Lola will relaunch its global motorsports presence in Season 11 of Formula E in partnership with Yamaha.
Founded by Eric Broadly in 1958, Lola Cars designed and produced nearly 5000 race cars spanning 400 different model types, gaining unparalleled success in motorsport championships around the world, including IndyCar, Le Mans, Formula 1, Can-Am, Formula 3000, Formula 5000, A1GP, Formula Ford and Touring Cars.
The original iteration of the company closed in 2012, and some assets and a license to use the name and IP were acquired by Multimatic and The Carl A. Haas Automotive company before Till Bechtolscheimer finalized the purchase of the brand and associated trademarks and IP along with the Lola technical center in 2022.
At the time of the purchase Bechtolsheimer said that his immediate goal was to revive the company and return it to international competition by 2025.
“We are incredibly excited to be partnering with the Yamaha Motor Company as we enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,” said Bechtolscheimer.
“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.”
Mark Preston, whose Formula E ties stretch back to 2014 when he founded Super Aguri’s FE team, and who later won back to back titles as team principal at Techeetah, will serve as Lola’s motorsport director.
“We are thrilled to confirm our entry in Formula E,” he said. “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.”
The partnership is the first of several major projects planned to re-establish the British company as an industry leader in sustainable engineering and motorsport, focusing on three areas of electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials.
“Yamaha Motor Company is accelerating the research and development of various technologies that contribute to sustainability,” said Heiji Maruyama, Managing Executive Officer and Director, Yamaha.
“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 honored to form this partnership with them.”