The chaps at Lotus Motorsport have recently announced the launch of a new one-make racing series revolving around its impressive Evora sportscar. Given the imaginative title of The Lotus Evora Cup, this event has spawned a specially-developed variant that meets GT4 specifications and could well find its way into a number of other racing events worldwide.
The equally imaginatively-titled Lotus Evora Cup race car is based on the stock Evora but has had 200 kg stripped from its overall weight (now 1 200kg), a Dallara carbon fibre aerodynamics kit (read scaffolding at the back) and a new 4,0-litre V6 engine. This unit develops 295 kW and is mated with a Cima six-speed paddle shift sequential transmission. The car sports an Epsom Green paint job with a Solar Yellow racing stripe down the middle and will be introduced at today’s Autosport International event in Birmingham, England. Impressive stuff, but perhaps the most satisfying bit is that it will be made available for public consumption (alright, only in the UK) for the equivalent of about R1,4 million.
The one-make series for which this ca r is destined will use a system that awards competitors five points for showing up to a race, between one and five points for the top five finishers, and double points for attending Lotus festivals held at Donnington Park in England and Vallelunga, Italy. Lotus will offer more than €100 000 in cash prizes to those competing in what the company hopes will be an exciting showcase for its latest product.
“The Evora Cup racing car is the first step along the route for Lotus Motorsport to realise its racing ambitions,” says Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro. “I am looking forward to seeing the Evora racing this year in the Lotus Evora Cup competition and I am excited by the plans for 2011, where Lotus intends to introduce a pan-European one make race series for the Evora Cup.”
