Happy Christmas to you and yours from all the CLA Committee, and may I personally wish you a fantastic break and a lovely time with friends and family over the Christmas and New Year.
As we storm towards the CLA Christmas Party and AGM next weekend, it’s worth reflecting on what has been another momentous year in all sorts of ways. And as a reminder, if you would like to join us at the Hydro Majestic on Sunday (10th), tickets are still available for lunch at $75 per head, subsidised by $25 by the Club.
In a subtle change from last year, where COVID ruled our lives, one of the more dominant themes this year has been the extraordinary weather. Our thoughts go to all those who have been impacted by the storms and associated flooding which round three of La Nina has brought, particularly to the east coast; but the rest of Australia has not been immune, as we discovered (the hard way!) on the recent Perth to Sydney Marathon rally. The outback has had a lot of rain, there is a huge amount of vegetation, and the roads and tracks we were on were often very wet!
And as I got the Elan out recently I realised (while filling in the log book) it was the first time since I had registered it back in August that I had driven it.
However, good news is apparently just round the corner. We’ll see if the forecasters have got any better.
By some luck, the Tour of Tasmaina took place in the one fine week we seemed to have had all year. I gather from those who took part that it was a tremendous success, and a huge thank you to all those who joined in the fun. And thank you again to the committee who put in the hard yards to make it happen.
Other than the weather’s impact on our social activity, the motorsport calendar has had a bit of an up-and-down year too, with the tragedy at Targa Tasmania this year, where we lost our close and lovely friend Tony Seymour, the whole tarmac rally calendar was thrown into uncertainty, and then we had the additional bad news that Wakefield Park was closing, possibly permanently, thus robbing us of one of the best small car circuits in the country.
However, despite all the cancelations, changes and challenges, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not a train coming the other way!
Next weekend, acting as a great full stop to the motorsport calendar, we have the HSRCA Summer Festival, and looking at the entry list, it’ll be a fabulous weekend with a load of amazing cars running, and several CLA members out there, so please do come along to Sydney Motorsport Park and say hi. The wild and whacky Historic Sports Sedans are out in force, along with Formula Ford, Group N (the Minis and Lotus Cortinas up against the Mustangs – always a laugh to watch), as well as lots of open wheelers in Formula 5000, and Groups M and O. With whom I will be running the Elite in Group L – I think we’re in garage 25 or thereabouts so come and say hello.
And next year marks the 50th Anniversary of Club Lotus Australia, with our celebrations taking shape for the weekend of June 23rd-25th. Expressions of Interest are now open and if we can’t get the link sorted in time for this edition of Chunky’s, we’ll get a note out with the link shortly.
I was recently reminded that next October is also the 20th Anniversary of Aussie Elises, which also means I will have been living here 20 years too! We’ll see if we can’t make something work either in cahoots with the CLA event, or later in the year perhaps.
As a result of the changes the closure to Wakefield has resulted in, CLA will be picking up the baton from the Morgan Club and running our round of the CSCA series at SMP in August, instead of at Wakefield in March.
So there’s lots to look forward to in 2023, and all that remains for me to say is please do come along to the AGM and Christmas Party if you can, I’d love to see you in person, and failing that, I hope you have a lovely break over Christmas, and, as always, please stay safe, and keep it mainly on the blackstuff.
Pip pip,
Ashton
