Lotus ENSO CLM P1/01: ByKolles Racing's former privateer LMP1 car hitting the track again!

Yes, that's the old ByKolles LMP1 you're seeing. Probably one of the racing cars with the most troubled history in terms of management and team. I had the pleasure of filming the CLM P1/01 several times during its sporting career, thanks to many WEC test sessions in Monza, which allowed me to keep an eye on its various aero evolutions and modifications to the engine it used in 7 years of activity. Last year I was surprised to see it back on track, competing in the Masters Endurance Legends series by Masters Historic during a racing weekend at Mugello Circuit. For this event the CLM P1 was driven by one of its former drivers, Christophe Bouchut, it had been repainted in colours similar to the JPS livery and entered the race as a Lotus, to recall its true origins. In the early 2010s Lotus partnered with German outfit Kodewa (run by seasoned race director Colin Kolles) to field Lotus LMP2 cars in the WEC, culminating in an LMP2 class win and proving the team’s capabilities. The car was the Lotus T128 and it was designed by former Sauber technical director James Key and built by ADESS and Kodewa in 2013. Buoyed by that experience, the Lotus/Kodewa squad ambitiously stepped up to LMP1 class with a car initially dubbed the Lotus T129 but subsequently renamed Lotus CLM P1/01. It was designed under the LMP1-L regulations for non-hybrid privateer prototypes. The car missed the first three rounds of the 2014 season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and made its racing debut at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas. With a new bright yellow-grey livery and now under the ByKolles Racing name, the team hit its stride. The Lotus P1/01 raced the full 2015 WEC calendar and became a multiple class winner. However, the car was excluded from the results of the 24 Hours of Le Mans of that year due to incorrect driver weight ballast. In 2016 the CLM P1 appeared at Silverstone for the first round of the World Endurance Championship sporting a new high nose design, similar to the one used and developed by Audi for their R18. For these first three season the car was powered by a AER P60 GDI engine (twin-turbo V6 direct injection). In 2017 the car was further developed and renamed ENSO CLM P1/01. It was the only non-hybrid entry in the LMP1 class and, along with this, there was no longer a trophy for private LMP1 teams. As such, it was greatly outclassed by its hybrid competition from Porsche and Toyota. The car had a few upgrades coming into the season, most notably the addition of the Nissan Nismo VRX30A Evo V6 from Nissan's flopped GT-R LM program over the previous AER V6. Aerodynamics were also improved and weight of the car was reduced. The ENSO CLM P1/01 came into the 2018-2019 super season relatively unchanged. It retained the Nismo VRX30A engine. Unlike the previous season, the P1/01 was not the only LMP1 non hybrid entry, being joined by Rebellion's R-13, SMP and Dragonspeed's BR Engineering BR1s and CEFC TRSM Racing's Ginetta G60-LT-P1. Despite this, a privateer LMP1 team championship was still unavailable. In early February of 2019, it was announced that ByKolles would be missing the 1000 Miles of Sebring after a dispute with Nissan over performance and payment of the Nismo VRX30A engine. ByKolles was forced to drop the Nismo in favor of the Gibson GL458 4.5-litre V8. Ahead of the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, team owner Colin Kolles announced that the team would not be participating in the full WEC 2019-2020 super season, but in just selected races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the team sought to develop a new car for the Le Mans Hypercar regulations (the Vanwall Vandervell 680). For its last two races (6h Spa and 24h Le Mans 2020) a new Le Mans-style low-downforce aero kit was fitted which corresponds to how the car looks in this video. The ENSO CLM P1/01 is now up for sale: https://janluehn.com/cars/2014-lotus-clm-p1-01/ #LotusCLMP1 #ENSOCLMP1 #LMP1 ------------------------------------------------------------- I have to thank my friend and youtuber @Italiansupercarvideo for the great collaboration done recording this car! -- Subscribe to my 2nd channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3XVG02cKYsLyUUewv-qkoQ You can also find and follow me on: - Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19bozzy92/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/19Bozzy92YT - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ste19bozzy92/ - Camcorder: Canon Legria HF G30 + Canon DM-100 Microphone, Canon Legria GX10 + Zoom H5, Sony FDR AX700 + Audio-Technica Microphone - Event: Mugello Racing Weekend 2024 by PNK Motorsport - Where: Mugello Circuit, Italy Link To My Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/19Bozzy92 THANKS FOR WATCHING AND SUBSCRIBE!!!