Catch up on all the early-2015 Lotus action in Western Australia, thanks to this brilliant report from Eddie Lankhorst.

Quokka Talk March 2015
By Eddie Lankhorst

It’s been a great start to 2015, with good attendance to all events. A big thank you, especially to those who regularly attend, for your camaraderie and continued support!

It is interesting just how many more Lotus owners there are in Perth that we haven’t even met yet. I often wonder what they’re doing with their cars. Surely they’re missing out. So I’d like to ask you to help spread the word about the club and the wide array of things we do that are sure to suit, such as monthly meets, spirited country drives, competitive motorsport and involvement in some very cool car shows. So next time you see a Lotus and its owner don’t be afraid to chat to them.

Speaking of which, last week a few of us attended a British Festival, displaying our cars and joining in on festivities. This is a brand new festival for the City of Joondalup (a northern suburb of Perth), which has taken a bit of effort to get off the ground. Read the article below for more information on this event, but needless to say it still has some way to go before it gets close to the size and popularity of the Gin Gin All British Car Day. Fun just the same (it wasn’t just about the cars), but I am looking forward to seeing you and 500 plus cars at Gin Gin on May 17. Put this one in your diary now so you don’t miss out.

Early Morning Run to Northam

The day started a little grey, with the possibility of rain, so I thought I was going to be the only attendee.  To my surprise we had a good turn-out and the weather turned out to be magic, just right for a perfect run into the countryside.

As always, I planned the morning run around finding some interesting and quiet roads.  Goal achieved! Everyone had a ball driving through some Lotus-friendly country roads with lots of twists and turns and changes in scenery for the co-pilots too.

On the way we stopped and paid our respects to Brockie at his memorial on Clenton Road, Gidgegannup. The memorial is located just down the road from the tree that cut short the life of the talented driver. For those unaware, Peter was driving has Daytona Sportscar during the 2006 Targa West Rally, when he slid 50 metres going downhill into a left hand bend and ended up sideways into a large tree.

From here we again headed towards our destination, avoiding main roads where possible.  Northam brunch stop was at the friendly Riverside cafe overlooking the Avon River where we enjoyed a chat about the drive and all things Lotus.  I look forward to planning our next EMR set for Sunday the 19th of April.

The Best of British Festival

I was approached last year to gather together a group of Lotus cars to display at the inaugural Best of British Festival held at Joondalup. Unfortunately last year’s event was cancelled just a few weeks before it was to be held.  Still determined, the organiser contacted me again this year to see if we were still interested in attending.  I sceptically said yes on the promise of free entry to the event which had all things British, including a selection of beers, food, tribute bands, cars and scooters.

The car display included some beautifully-restored cars from Mini, Austin Healey and MG and then there were our beautiful cars, featuring a very nice Lotus Esprit by Mark Mayhew.  There were some scooters as part of the display and many were Vespa. This really bothered me. Aren’t they Italian and not British?  Anyway, they were quite a talking point, some with a unique array of mirrors. It reminded me of Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear in Vietnam.

The music (British of course) was fabulous, covering the sixties and seventies mainly. They even had Austin Powers (impersonators) dancing along.  And, talk about beer. There was so much beer anyone would think that the Brits run on the stuff. So even though the car display was small everyone managed to have a lot of fun. Looking forward to it being bigger and better display next year.

WA Lotus Championship

If you’re interested in following the progress of our sprint competition then please ‘Like’ our Facebook page WA Lotus Championship.

The points score is calculated as 10pts 1^st fastest time, 8pts 2^nd, 6pts 3^rd and 4pts for attending.  To date we have held two rounds and our total points score so far is as follows: