Britain’s most charismatic sports car marque will be celebrated at Brands Hatch later this month when the Lotus Festival takes place on August 17.

More than 60 years of great racing, rally and road cars will be commemorated at the north Kent circuit with high-speed demonstration runs, races, displays, spectator competitions, passenger rides in rally cars and a trade village.

Headlining the event will be classic F1 displays and demonstrations on the Grand Prix circuit, scene of many of the marque’s greatest successes, including four British Grand Prix wins.

These will include the 1968 and 1978 world championship-winning cars of Graham Hill and Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna’s 1987 Grand Prix-winning machine, and the 1989 Lotus 101 of triple world champion Nelson Piquet, powered by a screaming V8 engine.

The Lotusbits rally stage will be alive to the sound of world rally championship-winning Lotus Sunbeams driven by Mike Taylor and Cathy Sewart, the 2013 British women racing drivers club vintage racecar/historica rally champion.

Fans can even enjoy a thrilling sideways ride in the co-driver’s seat, for just £10.

Group Lotus will be representing the marque’s present with a range of machinery, including the Motorsport division’s outrageous T125 F1-style trackday car, Elise, Exige Cup and Evora models, plus the cars used to teach performance driving by the Lotus driving academy.

The factory will also be bringing its current range of road cars.

Eleven Lotus dealerships will head up a huge trade village, where fans can buy anything from memorabilia to a brand new car.

The venue will also be filled with car clubs, and a show-and-shine competition.
Lotuses will headline a packed programme of racing throughout the day.

The Lotus Cup UK Championship and Elise Trophy will be supported by a varied range of single seater, saloon and sportscar contests.

Tickets for the Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch on August 17 are available for £18 with free entry for children aged 12 and under.

For more information, call 0843 453 9000 or visit brandshatch.co.uk

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