Over the 15th to the 24th of February, a group of Lotus adventurers headed to Tasmania on a road trip through some Australia’s most picturesque countryside. Gino Valdes and David Mackie recently got in touch with some photos of the trip, and you can enjoy them below!
Kicking off 2018’s Motorsport with a Lotus Only Track Day at Mount Panorama
Images thanks to Paul d’Ambra of Lotus Cars Australia
We kicked off 2018’s motorsport adventures in style on Wednesday the 7th of February, taking a road trip to Australia’s most iconic race track, Mount Panorama, for a Lotus Only Track Day hosted by Simply Sports Cars. Scroll along for a mega photo gallery of the day, with thanks to Lotus Cars Australia’s Paul d’Ambra, and a huge collection of on-board action thanks to the community at Aussie Elises.
February 2018 Edition of Chunky’s Chatter Available for Download
The December 2017 Classic Cars & Coffee in Crawley, image thanks to Les Proctor
We welcome the return of Chunky’s Chatter this week, with Tom Devitt’s latest edition of the magazine on the way and available to download from the members’ page.
Inside this issue:
- Lots of WA News & Events
- A Look at Dan Gurney’s Life and his Influence on Lotus
- The Program of Events to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the Passing of Jim Clark
- This Year’s NSW & WA Calendar
And much more! Enjoy Chunky’s lighthearted and sometimes irreverent monthly look at the world of Lotus.
Head to the members’ page to download your copy. And if you’re not a member already, have a browse around the site and hit up our membership page here to find out why you should be!
Ashton’s President’s Prattle for February, 2018
Hello!
I can hardly still say Happy New Year, given we are already into February, but nonetheless I hope 2018 is a lot of fun for you, and we look forward to seeing you out and about during the year. 2018 is already shaping up to be a busy year for most of the people I have spoken to so far, and I am hoping we can make sure to slot in lots of interesting and fun events along the way.
That starts next week, with the remarkable event that Lee and Mark and the team at Simply Sports Cars have organised – a Lotus Only Track Day at Bathurst. There will be over 70 cars there and we will have four 20 minute sessions over the course of Wednesday 7th February. If you fancy seeing 35-40 Lotuses on track at Bathurst at one time (there are two groups), come along and catch up in the pits!
Two weeks later, on Saturday 17th February, we have our first drive day of the year – a run down to Gerringong for the Motor Fest and Car Show. We have ten spots allocated so far, but there is room for more if you are still sitting on the fence. Drop me a line on ashton@clublotus.com.au.
Very shortly after that, on Saturday the 11th March, we have the CLA’s round of the Combined Sports Cars Association supersprints at Wakefield Park, organised by the new Motorsport Committee, for whom I am deeply grateful. I hope lots of you will come along to support the club’s round of this great series. I look forward to seeing you there.
Something tells me that this year will go no slower than last, and that before we know it, we will be gathering for a jolly knees up for our Christmas Lunch. So, let’s not wish the year away, and instead fill it with fun memories, interesting learning opportunities and laughter. If you have an idea for an event, a speaker, or simply want to have a chat, please don’t hesitate to suggest your idea to any of your Committee and we will do our best to make it happen!
On a car-related note, but nothing to do with Lotuses, this year I have to finish building the Healey that Giles and I will be driving from Peking to Paris in June next year. We have it almost ready to run, although there is still a great deal of final details we need to finish. If I am slightly hard to catch, it may be because I am either under the Healey in Giles’ garage, or shaking it down! So without further ado, welcome to 2018, and I very much look forward to a tremendous year and to catching up with a lot of you!
In the meantime, keep it safe, upright, and on the blackstuff.
Pip pip,
Ashton
Western Australia Quokka Talk for January, 2018
Images thanks to Eddie Lankhorst & By Marilyn Proctor
Catch up on everything going on in Western Australia over the holiday period and early January, thanks to Eddie Lankhorst’s latest edition of Quokka Talk, including a Boab Tree Meet ‘n Eat recap by Marilyn Proctor.
Recapping the December 2017 Classic Cars & Coffee in Crawley
Images thanks to Les Proctor
Head back to what has to be the last motoring event of 2017 to recap the December Classic Cars & Coffee thanks to this report by Les Proctor.
Lotus-Only Track Day Coming Up This Wednesday at Bathurst
Mark O’Connor in the 2015 Bathurst 12-Hour, thanks to Ashton Roskill
The first Lotus-Only Track Day of 2018 is coming up very quickly and is set for this Wednesday, the 7th of February, at Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst.
The Mount Panorama track day is an awesome opportunity to put your Lotus on the legendary tarmac at Bathurst. It’s particularly significant not just because of the track itself and the history behind it, but the difficulty in organising track time at the circuit, as it’s a public road and only operates as a race track on limited days.
If you’re interested in attending and have not yet booked a place, there should still be a few spots available in the untimed drive group. Contact Simply Sports Cars at info@simplysportscars.com to get involved.
For further details on the day, see the Simply Sports Cars website here, and for more on Lotus-Only Track Days, hit this link.
Lotus-Only Track Days offer fun and relaxed motorsport and an excellent opportunity to stretch your Lotus’ legs and develop your own skills and confidence on the track. Most importantly, they’re a brilliant social day, and we’re very much looking forward to catching up with everyone after the summer break!
Entry Form & Supplementary Regulations Available for CSCA 2018 Round 1
Image thanks to Gino & Mel Valdes
Club Lotus Australia will host the first round of the 2018 CSCA series on Sunday the 11th of March at Wakefield Park. Entry to the event is now open and both the entry form and supplementary regulations are available for download.
The entry form for the event is available as a Google form at the following link:
CSCA Supersprint R1 / 11th of March 2018 – Entry Form
And the supplementary regulations (please download and read them) are available for download at the link below:
CSCA 2018 Round 1 Supplementary Regulations [PDF]
If you have any questions or need a hand with anything, you can reach the team on the motorsport committee at motorsport@clublotus.com.au.
We’re very happy to be kicking off 2018’s motorsport and look forward to catching up with our mates and giving the cars a good run. See you at Wakefield Park on Sunday the 11th of March!
Join Us for the First Drive Day of 2018, to the Lions Club of Gerringong Motor Fest & Car Show
Image thanks to Gino Valdes
The Lions Club of Gerringong’s Motor Fest & Car Show is coming up on Saturday the 17th of February. We’re looking for friends to join us on a run out to the event, as well as a few people to take part in the car show itself.
The event attracts unorthodox, collectable and exotic vehicles to put on show. Entry for participating vehicles is free. A small $5 entry fee will apply for everyone else attending the event. Funds raised will be donated to Childhood Leukaemia.
We thoroughly enjoyed the experience last year and we’re very much looking forward to this year’s event. Read on for the full details, thanks to Ashton.
Thanks to Ashton Roskill
Happy New Year!
The first Club Lotus Australia drive day of 2018 is announced to coincide with the Lions Club of Gerringong Motor Fest & Car Show on Saturday 17th February. We’ve very kindly been provided with 10 spaces, which will be filled on a first-in best-dressed basis. If you’d like to join us, please send me an email at ashton@clublotus.com.au to confirm attendance.
The plan for the day is as follows:
Depart Loftus Oval at 7:15AM for an 8:30AM arrival in Gerringong, in time for the 9AM kick-off of proceedings.
We are organising lunch at a local restaurant for those who wish to join us. Please let us know if you’d like to come along for lunch rather than partaking in burgers on site.
The markets are on in town on the same day, making this a nice drive with some entertainment for the ladies as well, despite the early start.
The Preserve December 2017 Available for Download
‘The Preserve’ is the newsletter of the Council of Motor Clubs. It’s made available to members of CMC-affiliated clubs, and that means you!
The December 2017 edition includes an interesting look back at statistics from Road Safety Advisory Council meetings, a reflection on the local car industry, an article on luxury car tax & asbestos, info about upcoming events and more. We’re even on the cover!
Grab a copy from on our members’ page here.
Club Lotus Australia members can head to the members page here to download your copy. If you’re not a member of the club head here, and take a browse around the website to see why you should be!