City College Norwich has announced that Elliot Lettis will be joining the Norfolk-based squad to drive the team’s #26 Peugeot 107 beginning with the Oulton Park rounds on May the 25th. CCN Team Principal Leon Wilde, who drove the #26 car at the opening BRSCC Snetterton Spring Race Weekend, has decided that the team will offer a better learning experience for its student members if he steps away from driving and focuses on the overall management and leadership of its two-car entry for the 2024 season.
Elliot Lettis has been part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship since its debut in 2021. Sussex-based Lettis, who is a production staff member for Roll-Royce, finished 7th in the 2021 season and 4th in 2022. In 2023, Lettis dominated the championship, taking 11 victories and a further six podium finishes on his way to taking the title with a margin of 13 points over second-placed Stuart Bliss.
After reflecting on the opening weekend at Snetterton where CCN, making its debut in the Challenge this year, had to change the engine on the #26 car, City College Norwich Team Principal Leon Wilde felt that stepping away from driving to focus on leadership would provide a better educational experience for the students.
“Although we felt that our students were getting a lot from the Challenge, we noticed that there were a few parts we needed to focus on more with the students,” said Leon Wilde. “In order for the students to really get every piece of knowledge from the weekend and capitalise on it with their soft skills, teamwork and planning, we needed a member of staff that could facilitate that, almost step-by-step.
“At Snetterton, we had two members of staff (Leon Wilde and colleague Glenn Bee) and we both had to drive. Now, whilst the staff at Student Motorsport are always on hand to help, and there is always a steady flow of supporting Tutors from other teams, when we were in the cars there was nobody on our side to guide the students. The students worked incredibly hard with the engine troubles we had and they learned a lot but it would have been even better if they’d had our support during races.”
“Seeing Elliot drive past me at Snetterton in his MX5, I wondered if he might be interested in joining us. Elliot is not only a very quick driver but he also has a great mix of all the qualities that, as an educator, you would want. He knows the sport inside out and is technically an expert and at the same time, he is also very polite, friendly, and approachable. I was delighted when Elliot agreed to sign with us for the full season.”
After securing the 2023 CityCar Cup Championship, Elliot Lettis announced he would be moving up to the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX5 SuperCup Championship. Lettis’s #3 Mazda MX5 Mk 3 finished 6th and 11th in the Pro class in the opening two races of the season at Snetterton and it is still his intention to combine racing in the Challenge and selected rounds of the MX5 SuperCup Championship.
“I’m really looking forward to being part of the Student Motorsport Challenge paddock from Oulton Park,” said Elliott Lettis. “It’s a new challenge for me to represent a college and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and driving a different car. Hopefully, we can get the car to the sharp end of the grid!”
Although it was a surprise to be approached by City College Norwich, Elliot Lettis is happy with his change of racing plans for 2024.
“It was a pleasant surprise to hear from Leon because we were not going to race in the MX5s for a couple of months so I’m delighted to keep racing and keep the momentum going. Joining City College Norwich and the Student Motorsport Challenge is a very nice surprise and I’m looking forward to driving for the college at Oulton Park.”
Action for rounds four and five of the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge gets underway at Oulton Park at 9.55 on Saturday May the 25th with a 15-minute qualifying session before the lights go green for the first of three 15-minute races at 11.55.