Lotus Seven Club membership

[Chris71]

I meant to join the Lotus Seven Club back when I was searching for a car, but never got round to it. Now thinking about doing so. Do you reckon it's worth it?

By the way, anyone from the Herts section (formerly at Panshanger) here? Has that been resurrected in a new location now?

[Shaun_E]

IMO yes it is. For me there are 3 main reasons
1) Sprint/Hillclimb series which I have competed in for 4 years
2) Blatchat - specifically TechTalk - if you want technical help then this is still the best Caterham resource. Only a few of us pop over here to help you non-members out
3) Club events (including track days)

[DougBaker]

It costs less than a good night out, for that you get regular pictures of sevens through the post with some interesting articles. There is also the potential to save some money on insurance and the club events are good value.

What is not to like

[7 Sevens]

Just got my renewal through, £41 by direct debit or £44 debit card/chq.

As others have said I find Blatchat very handy to get a quick response on something, Low Flying the Club mag is worth a quick read (my 3yr old likes the pictures) and its handy for finding other owners for Blats or track days.

[Chris71]

I've never been much of a 'car club' type person for purely social stuff, but when it comes to actually getting out and driving them I'm in. As long as it's fairly active on track days and the like I think I'll invest. If nothing else, I can probably get the membership back on insurance reductions with the company I'm looking at.

[Dave J]

Membership of the Lotus Seven Club gives you access to:
Low Flying - The monthly magazine for all Lotus Seven and Caterham Seven enthusiasts
Over 2500 people who own or appreciate sevens. These people have a wealth of information that will help you enjoy your Seven fully.
Club organised events, both social and sporting
Discounts with several companies
Subscriptions:

Membership Type Annual Subscription
UK £44.00 (£41 if paying by direct debit)
Overseas £44.00

To join, download this application form (and direct debit form if you wish to pay this way) and send it to Sam our Membership Secretary at:

Sam Pearce
Membership Secretary
Lotus Seven Club
PO Box 7
ABERGAVENNY
NP7 5WQ

Tel: [phone]

[ewenm]

I let my L7CGB membership lapse as I just don't have the time to get to any of the local meetings and the discount on my insurance was less than the annual membership anyway. If I wasn't so busy in the evenings and weekends I might consider rejoining.

Edit: The best 7ing experience I've had in the 10 years of ownership was the USA2005 tour that was organised through the Tour7 list on www.se7ens.net - free email lists to join (but avoid Cam7 unless you have loads of time!).

Edited by ewenm on Wednesday 27th January 16:08

[Yellow 7]

I was a member for many years - was even Area Organiser for quite a few. The light was burning very brightly back then.

Now there are other interests - I still use the 7 but less so and rarely go to meets.
Perhaps oddly I still regularly check on Blatchat but can't post which saves time;-)
Reading some of my old posts is quite nostalgic too.

I'd say go for it. It's not much in the scheme of things and is a great resource and when you are mad keen you need all the mags, club events, meets etc you can get.

[MoPho]

I would have liked to participate on the forum, but being that I am overseas, the club really has nothing to offer me and $70+USD is very steep just to chat (shouldn't have to pay anything for that)

[Chris71]

MoPho said:

$70+USD is very steep just to chat (shouldn't have to pay anything for that)

Yep, even the UK rates do strike me as somewhat steep. It may well be worth it though. I guess there's only one way to find out...

[fergus]

Chris71 said:

Yep, even the UK rates do strike me as somewhat steep. It may well be worth it though. I guess there's only one way to find out...

Chris, although it's not a lot in outright cash terms, you need to ask what *you* would gain from being a club member? How often do you drive with other people? As soon as you begin a 'spirited' drive (which may be very spitited in a 7), there is a chance that you could be charged with 'competing on the public highway' by plod whilst in 'pressing-on' mode .

• Personally* when driving quickly, I prefer to be solely responsible for myself, and go at my own pace, with no external factors being bought into play. You've clearly got your own preferences here as well. A few years of riding like a loon in small groups has taught me the downsides of being in a group which is going significantly faster than most of the other traffic!

If you're not into the social side of 'car clubs' (and their cliques, etc), then that just leaves the mag!

[Chris71]

fergus said:

If you're not into the social side of 'car clubs' (and their cliques, etc), then that just leaves the mag!

Well I'm not into club dinners, social outings and that sort of thing, but if it involves driving I could be tempted. I do take the point about the groups though - I think having one or two people along can be good fun if you're sensible, but a big group is likely to be more hassle than its worth.

For me (being a young'un) the decider could be the insurance discount it'll generate. If it's more than the cost of membership I'm in.

[NuisanceFactor]

Chris71 said:

For me (being a young'un) the decider could be the insurance discount it'll generate. If it's more than the cost of membership I'm in.

...and if it isn't, it's reducing the cost of membership, win/win.

[DougBaker]

I have never done any of the social events with the club, but still believe it is worthwhile.

I have done a few of the track days, where it is good to be surrounded by other sevens rather than large heavy things. You can get something similar from Lotus on Track

The Lotus Seven Dunsfold days are also very good value.

I do deliberately avoid driving with other cars as I want to choose my own speed rather than feeling I need to keep up.

[Matt W]

Chris, do it and then join in the fun in the sprint/hillclimb championship. It would be good to have another ex-Roadsport A car to compete against

[Chris71]

Matt W said:

Chris, do it and then join in the fun in the sprint/hillclimb championship. It would be good to have another ex-Roadsport A car to compete against

I might even take you up on that. One of the reasons I swapped my previous toy for something more track-focused is I quite fancied having a go at sprinting. No trailer though, so I'd only do ones in the South East!

[Shaun_E]

No trailer here either and I've done Anglesey, Aintree, Harewood, Loton. I'm in the South East as well.

[Irish]

DougBaker said:

for that you get regular pictures of sevens through the post with some interesting articles.

What is not to like

It is a pity you can't see the pictures on blatchat!

Well worth the money (if you can ignore the petty bickering).

Edited by Irish on Friday 29th January 13:02

[Chris71]

What do you need to compete in the club sprint championship (as a minimum)?

I presume it's the usual certified helmet and race suit, non-race national B and an ignition cut sticker?

[Shaun_E]

For the car you need an FIA rollbar with petty strut (or cage), a timing strut, yellow tape on the earth lead and a label to show ignition off.
For your protection a suitable helmet, fire resistant race suit and gloves (gloves new for this year) all to the standards described in the blue book.
You will need a non-race National B licence from the MSA
2010 Blue Book here: http://www.msauk.org/site/cms/contentviewarticle.a...
Sprint Section: http://www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/msa_forms/blueb...
Safety Section: http://www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/msa_forms/blueb...
2010 Club rounds here: http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=179470#1550387
2009 regs here: http://www.lotussevenclub.com/Portals/0/documents/...
2010 regs should be out shortly.