Lotus announces Evora race series

Lotus has launched the track-fettled version of its hardtop Evora with the announcement that the car will be racing in an all-Lotus showdown at the end of this season. It will then get its own race series in 2011.

The Evora has made its public debut at the Autosport International racing car show in Birmingham and will be heading to the first of its customers in the late spring.

The Evora Cup race car has been designed to compete in GT4 racing and is powered by a hefty 4.0-litre V6 engine with more than 400bhp. In addition to this huge engine, Lotus Motorsport has pared 200kg off the Evora, which weighs less than 1200kg. They have managed this by taking out all the unnecessary stuff from the road car, like the stereo and heater presumably.

Teams will be able to buy the Evora Cup for around £120,000, and will able to use them in their own competitions. Lotus Motorsport will award points to all the Evora Cups that compete, with appearing at a race meeting scoring five points, and further points being given for finishing in the top five.

Two end-of-season showdowns will take place at Donington Park and Vallelunga in Italy to determine the most successful Evora Cup of the season.