Want
to see a Lotus giving its all in GT racing? Until now GT racing has been
dominated by the Esprits but in 2003 you'll have the chance to see an Elise on
track in a variety of GT races in the UK and Europe.
A new team - Brunswick Endurance Racing - has been set up to campaign a
Motorsport Elise in the UK and Europe. The team has been set up by Giles
Groombridge and Dave Ashford. Groombridge has just had a successful debut year
in endurance racing where he finished in the Nurburgring 24 Hours and also got a
class victory in the Willhire 6 Hours in his Alfa Romeo 156. He's teamed up with
Ashford who's prepared many championship winning cars and they've acquired the
Sterling Motorsport Lotus Sport Elise that was driven in the 2000 British GT
series by VJ Angelo and Nils Baker.
Giles Groombridge explains, "For 2003 we wanted to run a car that
could act as a stepping stone into professional GT racing. For us the Lotus
fitted the bill perfectly. The Elise offers exceptional performance at
relatively low cost, whilst the fact that Lotus are currently so poorly
represented in international motorsport hopefully means the project will attract
a good deal of attention."
Testing is already underway as they prepare for the 2003 season. The team are
currently planning on participating in the Spa 24 Hours in which they believe
the Elise will be highly competitive in the two-litre category. In addition to
Spa they hope to race in five or six of the UK based European Endurance Racing
Club (EERC) rounds, the Willhire 10 Hours at Snetterton, the Magny Cours 4000km
and they are certain to return to the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
The team are currently seeking 'moderately' funded drivers, sponsors and
supporters to join them for 2003. Contact them via their website.