Lotus Cup: Two successful title defenders
ROUTINIERS SET THE STONE The Lotus V6 Cup Suisse attracted almost two dozen participants in 2019. As in the previous year, Benno Berchtold and Dino Wintsch emerged as the overall winners in their categories. While there was an average of twelve participants in the premiere year and just slightly more in 2018, their numbers grew in the third season of the Lotus V6 Cup [...]
While there was an average of twelve participants in the inaugural year and just slightly more in 2018, their number grew to 23 in the third season of the Lotus V6 Cup Suisse. Only the Exige and Evora models with the powerful 3.5-liter V6 engines from Toyota are permitted.
From 2019, there were now only the Production and Competition classes, and standard tires from Yokohama are now mandatory. Both measures proved to be spot on. An average of seven drivers scored points in each of the two classes, who were delighted with the grip and durability of the Japanese semislicks.
If you want to be a champion, you have to be good everywhere
What is unique about this one-make cup is the mix of slaloms, double runs at three mountain slaloms in the Vorarlberg and two sprint stages on the Anneau du Rhin. So if you want to be champion, you have to be an all-rounder - and that's what the two defending champions are.
For Benno Berchtold, the season began with a disappointing fourth place at the Interlaken slalom. After that, the 61-year-old from Solothurn only strung together podium finishes in his Exige 350 Cup. With victories in all disciplines, he is the deserved champion of his category, as he was in 2019.
After the rather mixed previous year, the runner-up title in the production cars went to Reto Sieber in a Lotus Exige Sport 380. The driver from the Rhine Valley also consistently finished on the podium, so that he remained in the title race right up to the finale in Ambri. With the two fast newcomers Patrick and Fabian Egger as well as Giuliano Piccinato, there were three more race winners in the Production class.
Wintsch a class of his own
The matter was more one-sided in the Competition class. As was to be expected, Dino Wintsch continued to set the tone with his optimal Exige 430 Cup. The fast architect and wine merchant from Hombrechtikon was only beaten in the second time trial on the Anneau du Rhin. Because he was unsettled by noises coming from the vehicle, he only completed the necessary three time laps to be classified. That was enough for second place.
Norbert Sieber snatched victory with his Exige LW-R, on which he constantly tried out new technical details. After the false start to the season, the branch manager of Lotus-West in St. Gallen and initiator of the series practically only took second and third places.
Künzler hoped in vain for rain
Greg Künzler was just as regular on the podium in an Evora 410 Sport. Unfortunately, it never rained all day so that the man from Zurich could have used the advantage of the longer wheelbase and the better handling compared to the lighter and more powerful Exige V6. So it remained with second and third places, which resulted in third place in the championship.
Künzler was thus the most successful Evora driver and the best representative of Garage Jensen AG from Rümlang, which acted as host for the family championship ceremony. Künzler works there as an after-sales manager.
A detailed report on the 2019 Lotus season will appear in the RENNSPORT SCHWEIZ 2019 yearbook, which will be published on December 19 and is already available at the link aktivverlag.ch/racing-2019.html can be pre-ordered.
