Fastest Formula Student Joins the SEAT Cupra Championship

27 February 2004

Chelmsford racing driver Daniel-Lee Stevens, a former Formula Student finalist with a Masters Degree in Motorsport Engineering from Brunel University, will race a Leon Cupra R in this year’s SEAT Cupra Championship.
 
Born in Hastings in East Sussex, 25-year old Daniel began riding motorbikes around a field at the age of three and driving cars by the time he was eight, so it was somewhat inevitable that he would carve a career in motorsport.  Having raced in Junior Mini Stocks, autograss and Karting, as part of his studies Daniel was in a team which designed, built and raced a motorbike-engined single seater racing car. At the 2003 Formula Student international final, which attracted students from 40 universities from all over the world to Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Daniel set the fastest UK time and his team won the ‘Best UK Class 1 Team’ award. 
 
Also last year, Daniel raced in the Locost Championship, taking a two-seater opened top sportscar to 3rd (out of 85 entries) in the series, winning the highest placed newcomer award, setting the most fastest laps of the year and establishing two new circuit records. This formula took Daniel to Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Oulton Park and Donington – leaving Croft and Knockhill as the only two circuits in the 2004 SEAT Cupra Championship calendar that he hasn’t previously raced on.
 
The £650,000 prize fund – and in particular the top Championship winning prize of a works touring car drive in 2005 – attracted Daniel to the SEAT Cupra Championship.
 
Daniel said: “I followed the SEAT Cupra Championship last year and went to see the ‘Racing Rivals – Live’ event at Rockingham and thought it was all really impressive.  The racing and the television series certainly caught my interest, and with a works touring car drive on offer for the SEAT Cupra Champion the whole championship is far too good an opportunity to miss. Racing in the SEAT Cupra Championship will be a challenge, but I want to win it – that’s got to be my aim.”
 
The 2004 SEAT Cupra Championship is a 12 race series – 10 races of which are part of the TOCA Tour / British Touring Car Championship package, and two races will be held at a special  ‘Racing Rivals – Live 2004’ event at Donington Park. 
 
See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2004

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