Livery and Engine Changes for Lotus

Ayrton Senna and his new Japanese team-mate Satoru Nakajima not only face the 1987 season armed with powerful Honda V6 engines, but Team Lotus has also announced a totally new sponsor for 1987 and 1988.

The new Lotus-Honda 99Ts will be sponsored by the R J Reynolds tobacco group and carry the distinctive yellow livery of its Camel cigarette brand for the next two seasons.

The 99T owes much to the knowledge accumulated by Team Lotus technical director Gerard Ducarouge since he joined the Norfolk-based team almost four years ago.

But the car is totally new from the ground up and we understand that it will sport several exciting new developments, including the latest derivative of Lotus’s active suspension system, during the course of the season.

Nakajima’s inclusion in the team was one of the pre-conditions of Honda agreeing to supply engines to Lotus. While the 33-year old Japanese driver is a novice when it comes to F1 competition, he has carried out a lot of engine testing at the wheel of a Williams-Honda in his native country so is not without some degree of experience.