Second Coming?

I’ve spoken here, on several occasions, about the numerous unfulfilled rumors that have swirled through Formula One over the years, like dust devils across an abandoned racetrack. Jeff Gordon to Formula One? A Grand Prix through the streets of Manhattan? Bernie Ecclestone’s generous loan terms? In addition to these tried and true favorites, there seems to be a nonstop cavalcade of rumors involving long dead Formula One teams about to be arisen from the dead like Lazarus. One of the more popular candidates over the past 20 years has been Lotus. Well, damn if it hasn’t actually happened.

With the last minute withdrawal of the BMW team from the 2010 Formula One roster, the FIA moved one of the handfull of prospective teams up into the big leagues. With several teams whose names sounded like characters from the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers—“Look out Megatron! I think Epsilon Euskadi means business!”—how could the FIA pass up a glorious name, like Lotus, from its past? Sadly, the reincarnated squad is just that, in name only, but it’ll give me a good reason to dust off all that old Lotus kit, occupying a dark corner in my closet. For more of an explanation why this effort is really in name only, check out Mike Lawrence’s column on page 102.