Images by Jon Gorman.
We all aspire to do more with our Lotus. Whether attending more local car shows, taking part in weekend drives, European adventures, track days or even competitive motorsport events, I’m sure we all know that feeling of waking up early on a weekend morning with the temptation to stay at home distracting you from the breakfast meeting you promised yourself you would attend during the week. Then, there are those events that sound extra enticing, perhaps something you’ve never been in a position to do, or even considered doing - a track-based event or tuition day possibly. These types of events in particular sometimes require extra persuasion and as someone who enjoys organising events for club members, we do our best to make them as enticing as possible and also to answer any questions you may have about an event.
As the saying goes: “Don't let yourself make excuses for not doing the things you want to do.”
Track-based events (not just track days) are often the ones we are most cautious or unsure about attending and for a fair reason. These events by nature carry greater risk than your local car show and are more expensive. There are plenty of track-based events which offer a compromise, though, and in this article, I hope to not just report on the event which took place in July at Hethel, but also to convince some of you to give it a go!
Firstly though, I’d like to start by looking back at the club’s rich history of Sprinting. You’ve only got to browse the archives of Chicane to realise just how much this was a cornerstone of club activities throughout the 80s and late 90s. Sprint weekends often took place at Wellesbourne Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon with several different classes on offer for Lotus (Standard Elans, +2 Elans, Sevens, modified Lotus, competition Lotus and more), a top-ten run-off along with an auto jumble and refreshments.
Eunice Collett (Competitions Secretary at the time) attended the September 1987 Sprint at Wellesbourne reporting in Chicane that:
“A larger than usual entry of 120 cars meant that Laurie and Jon would have their time cut out keeping the timing working and the commentary flowing. There was an extra class in September as the Westfield Sportscar Club were invited and I have it on authority that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and they hope to be back next year. It was thankfully a day of little incident apart from Neil Terry’s Burlington Arrow which tried to do the course ‘three wheeler’ style, not too easy around the circle!”
Although these Sprint and Slalom events seemingly disappeared from the club calendar by the beginning of the new millennium, a new annual event was to be formed - an Introduction to Sprinting. Taking place for the first time in July 1997, the event was held at the Curborough Sprint Course near Lichfield where it has remained an annual event for over 25 years, sometimes taking place several times a year.
The event aimed to allow drivers to experience the discipline of sprinting and, for many, this also acted as an introduction to track driving. The controlled environment meant that drivers could hone their skills on track whilst having the confidence to push their car as far as they were comfortable, importantly, with no one else on the circuit.
Also in 1997, the Lotus Drivers Club co-organised, with the help of members of the Lotus Motor Club, its first Hethel sprint event within months of being officially recognised by the RAC Motor Sports Association. Not only that, but it was the first such event of its kind to be held on the test track, and Romano Artioli welcomed it.
In Chicane issue 56, Peter McFadyen commented:
“By the day before the event, the Lotus boys had cleared the paddock area of what they casually refer to as ‘product’ - to you and me, dozens of mouth-wateringly beautiful factory-fresh Elises and Esprits (every one of which is track tested prior to delivery to their proud new owners) - reinforced some of the tyre barriers and laid out hundreds of traffic cones roughly in position to form the four chicanes at various points on the course.”
It’s therefore quite fitting that 27 years later, once again with the support of representatives from Lotus and the help of members of the Lotus Motor Club, the club’s annual Introduction to Sprinting event headed back to Hethel - the spiritual backyard of Lotus Sports Cars.
On Saturday 13 July, 2024, 25 drivers and passengers embarked on a trip to Hethel. This number worked out nicely as 18 cars, due to participants having the option to book second drivers - an encouraged and popular choice by many as you can see from the entry list. Despite a damp start to the morning and looming grey clouds, it was obvious that excitement levels were high, along with some understandable nerves.
The idea of this event remains the same as it has for 25 years - providing members with an opportunity to experience the fundamentals of track driving and an introduction to the art of sprinting. This year, we were fortunate enough to have the helpful guidance of Jon Sharp - former Chairman of the Lotus Motor Club. Jon was reassuring and knowledgeable on both aspects of sprinting and safely navigating Hethel’s test track.
Whilst the necessary paperwork filling and coffee drinking took place, Jon provided an overview of the day. This would see drivers practising the technical and twisty south circuit in the morning and following lunch in the Lotus restaurant, honing their skills further on what was to be a drying full circuit layout in the afternoon.
Before the runs began, each driver completed several sighting laps behind the circuit vehicle in two groups. These laps ensured that every driver, including second drivers, understood the basic layout of the circuit and their route to the pits after completing each run. Sprinting, unlike other forms of racing or track driving, often has a circuit layout where the timing beam is cut and cars return to the pits before the end of a complete lap. The morning session around the south circuit was completed by doing 1 ¾ laps before returning to the pit lane, and the afternoon was essentially ¾ of the full circuit. Both of these layouts are used and recognised as official sprint courses, therefore ideal for anyone wishing to participate in competitive sprinting events.
The morning session was completed with only one late-on minor incident into the kitty litter before everyone retired to the Lotus restaurant to enjoy a cold buffet-style lunch. This break gave everyone the perfect opportunity to talk about the morning runs, compare notes and also time to interact with the circuit marshalls and track team without whose help the event would have been impossible.
By the afternoon the sun started to break through the clouds and everyone was noticeably more confident. Although no official timing was being conducted, drivers were encouraged to treat their laps as though they were being timed. Arriving at the first heavy braking zone with cold brakes and tyres takes some getting used to but is something that competitive sprinters must learn to adapt and deal with.
I hope that everyone enjoys the images that were captured by Jon Gorman and Stephanie Ewen and a special mention of appreciation must also be given to Stewart Croucher and Jamie Hopper at Lotus for setting up the event with the club and for allowing us special access to photograph the day and to share these moments with everyone.
If you would like to join us at Hethel in 2025, please keep an eye on the club website towards the end of the year for more details and how to book.
Entry List: