This just in:

May the Lotus Notes be with you! The May edition of our monthly missive has been deftly assembled and is now ready to be delivered to you over on the ‘Members‘ page.

This month’s features include:

• Move Away from the PayPal button…
• Lotus Club Queensland April Club Meeting at Euromarque
• Tasmania Lotus Talk: Longford Revival
• MSCA Round Three – Haunted Hills
• Morgan Park Sprints – Round 1

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Head to the ‘Members’ page here to download your copy.

The newsletter is a membership benefit of Club Lotus Australia, and will as such require you to be logged in to your members account. And if you’re not a member yet, what’s up? Hit this link to find out more about the club and why you should become one!

Bonjour tout le monde!

I’m writing this from our hotel in Grasse, having spent today driving the Monaco Grand Prix circuit followed by some VERY wiggly roads out at the back of Monaco and Nice, en route to Paul de Vence for a spot of culture vulturing. So apologies that I am not fully up to speed with goings on in Australia, but internet connections are a bit intermittent!

I gather however that a thoroughly good time was had at the General Meeting on Tuesday last at Simply Sports Cars, including an unexpected and, by the sounds of it, thoroughly fascinating speech by Jim Smith, ex-Lotus Indy team mechanic and now Bondi resident, who PJ happened to meet at Westfield Bondi – the things that happen, eh?! So Jim is now fully inducted into the Club scene, including an introduction to Ron Tauranac, which I gather went well. A huge thanks as always to Lee, Stu, PJ and all at SSC for a fantastic evening.

And on the subject I also gather the latest SSC Lotus Only Track Day went off with much fun had by all, so a grateful thanks to all the team and particularly Mark O’Connor who puts so much into organising these days. I’m just sorry I missed it but don’t expect much sympathy given where I am.

While I’m over this side of the world I’ve been lucky to be introduced to Eddie Hopkins of Riversdale Restorations who is a complete Lotus nut. He has restored his two Elevens, two Elites, an S1 Seven with Eleven rear – the only one built that way – his Europa, Elan Sprint, and Elan +2 he’s owned since he was 19, and still has time to build Eleven replicas for clients – quite the man to know. I also dropped in on Mike Brotherwood who was very happy to chat all things aluminium over a cuppa. On our return to the UK I have a day up at Hethel, meeting Vic Thomas, the Eleven Registrar, for a coffee and popping into Classic Team Lotus too, so that’s still to look forward to.

Shame I can’t be here all of May to take in so many other events, including the 50th anniversary of Jim Clark’s most successful year up at Duns. Hey ho, better go and have another glass of wine and find some more food to eat – just as well I bought the Porsche – I’m not sure I’ll fit in the Elise or Elan when I get back.

Have fun without me and I look forward to catching up with all the news at the May General Meeting, by which time we will be back.

In the meantime have fun and keep it safe, upright and on the blackstuff!

Pip pip,
Ashton

Prepare for the weekend by enjoying a few minutes with the April edition of Lotus Notes, thanks to our hardworking newsletter crew.

This month’s features include:

• Special Guest at LOTUS 2015 Announced!
• Auto Avenue Display at the Australian Grand Prix
• DTC Brings the Usual Suspects and a Few Laughs
• Lotus at the Phillip Island Classic
• A Lotus Love Affair

And a whole lot more!

The newsletter is a membership benefit of Club Lotus Australia, and will as such require you to be logged in to your members account. Download it from our ‘Members‘ page.

If you’re not a member yet, hit this link to find out more about the club and why you should become one!

Well if yesterday’s CLA CSCA sprint didn’t cap off a fun month then nothing could have!

A million thanks to Mike for the impeccable organisation and running of the day as well as to all the participants who also volunteered (or perhaps more accurately were volunteered!) to Marshall throughout the day. All willingly shared the workload seamlessly and with good humour – it was a fantastic day of Motorsport, with the usual and important social element – thank you all! And there were a few PBs too, which goes to show what a fine day it was.

Earlier in the month a group of hardy souls came along to the General Meeting held in my shed – well done to all for not knocking yourselves out on the hoist – did someone say OH&S? Oh, and thank you to the jokers who hid empty drink cans around the place 🙂 I think I’ve found them all…

Next month’s GM is at Simply Sports Cars (and I’m willing to bet you won’t dare hide any empties in their beautiful workshops!) so make sure to put it in the diary – Tuesday 14th April at 17 Hotham Parade.

Sadly I will miss this as Mrs R and I are going to the UK and Europe for April to help my father celebrate his milestone 80th birthday with a family party and tour. Sadly I was banned from buying another Lotus for the trip around France and Italy so I’m having to admit I’ve gone to the dark side and got a Boxster – at least it’ll buy some p&q from the passenger seat.

So I will also miss the next Lotus Only Track Day organised by SSC at Wakefield on Saturday 18th April – if you haven’t joined in the fun of having 60 Lotuses in one place you owe it to yourself to do so. Other dates for the diary are July 3rd at Wakfield and November 21st at Winton – I hope to see lots of you at those two.

And while thinking that far ahead, if you haven’t yet booked into the Lotus 2015 Nationals event, go to www.lotus2015.com right now and register and pay your first instalment – and if you still need accommodation the details of the Barossa Motor Lodge, where there are still some rooms, are there on the website too – just make sure you mention you are with Lotus 2015 otherwise you’ll be told they are full!

Right that’s me done with nagging – have a great month in my absence and I look forward to hearing all about it in May. Meantime take care, have fun and keep right side up and on the black stuff!

Pip pip,
Ashton

Due to the cancellation of Top Gear, the ARDC have decided to put on a private practice day on Friday the 17th of April, 2015.

Sessions for L2S CAMS licenses will be provided along with sessions for faster groups to suit the cars that turn up on the day. It looks like a brilliant opportunity to enjoy the cool Autumn air and get the Lotus out for a nice high speed run!

Garages and carports are free and will be allocated on a first in best dressed basis. All you need to do to get involved is turn up and book in on the day in suite 9 from 7am. Gates open at 6am. A minimum PC CAMS licence or higher competition licence is required for cars.

More information can be found on the ARDC’s private practice page here.

Come along, tell your friends and let’s make use of the track time recent events have freed up!

Hot on the heels of the SSC Donut King Exige success at Mt Panorama, comes news that Andrew Stevens has won his class at the annual Mt Alma Mile Hillclimb in the Inman Valley, South Australia.

The 1.6km Hillclimb soars up the steep Fleurieu Peninsula hillside before opening out into a series of high speed swoops, and attracts a huge variety of cars. Last year’s trophy resides at the McLaren factory courtesy of Rob Black’s time in his MP-12C.

Provisional results have Andrew Steven’s 2004 Elise quickest Under 2L Road Registered and 3rd overall in the Road Registered category behind a couple of big capacity vehicles, on a climb that rewards horsepower and bites if you get it wrong.

Andrew’s standard K Series powered car is driven to and from events, and his efforts show just how capable our cars are. While he lost time in the run to the 1st corner and the steep climb that follows, he blitzed the high speed section taking as much as 4 seconds off the opposition. Taking the 1st corner flat, might not be as quick as The Chase, but nor does it have the runoff area!

Andrew’s looking forward to seeing you all at Lotus2015.

Photos courtesy Ashley Trott and Andrew Stevens