Lotus V6 Cup: Things are looking up as of July

BRENNPUNKT VORARLBERG Unlike the one-make cups tied to Swiss organizers, the Lotus V6 Cup Suisse can hold a championship in 2020. The starting signal will be given on July 10 and 11 at the Arlberg in Austria. Since the launch of the Lotus V6 Cup Suisse three years ago, its initiator and director Norbert Sieber has gone his own way. Not because he [...]

Editorial - June 25, 2020

Soon it's off to the races for the Lotus drivers. They get to drive a lot at the Vorarlberg mountain slaloms (Photo: Wisu Bucher).

Since the launch of the Lotus V6 Cup Suisse three years ago, its initiator and director Norbert Sieber has been going his own way. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't have to, the sales manager of Lotus West in St. Gallen doesn't register it as an official brand cup with the Swiss sports authority ASS, but lets it run as a private cup.

Why wander off into the distance...
With this, Sieber and his fellow board members also take the liberty of competing in races in neighboring countries. Thus, the mountain slaloms organized by the RRCV (Renn- und Rallyeclub Vorarlberg) have been part of the annual program from the very beginning. As a native of the Rhine Valley, this area is closer and more familiar to him than many other Swiss regions.

What remains in Switzerland?
These are license-free events, but the Austrian sporting authority has given them its blessing and thus the legitimation. The Swiss Lotus pilots drive anyway with REG or NAT license of ASS, since also annually two, three Slaloms in Switzerland belong to it - only there are practically none in the current year.

If the slaloms on the Anneau du Rhin in Alsace and in Drognens or Romont in the canton of Fribourg take place as planned, these races will count towards this year's championship, as will the slalom Wangen SZ from the end of October, which will certainly be held.

Cup leader Norbert Sieber and champion Dino Wintsch, like all their Lotus colleagues, are looking forward to the racing season starting soon (Photo: Peter Wyss).

Popular mountain slaloms
Otherwise, the sworn Lotus community will hold all races in Vorarlberg this year. In the three mountain slaloms, there is a separate classification with points awarded per day (Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday), and in the Röthis slalom - like Gargellen practically on the other side of the Swiss border - which is being considered for the Cup for the first time, one result counts.

Norbert Sieber: "Now we are happy about our long-standing friendship with Pepe Hammerer, because his races are virtually inundated with registrations, especially from Switzerland. The short fast mountain slaloms are very popular with us. That makes for a decent calendar. We also have a great field again with 19 riders registered."

Now comes Hermann Bollhalder
The most prominent newcomer is Hermann Bollhalder. Known from slaloms and hillclimbs with his fast-as-an-arrow Opel Speedster Turbo from Group E1, the Toggenburg garage owner has acquired several Lotus models as a passion. Bolle" will be driving in the production car class and will certainly be the benchmark there after champion Benno Berchtold's class change.

Hermann Bollhalder has already practiced at the slalom training of the Squadra Türmli on the Hoch-Ybrig. A lot is expected of him (Photo: Rami Hänggi).

In the racing class, champion Dino Wintsch gets some strong opponents who want to make it difficult for the high-flyer from Hombrechtikon to win.

And these are, in alphabetical order, the registered participants in the Lotus V6 Cup Suisse 2020:

Class I, Production:

Bollhalder Hermann (Exige V6 Cup)
Hofer Marc (Exige V6 Cup)
Meuter Pascal (Exige 350 CR)
Steinmann Daniel (Exige 360 Cup)
Zeier Sascha (Exige 380 Sport)
Zürcher Roberto (Exige V6 Cup)

Class II, Competition:

Berchtold Benno (Exige 410 LW-R)
Egger Fabian (Exige Cup LW-R)
Hedinger Mario (Exige Komotec)
Nüssli Christian (Exige 430 Cup)
Piccinato Giuliano (Exige 410 LW-R)
Sieber Norbert (Evora GT 430)
Sieber Reto (Exige 410 Cup)
Strim Daniel (Exige 430 Cup)
Suter Mirco (Exige 430 Cup)
Wiese Heinz (Exige 410 Sport)
Wintsch Dino (Exige 430 Cup)

Everything as usual
There are virtually no changes to the sporting and technical regulations for 2020 compared with last year. All standard Lotus V6 models are permitted in the Production class: Lotus Exige V6 S, Cup 350, CR, 350 Sport, 360 Cup, 380 Sport, 380 Cup as well as Evora V6 280 and 350 S.

All other Lotus Exige and Evora cars with road approval that have been modified beyond the regulations of the Production class will be classified in the Competition racing class. Anything not expressly permitted is prohibited.

Good adhesion with Yokohama
Because they have proven their worth for the 2019 season, all sports cars will again roll on uniform Yokohama semislicks A052. The drivers' safety equipment must meet the requirements of Auto Sport Schweiz.