Club member track days
Enjoy driving your Lotus sports car on the track with friends.
So often when people are searching for ‘Sports Cars under $150K’ they are looking at what models and specs are available from different manufacturers of sports cars. What you don’t really get to see during that type of online search is what you can do with those sports cars after you buy them.
Sure, most manufacturers will hold the odd event here and there, but one of the unique aspects of Lotus ownership is that as a Dealership we are regularly doing track days or tarmac rally events. Then there is the added layer which comes from the extremely passionate Club Lotus members who are very focussed on getting the most out of their driving experiences on and off the track.
There is a very active Lotus Club Community of driving enthusiasts in Australia and their members enjoy a mixture of social events, regular meetings, monthly catch ups & also track days. In New South Wales, the Lotus Club regularly participates in the Combined Sports Car Association (CSCA) inter-club motorsport competition. While in Victoria there is the Marque Sports Car Association of Victoria (MSCA)
These are people who love driving, enjoy driving a sports car with a manual transmission & thrive on the purity that driving a Lotus Elise, Exige or Evora can provide when you are in the drivers seat. It means that instead of going to a public track day with strangers, you can go along with a group of like minded individuals who share a common passion for driving.
It means there is always help on hand, lots of banter & drivers get to see each other regularly during the year with a mix of Club and Lotus Dealer activities during the year.
What is the CSCA and MSCA?
- Entry level motorsport for beginners or experienced drivers
- A track day for less than $200 in Australia
- Men, women and teenagers all welcome
- Road registered vehicles, track cars or race cars
- Exclusive use of the racing circuit for the day
The MSCA was officially established in 1971 to provide competition events with a series of low cost track day events. Similarly, the CSCA was established in 1972, the Combined Sports Car Association (CSCA) is an inter-club motorsport competition that is run collectively by different sports car clubs in New South Wales. In either state, it is one of the easiest opportunities to try entry level competitive motorsport with a ‘Sprint’ format focussed on the fastest lap times rather than competitive, door to door, racing. The series is supported by Motorsport Australia and actively encourages anyone who is interested in driving their car on the track – beginners, men, women and teenagers.
Everyone is warmly welcomed with the more experienced drivers always on hand to provide assistance & advice to make everyone feel comfortable. In fact this is one of the ‘secret’ aspects of these days where drivers can enjoy a social atmosphere amongst other passionate sports car drivers. Quite often there are families, couples or even just best mates enjoying some time together at the track.
The series usually has 8 rounds per year on racing circuits like Eastern Creek Sydney Motorsport Park, Wakefield Raceway, Pheasantwood Circuit & other locations for a full day of racing circuit driving with drivers split into different groups based on speed and prior experience. The MSCA series uses Winton Raceway, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit & Sandown Raceway
Some of the other sports car clubs that get involved include; Austin Healey Owners Club, Jaguar Drivers Club, MG Car Club, Morgan Owners Club, Sprite Car Club and Triumph Sports Owners Association, Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Victoria, Nissan Datsun Sports Owners Club, Toyota Car Club Victoria and the Victorian BRZ/86 club.
So there is always a mix of old and new vehicles on the track with a mix of road registered cars, track cars or racing cars to look at. In fact the CSCA series has classes for pre-1985 cars, modern and contemporary cars, modified road cars and purpose-built race cars (More information here)
Track days for road registered cars
- Elise, Exige or Evora
- Motorsport Australia Speed License required
- Car Club Membership required
- No prior experience needed
An owner of a road registered Lotus sports car can participate in track days, you don’t need to have a race car. This is one of the benefits of owning a Lotus – you can drive to the track & then drive home again. Our Dealer Network can help you determine if your vehicle is suitable to be used in this manner by performing a maintenance and safety check.
There is a mix of owners that come along with old and new Lotus sports car models like Series 1 Lotus Elise all the way to the latest Exige Sport 410 – everyone is actively encouraged to come and enjoy themselves and enjoy some spirited driving.
A couple of other items you will need are the required safety pieces fitted to the vehicle like a fire extinguisher or external vehicle markings for battery & fuel (More info from Motorsport Australia) Plus you will also need a valid Motorsport Australia Licence which can be purchased online (Motorsport Australia Licences) and done in less than 30 minutes.
Track days that are inclusive for women
- Gemma completed the Women In Motorsport Program
- Gemma has participated on Targa & LOTD’s
- Gemma and her husband share their Elise
Some of you may not have met Gemma, but she works at Simply Sports Cars and is a passionate driving enthusiast. This is one of the things that sets us apart from other dealerships. Gemma owns a Lotus Elise and she recently completed the Motorsport Australia ‘Women In Motorsport Program’ that you can read about here
Gemma has done a Targa Rally, driven at a number of our Lotus Only Track Days and has even competed in the CSCA Series with her Lotus Elise. She loves driving and this is just one of many examples of our community that are enthusiasts that don’t have any prior experience but are able to try these types of driving events with the support from our dealership.
Track days that are inclusive for women
A Lotus sports car is considered to be one of the best sports cars you can buy under $150K that can be used as a track car. A Lotus Elise or Lotus Exige is a two door, rear wheel drive high performance sports car that has been designed for driving enthusiasts. It is a true drivers car that is focussed on a very pure driving experience where you feel everything in your fingertips or through the seat of your pants.
A Lotus sports car has a mid engined design and a seating position that is modelled off current day formula open wheel racing cars, so you get a racecar-like driving experience as soon as you slip behind the wheel. These cars even have a traditional manual gearbox, one of the few remaining sports cars for sale that provide this.
The other aspect that makes a Lotus a good track car is the light weight. Not only does this help performance but maintenance costs as well. Consider this, a Lotus Exige or Elise weigh around 1,000 kgs while a Ford Mustang weighs around 1,700 kgs. Not many people realise that weight effects things like consumables – tyres, brakes, brake pads, brake discs, wheel hubs, transmissions – the list goes on. A track car should be light, just like race cars, to give you the ultimate performance and make it easier to manage your running costs.
Learn more about the Lotus Clubs in Australia
Club Lotus Australia maintains a very active website with news collected from around the Country from all the state based clubs as well as an event calendar and more. Visit their website here or take a look at an example of the Lotus Club Magazines (Victorian Club Magazine online here)
