Just two points separates the top two drivers in the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship, following the penultimate round at Curborough near Lichfield last Sunday (20 September).
The competitors were joined by the Aston Martin Owners Club, and sunny conditions enhanced the paddock atmosphere, where a superb range of cars could be found.
The figure of eight course caught out Mark Swarbrick in both practice sessions before he successfully negotiated the circuit for fourth place in the Production class. He was overshadowed by category podium finishers Graeme Foley in first, followed by Rob Clark and Simon Foley in a close competition.

The SuperSport class featured an impressive battle which ended with reigning Lotus Cup UK Speed Champion Xavier Brooke taking first place. Behind him, Jason Weatherall headed Dave Mann to complete the class rostrum. Mann’s progress was hampered with several car issues, which he’ll be aiming to sort in time for the final round and the chance to secure third place in the championship.

Other notable performances included Jason Weatherall, who claimed the fastest speed over the finish line, at just over 101mph. Martin Roberts showed real commitment, including an off on his second practice. His progress throughout the year has been noticeable, closing the gap on the faster drivers, he and his efforts were rewarded with the Driver of the Day award.

The final round of the championship will take place at Snetterton on 1 November. With Production class leader Jez Braker heading SuperSport’s Tony Pearman by just two points, the 2015 title will be settled at the Norfolk venue.
Words credited to Karen Harvey

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Oulten Park hosted round 4 of the Lotus Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK on Saturday 20th June. An action packed day of racing with tricky and changing conditions tested the drivers and their skills to the limit.

Lotus Elise Trophy - Oulton Park Race 1

1. Luigi Mazza

2. James Little

3. David Ellesley

A storming drive and car control display from Mazza in tricky conditions gave him the win from Little and a season best result for 2015 newcomer David Ellesley

Race 2

1. Jason Baker

2. Luigi Mazza

3. Freddie Hetherington

A superb drive from Baker in a car hired from track-club that he'd literally never sat in until the morning qualifying session!! Any one of five drivers could have won the race and only a missed gear for Craig Denman cost him a podium and valuable points

Lotus Cup UK Production Class - Oulton Park

1. James Little & Andrew Bentley

2. Ryan Savage

3. Stuart Ratcliff & Anthony Dunn

Great victory for the Elise Cup R of James Little, Ryan Savage had a difficult weekend with an off in Elise Trophy and an engine failure and spectacular fire in the second Elise Trophy race but he sandwiched that trouble with a valuable points haul in the 60 minute Cup race.

Ratcliff drove a stormer in the tricky early conditions to recover from an issue that put him last starting from the pits. With Rowbottom failing to score the championship is wide open.

Lotus Cup UK Supersport - Oulton Park Result

1. Adam Gore

2. Adam Balon

3. Alex Reed

Adrian Hall wins the Open Class and Marcus Jewell wins the 2-eleven Class.

A well earned victory for Adam Gore when an early shower didn't last long enough for Adam Balons wet tyre gamble to pay off. An early trip into the gravel meant Alex Reed had to fight back to earn the final podium spot taking fastest lap on the way.

Polesitter Adrian Hall slumped to eleventh place, two laps down from the leaders, with Phill Capstickand Ben Brooks winning the Open class with a sixth place finish behind Marcus Jewell, who shrugged off his Brands Hatch injuries to race, and Mike Vase.

Adam Gore took the Production class honours, but Anthony Dunn and Stuart Ratcliff took second place, which means that they will go into November’s Snetterton finale as favourites for the Production title. Challenger Richard Hywell-Evans could only finish fifth behind James Little and Neil Livsey/Richard Plant.

Gore also took pole and led all but four laps of the two Elise Trophy races, to secure the inaugural Elise Trophy championship. Craig Denman finished runner-up both times to consolidate his strong showing in the title standings, whilst Jason Baker took third in the opening encounter before staging a stunning comeback drive to fourth place in the second after being forced to start from the back of the grid. Impressive youngster Ryan Savage secured the final podium place.

Adrian Hall extended his lead in the Lotus Cup UK SuperSport championship after his third straight victory at Oulton Park.

The Exige driver was beaten by fellow front row starter Fabio Randaccio at the start, however, and only returned to the front after Randaccio’s Europa clashed with a backmarker. Randaccio recovered to take second place, whilst Marcus Jewell took the 211 class and third overall. Adam Knight followed in fourth place and the Exige win after rival Adam Balon suffered mechanical troubles.

Adam Gore completed the race in the top ten, taking the Production honours in the process from John LaMaster and Craig Denman.

A tough race for Stuart Plotnek left him with just a four point advantage over Denman, LaMaster and James Little. Ten points covers the top seven as the championships head across the English Channel to Spa-Francorchamps next month.

Gore also took a brace of wins over a huge Elise Trophy grid to give himself a commanding lead in the title standings after mixed results for main rivals Fulvio Mussi and Jack Goff. Mussi challenged for victory in the opening encounter and made his way past after the pair briefly touched, but sportingly gave the place back before the line. Gore’s team mate Jason Baker took a brace of podiums one year on from taking victory in Cheshire, whilst Stefan Donnelly, son of former F1 driver Martin, was ecstatic with third place in the second encounter, his highest so far.

Adrian Hall benefitted from a penalty for main rival Chris Randall in the second round of the 2014 Lotus Cup UK championship at Silverstone this weekend (26 April).

The pair had disputed both the race lead and Open class honours throughout a race disrupted by two safety car interventions, and it was a yellow flag infringement that settled the result, after Randall had looked to have asserted his authority over the poleman during a frantic dash for the chequered flag.

Hall had taken the race lead from Randall before the first safety car, with round one winner and Exige class pacesetter Adam Balon also in the fight for victory. He put Lotus Cup Europe visitor Jonathan Walker in the shade, whilst reigning champion Simon Deacon boosted his title defence with the 2-Eleven category win and overall seventh place.

Meanwhile Fulvio Mussi dominated the Production class after qualifying star Jack Goff was forced to start from the back of the huge 53-car grid for failing technical checks. Martin Wills was a strong second from Stuart Ratcliffe and co-driver Anthony Dunn.

The next round of the Lotus Cup UK and Elise Trophy championships will take place at Rockingham on 24-25 May.

Rising star Jack Goff took a weekend away from the British Touring Car Championship to race in LoTRDC’s three UK championships this weekend at Snetterton (5-6 April).

The RCIB Insurance Racing Vauxhall Insignia driver was originally signed up to drive a car in the Elise Trophy, however he ended up taking part in the Lotus Cup UK endurance race and a Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship sprint, taking podiums in three of the contests!

His busy weekend started on Saturday in the 90-minute Lotus Cup UK race on board an Exige with regular driver Phill Capstick, whom Goff has previously competed with in the championship. The pair eventually finished in seventh place, and fourth in class. The next day, Jack battled hard with GT racer Fulvio Mussi and club regular Adam Gore in the Elise Trophy, taking a brace of second place finishes. This was then followed with a round of the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship in a road-going Elise, where he posted another seventh place, this time third in class, despite having a 35bhp deficit to the fastest cars in his category.

Speaking after the last of his commitments, Jack explained his exhaustive schedule:

“(Lotus racing team) Datum Motorsport offered me a go in an Elise Production car in the Elise Trophy, and I jumped at the chance. Then Phill Capstick’s team mate pulled out of the Lotus Cup at the last minute, so he rang me on Thursday night and said: ‘fancy a go in that as well?’ Finally at the dinner table last night (sprint car owner) Emma Newman and (Lotus championship organiser) Paul Golding came up with a plan for me to do the sprint as well, so it’s been absolutely flat out this weekend, but it’s been really enjoyable!”

“The cars have all been absolutely fantastic, I’ve had no issues at all, so Datum have done a brilliant job setting them up,” he continued. Comparing them to his regular mount, Jack, who races for the BTCC team run by former Elise Trophy competitor Warren Scott, quipped: “They’re a lot smaller, and feel like go-karts. I would really recommend anybody who wants to get into racing, or experienced people to have a go as well. I did keep an eye on my mirrors once or twice, waiting for someone to come down the grass locked up! There’s been some very close racing, especially between me, Fulvio Mussi and Adam Gore, but no contact at all, so it’s been brilliant.

“You never stop learning wherever you go, I haven’t got masses of rear wheel drive experience, so to get some more laps under my belt in lots of different cars this week has been fantastic. Every lap counts really; to progress me, my technique and the cars as well. I’d jump at the chance to do it again, I’ve had a smile on my face all weekend, and there’s been no pressure.”

The LoTRDC racing season got underway on the Snetterton 300 circuit this weekend (5-6 April), with the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship also joining the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK.

Adam Balon held off a race-long challenge from Adrian Hall to win a tense opening round of Lotus Cup UK. Whilst the early running was dominated by Ken Savage’s 2-Eleven, his car retired early on, and with Chris Randall’s Europa also suffering maladies, the race settled down to a duel between the two. Jack Goff had brought his four-cylinder Exige into contention, but co-driver Phill Capstick could not keep on terms with the leaders and fell to seventh, so the podium was completed by reigning champion Simon Deacon. The Production race was won by Gavan Kershaw on the Exige Cup R’s debut performance, after he demoted Jason Baker in the final moments of the 90-minute enduro. Meanwhile category polesitter Adam Gore was forced to retire early on.

In the Elise Trophy’s inaugural championship round, Gore and Fulvio Mussi shared the victories, as the pair engaged in two highly entertaining contests with Goff. The BTCC’s rising star took a brace of second places, the first after running side-by-side with GT racer Mussi through Coram. The trio were in a class of their own, dominating both contests.

Jon LaMaster claimed the honours in the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship sprint, with Class 1 victor and round one winner Xavier Brooke taking second overall. Brooke’s category win came despite having to abort his second run just before Agostini. Taking a third podium finish of the weekend was Goff, having made a last minute entry and posting seventh place overall, despite a 35bhp deficit to the top runners in his class.

Snetterton’s round of the Elise Trophy will be the first since the series attained championship status over the winter. Amongst the entry list are former Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly and his son Stefan, plus rising star of the BTCC, Jack Goff.

After a promising start to his Touring Car campaign at Brands Hatch last weekend, Goff is looking forward to stepping into a Datum Motorsport-prepared Lotus and racing against Donnelly Sr. “It’s always nice to go back to the Lotus paddock,” he said. “I’ve been around it for a few years now, got to know quite a few people, including all of the Datum team, and they’re a great bunch of lads. They’re building up a fresh car, so they’d like to get me out in at the first race at Snetterton and see what they can do. It’s always nice to go up against some famous names, so we’ll go out there and see what we can do against him!”

The event will also feature the worldwide race debut of the new Elise Cup R. It will race in both championships, and 39 entries have been received for the Elise Trophy, with 40 for Lotus Cup UK. The list also includes experienced drivers Scott Mansell, Ollie Hancock, Fulvio Mussi and Andrew Bentley.

In the SuperSport Class David Saunders took the honours from Nicholas Emery. Elises providing the majority of the entry in both classes, with Exiges, and a Europa in the field, as many of the competitors enjoyed their first taste of competitive motorsport.

The second round of the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship takes place at Snetterton, with many more cars entered as the championship joins with the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK opening races. Discounted tickets for Sunday 6th are available here to Lotus enthusiasts for just £6.

There’s even more Lotus content on the Sunday, with the inaugural Elise Trophy championship round providing the main highlight. Both new and familiar names are expected to make up the full grid for the 20-minute races.

The day will also see the second round of the new Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship. A capacity entry should provide a thrilling set of qualifying-style laps as the sprint competitors put on a show that should prove to be every bit as good as the racing. Seven Lotus track sessions will complete a superb weekend for enthusiasts of the marque.

Adding to the fun, anyone turning up to the event in a Lotus can sample the circuit for themselves by taking part in a parade lap during the lunch break on Sunday, as well as benefit from a Lotus parking area.

Tickets will go on sale from www.lotrdc.com/calendar/5-6-april-snetterton-300-10848 at just £6 each including postage and packing for Lotus enthusiasts. Entry is also free for children aged 12 and under.

Simon Deacon and Andy Napier claimed the SuperSport and Production championships respectively in an incident-packed final round of the 2013 Lotus Cup UK season at Snetterton yesterday (Sunday 27 October)

Poleman Ken Savage battled with Steve Train, Ben Hetherington and Jamie Stanley in the opening laps, but the former two retired early on under an extended safety car period caused by Rob Fenn's stranded Elise and then a further incident at the initial restart. This gave Deacon and Napier a boost in their title aspirations as full points were awarded after the first hour.

The pace settled down in the second half of the race, with the key contenders concentrating on classifying at the finish, and the 15 bonus points awarded to each driver running at the end. This gave the guesting Gavan Kershaw a perfect opportunity to stamp his authority on the proceedings, after team mate Ossy Yusuf handed the Evora over to him during the earlier safety car period. Even a penalty for a pitstop infringement couldn't spoil the result, with Production class winners Craig Denman and Dave Carr taking their class despite a similar delay.

Adam Gore and Andrew Bentley dominated the concluding round of the Elise Trophy which took place the day before, taking a win apiece. Bentley took pole position in a rain-disrupted session, but Gore fought back in the opening race to take the lead at mid-distance, which he held to the flag. The pair fought to the front of the second encounter, but this time Bentley was wise to the challenge and took the victory. Craig Denman was on for a pair of podium places but retired from race two, leaving front row starter Neil Stothert to claim the position.

Deacon takes emotional win at Lotus Festival as Denman and Bentley shine

Simon Deacon took his Datum-Motorsport prepared 2-Eleven to an emotional victory in the Lotus Cup UK race at this year’s Lotus Festival, held once again on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

The race took place in front of a crowd of Lotus owners and fans, and after demonstrations of Grand Prix-winning Lotus 49 and 91 cars, courtesy of Classic Team Lotus. Jamie Stanley led the initial laps before a brake problem sidelined his charge. Steve Train and Ken Savage’s 2-Elevens then took turns to lead but two safety car interventions just as the pitlane window opened kept the entire field on their toes.

Savage retained his position at the front of the field but was passed by a charging Ben Hetherington, who looked to have the race in his pocket until he slowed just a few laps later. This left Deacon, a delayed Rob Fenn and Train to challenge for the honours and the former seized his opportunity with minutes to go. Fenn claimed second on the final lap to add to his Open class win, with the Exige class taken by Matt Bartlett and James Knight.

An emotional Deacon said: “This race is dedicated to Anthony (Humphries of Datum Motorsport, who passed away days before the event), it was big shock to us all and the team rallied round, got everything together and this race is dedicated to him and his family, girlfriend and all the supporters that we’ve had.”

The Production class was led by Adam Gore from title leader Andy Napier and Craig Denman but after the pitstops the latter led Stuart Plotnek and Dan Plant and they finished in that order. With a pitstop penalty for Napier the points chase has closed up after Plotnek’s high score.

Denman also took victory in the opening Elise Trophy race after chasing and passing Andrew Bentley. However Bentley took his revenge in the second contest, with Lugi Mazza and Adam Gore in close attendance. Straight after his win, Bentley took second place in the Lotus Cup Europe race in Adrian Lester’s Evora, despite recovering from a broken wrist!

Lights-to-flag win for Fenn at Spa

Rob Fenn added another Lotus Cup UK victory to his collection as the championship visited Spa- Francorchamps. A large contingent of Lotus Cup Europe competitors joined in the action, including serial winner Gregory Rasse, who qualified at the front and provided an early challenge for the Englishman on the opening lap of the race.

Using the Evora’s V6 power to pass Fenn’s Motorsport Elise, Rasse took the lead on the run out of Eau Rouge and was soon followed by the 2-Eleven of Marcus Jewell. However defending into La Source at the start of lap two, Jewell collided with Rasse, which gave Fenn a straightforward run to victory.

This left Jamie Stanley holding a comfortable second place in the GWS Exige Cup, but a hard-fought third place was taken by Simon Deacon. The 2-Eleven racer was in eighth place at the end of lap one and worked his way up the field. Phillippe Loup was the best of the European drivers in fourth place, whilst ninth on the road for Jeff Mileham and Stephen Guglielmi was enough to hold onto the championship lead, however Stanley and Deacon are closing in on their total.

Stuart Plotnek won the Production class battle after a fight with Adam Gore, who suffered a problem right at the end of the race, stopping short of the finish line. Second in class for Andy Napier ensures that he keeps hold of his title lead. The early stages also saw some impressive driving from BTCC regular Jack Goff, who jumped out of Neil Stothert’s car during the pitstops and into Phill Capstick’s Exige Cup car, thus finishing the race in 11th and 21st places!

Lotus Cup UK returns to action at the Lotus Festival on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 24-25 August.

2013 Lotus Cup UK - 2nd Round Race Report

A thrilling battle for the lead of the second round of the 2013 Lotus Cup UK Championship was fought between the Evora of Andrew Bentley and Marcus Jewell’s 2-Eleven, with the former taking the honours on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. The pair fought from the very first lap, along with Adrian Hall, until he made the first of a series of unscheduled pitstops. The lead changed several times in the closing laps, and the margin of victory was little more than a second after an hour of racing.

Simon Deacon completed the podium, finishing ahead of Rob Fenn and the Benji and Freddie Hetherington Exige, which grabbed fifth from Steve Train on the final corner of the race. Meanwhile Phil Capstick and Ben Brooks took the Exige Cup victory.

A packed production field contained many Elise Trophy entries, however Adam Gore confirmed his status as the man to beat with a dominant performance that almost placed him in the overall top ten. Matthias Radestock and the combination of Andrew Wright and Nigel Greensall completed the class podium.

The next Lotus Cup UK round takes place at Brands Hatch, supporting DTM on the Indy circuit on 17-19 May.

Jon Walker powered the Exige V6 Cup to victory in its debut race on the Snetterton 300 circuit yesterday (7 April), as the 2013 Lotus Cup UK season got underway.

The Lotus Cup Europe pacesetter was unable to match polesitter and early leader Michael Lyons for outright speed, but timed his pitstop to perfection. Returning to a clear track, he was in position to pounce when Lyons handed the 340R over to owner David Harvey in the final half hour, before an alternator issue ended their challenge.

Jamie Stanley in the GWS Exige was next to attack, closing to within a second after a late race safety car period, but retired on the final lap with loss of drive. However he had done enough to take class honours. This left the overall runner-up position to be disputed between the 2-Elevens of Liz Halliday, Simon Deacon and Tom Chatterway. The trio ran in close company throughout the race, with the lead changing several times, until a final skirmish during which Chatterway spun several times into retirement. Halliday then held off Deacon to the flag, completing a strong performance.

Last year’s Production champion and KX Akademy driver Rob Boston returned to race with newcomer Adam Gore, but despite setting a scorching pace, the pair retired with engine failure. This left another tight battle that was eventually won by Andy Napier. The Open Class was taken by Steve Guglielmi and Jeff Mileham, in a 90-minute race of attrition that also accounted for Rob Fenn, just when he was in position to challenge for the overall victory.

On the previous day Luigi Mazza had returned to the Elise Trophy after a year’s sabbatical and immediately picked up where he left off, with a dominant win in race two. He picked off his opponents in the early corners of the 300 circuit to take the lead from eighth place on the reversed top ten grid, and pulled away from a fierce battle for second that was eventually taken by Martin Wills.

However in the earlier encounter Mazza could only finish runner-up to new pacesetter Gore. Despite tripping up on an oil spillage, and losing the lead to Mazza at mid-distance, a well-judged pass at Murrays late on sealed the win. A delighted Matthias Radestock completed the podium in both races.

Kevin Ritson, Press Officer, LoTRDC

The final round of the 2012 season would see the SuperSport champion crowned and with dropped scores taken into account, the battle would be very close, with potentially just a few points separating the leaders and the 2-Eleven runners of leader Steve Train, Tom Chatterway and Simon Deacon in the pound seats. However another win for Rob Fenn would strengthen his challenge too.

Meanwhile, despite being out of contention, Adrian Hall would be staking his claim for the most wins in the season against Fenn, so an intriguing contest was in prospect. The Production title had already been claimed at Donington in Rob Boston’s favour, and this would be a chance for him to add yet another victory to his total.

Practice & Qualifying

Jamie Stanley boosted co-driver Glenn Sherwood’s title hopes with a strong performance in practice, whilst a few places behind, potential winners Rob Fenn and Adrian Hall lapped within a couple of seconds of each other. Steve Train was fastest of the 2-Eleven runners and was some way ahead of his rivals.

The long Snetterton 300 lap gave the two driver teams a lot of pressure to deal with over the twenty minute session, with just a couple of attempts to make the difference if both were to spend time in the car. Fenn put in an early lap to top the session by more than a second from David Harvey’s 340R, which for this weekend he was sharing with GT and historic ace Michael Lyons. Martin Donnelly had jumped ship to share Adrian Lester’s Evora, the sole V6 machine in the field, and sat in third early on from Hall and Jewell.

Lyons then lapped the 340R at a furious pace to topple the Fenn Elise by nearly two seconds. Jewell, too, improved his time to place himself third on the provisional grid. Then Donnelly took second, almost immediately beaten by Fenn, and on the next lap the team claimed the fastest time of all.

However the 340R beat this time by a mere four hundredths of a second and as the flag came out, just one chance remained for both squads. The Fenn Elise was a second-and-a-half quicker around the three-mile track and the matter was resolved in their favour. Lyons and Harvey held on for second from Donnelly and Lester, with Jewell fourth. Hall took fifth place from championship leader Train.

In the Production class, Boston, after suffering problems with his car in Elise Trophy qualifying, was in a fight with Ken Savage and Adam Knight, all three on the margins of the top ten. However Andrew Bentley took class pole and seventh place overall, from Exige Cup leaders Glenn Sherwood and Jamie Stanley. Mark Gooday was ninth, with title challenger Chatterway tenth. Deacon was down in fifteenth place and had his work cut out if he were to take the spoils.

Race

Fenn got a great run to Riches and Donnelly followed him on the inside, taking second place despite Lyons’ defence. The Evora was then through into first by the time the field reached Montreal, where Jewell’s race ended. As Donnelly completed the opening lap, the safety car was out. The recovery operation took several laps to complete and threatened the races of the first and third-placed cars, as their drivers were unable to build up a decent gap before their stops.

When the race finally restarted, the pitlane window was minutes from opening but already Train and Deacon were having problems. Fenn meanwhile, harassed Donnelly before making his stop relatively early. Both leaders stayed out to build a gap to the rest, whilst behind, Bentley held an excellent place near the front of the field, whilst Hall was having a more subdued weekend; nevertheless he was still well in the top ten.

Donnelly made his stop as late as possible, whilst Lyons stayed out one more lap. Around the long Snetterton 300 circuit, it was too much for both, stopping just after the window closed. However for now they were ahead on the road and with Lester rejoining with the Evora, a thirty second gap to Fenn was whittled down in just a lap, the Motorsport Elise passing by ahead the next time past the pits. Fenn’s next task, however, was to claw back 25 seconds on Harvey in the 340R. Sure enough, he was past within another lap!

Meanwhile, Stanley had taken over the GWS Exige and after an entertaining dice with Hall, was after Lester and Harvey. He took the Evora within a few laps and set off for second place and potentially the championship for his team mate. However with just five minutes to go, the dark and wet conditions meant that the race would be called early. Stanley had to complete the lap in second place.

Fenn crossed the line to win the race, which also placed him in contention for the title. After a wait, the next car through was Stanley, then Harvey. However the latter team’s late stop denied them a podium position and the subsequent three-lap penalty dropped them to 18th place, two above Donnelly and Lester.

These penalties moved Train up the order to fifth behind Hall and an excellent Bentley, and with the class win, was more than enough to confirm him as champion. Gooday finished sixth, with McNeilly and Chong seventh, Capstick and Goff eighth, Chatterway ninth and Production champion Boston tenth.

Conclusion

The championship decider provided plenty of tension and excitement as a close title chase could have fallen to any one of several drivers throughout the hour. Fenn’s fightback gives him the most wins of the season and almost the title but two low scores earlier in the year ended his chances, whilst Stanley’s customary late charge left Sherwood short by an agonisingly short margin. In the end Train’s consistency and pace, putting him at the top of his class once more, ensured that he took the spoils.

Meanwhile earlier problems for Boston meant that he offered no challenge in the Production class but with the championship already wrapped up, second in class was a respectable way to end a brilliant season. For once he was overshadowed, by an inspired Bentley, who delivered a performance normally reserved for the champion.

The Lotus Cup UK season is now over but some of the drivers will be racing at Brands Hatch in a fortnight at the Lotus 6 Hour race.

http://www.lotrdc.co...-300-2810-6555/

After a hugely successful inaugural season in 2011, Lotus Cup UK began its second season with a second championship. Rather than one overall title, Production drivers would fight for their own crown, whilst the faster classes would be competing for the Supersport championship. The Exige Cup, 2-Eleven and Open categories remain, but the Evora class has been renamed V6 to include the new Exige S.

Teaming up to drive an Evora in the newly renamed class would be series stalwart Steve Williams and Martin Donnelly, with the new GTN race kit bolted onto a road-going car. Many of last year’s regulars would be returning, with Steve Quick defending his title in the Production class.

Practice & Qualifying

In the initial practice session Adrian Hall placed his Open class Exige at the top of the field, half a second clear of Steve Train, switching to a 2-Eleven from his Production exploits last year. Rob Fenn and James Barclay were a little further off the pace, with Simon Deacon, Glenn Sherwood /Jamie Stanley, Williams/Donnelly, Campbell Cassidy/Chris Randall, Tom Chatterway, Liz Halliday and Mark Gooday completing the top ten.

New Elise Trophy pacesetter Rob Boston was quickest in the Production class, in eleventh, with fellow series rookies Andrew Bentley and Charlotte Burridge/Fulvio Mussi next. However, the order of practice often bears no resemblance to qualifying.

Fenn and Barclay were straight on the pace in qualifying, whilst Cassidy and Randall served notice of intent with the second-fastest time early on. Next time round they were quickest, with practice pacesetter Hall taking second.

Meanwhile the Williams/Donnelly Evora was building up speed, up to fourth at the halfway session, and ahead of the Setters’ Open class Exige, whilst Mark Gooday was leading the 2-Elevens and Boston the Production class.

A fast final lap from Williams/Donnelly wasn’t enough to haul them up the order and they remained in fourth place behind Cassidy/Randall on pole position, Hall and Fenn/Barclay. The Setters Exige lay ahead of Gooday’a pace-setting 2-Eleven, with Simon Deacon and Steve Train behind. Sherwood and Stanley lined up ninth, with Tom Chatterway tenth. Behind him, the Production fight would be led by Boston and Livsey/Bradshaw.

However, after the session had ended, the Cassidy/Randall car was stripped of its fastest time for exceeding the track limits and would start from eleventh place, promoting Hall to pole position, whilst the Livsey/Bradshaw car was sent to the back of the grid following scrutineering.

Race

Hall converted pole position into the lead from the rolling start, with the Fenn/Barclay Motorsport Elise slotting into second place. However the Williams/Donnelly Evora was into the lead halfway through the lap and as Hall tracked the V6 machine and the fast starting Cassidy/Randall Europa followed, the Fenn/Barclay car was under attack from the Setters and Gooday.

As the Europa slowed after less than two laps, Hall tracked the leaders closely, as the Motorsport Elise held third from Gooday and Setters, whilst Deacon and Train kept close company. Boston led Production, with a gap to Quick, who was holding back Andrew Bentley, Warren Scott, Stuart Ratcliff and Ken Savage. Behind them at this early stage, Halliday was clawing her way up the field after a disastrous qualifying session. A spin from Scott, trying to climb the order, provided a brief flashpoint in this battle but did nothing to arrest Halliday’s progress.

Randall was also working his way back after a brief visit to the pits. Making fine progress, he was however bringing himself to the attention of the stewards for exceeding track limits, the same issue he had in qualifying. Meanwhile the second-placed Hall Exige slowed dramatically after 20 minutes and needed a stop in the pits.

As light rain began to fall, another car that had fallen a little down the order, the Setters Exige, was working its way up a few places and as it attacked Gooday, the 2-Eleven slowed, and headed to the pitlane. As the pit window opened, Randall had caught Deacon and Setters, currently battling for the final podium position, and passed them both. However he would need to keep up the pace, having been handed a 5 second penalty.

Some ahead, the leaders were disputing the place in the damp and the Go Green Motorsport Elise headed the race at the halfway point. This triggered the first round of stops, as Donnelly, Randall and Deacon stopped. The leader came in next time round, however in Production, Boston carried on as his pursuers made their mandatory call at the garages.

Desperate to regain the lead, Williams suffered a torrid moment on his out lap and came round seven seconds in arrears to the leader. The gap continued to grow as the Fenn/Barclay Motorsport Elise continued its progress. Behind them , Deacon held third place from Train and the Setters, whilst Boston held the Production class lead.

With the leader seemingly heading towards victory, third place was under dispute as Train caught Deacon and lined up to take the place with ten minutes to go. Halliday too was moving forwards, now up with Cassidy in the Europa and as she took that place, Train did the same for Deacon. He then set off after Williams, who was by now 30 seconds behind the leader. On a spellbinding final lap, the pair fought hard for the place, with Train pulling four seconds clear of the Williams, now fighting off Deacon. He only just salvaged third place, with the Setters taking fifth, ahead of Halliday, Harvey, Cassidy/Randall, Production winner Boston and defending champion Quick.

However, several penalties were handed out after the race, including Deacon, who ended up in 20th place for a short pitstop, whilst Boston pitted after the pit window had closed and dropped to 27th place, with Quick picking up the class win from Scott and Bentley.

Conclusion

A long-awaited first win for the Go Green Motorsport Elise was by no means straightforward, with a big threat from both the Maidstone Sportscars-prepared Exige and the Donnelly/Williams Evora, both of which will surely be forces to be reckoned with this season. Meanwhile Train’s late charge salvaged pride for the 2-Eleven contingent, which will surely strengthen as the year progresses, particularly from a highly promising debut outing from Halliday. Cassidy’s Europa, too, continues to show potential, whilst in the Production class, Quick has shown that he fully intends to defend his title.

The next round of Lotus Cup UK takes place at Brands Hatch on 18-20 May, supporting the DTM.

Mark Fullalove claimed the overall win, beating Steve Williams by ten seconds, repeating his victory on the GP circuit back in July. Pete Storey made it a 2-Eleven podium, after holding off Exige Cup winner Jamie Stanley for several laps. Alternator failure put paid to early challengers David and Rob Fenn, leaving the other father and son pairing, Doug and Chris Setters, as Open Class victors. Production honours were claimed by Stuart Plotnek, whilst Quick finished fifth in class.

Savage’s later win in the final Elise Trophy race of the year went some way to making up for his heartbreak but not before Stuart Rowland had added a second victory of the year with an assured drive. Newcomers Martin Wills, Warren Scott and Andrew Wright made a big impression on their debuts, although first-night nerves saw a few spins, including a botched move on second place from the former, which spoiled a great drive from Phil Stratton-Lake. Two appearances on the podium for second completed a great day for Quick.

Lotus Cup UK 2011 Class Champions

2-Eleven: Steve Williams

Exige Cup: Glenn Sherwood

Evora: Greg Rasse

Lotus Open: Vitthal Chauhan

Production: Steve Quick

Meanwhile Steve Williams’ class lead in the 2-Eleven category will come under serious attack from Mark Fullalove. The latter led the former to victory in the July rounds on the GP circuit and the former BTCC competitor must be favourite on the Indy loop. However multiple winner Simon Deacon cannot be counted out either, assuming he has a drive for the race following a car fire at the end of race two at Spa-Francorchamps.

Meanwhile Glenn Sherwood will be aiming to confirm the Exige Cup crown, whilst Vitthal Chauhan has done enough to claim the Open class honours. The final race for a successful championship, where grids for qualifying rounds have averaged over 40 cars, is joined by the ever-popular Elise Trophy, which concludes its season with two sprint races. Quick and Savage will be challenged by recent Brands Hatch winner Stuart Rowland and Spa-Francorchamps class victor Ben Hyland, whilst rookie Chris Dunster will be keen to cap an impressive season with success.

Introduction

A last-minute addition to the calendar, the DTM-supporting round was a non-points scoring race, so all of the drivers will be out for victory. Steve Williams looks to be favourite but Chris Setters was quick on the GP loop in July and Jamie Stanley decided to race shortly before the meeting.

Practice & Qualifying

Steve Williams was immediately quick in practice and Matt Cherrington continued to show the speed that he had demonstrated at Donington. Meanwhile Marcus Jewell was finding more speed in his 2-Eleven, with Mark Gooday also enjoying himself.

Stuart Plotnek was having a good afternoon in lieu of Ken Savage in the Production class. However it was Tom Bradshaw that was impressing in fifth.

Williams carried his good practice form into qualifying and Jewell performed similarly too. Problems for the Cherrington/Cassidy Europa did nothing to help their cause, whilst Stanley and Sherwood held third from Gooday, McNeily/Chong and the Setters pairing. A revitalised Jewell was trying hard to take pole, falling short by just three hundredths, whilst Chong pulled in with a very smoky right rear wheel, ending his session.

Tom Bradshaw was continuing his giant-killing exploits in eighth, nearly a second quicker than Vase, whilst Savage didn't appear to have the speed in this session. John LaMaster and David Hay then took second in class but they were eight tenths away from their benchmark.

Behind Williams and Jewell on the grid, Stanley/Sherwood and McNeily/Chong were set for row two, with Gooday, Setters/Setters, Cassidy/Cherrington, Harvey, Livsey/Bradshaw and David Seear completing the top ten.

Race

On a damp track Williams and Jewell fought a private battle from the start, with Gooday taking third, Seear fourth and Sherwood/Stanley fifth. Problems for Cherrington and Cassidy early on ruined their day, whilst Livsey spun at Druids, dropping him back to twentieth. Behind the Setters and Harvey, Savage was the top Production car, from Carr and Vase.

Jewell and Williams ran two-abreast through Paddock Hill and with the inside line, Jewell claimed the lead, and while he looked to be pulling away, a spin at Paddock Hill next time round lost him vital seconds. By lap ten they were lapping the backmarkers and Jewell was closing the gap.

Savage's loss of form continued as he relinquished the lead in Production to Carr and Vase, whilst Plant, LaMaster/Hay and Plotnek tracked them closely.

As the race progressed, Jewell was rapidly finding himself unable to keep with Williams' pace and the gap opened out. In fact, Williams had lapped everyone up to third-placed Gooday as the pit window opened. Sherwood was one the first in, as was Livsey, Seear, Gooday and Vase, after a brief spin.

Williams pitted with half the race completed and rejoined in ninth place. Jewell waited until there were twenty-three minutes to go and Williams fought to regain the two-lap deficit. Just as Williams was crossing the line to take the lead, Jewell's stop was completed but he had an agonising drive through the pitlane at reduced speed, the gap now opened up to fifteen seconds.

Meanwhile Jamie Stanley was making the difference in the GWS Exige, passing David Seear and on the hunt for the Setters, Chris now in the car and lapping at a rapid pace. The Production fight was between Plotnek, Carr and Savage, the latter performing a robust pass, losing Carr time.

Jewell could make no impact in the final laps and the focus was on Chris Setters, chasing after Stuart Malt and although it was academic – the Production driver had yet to stop – he still had to keep a similarly charging Stanley at bay. However Gooday was lapping at a fine pace too and wasn't prepared to give up easily.

Malt finally got the black flag with three minutes remaining, whilst Stanley's pace was dropping relative to Gooday. This left the Setters on the final step of the podium, from Williams and Jewell. Seear took sixth, with Plotnek the Production winner in seventh, from Harvey, Stothert and Savage.

Conclusion

Williams finally breaks his Lotus Cup UK duck but the surprise was the pace of Jewell, finally at one with his car. Great performances from the Setters and Gooday were also highlights, with the Exige Cup class another win for Sherwood and Stanley and Production going the way of Plotnek.

The next round of Lotus Cup UK is at Spa at the end of September, but some of the drivers will be taking part in Lotus Cup Europe at Zolder in two weeks' time.

Introduction

Round five of the championship took place at the revived Donington Park circuit near Derby, a venue that is popular with Lotus drivers and was held on the same weekend as the Club Lotus show in the track’s exhibition centre.

With a late withdrawal from Mark Fullalove; Steve Williams and the David and Rob Fenn pairing looked to be favourites for the overall win. With Jamie Stanley committed elsewhere this weekend, Elise Trophy frontrunner Luigi Valentino Mazza joined Glen Sherwood in his Exige, an intriguing prospect. Chris Setters, who had gone so well at Brands Hatch from the rear of the field, joins his father Doug in their Open class Exige, whilst in Production, Tom Bradshaw and Neil Livsey renew a partnership that worked so well in round one, to challenge championship leaders Ken Savage and Steve Quick.

Qualifying

There was drama in the early stages as David Fenn left the road at the Old Hairpin and was beached in the gravel, facing the track. This left many drivers unable to post competitive times, with a live snatch underway, leaving Matt Cherrington on provisional pole from Williams and Marcus Jewell, the only drivers under a minute and twenty seconds.

Williams was first to respond once the yellow flags had been withdrawn, seventh tenths quicker than the Cherrington Europa. He then went even faster, which the Europa almost matched. Meanwhile, Simon Deacon was barely a second behind and a quick turnaround for the Fenn car brought them back into contention with fourth.

Production qualifying looked to be going the way of Livsey and Bradshaw but Quick wasn’t too far off, whilst Savage needed to find a second. However another off at the Old Hairpin, this time for the BJ Chong/Paul McNeily car, brought out the yellows once more, with ten minutes remaining.

With six minutes to and the green flags waving, Rob Fenn placed the Go Green Motorsport Elise on provisional pole, just seven hundredths quicker than Williams. The session started to wind down at this point and engine troubles for David Harvey at Redgate added another yellow flag interruption and left just a few seconds of the session remaining once it had been dealt with. With no further improvements of note, the Fenns were celebrating their first pole of the championship, with Williams joint favourite on the front row.

Cherrington also had much to cheer about with his best starting position on the second row with round one winner Deacon. Mark Gooday shared row three with McNeily and Chong, whilst Jewell and Pete Storey sat behind them on the grid. Ninth place fell to Sherwood and Mazza, with the Setters Open class Exige tenth.

Livsey and Bradshaw started on the Production class pole, thirteenth on the grid, which was promoted a place, thanks to Harvey’s troubles. They sat three places ahead of Quick and Andrew Napier/Rob Woolridge, who pipped Savage for third in class.

Race

Rob Fenn made a good start as Williams had to fend off Cherrington and Deacon, with the latter eventually taking third place. Vitthal Chauhan quickly found himself in the gravel at Redgate, rejoining dead last, whilst Greg Noble ended lap one in the pitlane. Livsey, Quick and Savage held the podium positions in the early running for Production, meanwhile Mazza was only one place ahead of Jonathan Mobbs in the Exige Cup class.

As the race settled into the early laps, Fenn was being chased hard by Williams and the pair were dragging Deacon along with them, Cassidy and Storey were keeping in touch, whilst Gooday tried to hang on from Jewell. A heavily-fuelled Deacon was soon holding up Cherrington and Storey and on lap 8 the Europa passed him for third, to challenge the leaders. Storey also made his move at the chicane further round as Gooday set his targets on Deacon, repeating Cherrington’s move next time round. Meanwhile behind them, Mazza made his way past Jewell for seventh.

Production leader Bradshaw was a few seconds clear of Quick, with Savage coming under extreme pressure from Napier/Wooldridge. However an important development in the Production field had a major effect on the race as an off involving Tania Mann caused a safety car intervention just as the pitlane window was about to open.

The pit window opened as the safety car completed its final tour and both Savage and Doug Setters took immediate advantage. Williams came in on the next lap, splitting his race into two parts, whilst Rob Fenn stayed out for as long as possible to take advantage. Cherrington was next in, giving the leader some breathing space, with second-placed Production man Quick in a lap later.

Williams rejoined in fairly clear traffic, keen to lap as fast as he could to avoid losing as much ground as possible to Rob Fenn, who was being chased by Deacon, Storey and Gooday. Rob pitted with twenty-five minutes to go, followed by Mazza (who missed his pitbox), Gooday and a very quick Bradshaw, who had once again kept up with the faster cars in front.

Whilst David Fenn sat in the pitlane waiting to rejoin, Cherrington had jumped Williams during the stops and looked likely to be David’s main challenger until needing to make another, this time unscheduled, pitstop which led to retirement. The current leader once Deacon had pitted, however was Storey and as he made his stop, Williams held the lead from David Fenn, whilst Deacon and Storey hoped to gain some ground on their return to action.

With the window closed and all stops completed, Deacon sneaked out into the lead, but only just, from Williams and Storey. The gap closed even more when Stuart Plotnek and Neil Livesey both spun at Redgate, causing a second safety car period. On the restart, Williams went with Deacon, whilst Gooday and David Fenn battled for fourth, leaving Storey in a relatively quiet third place.

Williams went straight on the attack, trying every line possible, and the leading pair were together for several laps, both giving no quarter, nor taking any. Time after time they would run side-by-side along the straights, Williams dropping behind into the corners but tracking Deacon as close as he dare. It didn’t matter which part of the circuit, the yellow 2-Eleven would be right on the tail of the black example, always threatening, yet the battle was clean and despite the pressure Deacon was posting some of the race’s fastest laps! With just five minutes remaining Williams made his move into Redgate, around the outside, and emerged the leader.

If Williams expected a cruise to the flag, it wasn’t happening and a determined Deacon stole the lead back at Redgate. He then used the traffic to his advantage and by the final lap had just enough space to take the win at his local circuit, from Williams and the Fenns. Storey finished fourth after being penalised for a pitstop infringement, with Gooday fifth and Jewell sixth. Chris Setters made up a few places in the final laps, taking seventh place, with Sherwood and Mazza eighth. Quick took the Production class win from Savage, the pair completing the top ten, with the third-placed Production car of John LaMaster and David Hay eleventh.

Overall

1. Simon Deacon 2. Steve Williams 3. Fenn/Fenn 4. Pete Storey 5. Mark Gooday 6. Marcus Jewell

Conclusion

This was the best Lotus Cup UK race so far, the epic Deacon/Williams fight a highlight of the season, once which took place after fifty minutes of racing and kept the crowd enthralled for several laps. However this is not to take away from fine performances from David and Rob Fenn, plus Matt Cherrington, who was a dark horse for victory today and likely to challenge again.

Introduction

After a two-month break, the Lotus Cup UK Championship returns to the scene of the opening round at the Snetterton 300 circuit, as part of the annual Lotus Festival. Last time the series was there Simon Deacon and Pete Storey benefitted from a safety car period late into the pit window, to take first and second. However Mark Speller, the Exige of Jamie Stanley and Glenn Sherwood plus the Motorsport Elise of David and Rob Fenn were in contention for the win.

However round two was dominated by Mark Fullalove and he is entered for this race, along with the first Evora to enter the series. This car is piloted by Martin Donnelly, in his first works drive for Lotus since Formula 1 in 1990, who is partnering Lotus driving guru Gavan Kershaw. A further wildcard entry is provided by World Series by Renault driver Olly Webb.

Practice and Qualifying

Kershaw and Fullalove dominated practice until Webb jumped into Harvey's 340R. On his first lap he was second, on the next he was fastest!

However he could not replicate this pace later as a tense session where the Evora and Fullalove traded fastest times, Donnelly put the car on pole with seconds to go. Safety Cars intervened twice, giving many little chance to really get to grips with the circuit.

So, with Donnelly and Kershaw on pole, Fullalove second and Harvey/Webb third, Stanley and Sherwood lead the Exige class, making it four classes in the top four places. Next up was Pat McBennett, making a welcome return on the pace, then Steve Williams, Mark Gooday and Pete Storey in the 2-Elevens, with the Fenns and Marcus Jewell completing the top ten. Production was led by James Knight in fifteenth, with Steve Quick and Mike Vase close behind.

Race

Donnelly maintained the lead at the start, followed by Fullalove and a threatening Webb. Meanwhile Knight's tough season continued as a few of the production cars tangled at Hamilton corner, leaving him several seconds off the tail of the field. Bennett didn't even get to see the end of the pitlane, the car succumbing to a broken driveshaft.

Donnelly proceeded to pull out a sizeable gap to Fullalove, who was also putting space between himself and Webb in the early laps. Meanwhile McBennett was keeping the 340R's star driver honest, with Williams and Gooday in the hunt too. Sherwood was dropping back, however.

Knight was beginning his fightback in earnest, visibly pushing his Elise as aimed to emulate Jenson Button's famous Canadian GP comeback drive, but the rapidly approaching Donnelly showed the magnitude of his task, so far back was he.

With Donnelly and Fullalove off into the distance, Webb was holding off McBennett, with Williams chasing him down. Then there was a short gap to Gooday, Storey, Deacon, the Fenns and Chatterway. Jewell was suffering an issue with his car that kept him back and tried to pit for a cure.

Quick was leading Production at this point, from Plotnek and Savage but the latter passed both as the pit window opened. Williams was one of the first in, soon followed by Quick and Gooday, whilst Sherwood stopped at half distance, as did, significantly, the race leader.

The pitlane became a very busy place as drivers headed in, and there would be no late safety car this time. Webb, McBennett, Storey and Deacon were the top four but all headed into the lane as the window was soon to close. McBennett was in too late as there was no room in pit road for him and he had to queue up for his stop.

However as Kershaw and Fullalove resumed the lead, the latter and Harvey were given a 2 lap penalty for leaving the pits too quickly. Stanley's race was then over with a rear suspension failure. So Williams held second from Storey but Deacon and a delayed McBennett were keen to take the last podium position. Tussling around the track, Deacon slowed with problems. However he finished in fifth place, behind Donnelly and Kershaw's Evora, Williams and Storey's 2-Elevens and McBennett's Open class Elise.

The Fenns were sixth, from McNeily and Chong, Cassidy and Cherrington and Vitthal Chauhan's Open class cars. David Sear was the Exige winner in tenth, whilst Savage won production from Plotnek and Quick.

Overall 1. Donnelly/Kershaw 2. Steve Williams 3. Pete Storey 4. Pat McBennett 5. Simon Deacon 6. Fenn/Fenn Conclusion

No safety cars this time meant that whoever was quick on the circuit, provided they finished and followed pitstop procedure, would do well. The winner was in little doubt and both Donnelly and Kershaw showed their class, indeed this was a works effort that Lotus took great pride in, showing the calibre of this championship.

Fullalove and Harvey/Webb's pit issues were to Williams and Storey's benefit, the latter finding the 300 circuit a happy hunting ground. McBennett will be pleased with his performance, despite a delayed pitstop losing him a potential podium, however the class win will be fine consolation. Finally, Savage will be pleased to have picked up a class win, keeping his championship hopes on track.

The next round is in a months' time on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Steve Williams has a fine record on this track, will he break his duck at this circuit? In the meantime, look out for TV coverage on Motors TV very soon.

The inaugural Lotus Cup UK season has been extended with a non-championship round supporting the prestigious DTM series. The one-hour race will take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 2-4 September, where it will join the Elise Trophy.

The decision to extend the season is due to an increasing number of entries, which has also seen extra track time made available to drivers. A free practice session has been incorporated into the remaining rounds of the championship.

Series co-ordinator Paul Golding said, "the response from drivers to the new championship has been phenomenal, we only ever expected to have five rounds, we now have eight. The opening two have been great and when the opportunity to extend the season even further came up it was an easy decision to make. The DTM weekend last year was fantastic for us and this time it looks to be even better."

Round 2 of the 2011 Lotus Cup UK held at Silverstone Arena GP circuit on the 17th April 2011.

Introduction

Supporting the FIA Formula Two Championship, the second round of the inaugural Lotus Cup UK Championship took place on the newly-extended Silverstone Arena circuit, as debuted in the British Grand Prix last year.

With the safety car intervention throwing the dice at round one, would we see a long wait before a busy pitlane in the dying minutes of the pit window and would there be advantage to gain by stopping early, perhaps whilst the garages are clear?

Mark Speller, the Fenn pairing and Jamie Stanley will certainly be hoping to stamp their authority on the weekend. So, too, will be Mark Fullalove, who has taken wins in Europe.

Practice and Qualifying

With practice held on Saturday afternoon, many of the drivers elected to wait until the Sunday qualifying session. Fullalove and Speller were immediately on the pace and the Fenns were third quickest from Deacon, Williams and Chatterway, whilst Jonathan Mobbs lapped fastest in the Exige class and the John LaMaster and David Hay pairing quickest in Production.

Fullalove headed the sheets in the early running for Qualifying and whilst Williams and Speller were disputing second, the latter pulled off the circuit, putting his race participation in serious doubt. Jewell and Sherwood/Stanley displaced the 340R driver to claim third and fourth, until the GWS Exige popped in a time to promote them to second but still 3.5 seconds adrift of the flying 2-Eleven of Fullalove.

Production was going the way of Dunster and Bennett, the car hastily repaired from the previous day's woes in the Elise Trophy races. Savage was nearly two seconds adrift and the Foley/Donnelly pairing another 7 tenths back. At this stage James Knight was nowhere to be seen on the timesheets.

Stanley worked on the gap to Fullalove, but was unable to make much progress, taking just half a second and needing another three. Speller remained at the head of Open, David Harvey being a second and a half behind and Production was fair set for Dunster and Bennett, Knight having closed to within a few tenths of Foley and Donnelly.

At the flag it was Fullalove still three seconds clear of Sherwood and Stanley, with Williams a solid third, and Deacon and McNeily and Chong pipping Jewell to fourth and fifth – a good effort from the 1000km-winning Exige to lead the open class.

Speller remained seventh but doubtful for the race, then Chatterway eighth, Storey ninth and Harvey tenth. In thirteenth, Dunster and Bennett led Knight – who hauled himself to just over a second away from the ex-BTCC driver, Savage and Quick, with the Foley/Donnelly pairing losing out at the end.

Race

Speller's 340R remained absent from the starting grid as the cars set off on their pace car lap. Fullalove set off into the lead, followed by GWS, Williams/Storey, Deacon and Jewell. Knight's race barely lasted a few corners, ending up in the gravel. Jewell was on the move early, taking Deacon and as Williams/Storey demoted the GWS car he worked on the latter. McNeily/Chong and Chatterway held on to this group but all the time Fullalove was pulling away, having nearly the length of the Hangar Straight on the field.

Further back and with Knight out of the picture, Savage led production from Livsey/Bradshaw, Quick, Selway and Foley/Donnelly. The latter two were especially keen to work their way up the order as the Livsey/Bradshaw car took the class lead.

With GWS just hanging onto Williams/Storey but holding up the chasing Jewell, Deacon and Chong, Jewell lost out to Deacon and the pressure was back on GWS. All the while, the Fenn Exige was making its way up from a lowly qualifying position and it was clear that the cars ahead would need to work together to hold back this challenge.

McNeily/Chong were next to take up the challenge and a move round the outside into the final corners set up a challenge on Williams/Storey, still in second place. Twenty minutes in and the five-way battle for second was nowhere near over, the next to change position was Deacon on GWS, which then became a move on McNeily/Chong as they fell back to the rear of the pack. Meanwhile the Fenns were just seven seconds down the road.

Problems for Livsey/Bradshaw – that resulted in a skewed nose – dropped them to the back of a Production class pack similar to the battle for second overall. Savage led Selway by a couple of seconds, then Foley/Donnelly and Quick were not far behind as the pitstop window opened.

Deacon and McNeily/Chong were first to blink, with half the race to go. The Fenns joined them and were right on the tail of the other Series 1 Exige. Quick and Foley/Donnelly also stopped around this time, as did Dunster/Bennett, running a little further back in the race. Then Selway and Livsey/Bradshaw made their stops as the race leader came in, followed on the same lap by GWS.

Savage, then Williams/Storey and Jewell pitted late into the window, from first and second place as Fullalove made up the time he'd lost earlier. GWS were in fourth and 34 seconds behind the net leader as the window closed. Fullalove put in the race's fastest lap so far to reassert himself ahead of Williams/Storey, 34 seconds behind. Jewell was third, Deacon fourth, GWS fifth and the Fenns sixth as the field re-ordered itself after the stops. Meanwhile Savage remained in the lead of Production from Quick and Selway but with Quick on the move, he passed Savage for the lead as the class became a repeat of the Elise Trophy races from the previous day – just five seconds separated them and Dunster/Bennett weren't too far behind, either.

At the front the main point of attention was the battle between Jewell and Deacon – as they lapped traffic there was barely a second between them. Then just as this hotted up the Fenn car pitted with just ten minutes remaining. More drama as a two lap penalty was given to Williams/Storey for leaving the pitlane too quickly. Harvey also made the same error and would lose his sixth place. Thus Jewell and Deacon for battling for the runner-up slot.

The black 2-Elevens squabbled over second hard and Deacon seemed to be getting the better of Jewell and at the same time Quick and Savage were doing the same for Production. Savage got the better of Quick for a while then a moment at Brooklands trying to get the place back after he'd lost it again, put him two seconds behind with barely two minutes left of the race. Selway was right on their tail now and Dunster/Bennett three seconds behind. Savage took a while to recover as the pair passed him, dropping him off the class podium. Then Selway passed Quick to give her the class victory at the very end of the race.

Fullalove crossed the line a dominant winner over Deacon and Jewell, both of whom had spent the entire race together and never gave up on their fight. GWS will take some consolation from fourth and the class win but will be disappointed not to have built on their strong showing at Snetterton.

McNeily and Chong took a good fifth place, ahead of Vitthal Chauhan, whilst Selway's class win handed her seventh on the road, ahead of Quick, Dunster/Bennett and Savage.

Conclusion

As predicted, the pitlane did remain a little quiet, at least until halfway through the race but there were still plenty of mistakes made in this phase of the race to mix up the order. No change to the leader, however, as Fullalove put in a commanding performance from the very first lap of qualifying. Class wins for GWS and McNeily/Chong were deserved, following their fierce competition for second place in the early running that was the highlight of the race. It would also have been interesting to see if Speller would have had an answer to Fullalove had he made the start.

Selway proved to be best of the experienced drivers in Production, with Phil Bennett helping Chris Dunster to a result that confirms his promise. Round three of Lotus Cup UK will be a return to the Snetterton 300 circuit for the Lotus Festival in June. In the meantime the race will be shown on Motors TV and the first two rounds of Lotus Cup Europe take place in France, starting with Dijon later this month.

New format keeps viewers up to date with Lotus in motorsport

The first in a new series of Lotus-motorsport based programmes airs on Motors TV from this week. Expanding on the popular transmissions featuring LoTRDC races, the new format incorporates additional content in a new magazine show. With a new presenter and much more variation in the content, the show promises a fresher and more entertaining programme than seen previously.

Racing from the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup Europe is joined by the new for 2011 Lotus Cup UK Championship, with one hour long race including pitstops, and highlights from the opening rounds of this series and the Elise Trophy at Snetterton are scheduled to be shown. The programmes will also feature Lotus racing around the world, starting with Lotus Cup USA this time. In addition to the racing action, there will also be insights into Lotus motorsport activities, starting with a rather special racing-related piece.

The first programme broadcasts on Friday 15 April at 20:00 in the UK (18:50 in France), with repeat showings continuing into the following week.

If that's not enough action, then the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK will be supporting the FIA Formula Two Championship this weekend at the new Silverstone Arena circuit, as used in the British Grand Prix. Large grids are expected for both series, providing plenty of action to fill the extended track length!

Initial broadcast schedule (subject to change)

UK

Friday 15 April – 20:00

Saturday 16 April – 2:15

Saturday 16 April – 16:55

Sunday 17 April – 0:00

Monday 18 April – 10:05

Monday 18 April – 18:25

Thursday 21 April – 2:15

Thursday 21 April – 13:40

Friday 22 April – 13:00

Saturday 23 April – 15:10

France (transmitted in French)

Friday 15 April – 18:50

Saturday 16 April – 7:00

Sunday 17 April – 1.40

Sunday 17 April – 13:50

Monday 18 April – 16:10

Wednesday 20 April – 20:40

Thursday 21 April – 16:10

Friday 22 April – 9:10

Monday 25 April – 13:10

Wednesday 27 April – 5:45

Wednesday 27 April – 18:00

International (transmitted in English)

Friday 15th April – 19:30

Saturday 16 April – 1:30

Saturday 16 April – 7:00

Saturday 16 April – 17:45

Saturday 16 April – 23:35

Sunday 17 April – 2:25

Sunday 17 April – 10:25

Monday 18 April – 12:35

Monday 18 April – 19:55

Thursday 21 April – 3:40

Thursday 21 April – 14:45

Friday 22 April – 13:00

Saturday 23 April – 15:10