The inaugural Lotus Cup China race series recently concluded at the Sepang International Circuit. This one-make race series, featuring total of 44 units of race-prepped Lotus Emira, happened from 27-November 2025 to 30-November 2025.
The race was action-packed, as the drivers qualified through Malaysia’s year-end monsoon season, which turned up the excitement for both racers and spectators alike.
Leona Chin claims double podium
On race one, Leona Chin who was piloting car 001, claimed the second position in the SD Class. She completed 20 laps with the best lap time of 2:26:997.
As for the subsequent day, Leona clinched on to the third position, trailing Jonathan Harris and Roy Tang in first and second positions, respectively. For the second race, Leona’s quickest lap time was 2:27:236 – a remarkable result considering that she had to reuse her tyres from the first race whilst her competitors had a fresh set.
What is the Lotus Emira Cup Car?
The Lotus Emira race cars that Leona and the other racers drove is based on the regular road-going Emira, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four petrol engine. Said four-pot has been fettled to output about 405 PS and 480 Nm – on par with the Emira V6.
Power is deployed to the rear wheels (rightfully so) via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The century sprint of the Lotus Emira Cup Car is in the 4.3-second range, making it quite the pocket rocket.
But power is nothing without control and the Emira Cup Car is properly equipped – there are a set of AST 5100 adjustable suspension all-round, while braking is handled by a set of AP Racing brakes. At each corner is a set of Vitour Tempesta P1 tyres, measuring 255/35ZR128 up front and 315/30ZR18 at the rear.
The combination of the Lotus Emira Cup Car’s lightweight (1,350 kg kerb weight), grippy tyres and superb handling mean that Hethel’s final internal combustion engine (ICE) model (albeit in race-prepped form) can lap the Sepang International Circuit around 2 minutes and 23 seconds.
Will the Lotus Cup China return to Malaysia?
Hang in there – there are plans for the race to return to Malaysia in early-2026. Motorsport fans will want to catch the action when the new season commences in 2026.