In July this year, Lotus Cars Australia held another exclusive track day at Wakefield Park Raceway near Goulburn. Owners had the whole racing circuit to themselves for the day. Owners of sports cars like the Lotus Elise, Evora or Exige are encouraged by Lotus sports car dealerships around Australian to enjoy their performance cars at track days, driving events or even participating in a Targa Rally. Lotus also holds days at other circuits around Australia like Phillip Island, Mount Panorama Bathurst, Sydney Motorsport Park Eastern Creek and Winton Raceway.
The Wakefield Park racing circuit is about a 2 hour drive south of Sydney and typically what most owners do for this event is drive down on the Friday afternoon, have dinner together as a group on Friday night & then be ready first thing in the morning on Saturday to get out on the track with their vehicle. It becomes a social event as well as a track day driving experience. Wakefield Park Raceway is a 2.2 km motor racing circuit that was named after Charles Cheers Wakefield, the founder of Castrol Oil.
The majorty of drivers use their road registered vehicle and for people doing a track day for the first time, Lotus includes driving instruction with a professional racing driver sitting in the passenger seat with you on the track. The other element that makes Wakefield Park Raceway the perfect track for beginners is that there is lots of run off areas and very few walls. It means if you do make a mistake that in most cases you will go off into the grass and avoid damaging your vehicle.
So another Lotus Cars Australia (LCA) track day has come and gone, and judging by the smiles on people’s faces, it lived up to expectations.
Over 70 Lotus cars, their owners and friends descended on Wakefield Park Raceway, just outside the NSW country town of Goulburn on Saturday 13th July to enjoy a day full of driving, sprinting, and for some, racing. Such is the nature of the LCA track days, there was a category for everyone.
Of particular note this year was the large number of people experiencing their first ever LCA event. We hope it is not their last. Also noticeable, was the number of couples sharing their cars, with no less than 6 duo’s getting to enjoy the driving experience.
As usual, the event commenced with the now ritualistic gathering for dinner at The Astor hotel on the Friday evening where the sharing of stories from events gone by were order of the night.
Support crews from Simply Sports Cars and Lotus Melbourne arrived early on Saturday morning to make sure everything was in readiness for the arrival of the drivers and their cars. It was a balmy 4 degrees (better than the minus 4 last year), but the wind was howling so the temperature felt a bit closer to zero.
The rain from the night before was all but gone. The odd sprinkle here and there wasn’t enough to cause a wet track, so most people were able to get some decent times put down after they got some heat into their tyres.
Staying warm was the order of the day, and resident Baristas PJ and Derrick made sure there was a steady flow of warm beverages. Rumour has it PJ even got offered a job as a barista…..
Every vehicle owner was treated to a gift pack of cleaning products from Charlie Frew and the team at CodeClean Australia. Charlie and his team have been long-time supporters of Lotus in Australia, and their products are now available through the Sydney and Melbourne dealerships as well as online. Also, in attendance was Will, whose father purchased a Lotus Experience at a recent charity function organised by Charlie. Will got to experience some hot laps in an Exige Sport 410 being driven by our own Bathurst 12 Hour champion Mark O’Connor. Judging by the grin on Will’s face it was a great experience.
And so, to the sprinting and racing. Overall sprint honours went to Mark Meletopolou who managed a best time of 1:05.38 from his V6 Exige S. V6 machines filled the bulk of the top 10 places, but shout outs to Michael Moore, Nathan Notley and Colin Rudd for getting their 4 cylinder machines into 4th, 7th and 9th respectively.
Race qualifying honours went to Simon Hogg with a time of 1:02.3885. Race 1 saw Simon Hogg 1st Brad Douglas 2nd and Martin Duursma 3rd. Race 2 saw Simon Hogg 1st, Jeff Morton 2nd and Martin Duursma 3rd.
The weather gods conspired against the field in the handicap race. With Simon Hogg and Martin Duursma idle in pit lane watching the rest of the field being flagged away, the rain came in, making the job of chasing down the field all the more difficult for Simon and Martin. When the chequered flag came out, it was Jeff Morton 1st, Martin O’Brien 2nd and Martin Duursma 3rd. So, handicap honours and overall race win went to Jeff Morton. The award for consistency goes to Martin Duursma who bagged three 3rd places.
The rain disappeared as quickly as it came, and with the sun shining, the sprinters went out for their last runs of the day, with 10 people recording their best time in their last session. Such progression is great to see.
There were no accidents or major incidents throughout the day, so thank you to all drivers for respecting the conditions and fellow drivers on track.
Lotus track day frequently asked questions
The Drive Track Day group is perfectly suited for beginners who are doing their first track day so you can experience one of the worlds greatest race tracks without the pressures of being timed. There is no safer opportunity to do so than in this track day group where you have access to professional driving instructors who will be providing out of car tuition and tips to help increase your confidence when you go out on track. You will get expert guidance and advice about the dynamics and balance of your Lotus, correct driving lines, braking points and more. You’re guaranteed to go home a better driver.
For the faster or more experienced drivers we will have two Sprint Track Day groups which receive full timing during the day. For those who are a little more competitive or would like to test themselves against the clock all drivers are sorted into a fastest to slowest running order to ensure you get to make the most of your time on Australia’s best racing circuit.
All drivers in the Sprint Track Day groups will receive a timing transmitter so that lap times can be accurately recorded during your 6 sessions of 20 minutes each.
No, you don’t have to have a specific racing license but you will be required to have a Motorsport Australia L2S License which can be purchased online form their website
Yes, we use the full Mount Panorama Racing Circuit just like you see on TV where Australia’s best racing drivers have been before. This is not a hill climb event that uses just a section, the complete track will be closed.
No, this is a track day for road registered Lotus sports cars. There may be a couple of Lotus racing cars but these will be put into different groups to ensure driver speed and experience is not mixed between drivers.
This is not a competitive racing event and all cars will be spaced out on the track as best as possible to ensure it is safe.
This is not a speed limited track day so you can go as fast as you are comfortable driving.
A Lotus Exige sports car will reach over 250km/h down Mountain Straight and we will try and group drivers into relevant groups based on experience and our knowledge of their previously demonstrated driving performance on a race track.
This is not a competitive racing event and all cars will be spaced out on the track as best as possible to ensure it is safe.
No, passengers are not allowed to be taken on the track.
If this is your very first track day we would probably recommend doing a few days prior to this one before attempting to drive on Mount Panorama. This race track is one of the fastest in the world and is essentially a road lined with concrete walls. Unlike other race tracks in Australia there is very little run off.
So while it is possible for a beginner to attempt this track day we would suggest getting some prior experience first to ensure you are comfortable and confident.
