Lotus racing experience
Discussion
A few of the racers post on here I believe, but the Lotus on Track Racing Drivers Club which runs the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK series has its own forum which would be a good starting point.
http://www.lotrdc.com/forum/
http://www.lotrdc.com/forum/
I started racing in the Elise Trophy this year. Never raced before and only got into trackdays last year. Did a bit of sprinting/hillclimbs the year before, but that's all. Bought an ex-ET car last year, ready (almost) to race.
Thoroughly enjoying it and just wish I had more funds to do more races.
LoTRDC events I have been to have been well organised, they are very helpful, drivers I have shared garages with (and their families/teams) have been really friendly. Good driving so far and good circuits.
I only have a limited knowledge but have fresh experience as a novice. What information are you after?
Thoroughly enjoying it and just wish I had more funds to do more races.
LoTRDC events I have been to have been well organised, they are very helpful, drivers I have shared garages with (and their families/teams) have been really friendly. Good driving so far and good circuits.
I only have a limited knowledge but have fresh experience as a novice. What information are you after?
LBduck said:
Wondering what length races you have?
Off the top of my head Elise Trophy races tend to be about 20 minutes, with 2 races per event. Lotus Cup UK is 60-90 minute races with a mandatory pit stop.They also do a Brands Hatch Indy endurance race at the end of the season which this year is a 6 hour race.
Sorry been away/out.
As Thorburn said Elise Trophy is 20min quali and two 20min races usually on same day (except Brands Dtm weekend and Brands Lotus Festival weekend).
I'm not best placed to discuss chequebook and what front runners get up to as I'm new and have small budget.
I am still on first set of tyres (Avon ZZR) and have done 3 trackdays, 2 test days and 2 race days on them. I have a fresh/newer set used once for wet quali session. I'm sure front runners will have many sets and they all seem to have race teams/companies looking after the cars and themselves - some have race coaches (instructors, not 50 seaters!).
I go with my brother in law (mechanic) and my son with all kit in back of estate car/trailer.
I have finished mid/just below mid so far.
Guess it depends if you're experienced and aiming for podium straight off. I only did first proper trackday last year so I'm experience building and having fun. Sure I'm competitive and want to do better but can't run to tuition and teams of mechanics at the moment.
I think ET caters for a wide range of abilities and budgets and you battle competitively with the cars around you on the day.
Hoping to learn from the front runners and pick up stuff on the way.
Don't know if any of that helps??
As Thorburn said Elise Trophy is 20min quali and two 20min races usually on same day (except Brands Dtm weekend and Brands Lotus Festival weekend).
I'm not best placed to discuss chequebook and what front runners get up to as I'm new and have small budget.
I am still on first set of tyres (Avon ZZR) and have done 3 trackdays, 2 test days and 2 race days on them. I have a fresh/newer set used once for wet quali session. I'm sure front runners will have many sets and they all seem to have race teams/companies looking after the cars and themselves - some have race coaches (instructors, not 50 seaters!).
I go with my brother in law (mechanic) and my son with all kit in back of estate car/trailer.
I have finished mid/just below mid so far.
Guess it depends if you're experienced and aiming for podium straight off. I only did first proper trackday last year so I'm experience building and having fun. Sure I'm competitive and want to do better but can't run to tuition and teams of mechanics at the moment.
I think ET caters for a wide range of abilities and budgets and you battle competitively with the cars around you on the day.
Hoping to learn from the front runners and pick up stuff on the way.
Don't know if any of that helps??
Ive been racing with Elise Trophy since 2009. I started at the end of the season and have done half seasons since.
Costs vary. Some drivers are spending a lot of wedge some are not. Some maintain their cars themselves some pay someone to do it for them.
I'm not going to tell you how to cheat, and if thats your intention prior to entry Id dissuade you from joining in. It might not be the series for you. Im certain you could do it, but outright braking of the rules to gain a competitive advantage is a bit silly in club motorsport and IMO and other drivers will frown on it - if your caught there are penalties. Pushing the boundaries is ok, but that way is generally expensive. The way to legally do well is to build or buy a competitive car, and learn to drive quickly and safely. Use coaching and practice practice practice.
To give you an idea of figures, some members of the grid have very small budgets, one of the better drivers uses his car to drive to work and race. I think he's quoted about 750 a round including entry fees as running costs. At the other end of the scale, I hear there are drivers spending over 100k. But I suspect the average is in the low 10's of thousands per year all in. It does of course also depend on how often you are in the barrier, which tends to be directly related to driver skill.
You can buy race cars for 13k rising to 40k. You can prep a car, or have someone do it.
Having said all that, its a great series to be involved with, and as said above there are battles throughout the grid. The atmosphere is good and in general the driving is ok. Its possible to get onto the podium with skill and ability. I have loved been involved with the series and am really looking forward to some more racing this year. Driving an Elise at the limit inches from other cars competitively is addictive and tremendous fun - I wish I had the budget to do more.
Costs vary. Some drivers are spending a lot of wedge some are not. Some maintain their cars themselves some pay someone to do it for them.
I'm not going to tell you how to cheat, and if thats your intention prior to entry Id dissuade you from joining in. It might not be the series for you. Im certain you could do it, but outright braking of the rules to gain a competitive advantage is a bit silly in club motorsport and IMO and other drivers will frown on it - if your caught there are penalties. Pushing the boundaries is ok, but that way is generally expensive. The way to legally do well is to build or buy a competitive car, and learn to drive quickly and safely. Use coaching and practice practice practice.
To give you an idea of figures, some members of the grid have very small budgets, one of the better drivers uses his car to drive to work and race. I think he's quoted about 750 a round including entry fees as running costs. At the other end of the scale, I hear there are drivers spending over 100k. But I suspect the average is in the low 10's of thousands per year all in. It does of course also depend on how often you are in the barrier, which tends to be directly related to driver skill.
You can buy race cars for 13k rising to 40k. You can prep a car, or have someone do it.
Having said all that, its a great series to be involved with, and as said above there are battles throughout the grid. The atmosphere is good and in general the driving is ok. Its possible to get onto the podium with skill and ability. I have loved been involved with the series and am really looking forward to some more racing this year. Driving an Elise at the limit inches from other cars competitively is addictive and tremendous fun - I wish I had the budget to do more.
I too have thought about racing my elise but the thing that puts me off is the likelyhood of stuffing the car into something solid and the un-repairability of the tub. How real is that risk? How crashable is the Elise? Obviously you try to avoid crashing but I havent been to a club racing meeting where at least one person hasnt stuffed his car into something
I too have thought about racing my elise but the thing that puts me off is the likelyhood of stuffing the car into something solid and the un-repairability of the tub. How real is that risk? How crashable is the Elise? Obviously you try to avoid crashing but I havent been to a club racing meeting where at least one person hasnt stuffed his car into something
bordseye said:
I too have thought about racing my elise but the thing that puts me off is the likelyhood of stuffing the car into something solid and the un-repairability of the tub. How real is that risk? How crashable is the Elise? Obviously you try to avoid crashing but I havent been to a club racing meeting where at least one person hasnt stuffed his car into something
as you have already realised, it's a risk...to trash the tub usually means you have hit one of the front wheels at a bad angle and ripped the hard-points out the chassis - game over (although some have seen fit to repair them)
reality is if you have the usual racing knocks, it's not such a big deal, you can hit the cars pretty hard at the back, and fix them easy enough (aside the money), and if you go head on into something that's also not such a big problem, only real tub weakness is the front hardpoints.
all that said, unless you can afford to write your car off, don't race it.
also, even if you have zero race incidents, the car will slowly get trashed from stone damage etc, it becomes an annual (or more often) job to re-patch the clams and re-paint.
Basically, it's nothing like trackdays
haydj said:
I'm not going to tell you how to cheat, and if thats your intention prior to entry Id dissuade you from joining in. It might not be the series for you. Im certain you could do it, but outright braking of the rules to gain a competitive advantage is a bit silly in club motorsport and IMO and other drivers will frown on it - if your caught there are penalties. Pushing the boundaries is ok, but that way is generally expensive. The way to legally do well is to build or buy a competitive car, and learn to drive quickly and safely. Use coaching and practice practice practice.
Cheating? Who said anything about cheating? Trust you read my question wrong...My experience is that there is always a group of people that race in these series that are dead keen on winning the series. They haven't worked out how far down the pecking order they are and therefore try to drive tractors through loop holes in the rule set to gain an advantage. A good example is in one Porsche series number of new tyres if free. Most have one set over two weekends, or st most one set per weekend. Then one lad has three sets per weekend - stupid.
I ask the question as I think it's always a sign of a healthy championship. I'm looking in to joining a series to get a little more seat time in preparation for another series and have no intention of wasting my time playing silly buggers with a bunch idiots.
Thanks for the comments all. What attracted me was the longer event in August (I think?) but the sprint style may not exactly suit. Might be looking for a drive in the longer event though.
LBduck said:
haydj said:
I'm not going to tell you how to cheat, and if thats your intention prior to entry Id dissuade you from joining in. It might not be the series for you. Im certain you could do it, but outright braking of the rules to gain a competitive advantage is a bit silly in club motorsport and IMO and other drivers will frown on it - if your caught there are penalties. Pushing the boundaries is ok, but that way is generally expensive. The way to legally do well is to build or buy a competitive car, and learn to drive quickly and safely. Use coaching and practice practice practice.
Cheating? Who said anything about cheating? Trust you read my question wrong...My experience is that there is always a group of people that race in these series that are dead keen on winning the series. They haven't worked out how far down the pecking order they are and therefore try to drive tractors through loop holes in the rule set to gain an advantage. A good example is in one Porsche series number of new tyres if free. Most have one set over two weekends, or st most one set per weekend. Then one lad has three sets per weekend - stupid.
I ask the question as I think it's always a sign of a healthy championship. I'm looking in to joining a series to get a little more seat time in preparation for another series and have no intention of wasting my time playing silly buggers with a bunch idiots.
Thanks for the comments all. What attracted me was the longer event in August (I think?) but the sprint style may not exactly suit. Might be looking for a drive in the longer event though.
Ex77
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