A track night for Simply Sports Cars customers
"Just want to say a big thank you for yours and your teams very kind hospitality at the Eastern Creek Track night this week.
It was my first time on a race track in my KTM XBOW so I naturally was nervous, but you guys held my hand and guided me every step of the way.
The attention to detail with how you prepared my car (tyres/ seat belts/ removal of any potential obstacles etc…) was much appreciated. Thank you again"
The Simply Sports Cars dealership in Sydney hosted the first exclusive Track Night driving group for Lotus sports car owners in Sydney at Eastern Creek Sydney Motorsport Park late 2020 & we have new dates booked for 2021 with our first event on Tuesday the 16th of February on the Gardener GP Circuit configuration.
Our first event had 30 entrants who attended this new Track Night format being hosted by the ARDC and Driving Solutions in Sydney. Doing a track day in Sydney can be a hard if you work full time so the new Track Nights create a perfect option as they start late in the day to give you a mix of day time, twilight and night time running on the international spec circuit.
The other huge benefit is the exclusive driving group that is only for Lotus sports car owners. It means the experience, courtesy and respect levels on track are at their absolute best.
“…there were no shadows, you could see everything, its not hot & there’s no reflections…”
“…amazing, lighting is incredible, track feels great, low temperatures…”
“…its better, there are no distractions because it is black outside…”
“…its great, feels very safe, I wouldn’t do this in the heat of summers day & I can see the whole track…”
“…pretty good, I’d do it again, my car has only one major problem – the driver is too slow…”
“…it’s like driving at Le Mans…”
“…its a great venue at night time, awesome…”
“…Wanted to thank you and the SSC team for the way you go about supporting the Lotus drivers / fans, particularly during an unprecedented year. You really have an amazing team and brand you have / are creating… As you know I am only two years into my journey with Lotus, my Lotus Elise S and track days in general.
You and the team have been their all they way and provided advice that has been spot on…. I have seen my times around Sydney Motorsport drop from well over 2 minutes to last nights track event laps in the 1:47’s … this blows my mind!
But its not all about the lap times and I just love a weekend drive with my sons and the broader experience you and the team create at events, the camaraderie of the lotus community and the mutual passion we all share. Last night on the whole I thought was a great success with the nice and unexpected touch of a drink at the end…”
Chris
Doing a track night at Sydney Motorsport Park in Sydney
"I was quite delighted and surprised. I listed to Lee rave on about the 50 cars he passed in his session (the video didn't back that claim up) and how he loved how focussed the lights made you & on that front he was right.
You have nothing else to see as it is so dark so you concentrate more on braking points and apexes. The AIM MX2E dash in my Exige Sport 350 was perfect even at night time as the whole screen is backlit.
Everyone I spoke to enjoyed their time on track to see 30 Lotus owners enjoying themselves is great, especially after work."
We provided trackside support and assistance with our Engineering and Mechanic crew on hand to help people with everything from checking tyre pressures to addressing any little gremlins that popped up during the track night sessions. For any sports car owner this creates a simple way to enjoy driving time on on a racing circuit and to do it with like minded driving enthusiasts. The cooler ambient temperatures mean it is a more comfortable experience being at the track compared to doing it in the day time & there is a more relaxed atmosphere as well.
AFTERNOON
There are not too many places in the world where you can experience a track day that gives you a wide array of changing conditions. The Eastern Creek Sydney Motorsport Park Track Nights kick off around 6pm and during daylight savings that means there is about 2 hours of sunlight left in the day. So the first couple of sessions are like a normal track day with good visibility and conditions. The track temperature is fairly warm and it helps you settle in before doing the later sessions.
TWILIGHT
As the day enters twilight around 7-8pm there is a mix of lighting conditions as the track lights don’t take full effect although the sun is setting as the temperature also begins to drop slightly. For summertime it looks pretty stunning and during winter sessions it will of course be dark by the very first session.
NIGHT
Once the light towers have fully warmed up and the sun sets the whole racing circuit is transformed into a snake like strip in the darkness. Drivers go from having very wide visibility into the surrounding area to being limited to the brightly lit areas of the circuit. As mentioned by a few drivers it enables you to focus purely on the circuit as your peripheral visiion is reduced. The track temperature also drops but tyres are already warm and at operating temperature. So it means you have this great mix of grip and low ambient air temperatures that he supercharged engines love. The night sessions made for comfortable driving with plenty of visibility.
How bright is the track when you are driving on it?
Many drivers were surprised at how well lit the circuit was and just as Lee had described in his first run at night the other week, you get to focus purely on the track as any surrounding areas are essentially in darkness. It creates a more focussed driving experience which is quite unique.
Sydney Motorsport Park’s light tower installation is a project that has been backed by the NSW Government to allow Sydney Motorsport Park to be Australia’s first permanent motorsport facility to operate both day and night. NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said he was proud to see the NSW Government’s strategic multi-million-dollar investment at Sydney Motorsport Park come to fruition, resulting in permanent circuit lighting so that track days could be held during the day and night.
The Lighting project has 132 light towers with 864 individual light fittings placed around the entirety of the four circuits configurations and training skidpan at Sydney Motorsport Park. It utilises advances in technology including the latest in LED technology it will see a minimum 400LUX lighting for all circuit configurations, and 800LUX on the main Brabham Straight bringing it into line with the broadcast lighting requirement at many sporting venues around the world.
