Hethel lotus test track retro event
Discussion
I've just got back from collecting my car from Central Tvr after a new windscreen,, I can see stuff,,,,, amazing. 
So I'm staying well back,, my cars looking like new almost,, well pleased with it.
Yep fully polished up for this one,, I'm imagining an early start in crisp fresh air and sunny weather and having a lazy cruise to the track,, Hethel, it's iconic, it's going to be fantastic with loads of Lotus around us,, big respect to anyone with a Lotus.
The buzz builds,,,,
So I'm staying well back,, my cars looking like new almost,, well pleased with it.
Yep fully polished up for this one,, I'm imagining an early start in crisp fresh air and sunny weather and having a lazy cruise to the track,, Hethel, it's iconic, it's going to be fantastic with loads of Lotus around us,, big respect to anyone with a Lotus.
The buzz builds,,,,
Just spoke to Alex about next Sunday's event, as I read it was limited to pre-1997 cars and mine is a 99 car.
He said he had allowed a couple of later TVRs through because they were designed around 1990 and anyway he likes TVRs and thinks them interesting.
To cheer up those worrying about track insurance, he says:
1. He is very strict about proper gentlemanly driving standards and abhors the young tosser element and their habit of treating it as a race track. Anyone seen doing the last of the late braker overtakes into a corner will be straight up before the headmaster.
2. He only lets about 15 cars on track at a time, and it is 2.2 miles, so very like Castle Combe in that respect.
3. The track underwent a £3 million facelift in 2013. Gone are the mixed surfaces, it is all 12 metre wide Grand Prix grade Tarmac now. So nice and grippy..
4. He will be inserting a couple of extra hairpin bends near the centre of the track to reduce the risk of anyone leaving the circuit at high speed, whether pursued by a bear or not (it's Shakespeare 400 week), where the barriers are close.
Two more things:
Noise test is 98 db at IDLE static, 105 db drive by. The drive by noise meter is right next to the track on the pit wall, so don't go by it at 6,000 revs and you will be fine.
There are us 7(?) TVRs, an MGB (who let Chilli in?), a classic mini, an Elise and an Elan +2 130, and quite a few more classic cars. So should be a nice mix.
Passengers and extra drivers have to be pre-registered. Just email him if you want to bring any. You can pay CASH for them on the day if you want to add anyone now, but anyone not on the list before the day won't get past Lotus security.
He said he had allowed a couple of later TVRs through because they were designed around 1990 and anyway he likes TVRs and thinks them interesting.
To cheer up those worrying about track insurance, he says:
1. He is very strict about proper gentlemanly driving standards and abhors the young tosser element and their habit of treating it as a race track. Anyone seen doing the last of the late braker overtakes into a corner will be straight up before the headmaster.
2. He only lets about 15 cars on track at a time, and it is 2.2 miles, so very like Castle Combe in that respect.
3. The track underwent a £3 million facelift in 2013. Gone are the mixed surfaces, it is all 12 metre wide Grand Prix grade Tarmac now. So nice and grippy..
4. He will be inserting a couple of extra hairpin bends near the centre of the track to reduce the risk of anyone leaving the circuit at high speed, whether pursued by a bear or not (it's Shakespeare 400 week), where the barriers are close.
Two more things:
Noise test is 98 db at IDLE static, 105 db drive by. The drive by noise meter is right next to the track on the pit wall, so don't go by it at 6,000 revs and you will be fine.
There are us 7(?) TVRs, an MGB (who let Chilli in?), a classic mini, an Elise and an Elan +2 130, and quite a few more classic cars. So should be a nice mix.
Passengers and extra drivers have to be pre-registered. Just email him if you want to bring any. You can pay CASH for them on the day if you want to add anyone now, but anyone not on the list before the day won't get past Lotus security.
Great stuff Qbee, what a joy this is going to be,,,
At Shakey I got stuffed by a Mk1 1600 escort,,, it was lightening fast,
Nothing's what it seems with cars and I'm going to be showing and enjoying great respect to the cars and drivers at this event, I'm going to take it all in in a way I rarely do,,
I'm feeling like I want to respect my car a bit now too, I've ragged it a bit recently and just fancy being easy on it,,, except for those flowing corners that is,,
Role next Sunday
At Shakey I got stuffed by a Mk1 1600 escort,,, it was lightening fast,
Nothing's what it seems with cars and I'm going to be showing and enjoying great respect to the cars and drivers at this event, I'm going to take it all in in a way I rarely do,,
I'm feeling like I want to respect my car a bit now too, I've ragged it a bit recently and just fancy being easy on it,,, except for those flowing corners that is,,
Role next Sunday
I think it's events like these that really appeals as a Tvr owner,, hooning around the lanes with other Tivs is great but to go to an iconic track as this with all the history behind the place and the company that still survives today that thrilled so many people in many race formula and produced cars we all can love and adore from the past and present.
Lotus like Tvr seemed to throw in the face of all the critics and produce dream cars regardless of what state Britian was in at the time,,
Lotus 7,, gave normal blokes the chance to feel something really exciting and countless thousands of people have learnt to race drive cars via those wonderful little machines, the Europa is just a fantastic shape, the Esperit is one of my favour at ever cars,,
Not sure if many will be going around Hethel next week but just being at the same place as all those fab Lotus F1 race cars would have been tested,,, I imagine the engineers knocking something up and Senna going out and testing it,, back in, checking the times and eyes lighting up when one of Chapmans ideas bares fruit, it's just all that emotion and history that surrounds any great car company and this is the place they did all that work,,, I'll kiss the Tarmac if I get the chance,,,
So to take an equally indifferent car to such a place seems like the natural thing to do.
Lotus like Tvr seemed to throw in the face of all the critics and produce dream cars regardless of what state Britian was in at the time,,
Lotus 7,, gave normal blokes the chance to feel something really exciting and countless thousands of people have learnt to race drive cars via those wonderful little machines, the Europa is just a fantastic shape, the Esperit is one of my favour at ever cars,,
Not sure if many will be going around Hethel next week but just being at the same place as all those fab Lotus F1 race cars would have been tested,,, I imagine the engineers knocking something up and Senna going out and testing it,, back in, checking the times and eyes lighting up when one of Chapmans ideas bares fruit, it's just all that emotion and history that surrounds any great car company and this is the place they did all that work,,, I'll kiss the Tarmac if I get the chance,,,
So to take an equally indifferent car to such a place seems like the natural thing to do.
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