Well here we are heading into spring. We have a long weekend in NSW, the clocks have gone forward, and ahead of us we have a load of fun to look forward to in the run to and beyond Christmas – yes, I know, I’ve used the C word – sorry!
I’ll admit to having been a bit distracted from car stuff for the last month. Work has taken its toll, but we did have the excellent All British Day out at the Hawkesbury Showgrounds on a gloriously warm and sunny day, and thank you to all those who came along. We had a rich and varied selection of cars from across 60 years of Lotus.
In unrelated news for most of you, I also took the Pug along to the All French Day the following weekend, and lined up with four others, which appears to be about half of those running on NSW roads (I say running advisedly – there are a few more of course in various states of disrepair, as befits a car of the ’80s). But it was lovely to bump into a few of the fellow Francophile Lotus crew there – Adrian and Peter, thanks for coming to keep me company!
Sadly the Cootamundra Sprints had to be cancelled at the last minute as the organisers were unable to get insurance for the event. This is an increasingly troublesome aspect of motorsport in our increasingly nanny-state world of risk-aversity.
On a brighter note, yesterday a group of us gathered to start the planning for the Lotus 2027 get together. Notes from that meeting will be published on the Members area of the website, but suffice to say, all inputs are welcome, and if you’d like to be involved, it’s definitely not too late and we would welcome your help!
Next weekend we have the second running of the CLA Fish and Chip Run to Berowra Waters. If you are still undecided, the forecast at this stage is for a pleasant day, so please do come along. Last year we had a great showing and a lovely time, so let’s see what we can do to improve on that.
And for those not coming to the F&C run, there is always the Carrs Park Tyre Kick to join in on. Then, the following weekend, we are back at Gough Whitlam Park, and I am hoping to actually make it as I’ve not joined the crew there for a few months.
Before we know it we’ll be into November and the last two motorsport events of our calendar – the Triumph round of the CSCA series at SMSP on the Druitt circuit on Saturday 14th November, followed shortly by the HSRCA Summer Festival which will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend of 27-29 November.
Of course please note in your diaries the AGM and Christmas Lunch, which as has started to be tradition, will both be held together on Sunday 6th December. We are planning to be back at the Royal Automobile Club in Macquarie St unless anyone comes up with a better idea quickly!
As far as comings and goings in the land of Lotus are concerned, our friends at Simply Sports Cars are exploring some alternatives to the sole dealership required by Lotus, and Lotus themselves seem to be revisiting their strategy, with a notable change of direction away from all-electric to at least a hybrid powertrain for the future Esprit, and possibly for the next iteration of the Emira too.
I think that’s about it for another month. Stay safe, have fun, and keep it upright and (mostly) on the blackstuff.
Pip pip,
Ashton
