Lola Cars has entered a joint venture with ABT Sportsline, a motor racing and auto tuning company, to work together on an ABB FIA Formula E World Championship entry.
The two companies will field a team in the electric motorsport series, leveraging a powertrain jointly developed by Lola and its technical partner, Yamaha Motor.
The Formula E collaboration is the inaugural endeavor in a broader joint venture between Lola and ABT that aims to explore various areas of sustainable motorsport, aligning with Lola’s overarching mission to reclaim its position in the motorsport industry.
Lola says the partnership’s focus will be on three areas: “electrification, hydrogen, and sustainable fuels and materials”.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with ABT as we bring the technology we’ve developed with Yamaha Motor to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,” said Till Bechtolsheimer, chairman of Lola Cars.
“It’s exciting to be working with a team that has so much history and success in the sport. Operating factory-backed programs is ABT’s bread and butter and their experience in Formula E will give us a critical leg up. We look forward to developing our relationship within and beyond the electric racing series.”
The 2024 Formula E season opener in Mexico was the 100th race for ABT.
ABT CEO and team principal Thomas Biermaier said, “We are delighted to have found two such renowned partners for our future in Formula E. During our discussions and negotiations over the past few months, we have clearly sensed how skilled, motivated and determined Lola and Yamaha are to make this project a success – just like every member of our team.”
Heiji Maruyama, managing executive officer and director of Yamaha Motor, said, “We are very happy and honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of such a great team as ABT with our technology, working together with Lola.”
Development of the powertrain and related software is already underway, with the first shakedown planned for June. Additional details about the set up and structure of the team will be announced in the coming months.
