(Nürburgring, Germany – 16 September 2019) – Belgian racer Peter Verlinde claimed his first Lotus Cup Europe victory when the FIA International Series visited Germany’s Nürburgring last weekend, defeating reigning champion Bence Balogh in the process. However, the Hungarian won the opening race of the weekend, and closed the gap to title leader Franck Laroche to just three points with one event of the season remaining.

Appearing on the DTM bill for the third and final time this season, and in front of the German touring car series’ huge home crowd, Balogh was headed by 2016 champion Tamas Vizin for an all-Hungarian front row. Just 0.3 seconds covered the top four in an ultra-close qualifying session, in which Verlinde and Frenchman Xavier Georges shared the second row.

A superb getaway by Balogh propelled his Evora into a lead that he would not relinquish, whilst the Exige of poleman Vizin came under increasing pressure from Verlinde in the AM Ring Evora GT4. The Belgian passed for second place on lap six, leaving his rival to fend off Georges. The Exiges swapped places, but Vizin reclaimed his place on the podium as Georges fell back to seventh place behind Britain’s Jason McInulty, Belgium’s Thierry Verhiest and France’s Laroche, who claimed the 2-Eleven class win in the process.

Laroche’s title ambitions looked to be slipping after qualifying a lowly 11^th, behind class rivals and compatriots Anthony Fournier and Philippe Loup. However, a gritty performance in the race saw him fight back to claim the place from erstwhile leader Loup.

In the second race, Balogh repeated his earlier start to assume the lead over Vizin. But he succumbed to a stunning move from Verlinde, who took the lead and held on for thrilling victory, despite his rival’s best efforts. There was nothing between the Belgian and Hungarian Evoras and with the Production car battle to lap in the final moments, Verlinde gained a small advantage that he held to the line to defeat Balogh by just half a second. The Hungarian did, however, secure the V6 Cup class title ahead of the final rounds later this month.

Vizin lost further places in this race, promoting McInulty to the podium and eventually finishing behind Georges. Verhiest took sixth place at the chequered flag.

Title leader Laroche was unable to capitalise on Balogh losing out on the win, as Fournier took the class victory in seventh place overall, whilst Britain’s Ian Fenwick claimed second in class. Third for Laroche, ahead of series newcomer Ryan Savage from Britain, reduced his title lead to just three points with one event remaining, although, like rival Balogh he secured his class championship.

With just a class championship to fight for, the Production runners staged two entertaining races, with Britain’s Mark Yates prevailing in both contests. In the opener, Yates passed early leader, Sweden’s Cai Cederholm to take a dominant win, with Britain’s Dan Plant completing the podium. Later on the Briton defeated Genoud-Prachex and Sweden’s Sven Pettersson, the latter now likely to relinquish his class title having suffered mechanical issues in the first race.

With three rounds of the Lotus Cup Europe season remaining, the title is set to go right down to the wire at Le Mans on 29-30 September.

Double celebration for Rasse family as Lourenço is denied treble at Le Mans

Gregory Rasse won the final Lotus Cup Europe race of 2015 at Le Mans last weekend (10/11 October), celebrating with brother John, who claimed the title despite missing out on a clean sweep of class victories.
Outgoing champion Jérémy Lourenço passed polesitter and team-mate Xavier Georges to win the opening two races on the Bugatti circuit, which were held during the 24 Heures Camions event at the famous venue. The French Exige Cup pair finished in 1-2 formation, with Belgian Gregory Rasse taking third in his Evora.
Rasse got his revenge in the double-points final race after a fantastic six-way fight that included England’s Jon Walker, who eventually finished third, his brother Nicolas, and Frenchman Philippe Loup. Lourenço finished second and his efforts were enough to take the V6 Cup class championship. Christophe Lisandre (France) and Jon Packer (England) took 2-Eleven class victories in the first two races, but Jean-Baptiste Loup fought back from engine failure in qualifying to overcome Lisandre in race two and win the third to claim the class title. Meanwhile rival Lisandre suffered from a heartbreaking gearbox issue to finish well down the order.
England’s David Harvey took a hat-trick of Open class wins in his unique 340R, despite the best efforts of the Exiges of Nicolas Ferrer and Christopher Laroche, who took pole position at his local circuit. However, a more consistent run of results throughout the season was enough to hand the class championship to France’s Ferrer.
With a clean sweep of class victories heading into the final meeting, John Rasse was odds-on to lift the overall championship title, but failed to start race two with gearbox worries, which denied him a perfect run. With double-points on offer in the final race of the year he elected to save his car. In Rasse’s absence, England’s Jason McInulty overcame engine failure in qualifying to claim the honour of being the only other man to take a Production class victory in 2015 after an epic scrap with Austrian Markus Nikowitsch, Swede Sven Petterson and Briton James Knight. Nikowitsch and Petterson finished on the podium, joining Frenchman Thierry Hedoin and Briton Mackenzie Taylor as Production rostrum visitors during the event.

The 2015 Lotus Cup Europe champion will be crowned at the 24 Heures Camions event on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit next weekend (10/11 October), with a special triple-header set to decide the FIA International Series’ title.
Twelve months ago, Jérémy Lourenço lifted the 2014 championship, and after moving up from the 2-Eleven class to V6 Cup with an Exige this season, the Frenchman has proven to be the man to beat for overall wins. Only England’s Jon Walker (Exige) and Belgium’s Greg Rasse (Evora) have beaten him to the top step of the podium this season, but with two and three victories respectively, they have been overshadowed by Lourenço’s dominant seven.

However, the destiny of this year’s title is set to be found in the Production class, where John Rasse is aiming for a clean sweep of category wins at the famous venue. Regardless of whether he achieves this goal, his overall lead of 41 points (with 25 for a class win), and the championship’s dropped-score system makes him firm favourite to lift the coveted trophy.

There are also class titles to be decided, and with Lourenço already in possession of the V6 silverware, there’s a close fight between Frenchmen Christophe Lisandre and Jean-Baptiste Loup in the 2-Eleven category, whilst a consistent weekend should settle the Open Class in favour of compatriot Nicolas Ferrer.

At least 40 cars from the legendary British marque are set to qualify on the Bugatti circuit, adding to the festival atmosphere at the venue’s hugely popular annual autumn event.
Lotus Cup Europe title standings
1 John Rasse Production 398
2 Jérémy Lourenço V6 Cup 357
3 Christophe Lisandre 2-Eleven 335
4 Jean-Baptiste Loup 2-Eleven 331
5 Thierry Hedoin Production 294
6 Jason McInulty Production 263
7 Jonathan Walker V6 Cup 259
8 Nicolas Ferrer Open 256
= Xavier Georges V6 Cup 256
10 Benoit Roger 2-Eleven 248
Useful links
Event website: www.24h-camions.com
Tickets: http://ticket.lemans.org/home-manif-camion
Timetable: http://www.24h-camions.com/wpphpFichiers/1/1/ressources/Pdf/2015/24-heurescamions/horaires-24-heures-camions-2015.pdf

Bus stop fails to halt Lourenço’s double decker at Spa

A spin at the Bus Stop chicane on the final lap of the second Lotus Cup Europe race at Spa-Francorchamps was the only blot on Jérémy Lourenço’s copybook this weekend (10-11 July). Whether or not it was down to exuberance, the reigning champion had reason to celebrate a perfect score at an event where many of his rivals lost ground in the title fight.

The opening race was interrupted by several incidents, starting at La Source on lap one, which took potential winners Nikolaj Ipsen, Gregory Rasse and Philippe Loup out of contention. When Production category challenger David McInulty spun into the barriers at Eau Rouge whilst battling double classwinner John Rasse, the safety car was called into action.

When the race was resumed, Jon Walker took second place from Xavier Georges, but before he could work on a strategy to take the lead, the safety car returned to the track. With Kees Versluys’ Elise having collected a spinning Jean Potier, the resultant clear-up meant that the race finished under yellow flags.

Last corner spin aside, the second race was a much more straightforward affair for the leader, who had opened up a 30-second gap over eventual runner-up Thierry Verhiest. Georges recovered to third place after a slow start, whilst Nicolas Ferrer completed a double Open class victory just behind.

Jean-Baptiste Loup also took a pair of class victories in the 2-Eleven category, the second after a race-long fight with Jon Packer, Christophe Lisandre, and Andrew Wright, the latter of whom was unable to complete the distance.

Lourenço’s double makes him the most likely challenger to John Rasse, who has won every race in his class so far this season.

The next round of Lotus Cup Europe will take place at Brands Hatch on 15/16 August.

Reigning Lotus Cup Europe Champion Jérémy Lourenço followed up his maiden overall win at Dijon- Prenois with a double victory at Magny-Cours this weekend in rounds five and six of the 2015 championship.

Reigning Lotus Cup Europe Champion Jérémy Lourenço followed up his maiden overall win at Dijon-Prenois with a double victory at Magny-Cours this weekend (30/31 May) in rounds five and six of the 2015 championship. Meanwhile another dominant performance in the Production class has allowed John Rasse to stretch his title lead.

Lourenço qualified on pole position at the former French Grand Prix venue, but was passed by teammate and fellow front row starter Xavier Georges as the opening race got underway. The Exige V6 pair escaped the clutches of Greg Rasse's Evora as they fought their own battle, then Lourenco forced his way into the lead with just a few laps remaining to take the chequered flag.

In the second race, Lourenço sailed into a lead that he would not relinquish, whilst Georges fought another battle that he would eventually lose, with Greg Rasse passing at mid-distance. However the Belgian was unable to catch the leader and trailed home two seconds in arrears.

A strong performance in qualifying helped Christophe Lisandre to a brace of 2-Eleven class victories, with Nicolas Ferrer achieving a similar feat in the Open class to take the first encounter, before back row starter David Harvey claimed the honours second time out.

John Rasse's Production class double keeps him ahead of the rest in the title race, and it was a similar story on track, with the Belgian lapping several seconds clear of his opposition. Thierry Hedoin was second both times, with Philippe VanPevenaeyge and Sven Pettersson sharing the final podium places.

The next Lotus Cup Europe rounds will take place at Spa-Francorchamps on 10/11 July.

The calendar includes several prestigious meetings, starting with the Jim Clark Revival weekend at Hockenheim in April. The championship then heads to France, first at Dijon-Prenois, then Magny-Cours, with both events taking place in May.

Lotus Cup Europe will once again support the Fun Cup 25 Hour and British GT Championship at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps in July. The following month the championship will join its UK counterparts at the annual Brands Hatch Lotus Festival.

The season will end with two support slots to the popular sport of Truck Racing. The series is already regular feature on the bill of the European Truck Racing Championship’s Zolder round in September, a tradition that will continue next year.

As with this season, the 2015 championship is likely to be decided at Le Mans, and series organisers have staged a major coup by joining the bill of the hugely-popular 24 Heures de Camions, finals weekend for the FIA European Truck Racing Championship and French Truck Racing Championship. Series organiser LoTRDC are confident of strong grids after a successful 2014 season, in which Jérémy Lourenço was crowned champion.

Lotus Cup Europe 2015 provisional calendar* 10-12 April Hockenheim Hockenheim Historic 1-3 May Dijon-Prenois Trophée de Bourgogne 30/31 May Magny-Cours Trophée de Printemps 9-11 July Spa-Francorchamps 25 Hour Fun Cup 15/16 August Brands Hatch GP Lotus Festival 18-20 September Zolder FIA Truck Grand Prix 10-11 October Le Mans 24 Heures Camions

*subject to final approval from the FIA

Polesitter Walker’s results have aided his championship challenge, however a pair of 2-Eleven class victories has propelled Jeremy Lorenco into the title lead with just one round to go, after a tough weekend for rival Xavier Georges.

Phillippe Loup finished third to Walker in race one, whilst Belgian Thierry Verheist took the final podium place in the second encounter. Meanwhile there were two class wins for Nicolas Ferrer (Exige),and Egon Burkos (Lotus Cup Eastern Europe). David Harvey and Eric van’t Oever shared the Open class honours.

A triumphant return for Greg Rasse’s brother John saw him take the Production class win in the opening race with a superb ninth overall, twelve places ahead of runner-up and title challenger Andrew Wright. The Englishman fought back to lead the Belgian in race two, but the pair couldn’t overcome Dave Carr for the category win.

A strong drive from Ken Savage earned him a Lotus Cup UK victory, heading Marcus Jewell home for a 2-Eleven one-two. Positter and early leader Fabio Randaccio was unable to complete the distance after succumbing to a fuel pump failure and with front row starter Rob Fenn falling back in the late stages due to a faulty sensor, Savage was best placed to take the spoils.

Freddie Hetherington claimed the final podium position, heading the Exige class in his V6-powered machine, after passing reigning champion Simon Deacon and Open class winner Fenn after the pitstops.

In the Production class, which included an Elise Trophy entry boosting the total grid to 44 cars, Adam Gore and Fulvio Mussi fought hard during the opening laps. The pair headed into Eau Rouge side-byside at one point, but Gore eventually asserted his authority and kept his car out of reach from his rival. An early pitstop helped catapult Stuart Ratcliffe and Anthony Dunn into third place after a penalty for Ryan Savage foiled his attempts to make it a double podium for the family.

In Lotus Cup Europe, BTCC and Elise Trophy competitor Jack Goff took on the field and won the opening race, which also mustered a grid in excess of 40 cars, thanks to a contingent of Lotus Cup Eastern Europe drivers. Tyre problems for the V6 cars took both Greg Rasse and Jon Walker out of contention in the opener, but the Belgian driver was victorious in the second encounter after a battle with polesitter Nikolaj Ipsen. On this occasion both Goff and Fenn, who had elected to contest all three races, were forced out of the lead battle with issues.

Denis van den Savel and Nicolas Ferrer took the Exige class victories, with second overall for the latter in the second encounter, whilst Jeremy Lorenco’s brace of 2-Eleven category wins boosts his title chances on a day when many of his main rivals hit trouble. Goff’s race two retirement handed David Harvey the Open category spoils.

There was an entertaining pair of races for the Production runners, as reigning Lotus Cup Europe champion Thomas Dehaibe battled with Andrew Wright and Lotus Ladies’ Cup regular Adrienn Bende from Hungary. Dehaibe won the opener, but a drive-through for track limits was accidentally taken by Bende in the second, leaving Wright to take the spoils, whilst Dave Carr reached the podium on both occasions.

Amongst the Lotus Cup Eastern Europe entry, European truck racer Benedek Major claimed the honours with 16th and 14th places in his Exige.

Ten Elise Cup PB-R on track in the first round, one for Ivan Capelli

All is set fot the first round of Lotus Cup Italia 2014. The Italian cup series will be on track next weekend in Adria for the first of six events of this season.

Ten cars will be on the grid including

• the reigning champ Vito Utzieri, who will be under ADV Motorsport colours;
  
• Andrea Agazzi, from Bergamo, will debut in the Lotus Cup with a Lotus Elise Cup PB-R prepared by MM Motorsport;
  
• Alberto Grisi is another new entry in the racing series and his car will be managed by AGV Racing;
  
• Marco Fiore, from Switzerland, will share his car - prepared by Essecorse - with Luca Lorenzini in this first round;
  
• Fabrizio Scolari and his daughter Sharon, one of the two ladies who will compete, will drive for ScoRace;
  
• Siliprandi Racing’s car: the Elise prepared in Mantua will be driven by Marco Coldani and the former Ferrari F1 driver, Ivan Capelli: both are focused on conquering the championship but they will certainly not find it easy.
  
• Two cars also for Cipriani Motorsport, one driven by Luli Del Castello (the second young girl at the start) and the other by Claudio Paraschiw.
  
• Filippo Manassero and Mario Minella will share the same Elise under Giafima Motorsport management;
  
• The final car, will be in the hands of Sergio Remondino, editor of Autosprint motorsport magazine, who will drive the VIP car prepared by PB Racing.
  

PB Racing (Lotus Cars official dealer and motorsport centre in Italy) together with Hexathron Racing Systems will offer a dedicated technical support to all teams and drivers. They will also organise a special off-track event on saturday night for the Italy vs England world-cup football match.

1. After the free practices, the racing weekend on the italian circuit will heat up on saturday 14th June from the 12.55 to 13.20 with the unique qualify session (and not just because of the high temperatures expected in Adria). Later, at 20.20, Race 1 will start almost under the moon for 20 laps of pure fight; Race 2 will see the green light on sunday afternoon at 15.15. Both races will be broadcasted live on the Gruppo Peroni Race’s Youtube channel and, next thursday, one of the winners will be guest at “Griglia di Partenza”.
   

The British driver was joined for the first time by his brother, Nick, on the podium for the second encounter at the Dutch seaside circuit, after the siblings dominated qualifying the day before. Nicholas Ferrer took third, the only non-V6 powered driver to feature in the overall top three throughout the weekend, whilst Nikolaj Ipsen and Gregory Rasse joined Walker on the rostrum for the opening race.

Xavier Georges trailed team mate Jeremy Lorenco in the 2-Eleven category both times, however he currently shares the championship lead with Walker. Meanwhile Christophe Laroche took an Exige class win in race one, whilst David Harvey dominated the Open class.

The opening race featured a first corner incident in the midfield, but all of the drivers involved were able to continue. Meanwhile Andrew Wright and reigning champion Thomas Dehaibe shared the Production honours, and the former sits just five points adrift of the title leaders as the championship heads to Spa-Francorchamps next month.

Walker topped every session to take a brace of victories at the classic French track. Not even a heavy shower in the second race could halt his progress.

Rival Gregory Rasse endured a torrid weekend failing to finish both races, leaving Phillippe Loup to take another pair of podiums, whilst Nikolaj Ipsen made it an Exige V6 1-2-3 in the second encounter. Xavier Georges’ third place in the opener topped an event in which he took the 2-Eleven victories, whilst Nicolas Ferrer took the Exige honours. Meanwhile David Harvey and Eric van t Oever shared the Open Class trophies.

Andrew Wright asserted his authority over the Production runners, in contrast to reigning champion Thomas Dehaibe, who was disqualified from the opening race for technical issues. Dave Carr, Jon Packer and Nicolas Gambini shared the remaining podium places.

Consistent class wins leaves Georges topping the standings from Wright and Walker after four of ten rounds. The championship heads to the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands on 7-9 June.

Gregory Rasse got his 2014 Lotus Cup Europe campaign off to the perfect start with a pair of race victories at Germany’s Hockenheim circuit.

Racing on the bill of the annual Jim Clark Revival meeting, the Belgian’s Evora held off the similarly-powered Exiges of Jon Walker and Phillippe Loup in both contests.

Pole man Walker and fellow front row starter Rasse disputed the lead throughout a pulsating opening race, and it was the Evora that just managed to squeeze ahead at the line. The result was repeated for the second encounter. Xavier Georges and Nicholas Ferrer claimed both 2-Eleven and Exige class wins respectively.

The opening Production class race was just as thrilling, with Englishman Andrew Wright claiming his first win in Europe from reigning champion Thomas Dehaibe with just two laps to go after an intense fight for the lead. Later on a scrap between Jon Packer, Wright and Dehaibe saw the Luxembourg driver take a vital win to aid the defence of his crown.

The event, held in honour of the Team Lotus legend who lost his life at the German circuit attracted Lotus drivers from all over Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark and Luxembourg. Over 300 Lotus cars participated in lap of the full Grand Prix circuit on Saturday night, whilst numerous Lotus race cars competed on track throughout the weekend.

Unfortunately the event was clouded by the passing of historic racer Dr Albert Fleming and everyone at LoTRDC expressed their sadness and sent their deepest condolences to his family and friends.

The opening rounds of the Lotus Cup Speed Championship and the Elise Trophy’s inaugural championship season get underway in just a few weeks’ time, and with all available places being filled already for the Speed Championship, LoTRDC have extended their commitment for the opening round by five places and will be looking to do the same at all other rounds. The Elise Trophy has 40 drivers placed for its opening round, with the four remaining slots expected to be filled before the end of February. The Lotus Cup UK grid has hit 39 entries and is also expected to be at capacity this month, with two titles on offer to the competitors.

The Lotus Cup Speed Championship heads to North Weald in Essex on 16 March, with an entry list that includes Martin Donnelly. The former F1 star will competing in a sprint for the first time alongside his son Stefan, who will have his first taste of motorsport at any level. The brand new sprint series has encouraged more new competitors into motorsport, and it is hoped that many will progress into racing.

Three weeks’ later, Snetterton will host the second round of the series, along with the start of the LoTRDC racing season. Lotus Cup UK will race on the Saturday, followed by the first points-paying round of the Elise Trophy. The following weekend, Lotus Cup Europe will feature on the race card for the Bosch Historic - Jim Clark Revival event at Germany’s Hockenheim circuit.

LoTRDC’s Paul Golding said: “It’s great to have so many entries confirmed for all five of our championships this year. The early commitment by so many drivers has meant we’ve been able to increase track time for Lotus Cup Europe as well as at the opening two rounds of Lotus Cup UK, while at the other end of the spectrum we’ve already purchase additional entries at the opening sprint of the season by an extra five places. All three of our current champions, Andy Napier, Simon Deacon and Thomas Dehaibe will be defending their titles, which is also fantastic. We’re also welcoming Lotus owners and enthusiasts from across the continent to our events and hope to see many of them there.”

Top of the bill will be Historic Formula 1 cars from 1966 to 1985, an era in which Team Lotus thrived, and the drivers will be competing for the Jim Clark Cup. More contemporary Grand Prix machinery can be found in the BOSS GP category, whilst there will be demonstration laps from Toyota’s 2002, 2004 and 2008 World Championship challengers. The Race Club Germany will also be demonstrating classic F1 cars and other great single seaters at the event.

Historic Formula 2, the FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior cars and Formula V will also take to the track for races, whilst Sportscars including CanAm and Touring Cars will also thrill fans.

Lotus Cup Europe joins the bill for the first time this year, celebrating Jim Clark’s association with the British marque. The championship will provide a more modern take on proceedings, whilst the racing is expected to be close as the drivers get their 2014 campaigns underway.

Last season Thomas Dehaibe won the title from the Production classes after a close battle in which V6 Cup and 2-Eleven category drivers were also in contention. The Evora and V6 Exige cars will start as pre-race favourites in the two races, which incorporate both standing and rolling starts.

The Bosch Hockenheim Historic – Jim Clark Revival meeting will be an unmissable event for Lotus fans across the continent, and the race programme makes it one of the best historic events of the season.

Tickets for the event are available from 25 Euros, with a weekend passes priced at 35 Euros. Meanwhile entry is free for all children aged 16 years or younger when accompanied by an adult. For more information on the Bosch Hockenheim Historic - Jim Clark Revival, visit www.hockenheimhistoric.de and www.hockenheimring.de

Thomas Dehaibe was crowned Lotus Cup Europe Champion at Zolder, becoming an FIA International Series title-holder at the Belgian circuit.

England’s Jonathan Walker led the opening race, only to be passed by Denmark’s Nikolaj Ipsen with just four laps remaining, as the pair pulled clear of the field. They also contested the second encounter, however Ipsen fell to seventh place in the final laps, whilst Walker succumbed to a puncture. Needing to finish the race to secure the V6 class title, the Englishman made a late pitstop and ended the day in 13th place. This left Gregory Rasse to take the final victory of the season, heading an Evora 1-2 with Thierry Verheist just eight tenths of a second shy at the chequered flag.

Jeremy Lourenco ended his year on a high with two third places and the 2-Eleven class title, whilst David Harvey claimed the Open class championship and Anthony Fournier the Exige Cup honours.

Dehaibe won the first Production race on course to his title success. However Laurent Feve took the class lead two laps from the end of the second race to deny him a second victory of the weekend.

Next season’s Lotus Cup Europe championship will visit Le Mans, Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps, Dijon-Prenois, Zolder and Hockenheim.

Walker takes a commanding double at Lotus Festival

Jon Walker charged to a brace of victories as Lotus Cup Europe’s penultimate round played out to a crowd of Lotus owners and fans at the annual Lotus Festival.

With the Lotus Cup UK and Elise Trophy series also on the bill, along with Formula 1 demonstrations and a Lotus Cortina 50th anniversary race, several UK drivers also took part. This included Andrew Bentley, who starred in a Lotus Evora that started from the back of the grid in both contests.

However it was not enough to defeat Walker, who maintained a steady gap to the rest and was able to pull away at will. Christophe Lisandre starred in qualifying but was unable to resist the V6 cars of Greg Rasse and Nikolaj Ipsen. Meanwhile Jeremy Lourenco and John Rasse, driving Xavier Georges 2-Eleven for the weekend, both featured well in the opening encounter.

Bentley took a top ten finish in the opening encounter but it was race two that showed his mettle. Despite recovering from a broken wrist, he jumped straight out of his race-winning Elise Trophy car and into the Evora at the opposite end of the grid. In the top ten within a few minutes of the start, he was second by mid-distance and gave Walker cause to increase his pace.

The Production class battle was fought between pace-setter Thomas Dehaibe and Britain’s Charlotte Burridge. Dehaibe was the winner on the road in both races, but had passed under a yellow flag in the opening encounter, so Burridge took the spoils.

6-powered cars dominated proceedings as Lotus Cup Europe returned to Germany.

Jon Walker powered his Exige to two close victories from Evora-mounted Gregory Rasse at Hockenheim, with Nikolaj Ipsen’s Exige and Thierry Verheist’s Evora completing the top four.

The 2-Eleven of Jean-Pierre Genoud-Prachex and Herbert Mezker’s four-cylinder Exige prevented Nick Walker making it a V6 top five lockout in race one and two respectively. The pair celebrated with class victories in both races, whilst David Harvey’s Open class win places the veteran’s 340R second in the title race overall behind Rasse.

Thomas Dehaibe continued his winning form in the Production class, whilst Laurent Feve and Charlotte Burridge completed both class podiums. The next round of Lotus Cup Europe will be a non-championship race with Lotus Cup UK at Spa-Francorchamps on 11-13 July.

New era for Lotus Cup Europe as inaugural championship kicks off at the Nürburgring

The first race for Lotus Cup Europe as an FIA International Series took place at the Nürburgring this weekend and saw victories for V6 powered machinery.

Belgium’s Greg Rasse swapped the lead with French 2-Eleven driver Jeremy Lourenço several times before taking the opening race win of 2013. The 2-Eleven of Xavier George completed the podium in third place. Meanwhile Anthony Fournier took the Exige Cup class honours on his series debut from Dave Carr and Jean Baptiste Loup.

In the V6 class Nick Walker recorded his best ever finish with fifth place overall and second in class, whilst Dane Nikolaj Ipsen took third place in the category with another Exige. The Production class saw fantastic battles between Thomas Dehaibe, Laurent Feve and Charlotte Burridge.

In the second encounter Rasse fought a close battle with Jon Walker’s Exige V6 Cup before the latter managed to open up an unassailable lead. Lourenço took another podium position with third after fighting with a number of cars, making for a hugely impressive weekend which has resulted in the Frenchman leading the championship standings.

Fournier was unable to repeat his Exige class win when Ferrer overtook for the place, whilst Carr was third. Series regular Christophe Lisandre was second in the 2-Eleven class, with Jean Baptiste Loup’s father Phillippe third. The Production category result was repeated with Dehaibe taking victory from Feve and Burridge.

Lotus Cup Europe heads to Dijon in France next month.

Introduction

After two visits to Germany and a round in France, the fourth meeting of 2012 saw a move to Belgium and the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes Forest. A popular destination in the series, the drivers’ favourite looked to favour the local contingent with John Rasse enjoying another strong season. However his brother Gregory has been improving in the Evora, whilst Christophe Lisandre and Xavier Georges head up the 2-Eleven contingent with UK Production frontrunner Ken Savage an intriguing prospect as he makes his class debut.

Practice and Qualifying

Georges led the field in the first session, run in the damp after overnight and morning rain. Jean-Baptiste Meusnier and John Rasse headed the Exiges, whilst Savage impressed first time out, just behind Lisandre and Greg Rasse.

The Evora moved up to the top of the timesheet in qualifying, the V6 powering Greg Rasse onto pole for the first time. His margin was three-quarters of a second over practice pace-setter Georges, with Meusnier’s Exige making for a very open pair of races. Proving the advantage of a powerful engine on the long straights of Spa, Thierry Verhiest took an excellent fourth place from the Jack Goff/Phill Capstick Exige, leaving John Rasse just third in class.

Lisandre took seventh place, heading a quintet of 2-Elevens, with Jeremy Lorenco, Guillaime Bouche, Ken Savage and Marcus Jewell behind. David Harvey took the Open pole in 18th place, two spots ahead of Production leader Craig Denman, who had Sven Petterson’s 2-Eleven between him and the rest, led by Markus Nikowitsch and Alain Corbiau.

Race One

The Evora’s V6 grunt looked likely to give Greg Rasse a good chance of making a clean getaway from the rolling start and sure enough, as the cars rounded La Source, he was clear. Only just, however, as the usual scrabble for grip at the hairpin meant that it was anyone’s guess as to the order in which the cars ran down the hill into Eau Rouge.

As it turned out, Lisandre would prove to be the leader’s primary chaser, with Meusnier in third, from Georges, John Rasse and Thierry Verheist. However as the race wore on, the Evora runners would benefit from the extra power as the others fought to hold on. As Greg began to ease way from Lisandre, so Verheist would provide an irresistible challenge to his two nearest rivals.

Meanwhile, whilst Lisandre drove hard to keep Greg in his sights, Meusnier drew closer to the 2-Eleven leader and began to make a real fight of the final podium positions. As the Evora gradually disappeared from view, Lisandre’s attention shifted from the car in front to that in his mirrors and although the minutes soon ticked away, it was not enough to keep the Exige behind and so, whilst the podium was shared between three classes, it was the 2-Eleven that lost out to the Evora and Exige.

With a very similar battle behind settled in the order Verheist-J Rasse-Georges, it was a lonely Marcus Jewell that finished in seventh place, ahead of Denis van den Savel, Bouche and Jean-Pierre Genoud Prachex. Not faring so well after promising starts were Phill Capstick and Savage, the latter retiring with engine troubles.

Whilst Harvey was unchallenged in the Open category, Denman also enjoyed a dominant performance, with Nikowitsch and Corbiau holding station to complete the Production class podium.

Race Two

The 2-Eleven and Exige’s lighter weight relative to the Evora helped Georges and Meusnier make a better start off the line in the second race and it was the former who led the field into La Source. However Meusnier was able to pass the 2-Eleven around the lap and crossed the line first into lap two. Behind the top three, Lisandre led a small group consisting of John Rasse, Lourenco and Goff.

Soon enough, Greg was able to reassert himself into the lead, with Meusnier dropping to third. The leader’s brother felt similarly inspired and fought his way up into third, but just as he was poised to attack the leading two, his engine cried enough and the race was over by the mid-stage.

Lourenco’s race didn’t last much longer, leaving Lisandre to fight off Verheist. However the focus was further ahead because Georges wasn’t letting Greg get away from him. Indeed, when they crossed the line after half an hour of racing, the gap between the two was barely two seconds.

Meusnier had dropped off the pace towards the end but was still some way clear of Lisandre and Verheist, whilst Goff and Prachex were in close company at the flag. Bouche and van den Savel had also paired off during the proceedings, whilst Chatterway completed the top ten, heading a trio of runners that consisted of Jewell, Open class winner Harvey and Herbert Metzker.

Craig Denman completed a perfect weekend to match Greg’s, and with the early retirement of Corbiau, Nikowitsch and Dave Carr took second and third places in the Production class.

Conclusion

Greg Rasse’s double represented the first privateer victory for the Evora, for whilst a V6-powered Lotus won here last year, it was very much a factory effort with Lotus Racing’s Gavan Kershaw at the wheel. It also came as the culmination of much work from the Belgian, who has been knocking on the door of a win for some time. That it should come at his home circuit is richly deserved.

Meanwhile Georges and Meusnier continue to impress, whilst Lisandre and John Rasse remain as competitive as ever. Denman’s wild card entry for the weekend paid off handsomely but Nikowitsch was able to provide some strong competition from the regulars.

Lotus Cup Europe takes a summer break and will return in two months at the Dijon-Prenois circuit in France, another popular venue that last time saw strong performances from both Rasse brothers.

Introduction

The second round of the 2012 Lotus Cup Europe season saw the drivers return to the Magny-Cours circuit in central France, home to the French Grand Prix for nearly 20 years. A fast track, with several technical corners, it would provide a challenging lap for the competitors, albeit one that many had driven on two previous occasions.

The Rasse brothers would be facing tough competition from Olivier Georges, the star of round one, whilst Jon Walker and Magny-Cours specialist Christophe Lisandre were also expected to be at the head of the field.

Qualifying

Taking place mercifully before a torrential downpour, the overcast session produced some close times as the drivers negotiated the circuit’s many twists. Walker and Lisandre disputed the pole position and despite the latter’s form in Nevers, it was Walker who would reassert himself at the head of the field on this occasion. However the gap was barely a tenth of a second, promising a close race between the pair.

Phillippe Loup made it an all-2-Eleven top three, with the Evoras next up. However the big surprise was Thierry Verhiest out-qualifying Gregory Rasse by just over a tenth, the pair ahead of round one polesitter Olivier Georges.

Another surprise was the leading Exige, for John Rasse languished down in eleventh place. Jean-Baptiste Meusnier headed the class in seventh place, with a trio of 2-Elevens separating the category battle. Laurent Feve, Jean-Pierre Genoud Prachex and Jeremy Lourenco completed the top ten.

Meanwhile David Harvey would start the races from 18th, two places ahead of Open class rival Christophe Calley. In Production, Markus Nikowitsch sat in 23rd place, with Nigel Ayres in 26th, just ahead of Matt Bartlett, Jose Vaslin and Paul Pattison.

Race One

Walker made a super getaway to lead by a fair margin into the hairpin on lap one, however Jean-Baptiste headed the rest and was first to challenge the Englishman. Attacking early on, he took the lead, with John Rasse also making the most of the slippery conditions to demote the leading 2-Eleven a further place. Rasse, the only one of the siblings to race following a fuel pump issue with his brother’s Evora, then tracked the highest-qualifying Exige for a few laps before it was his turn to head the field. For a while it looked like he would take his third win in the series, with Lisandre after Walker and Jean-Baptiste falling back into their grasp. Meanwhile Georges became increasingly isolated as the race wore on.

With the non-appearance of Gregory Rasse, Verheist was leading the V6 class but racing cars further back in the field than his qualifying form promised, with Harvey’s experience in the Open class much the same. This left the Production category, which was a closely-fought affair with Bartlett tracking Nikowitsch but electing not to attack at this stage. Vaslin kept Harvey company, whilst Ayres fell into the clutches of Pattison.

At the front, Walker got his revenge on Jean-Baptiste and set off after Rasse in the lead, leaving Lisandre to fight over the final podium position. With the 2-Eleven closing on the Exige, a parallel was drawn between the overall and Production battles as the lead in both changed hands in the dying moments of the race. Both Walker and Bartlett judged their attacks to perfection and took the spoils for their efforts. Lisandre also promoted himself up the order to take third overall.

Jean-Baptiste and Georges completed the race in fourth and fifth places respectively, whilst Lourenco, Guillaume Bouche, Feve and Vivion followed in their 2-Elevens. Metzker’s Exige completed the top ten, with Verheist placing thirteenth and Harvey seventeenth, behind the Production top two of Bartlett and Nikowitsch.

Race Two

Walker made another fine start off the line for the second, shorter race. Leading Lisandre around the first lap, he began to eke out a useful lead as a resurgent Greg Rasse came back into the picture. Making up for lost time in the earlier encounter, the Evora burst through into second place after a few laps that saw Verheist holding a fine third. Greg soon dispatched Lisandre and set off after Walker, who would have been aware of the extra horsepower under the Belgian’s foot whenever he appeared in the leading 2-Eleven’s mirrors.

Meanwhile a titanic battle was being fought behind the leading three as Verheist gamely held on in fourth place, even giving Lisandre something to think about. Georges was in the thick of this action, taking Loup, Lourenco, Genoud Prachex, Meusnier, John Rasse and Laurent Feve. The action lasted for the duration of the race, with the train grouping into individual battles on their final laps, meaning the gap between fourth and tenth stretched a little, to 15 seconds.

It was another lonely race for the Open class, however Christophe Calley started off well, running high up, whilst his opponent Harvey could only look on from the barriers at Estoril corner, his 340R having left the circuit on the first lap.

The Production battle was close once more, with Nikowitsch fighting off Ayres this time. However there was to be no repeat of his race one loss, as Ayres fell back in the final laps, as the track began to become greasier as an approaching storm started to make its presence felt. The heavens opened as the cars came in at the end of the race, by which time Bartlett had secured third in class, not far off Ayres and some way ahead of Vaslin and Pattison.

There was to be a similar story at the front of the race as Walker resisted the challenge from Greg Rasse, the pair separated by two seconds and another six clear of Lisandre.

Conclusion

Walker’s brace of wins leaves him one short of perfection in the first third of the Lotus Cup Europe 2012 season. His main challengers are led by the Rasse brothers, with Georges continuing to run at the sharp end after his impressive class debut in Germany. Lisandre remains a tough competitor, whilst Verheist produced a fine performance in race two, as did Meusnier in the first encounter and Lourenco a fine performer all round this weekend.

Lotus Cup Europe returns to Germany next month, with two races at the Hockenheim circuit ahead of the German Grand Prix at the same venue in July. Highlights from Magny-Cours will be shown shortly on Motors TV.

However Walker regrouped to take the race one win, despite a spin that had looked set to hand victory to Gregory Rasse's Evora. Georges took third place and full advantage of Walker's problems in race two, however fuel starvation problems on the final lap handed a great win to John Rasse's Exige, who led his brother home, with Italian visitor Nechhi completing the podium.

Two close contests could also be found in the Production class, where Matt Bartlett and Nigel Ayres claimed the honours.

The increased opportunities for the European Lotus racer changed the makeup of the grid, focusing it more on the French, Belgian and German drivers, and whilst British drivers still entered the races, the balance was now firmly in favour of those from the mainland. Despite this, grid numbers were higher than ever, with the 2-Eleven and Exige Cup classes experiencing huge growth. The Production class, which had provided up to a third of the field in the past, was now a sideshow to the main event but no less competitive for it.

A new class was also added for the V6-powered Evora GT4 race cars. 2010's outstanding driver, Gregory Rasse, was joined by Thierry Verheist and whilst the former's season started well with a podium at Dijon, he was unable to extract as much from the car as he had from his Exige. Verheist was as solid as ever and so it wasn't until the final round, with Lotus Motorsport ace Gavan Kershaw on board that the first Evora victory was claimed. With the top classes as equal as ever, drivers still had to make up the extra tenths to win races.

Even so, as with previous years, the majority of the wins came from the 2-Eleven class. In 2010, Bourcier Competition provided one of the stars of the season with Romain Ratureau. This year they had a new driver but despite an appearance somewhat less youthful than their previous winner, Rémi Pochauvin came with plenty of experience, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. He was no slouch either, and dominated the first two rounds at Dijon-Prenois and Magny-Cours.

It seemed as though he couldn't be beaten early in the season but missing from those early grids was regular Jon Walker, with a variety of mechanical maladies. However he and the car were back on form at the Nürburgring, taking a brace of victories. Meanwhile although Pochauvin didn't take the top step of the podium again he was usually to be found at the sharp end of the field and established himself as the one to beat.

The series joined forces with Lotus Cup UK at two rounds and since they were both at circuits familiar to the British contingent, it was no surprise that they dominated. Finishing second to Kershaw at Spa, Mark Fullalove took the Brands Hatch wins, with Steve Williams and Walker the challengers.

Christophe Lisandre upheld mainland honour at Brands Hatch and he could be relied upon to challenge in all the races. Unable to add to his 2010 Magny-Cours win, he came very close at the same circuit, even led, but could not resist Pochauvin. He found himself amongst a strong 2-Eleven contingent this year, with Phillippe Loup and Karl Vivion providing particularly tough competition. Jean-Pierre Genoud Prachex and British drivers Pete Storey and Simon Deacon also challenged on occasion in a very competitive class.

Whilst the Exige Cup class rivalled the 2-Elevens for numbers, one man stood above the rest in the races. With his brother having moved to the Evora category, John Rasse took almost every class win and sealed his season with an overall win at Zolder, a feat that Gregory had come very close to achieving the previous year. Awarded the best driver of the season overall, John's challengers ended up squabbling between themselves – Olivier Cunat was the only other victor, benefitting from John running wide at turn one in race two at Magny-Cours, whilst Jean-Baptiste Meusnier, Gregor Zetsche and Herbert Metzker joined him as best of the rest.

The Open Class was often fought out between veteran David Harvey, Xavier Georges in an immaculate Gulf-liveried series 1 Exige, and father-and-son pairing David and Rob Fenn. Harvey suffered a few problems and was unlucky not to score a class win, whilst Georges picked up a number of wins along the way. However it was the Fenns that were the frontrunners, in a superbly-liveried motorsport Elise but their season only lasted until Brands Hatch, so Georges had to share the honours with Campbell Cassidy and Matt Cherrington's Europa at the final Spa round.

Whilst not in the hunt for overall victories, the Production class provided plenty of entertainment as José Vaslin and Nigel Ayres usually fought it out for victory, the pair being joined by Elise racing returnee Paul Pattison part-way through the season. They were joined by occasional visitors from the UK's Elise Trophy and so the winners' roster featured many names, including Matt Bartlett (Magny-Cours), Adam Bewsey and Dan Plant (Nürburgring), Steve Quick and Ken Savage (Brands Hatch) and Ben Hyland (Spa-Francorchamps). The class also saw two new regular runners, Alain Adoud and Jan Christe, who fielded the first 2010-facelift Elise racer.

The 2011 season has provided many new faces, some of them visiting the podium, as the series establishes itself as a popular proving ground on the race circuits of western Europe. More of the same is expected next year as the Lotus brand continues to go from strength to strength.

2011 Driver of the Season – John Rasse

2011 Class drivers of the Season

2 Eleven – Rémi Pochauvin

Exige – John Rasse

Evora – Greg Rasse

Open Class – Xavier Georges

Production - José Vaslin

Jon Walker, the winner of race two here last year returns as favourite but faces strong competition from Rémi Pochauvin, who dominated the early French races, and Christophe Lisandre, who has yet to record a win this year. Gregory Rasse almost won at this circuit in 2010 and will want to be the first Evora victor, and his brother, who missed that race, will also be keen to perform well.

Practice & Qualifying

Saturday's sessions were solely concentrated on preparation for the next day's races. Walker started as he meant to go on from the first session and was two seconds clear of the rest, led by John Rasse. Philippe Loup and Jean-Baptiste Meusnier were close together, with Lisandre and Pochauvin in the next bracket. Olivier Severini, Gregory Rasse and Olivier Cunat were also in the top ten, whilst Nigel Ayres just headed Paul Pattison and José Vaslin in the Production class.

Walker was still fastest by the afternoon qualifying session, however his advantage had been eroded by Lisandre, last year's poleman. The gap still remained a daunting nine tenths and despite a late spin, Simon Deacon claimed third on the grid, a further seventh tenths behind.

Philippe Loup and Pochauvin completed a top five made up entirely of 2-Elevens, the pair within two-tenths of third place. The next spots on the grid were taken up by the Rasse brothers, the Exige-mounted John faster on this occasion.

There was a trio of Exiges next, with Jean-Baptiste Meunier, Herbert Metzker and Olivier Cunat completing the top ten. Sole open runner Xavier Georges will line up seventeenth for both races, whilst Vaslin turned the tables to take the Production class pole in twenty-sixth place, nearly a second clear of closest challengers Pattison and Ayres. However all eyes were on the weather forecasts now, as reports conflicted between sunshine and rain.

Race One

Overnight storms gave way to a clear day on Sunday and from the rolling start Walker made the perfect getaway to lead Lisandre into the first left-hander, whilst Deacon challenged for second place but eventually had to give best to Loup. Behind, John Rasse and Remi Pochauvin swapped grid order, whilst promising positions for Cunat and Meusnier came to nought with early retirements.

Deacon later joined them as he pitted with troubles but not before he had lost places to John Rasse and the unfortunate Meusnier. This promoted Greg Rasse, who had been fighting with the pair and he chased after his brother as he continued to get to grips with the Evora. Verheist's similar car was working its way up the order and would eventually finish eighth, behind Vivion, the pair battling with Metzker's Exige around the circuit.

With Georges assured of two Open class trophies provided he finished, the Production class was a three-way fight between season-long rivals Vaslin and Ayres, plus occasional interloper Pattison, who was setting the pace in the races this weekend. However, despite Vaslin being overhauled early on, Pattison's car suffered a loss of coolant and a spin, putting paid to his race. The resulting slippery surface at turn one caught a few drivers out, especially Georges and Nicolas Ferrer, who almost came together in the gravel trap.

Meanwhile Lisandre caught up with Walker and for a while looked like he was up to the challenge. However, Walker stepped up a gear and pulled out a twenty-one second gap by the chequered flag. Lisandre, Loup and John Rasse were separated by just two seconds in the final reckoning, whilst Gregory Rasse and Pochauvin weren't much further behind. Vivion stayed within a minute of the winner, with Verhiest, Metzker and Laurent Feve rounding off the top ten.

Race Two

The second race was turned on its head moments before the start as Walker's car failed to fire up. Frantic work was carried out in the pitlane as the grid formed up but there was to be no appearance from the fastest man around Zolder as the field set off from the standing start.

This time Deacon made an even better start and he and Pochauvin jumped Lisandre as they led the field down the straight. Deacon may have had a nose in front but Pochauvin held the inside line and he converted this into the lead on lap one. Also challenging the last-minute poleman were John Rasse and Loup. The first lap was a very productive one for Rasse as he was in the lead by the time everyone returned to the pit straight.

Deacon's day was completed when he retired once more, a promising weekend yielding no results and this ended the British challenge for the race win. Meanwhile Pochauvin was struggling to uphold 2-Eleven honour, as Rasse performed a fine job of leading the race. The two of them fought their own private battle at the front and whilst the order did switch early on, a brief drizzle shower brought with it a return to the status quo.

John Rasse's reassertion of the lead coincided with a dip in Pochauvin's performance and he fell into the clutches of Lisandre and Loup. The latter passed both for second and looked to be another possibility for the lead. However he later oversteered into the barrier before resuming to pick up fifth place, behind Vivion, who was driving another strong race to keep in touch with the leaders.

Lisandre and Pochauvin staged an entertaining fight, which was resolved in the former's favour and they joined a podium topped by an ecstatic John Rasse, who recorded his maiden victory in the series. Overall wins have tended to come from the 2-Eleven class so this achievement was very special indeed.

Sixth place was claimed by Jean-Pierre Genoud Prachex, whilst Meusnier picked up seventh after his race one disappointment. Feve, Metzker and a feisty Guillaume Gomez completed the top ten. Verheist and Georges were next up, winning the Evora and Open classes respectively, whilst Vaslin completed a Production double. Once again he had to give best in the early stages to Pattison and Ayres but a retirement for the latter gave him no chance to pick up the pieces when the former's clutch failed, leaving him to lap the circuit in third gear.

Conclusion

John Rasse's debut win was a popular one in the paddock after a season of class dominance. However, up until that point Jon Walker had been very much the man to beat. That takes nothing away from the achievement, for Rasse's race was won from the front, holding first Pochauvin, then Loup at bay and maintaining a safe distance from the rest.

Elsewhere there were strong performances from Pochauvin, Loup and Vivion once again, and class winner Vaslin will certainly be grateful that reliability made up for a lack of speed this weekend.

The final round of Lotus Cup Europe takes place at Spa-Francorchamps in just two weeks' time, where the series joins up with Lotus Cup UK and the Elise Trophy for a huge grid and guaranteed action!

John and Greg Rasse were competitive as ever, taking the Exige Cup and Evora wins, whilst David and Rob Fenn each took a class trophy in their Motorsport Elise. In Production, Adam Bewsey was the clear victor in race one but problems early on in the second encounter left him at the back of the field. He fought his way up and despite an entertaining tussle with Dan Plant, was just unable to follow up his earlier triumph.

Round four of the 2011 Lotus Cup Europe will take place at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, on 22-24 July.

The new season of Lotus Cup Europe brought in lots of new faces, as the 2-Eleven class numbers dramatically increased, with the Exige Cup class not far behind on numbers and expected to be on equal terms this year. In addition the new Evora class brought in two cars for last year's outstanding driver Gregory Rasse and preparation expert Thierry Verheist.

Whilst there were a lot of new drivers and cars, the circuits remained familiar and amongst the very best in Europe, so where better to start than the former home of the French (and Swiss!) Grand Prix at Dijon-Prenois? The combination of challenging corners and undulations provide the perfect venue for what promises to be a vintage season for the European series.

Practice & Qualifying

The initial sessions took place several hours apart and as a bright morning became ever hotter heading towards the early afternoon qualifying session, the track conditions changed. This was exaggerated by a problem with Jon Walker's engine that left the track coated in oil for that second session.

The new drivers provided a very different look to the timesheet and whilst Thierry Humbert's 2-Eleven headed practice, it was Rémi Pochauvin's example that would start from pole position for the races, the former Le Mans 24 Hour competitor fastest of all by nearly half a second. John Rasse picked up from where he left off last year with second and the shared 2-Eleven of Phillipe Fertoret and Fabrice Jouan would line up third, from Olivier Cunat's Exige in fourth.

The first of two Evoras on the grid, driven by Gregory Rasse, qualified fifth, from a pack of 2-Elevens. Steve Williams would head Christophe Lisandre, penalised for overtaking under the red flag shown for Walker's maladies. Olivier Severini, Tom Chatterway and Phillipe Loup would complete the top ten.

The Open class was headed by Xavier Georges, in thirteenth and three places ahead of David and Rob Fenn, whilst in Production, Nigel Ayres qualified thirtieth and first in class from Jose Vaslin.

Race One

Held late on Saturday afternoon, the rolling start for the first race in cooler conditions worked to poleman Pochauvin's advantage and he led into the first corner from John and Greg Rasse. Whilst Lisandre worked his way back to his pre-penalty qualifying position, the leading trio pulled a gap on the rest of the field.

With the remainder of the field jostling for position, the Rasse brothers were able to work on Pochauvin. Within a couple of laps, John had taken the lead but all three remained joined together for the duration. It seems that no matter what they are driving, the Rasses remain tied together.

At this point Lisandre had fought his way up to fourth and behind him Storey was fending off the attentions of Williams. Similarly in the Open class Rob Fenn had caught the class leading Exige of Georges, whilst Vaslin was lining up Production leader Ayres. First Fenn made his move, before Vaslin and eventually Williams completed similar manoeuvres. Williams then set off after Lisandre, several metres up the road.

In the late stages of the race, Pochauvin fought his way back past John Rasse, with the three still running together. Behind, Williams was getting ever closer to Lisandre, with Storey sitting just behind. Then Simon Deacon's engine expired on the entry to the first corner, leaving the braking zone a treacherous place. Soon after, Lisandre had a moment and this enabled Williams to catch him right at the flag, to take fourth place. Whilst the winner had opened up a small gap, fourth, fifth and sixth were separated by just a second.

Seventh was claimed by Humbert, a solid result just three seconds behind the cars ahead, to back up his early pace. Olivier Severini, Tom Chatterway and Jean-Pierre Genoud Prachex finished just behind, with Rob Fenn right with them in eleventh and winner of their class. Vaslin completed the race as Production leader, with Ayres and Open class competitor Paul Pattison keeping him company throughout the race.

The podium provided a healthy outlook for the new season, with the first three places claimed by class winners, the familiarity of the Rasse brothers in contrast to the new driver on the top step.

Race Two

Sunday's race two was held, if anything, in even warmer conditions, with the late spring sun generating a heat haze that, if anything, just added to an already challenging circuit. It was another perfect start from Pochauvin, who once again had the company of John Rasse for his tour of the circuit but the outlook wasn't as good for Gregory Rasse. His Evora seemed to be off the pace this time and whilst he ran near the front initially, he would soon start to drop back, eventually finishing 38 seconds after the leaders.

Whilst Lisandre and Williams would be keen to stake their claim to the final podium position, they were soon to fall victim to a charging Loup, making up places from his starting position at the unfashionable end of the top ten. By the late stages of the race he was harassing John Rasse and, finding a way past, was looking to threaten Pochauvin's lead. It couldn't be done however, and a second win was added to complete a clean sweep for the former Le Mans competitor.

With John Rasse the sole Exige in the top ten and Lisandre and Williams behind, Humbert added a sixth place to complete a fine debut weekend, whilst Gregory Rasse finished seventh. Prachex took another top ten finish, with Vivion ninth and Chatterway tenth. Little more than ten seconds covered Gregory Rasse's seventh place and thirteenth, a place claimed by the Open Class winner Georges. David Fenn wasn't able to catch the Exige in the short space of time that Rob had been able to in race one, a poor start not helping his cause. Then later in the race he was caught up in a spin, ironically from Pattison, running a lap down and third in class. Both drivers' races ended there and then.

Meanwhile Ayres and Vaslin were having another close tussle for the lead of Production, a class that had been exclusively theirs all weekend. This time however the tenacious Ayres was able to fend off the yellow Elise and take a well-earned victory.

Conclusion

Not only had the return visit to Dijon been a successful one, but the series proved itself to be in rude health, with a huge entry – 41 cars had attempted qualification. Whilst Pochauvin proved the sort of class that his racing CV promised, it will have been comforting for the Rasse brothers that they are on the pace once again and the competitiveness and rules of the series were confirmed by a first race that saw three classes represented on the overall podium.

The series remains in France for round two, in just a fortnight, as Lotus Cup Europe supports the FIA Formula Two Championship at Magny-Cours, another former venue for the French Grand Prix. Action from this weekend's race can also be seen on Motors TV very soon.