I never meant it to be like this...
Discussion
We all buy our Elises/Exiges for different reasons but I reckon most fall into one of a few groups: those that buy because of the car's looks, those that appreicate the car's driving qualities and are looking for a weekend plaything and those that want a track toy.
I bought mine in 2005 to enjoy the lovely roads down here in Devon on sunny days. As a lifelong fan of the Lotus marque (Jim Clarke was a boyhood here of mine) and appreciating Chapman's mantra of adding lightness, then the weekend toy had to be an Elise.
So I bought myself a nice silver S1 and for over two years enjoyed her as I'd intended and with no intention of ever going near a track. The only problem was that I realised that I was never going to get near to playing with the car at its limits (even with my ham fiste driving) on the public road and little by little the 'need' to do just one track day grew. So I joined LOT and did a day at Bedford and very quickly found myself booking another two days at Bedord and then looking around for more events.
It didn't take more than one track day for the 'need' for better suspension edtc to arise and throughout 2008 and early 2009 my car started gobbling some of my hard earned on improvments.
So far so good until I started wondering what it would be like driving in a competetive environment. After much thought and preparation yesterday at the grand age of 51 I finally followed my hero's footsteps and started my motorsport career in a Sprint.
The great thing about Sprinting is that you can compete in a fairly standard road Elise and be competetive so preparation costs aren't high and entry fees etc are also fairly modest (£60 for yesterday). Also wear and tear on the car is not as high as it would be when racing as you're only looking at completing 4/6 'laps' a day.
So on Saturday I trecked from Plymouth up to Suffolk to compete in the LOT CL1 class in the Borough 19 Sprint at Bentwaters Airfield. After a frantic hour spent putting on the sponsors number 'roundel' and applying numbers, getting a timing strut attached and emptying the car of all the junk I'd carried 'just in case' I got to the scrutineering area worried I'd forgotten something important that would prevent me from being able to start. Needn't have worried as the car got nothing more than seemingly a cursory inspection of the under bonnet area and the engine bay, and a quick look at the labels on my overalls and a once over of my helmet and I was passed.
I then wandered off to get a coffee and a bacon butty and realised that cars were starting to gather at the start area!! Fortunately my 'lot' all seemed to be fairly relaxed still soI ambled back to my car just in time to wolf down the butty and coffee and jump in the car and line up for my first practice run.
All too quickly its my turn and nervously I head towards the start 'line' where my car is lined up by three marshalls, two of whom stand behind the car holding it until the off. The light goes from red to green and I'm off! Go, Go, Go (cue the Chain
). Up the straight and there's a sharpish left which I think is a 160 ish degree turn. Wrong!! Its a 90 left, very short straight and another short straight. Get that totally wrong but still moving. Next up is a right which had appeared awkward. Wrong again!! It was a fast right so I'm up from 2nd into 3rd half way through the bend and then onto the straight where the right/left kink is as expected and I sort of get it right but making a mental note of a possible better line. The straight continues and then there's an opening hairpin. Except that as I turn into the hairpin aiming for where I expect the apex to be I notice a coned chicane to my left!! Oh well, its only practice so doesn't matter. Foot down again and off down the back straight of about 1km taking in two right/left/right chicanes before, intact, heart racing and jubilant I cross the line. I may have missed a bit but I can do it.....I'm competing! Did I mention that it was raining and the track was soaked and I was running on 888s in the wet for the first time. The next practise run sees the rain sopped but the track still wet. I try to improve my lines through the bits I'd noted on the first run and slow right down for the bits I got totally wrong to have a good look. Only two seconds slower too so I doubt I'll make a complete fool of myself when everyone starts trying.
Too soon and its time for the first proper run. By now the track is nice and dry and the sun is even poking through. I get a reasonable start, fluff turn 1 but get better on turn 2. Still too slow though - I know I can go faster than this! Turn three (the fast right hander) I start to get the hang of. Foot down now until the harpin and don't forget the chicane on it!! Except as I turn left into the hairpin and look for the gate - bugger I'm going to fast and its further left than I expected. Brake, turn in harder, big slide (full oppo lock), recover, almost stop, through the gat without hitting anything, footdown and go0 like a bat out of hell down the back straight. Never have I felt such urgency when driving a car. For that last km down the final straight I was willing the car forwards, banging the gearchanges through and leaving braking for the chicanes as late as I dared, exiting the second chicane with a dab of oppo and foot to the floor towards the finishing gate. I'd finished my first ever timed Motorsport. Back at the paddock when my class runs are over I check my time: I'm third!!!! Good enough to get a little momento of the day. From there on the exitement continues but it pours with rain again before the second and last runs. The track had dried a bit by the time my class gets its runs but the rain starts again, some possible getting a dryer run than others (I'll stick to that excuse. Certainly I find the track very greasy and can get nowhere near my first competietive run although somone has done well enough to relegate me to fourth.
So I didn't cover myself in glory but I didn't disgrace myself either but most importantly I had a cracking day and can't wait for my next outing.
I bought mine in 2005 to enjoy the lovely roads down here in Devon on sunny days. As a lifelong fan of the Lotus marque (Jim Clarke was a boyhood here of mine) and appreciating Chapman's mantra of adding lightness, then the weekend toy had to be an Elise.
So I bought myself a nice silver S1 and for over two years enjoyed her as I'd intended and with no intention of ever going near a track. The only problem was that I realised that I was never going to get near to playing with the car at its limits (even with my ham fiste driving) on the public road and little by little the 'need' to do just one track day grew. So I joined LOT and did a day at Bedford and very quickly found myself booking another two days at Bedord and then looking around for more events.
It didn't take more than one track day for the 'need' for better suspension edtc to arise and throughout 2008 and early 2009 my car started gobbling some of my hard earned on improvments.
So far so good until I started wondering what it would be like driving in a competetive environment. After much thought and preparation yesterday at the grand age of 51 I finally followed my hero's footsteps and started my motorsport career in a Sprint.
The great thing about Sprinting is that you can compete in a fairly standard road Elise and be competetive so preparation costs aren't high and entry fees etc are also fairly modest (£60 for yesterday). Also wear and tear on the car is not as high as it would be when racing as you're only looking at completing 4/6 'laps' a day.
So on Saturday I trecked from Plymouth up to Suffolk to compete in the LOT CL1 class in the Borough 19 Sprint at Bentwaters Airfield. After a frantic hour spent putting on the sponsors number 'roundel' and applying numbers, getting a timing strut attached and emptying the car of all the junk I'd carried 'just in case' I got to the scrutineering area worried I'd forgotten something important that would prevent me from being able to start. Needn't have worried as the car got nothing more than seemingly a cursory inspection of the under bonnet area and the engine bay, and a quick look at the labels on my overalls and a once over of my helmet and I was passed.
I then wandered off to get a coffee and a bacon butty and realised that cars were starting to gather at the start area!! Fortunately my 'lot' all seemed to be fairly relaxed still soI ambled back to my car just in time to wolf down the butty and coffee and jump in the car and line up for my first practice run.
All too quickly its my turn and nervously I head towards the start 'line' where my car is lined up by three marshalls, two of whom stand behind the car holding it until the off. The light goes from red to green and I'm off! Go, Go, Go (cue the Chain
). Up the straight and there's a sharpish left which I think is a 160 ish degree turn. Wrong!! Its a 90 left, very short straight and another short straight. Get that totally wrong but still moving. Next up is a right which had appeared awkward. Wrong again!! It was a fast right so I'm up from 2nd into 3rd half way through the bend and then onto the straight where the right/left kink is as expected and I sort of get it right but making a mental note of a possible better line. The straight continues and then there's an opening hairpin. Except that as I turn into the hairpin aiming for where I expect the apex to be I notice a coned chicane to my left!! Oh well, its only practice so doesn't matter. Foot down again and off down the back straight of about 1km taking in two right/left/right chicanes before, intact, heart racing and jubilant I cross the line. I may have missed a bit but I can do it.....I'm competing! Did I mention that it was raining and the track was soaked and I was running on 888s in the wet for the first time. The next practise run sees the rain sopped but the track still wet. I try to improve my lines through the bits I'd noted on the first run and slow right down for the bits I got totally wrong to have a good look. Only two seconds slower too so I doubt I'll make a complete fool of myself when everyone starts trying. Too soon and its time for the first proper run. By now the track is nice and dry and the sun is even poking through. I get a reasonable start, fluff turn 1 but get better on turn 2. Still too slow though - I know I can go faster than this! Turn three (the fast right hander) I start to get the hang of. Foot down now until the harpin and don't forget the chicane on it!! Except as I turn left into the hairpin and look for the gate - bugger I'm going to fast and its further left than I expected. Brake, turn in harder, big slide (full oppo lock), recover, almost stop, through the gat without hitting anything, footdown and go0 like a bat out of hell down the back straight. Never have I felt such urgency when driving a car. For that last km down the final straight I was willing the car forwards, banging the gearchanges through and leaving braking for the chicanes as late as I dared, exiting the second chicane with a dab of oppo and foot to the floor towards the finishing gate. I'd finished my first ever timed Motorsport. Back at the paddock when my class runs are over I check my time: I'm third!!!! Good enough to get a little momento of the day. From there on the exitement continues but it pours with rain again before the second and last runs. The track had dried a bit by the time my class gets its runs but the rain starts again, some possible getting a dryer run than others (I'll stick to that excuse. Certainly I find the track very greasy and can get nowhere near my first competietive run although somone has done well enough to relegate me to fourth.
So I didn't cover myself in glory but I didn't disgrace myself either but most importantly I had a cracking day and can't wait for my next outing.
Edited by TIPPER on Tuesday 19th May 00:42
Edited by TIPPER on Tuesday 19th May 00:42
Thanks Tipper,
I have the latter from karting days, suit - does this need to be fireproof?
Sounds like a lot of fun!
I have the latter from karting days, suit - does this need to be fireproof?
Sounds like a lot of fun!
TIPPER said:
Hi Stu. No need for any safety mods to the standard Elise although harnesses are a good idea to hold you in your seat.
For yourself you just need a Proban race suit (about £100) and a helmet.
For yourself you just need a Proban race suit (about £100) and a helmet.
Edited by TIPPER on Tuesday 19th May 09:49
Edited by TIPPER on Tuesday 19th May 09:50
Helmet should be fine - Sparco formula motorsport spec etc.
Thanks for the advice now going see if they do this sort stuff in Europe too!
Good luck with future sprints, I might do some in the UK later on in the year then
Cheers
Thanks for the advice now going see if they do this sort stuff in Europe too!
Good luck with future sprints, I might do some in the UK later on in the year then
Cheers
TIPPER said:
Afraid so Stu - Proban suits are treated cotton and fireproof and helmets must meet current MSA regs. I'm not sure karting stuff is up to spec. If you've not got a copy of the MSA blue book you can find it on their website.
theturbs said:
Well done to the OP.
Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Can't answer that I'm afraid. I'm a bit too new at all this lark.Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Gooby, I'd love to go racing but realistically I can't see it happening (money, kids, lack of time etc, etc)............on the other hand....maybe. One day!
TIPPER said:
theturbs said:
Well done to the OP.
Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Can't answer that I'm afraid. I'm a bit too new at all this lark.Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Gooby, I'd love to go racing but realistically I can't see it happening (money, kids, lack of time etc, etc)............on the other hand....maybe. One day!
Gooby said:
TIPPER said:
theturbs said:
Well done to the OP.
Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Can't answer that I'm afraid. I'm a bit too new at all this lark.Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Gooby, I'd love to go racing but realistically I can't see it happening (money, kids, lack of time etc, etc)............on the other hand....maybe. One day!
Maybe racing a car would be a simpler option!! Even Sprinting gets a fair bit of adrelenin flowing so it serves its purpose. Very frustrating too though as you know you can go faster , if only you can remember the track (my memory is notoriously poor)- I need to find a way to speed learn courses or start thinking a bit more on the day. I'd got the course and lines visualised by the time I got home
theturbs said:
Well done to the OP.
Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Sprint license is different, it's a National B Non-Race which can, with signatures be upgraded to a National A or International "Speed" license but there's no point unless you're geeting really serious as you can do all sprints with a Nat B. If you have a race license the CoC signature is not equivalent to one from a race meeting so isn't a shortcut to an upgrade Out of interest, does one obtain licence signatures at sprint events in the same way as at circuit races? If so, are the signatures considered to be equivalent or are they distinguishable in some way?
Gooby said:
seems like the top of a slippery slope...
It is. Soon Tipper will realise he wants to be barreling into the first corner surrounded by other cars and it's all downhill from there 
/VOE
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