Lotus 102 to tackle hillclimb at Goodwood

The super motor will be driven by its 1990 season driver Martin Donnelly for 1.16 miles up the challenging Goodwood hillclimb, whilst the car’s owner – Andrew Morris – is busy rowing 2,587 miles across the Atlantic.

Morris, an entrepreneur and motorcycle creator, will be rowing the Atlantic with adventurer Roz Savage, leaving dry land on Monday, May 13, and rowing from the east coast of Canada to London. The pair face at least two months at sea with all the North Atlantic Ocean has to throw at them: bitter cold, fog, storm force winds, the threat of icebergs, mountainous waves and unpredictable currents.

By comparison the twists and turns of the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill seem comparatively easy, said a Goodwood spokesman - but appearances can be deceptive.

To date just 30 individuals have rowed the North Atlantic, and no one has yet completed this together with a row along the inland waterways to London. The record for a rowing pair stands at 55 days and 13 hours, and this record has remained unbroken for 115 years. Andrew and Roz will also be the first male/female team to make this attempt.

Whilst Andrew is mid-Atlantic, his cherished Lotus 102 will be fully exercised at the Festival of Speed by former driver Donnelly. The Frank Dernie-designed 102 was the first and only Lotus to use a V12, and the Lamborghini engine powered Team Lotus to a best finish of fifth in the 1990 Hungarian GP, driven by Derek Warwick.

Tickets and further information for the 2012 Festival of Speed, which runs from June 28 until July 1, can be found on the Goodwood Goodwood website or by calling 01243 755055.