Season 2009 Preview
A sneak preview of the new Lotus Cup Europe race series for the next year.
New Lotus Cup Europe Race Series 2009
LOTUS CUP EUROPE HAS A NEW ORGANISER AND FOLLOWS A NEW FORMAT WITH A SIX ROUND, TWELVE RACE CALENDAR FOR THE 2009 SEASON.
The series will be organised and run by LoTRDC who, with MotorSport Vision Racing run the successful “Elise Trophy” race series in the UK. LoTRDC and MotorSport Vision are independent companies not connected with Lotus.
Race calendar
The proposed calendar will have drivers racing on some of the most prestigious and demanding circuits in Europe. The provisional calendar is as follows:
- Donington Park (UK)
- Le Mans (France) or Zolder (Belgium)
- Zandvoort (Holland)
- Brands Hatch Grand Prix (UK)
- Dijon-Prenois (France)
- Spa Francorchamps (Belgium)
The calendar and race regulations for Lotus Cup Europe will be finalised by November.
Classes and race format
There will be three classes available to ensure that the majority of Lotus owners across Europe can compete. An entry level class will complement two other higher level classes tailored specifically for the newly launched Exige Cup 260 (Model Year 09) and the Lotus 2-Eleven.
For 2009, Lotus Cup Europe will have a different format from the past race series as follows:
- 20 minutes qualifying
- Race 1 (minimum 20 minutes duration)
- Race 2 (minimum 20 minutes duration)
The grid will consist of Lotus product only and all cars will run on Yokohama A048 LTS tyres.
About the 2009 Model Year Lotus Exige Cup 260
A direct development of the 2008 Exige Cup Car, this year’s car uses advanced light weight components and carbon fibre body material, to reduce the overall weight by 38 kg to a total mass less than 900 kg. Maximum power output of 257 hp (260 PS), remains the same as the 2008 car, but with careful attention to weight reduction detail, the 2009 Model Year Exige Cup 260 provides a more agile and dynamic track focussed drive and is more than capable of taming Europe’s most challenging race circuits. Unusually for such a focused track and road machine, the 2009 Model Year Exige Cup 260 is fully homologated for road use in Europe and key markets in Asia - a must have for many race competition programmes where a road legal car has to be entered.
CO2 emissions – 216 g/km. Combined fuel consumption - 31 mpg (9.1 l/100 km)
Comments
Paul Golding, LoTRDC Director and Series Coordinator commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Lotus Cup Europe series, the Elise Trophy that we run in the UK has been going from strength to strength. The series has had the privilege to be the support races at such events as A1 GP and DTM within its first two years. With full grids, a top class calendar and a large spectator following it has become the premier club series in the UK. Our aim is to take all our learning from this and bring it to the Lotus Cup Europe series. The sharing of 4 of the calendar events also gives us the opportunity to make this a friendly and financially viable series for those wishing to compete across Europe.“
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus comments, “Lotus founder, Colin Chapman started out racing even before he built road cars and it is vitally important that Lotus remains the marque of choice for clubman racers around the world and all our current range of Elise, Exige and 2-Eleven cars will be competitive in this series. There is no better sportscar marque to race with – you never know, you may end up following in the illustrious footsteps of Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fitipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill or Jim Clark who all cut their teeth with Lotus over the years.”
Roger Becker, Director of Vehicle Engineering, explains why Lotus cars are perfect for racing, “Racing cars are the foundations of Lotus and history both identifies and records this fact. Through his genius and ingenuity, Colin Chapman created a racing heritage that we continue to uphold with great pride. In every Lotus product there is not only the ability to race at a rewarding pace, there is the facility of being able to drive the car to and from the event as well. We are proud of the Elise, Exige and 2-Eleven racecars for which the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup Europe race programs have been created and owners now have increased opportunity to exploit their cars and skills on the racetrack.”
About LoTDRC
LoTRDC organise and promote the Lotus on Track Elise Trophy in conjunction with MSVR - the racing club division of MotorSport Vision - owners of Brands Hatch and four other major circuits. The Elise Trophy was the success story of UK motor sport in 2007 with full grids and quality meetings across the UK. 2008 has seen the Elise Trophy go from strength to strength with over 60 cars entering rounds regularly meaning two separate grids have been required at most rounds. With one of the best calendars in UK motor sport the Elise Trophy has supported major events such as DTM and the final round of this years A1GP. In addition the series has headlined a number of Lotus Celebration events and has the largest spectator following of any club series in the UK thanks to support from the Lotus community.
Elise Trophy - Lotus on Track RDC
For more information about LoTRDC please contact:
Paul Golding
LoTRDC Ltd
PO Box 1217
Maidstone, ME14 9JR
Email: paul@lotrdc.com
