The Lotus Cup Europe starts its 2009 season with a new promoter and new format to give a new dimension to club racing. The first round is at Brands Hatch over the weekend of 1st to 3rd of May as a supporting race to the "World Cup of Motorsport" Formula A1GP International program.
The series will be organised and run by Lotus On Track Racing Drivers Club (LoTRDC) who, with MotorSport Vision Racing, also run the highly successful "Elise Trophy" race series in the UK.
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc said: "I am very much looking forward to the Lotus Cup Europe program this year, and to the brilliant racing this series promises. Lotus cars are perfect for a race series of this type, as the drivers have the ability to race at a rewarding pace and drive the car to and from the event as well. The series, which has been created for Elise, Exige and 2-Eleven cars, means that our pan-european owners and drivers now have even more of an opportunity to exploit their cars and skills on the racetrack."
Paul Golding, LoTRDC Director and Series Coordinator commented, "The outstanding success of Elise Trophy from its inception just two years ago has shown there is tremendous enthusiasm out there for Lotus in racing - not just amongst the competitors but also from the many Lotus owners and fans who follow the series from circuit to circuit. Now with Lotus Cup Europe there is an added dimension, with the opportunity to both race and spectate at some of the greatest circuits in Europe. The opening round of Lotus Cup Europe in 2009 kicks off the new season in fine style at one of the world's great motorsport events. However, it's as the season goes on and as new drivers come in that we'll see the real enthusiasm across Europe for drivers wishing to race their Lotus cars."
The history of the Lotus Cup Europe:
The Lotus Cup Europe Series, now in its sixth year, started in 2004 as a direct response to customer and Lotus Dealer interest in a 'fun' but professionally run motorsport series in Europe. During that time it has attracted many competitors from all over Europe, a large number of whom have been new to Lotus cars and racing.
Who can enter the Lotus Cup Europe
Anyone holding a current driving licence and is living in Europe can compete in Lotus Cup Europe. All that is needed is a National Race Licence from the respective European Countries Motorsports authority and a Lotus, of course!
The Lotus Cup Europe aims to provide a friendly, safe and financially viable series for those wishing to race a Lotus Exige, Elise or 2-Eleven in Europe.
There are three classes within the Lotus Cup Europe series and all cars will run on Yokohama A048 'LTS' and 'M' control tyres.
 Production Class: For series 1 and 2 Elises with a maximum hub power of 151bhp (170bhp fly wheel) and a minimum combined weight of driver and car of 825kg. Also open to standard Series 2 Exige and 111R Toyota engined cars with a maximum hub power of 169bhp.
 2-Eleven Class: For standard and slightly modified 2-Eleven cars*.
 Exige Cup Class: For Exige S2 Cup cars and S2 Exige variants – For Exige variants up to a maximum of 235bhp at the hubs (260bhp at the flywheel) with a minimum weight of 850kg. includes Lotus Cup 260, Lotus Cup 255, Lotus Cup 240, Lotus Cup 190 and Lotus Exige S.
Costs – fantastic value
Entry costs per race are between £300 and £350 (tax exempt) per race meeting.
Format
A typical race meeting will involve a 20 minute practice session, followed by two 20 minute races. At some rounds free practice will be available and there will be an option of a test or track day. The second 20 minute race may be held in a "reverse top 10" format.
The Calendar for 2009
1. Brands Hatch GP (UK): 1st - 3rd of May
2. Zandvoort (Netherlands): 23rd - 24th of May
3. Hockenheim (Germany): 20th - 21st of June
4. Donington Park GP (UK): 15th - 16th of August
5. Dijon Prenois (France): 4th - 5th of September
6. Spa Francorchamps (Belgium): 2nd - 4th of October
7. Le Mans (France): 24th - 25th of October
*Full Event Regulations and step by step instructions on how to enter a race, together with paddock and track procedures can be found at www.lotuscupeurope.com.
The website has full details of the seven-round race calendar and an overview of each circuit including track layouts and directions on how to get there. Closer to each race date, the website will also show confirmed driver entries and give the race event timings. The site will be updated after each event with race results, reports and event images.
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