What's the news?

SEAT fans, start your engines! An exciting one-make race series has been launched by SEAT featuring the all-new Leon Cup Racer. The Leon Eurocup kicks off in May 2014 with six customer racing weekends taking place right across Europe. The racing series also promises a generous prize pot for the teams taking part.

Exterior

The pumped-up Leon gets a two-stage roof mounted spoiler and substantial wheel arches, leaving nobody in doubt it's a hunkered-down no-nonsense racer. SEAT says the LED lights and roofline are shared between the road car and the Racer.

Mechanicals

Powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine it delivers 330hp and a maximum torque figure of 400Nm. Though it has a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, it's as far removed from a showroom Leon as you'll find. SEAT says the LED lights and roofline are shared between the road car and the Racer.

Anything else?

Along with winning the 2008 and 2009 WTCC titles, SEAT ran the Supercopa from 2003 to 2013 and Eurocup from 2008 to 2010. While the racing calendar is yet to be announced, we do know a full weekend's racing is planned for May 2014 onwards, from Friday to Sunday. This will include free training sessions, qualification and two full races.

"Motorsport is deeply embedded in our brand. SEAT has more than 40 years history here", according to Dr. Matthias Rabe, Vice President of SEAT S.A. "The Leon Cup Racer is an extremely high-performance race car."

Getting involved won't be cheap. A price tag of €70,000 (about £58,000) for each Leon Cup Racer is suggested. Order books are now open, with deliveries expected in April 2014.