Lotus Cup Europe is firmly established as one of the continent’s strongest single-marque championships. Originally set up by Lotus as a direct response to customer and dealer interest for a fun but professionally run series, it has attracted competitors from across the continent.

Lotus Cup Europe was granted FIA International Series status in 2013, similar to prestigious Championships such as DTM, GT World Series & European Le Mans Series. The championship is open to a wide range of cars from the Elise through to the current Emira GT4, with entries being split into four groups: GT Cup, Exige Cup, 2-Eleven/Open and Production.

Championship points are scored according to group position. This means that drivers from all four groups have a chance of competing for the overall title. Current champion Mark Yates won from the Production ranks last year in his Elise Cup R whilst Tamás Vizin was runner up in his Exige V6 with Jean-Pierre Genoud-Prachex third in his 2-Eleven.

In 2024, 12 races will be held across 6 events. Race weekends feature two free practice sessions followed by qualifying. Most rounds then feature two races incorporating rolling and standing starts. At Spa-Francorchamps there will be a 50-minute pit stop race, while Anneau du Rhin see’s a brace of sprint races followed by a 50-minute pit stop race as well.

The vast majority of events have been broadcast either as part of an exclusive programme or via live streaming over the last ten years, something that will continue in 2024. The championship enjoys unrivalled support from the Lotus community, with many owners and enthusiasts attending events. This is backed up by social media activity, where close to 60,000 Facebook & Instagram followers gave the Lotus Cup Europe pages over 1.3 million views and 50,000 likes in 2023.

The championship is open to drivers at all levels of experience, provided that they hold an International D licence or higher. Whilst the series has grown hugely since its inception over a decade ago, the emphasis has firmly remained as a fun and social environment in which to compete.