Lotusbits Rally Team at Donington Park

The Lotusbits Rally Team visited Donington Park for the final round of the 2019/20 Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship in March. Mike Taylor and Martin Haggett were fighting for an overall championship podium, while Cathy Sewart and Colin Stephens were looking to secure the Class C victory. 

Find out how the team got in in their Lotusbits-built Talbot Sunbeam Lotus cars by watching the latest TV footage below:

Lotusbits Rally Team Success

The Lotusbits Rally Team competed once again in the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship with Mike Taylor and Martin Haggett running the 2.6 litre Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus in class D1, and Cathy Sewart and Colin Stephens in the 2.0 litre version in class C.

Mike and Martin finished 3rd overall 

This was the team's fifth year competing in the championship and their hard work paid off with both crews achieving their best results yet. Mike and Martin were delighted to finish 3rd overall while Cathy and Colin went one better than last year, winning class C!

Highlights from the season include Mike and Martin finishing an incredible 2nd overall at Cadwell Park and Cathy and Colin taking four class podiums from eight rallies in a class that often had upwards of 20 entries.

Cathy and Colin won Class C

Well done to both teams for achieving their best results to date in what has been one of the toughest seasons. The Lotusbits Rally Team have competed in every season and every round of the MSN Rally Championship since it started in 2015 and this year was particularly testing. 

The condensed calendar meant that other than a break over Christmas the team were out competing every weekend from November to March, with eight events across the UK from Knockhill in Scotland to Anglesey in Wales, and the team’s local event at Donington. The weather also added to the challenge with unpredictable conditions all season, especially at Knockhill where the crew withstood torrential conditions all day.

We would like to thank the crew for their hard work all season – with such limited time between rounds they often had to work late into the night to ensure both cars were prepared for each round. Special thanks to Keith for working all hours to ensure that both cars were ready and in great shape for scrutineering at each round.

The Sunbeams held their own all year, with their speed and reliability demonstrating their capability against more modern machinery, as a result of the engineering development by Lotusbits.

Unfortunately rallying is currently on hold for the foreseeable future due to coronavirus but the team are working hard in the workshop on rebuilding and upgrading the cars ready for next season. 

2019/20 Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship Lotusbits Final Team Standings: 🏁🏆

Mike Taylor - 3rd overall, 3rd in D1 class, 3rd Michelin Cup

Martin Haggett - 3rd overall, 3rd in D1 class

Cathy Sewart - 1st in class C, 8th overall (tied on points with 7th place),  3rd in the Protyre Challenge

Colin Stephens - 1st in class C, 7th overall

Lotusbits Features in The Engine Rebuilder Magazine

Lotusbits features alongside FJ-RS Engineering in the April edition of “The Engine Rebuilder”.

Click here to read the full feature about how Lotusbits was born and how owner Mike Taylor grew the company, along with the progressive engine development which has been an ongoing obsession of his.

Mike was determined to produce an engine for his rally cars that is not just fast but can compete at the top level of Clubman Stage Rallying. This has been the driving force behind the latest offerings in Lotus engine upgrade options, now available for customers' road cars and competition race/rally cars. 

Lotusbits works symbiotically with other companies on-site and locally to produce the 2.6 litre engine that has more than proved its performance this season on the UK rally scene, with Mike and co-driver Martin Haggett finishing 3rd overall in the competitive Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship.