus on Technorati)