Catch up on all the Lotus action in Western Australia thanks to the March edition of Quokka Talk, by Eddie Lankhorst.
By Eddie Lankhorst
Wow, what a busy month! Sprints, go-karting, the BOAB Meet n Eat and the visit to ECU Engineering and Motorsport division were all packed in to just a few short weeks. Plus we’ve had a wedding, congratulations to Wendy and Jeff Evans, as well as quite a few members travelling overseas with David Nolan visiting the UK, Graeme Martin with two trips to Japan and Richard Cooper on a fishing trip to NZ.
I have been on a bit of a mission recently to try and re-unite some of the past Lotus members with the help of Andrew Selvaratnam and I hope that some of those with whom we touched base will take the initiative to stay in touch, via AussieElises or our Facebook group “Lotus Club WA”.
I know our existing members are having fun and I would like to spread the fun to other Lotus owners. So, if you know of a Lotus owner in WA who is unaware of our presence, I ask that you refer them to me or bring them to one of our next meetings.
The second round of our championship was held again at Barbagallo raceway and saw some great results as well as a few disappointments, the biggest of which was Doug who retired early due to an off caused by a suspension issue – he broke one of his Nitron shocks!!!
Our next month’s events are:
- April
- Mon 10th BOAB Meet n Eat 6pm
- Sun 16th EMR, Guildford 8am
- Fri 21st to Mon 24th Lotus 2017 Beechworth, Victoria
- Sat 29th Jacks Hill climb with SES
- May
- Mon 8th BOAB Meet n Eat 6pm
- Sun 21st EMR 8am from Guildford to Gingin All British Car Show
Twin Engine Go Karting
By Eddie Lankhorst
Monday 6th March was a public holiday, ‘WA Day’, so we thought what better way to celebrate than to go racing around on a mini race track with mini Lotus-type machines (lightweight, small and handles like a Lotus).
With a field of eleven Lotus owners convening on the Cockburn outdoor Go Kart track we promptly got geared up in what was purported to be freshly washed race suits and pristine helmets with hair nets before selecting one of their Ultra Fast twin engine karts. Supposedly!
After a race briefing we proceeded into our initial warm up laps to get some heat and grip into our tyres. Then there were three races of six laps. First being in car number order, then in order of fastest to slowest time and final race being slowest to fastest.
All was well and good except that the time keeper couldn’t count laps which meant that some people were governed on one extra lap, meaning that the final times were very skewed.
However, everyone had fun and were glad to dispose of their sweat suits and helmets before we convened on a local café for lunch to boast about our driving skills, thrills and adventures on the track, or lack of. In the end, one thing was certain, everyone was keen to do this again later in the year.
A Night at ECU
By Eddie Lankhorst
This wasn’t one of our usual BOAB Meet ‘n Eat meetings. You see, Edith Curtin University (ECU) invited us to visit their Engineering and Motorsport Division at the Joondalup campus.
Upon arrival at the school, the look on the faces of the students at the sight of our cars was priceless, so after parking we quickly showed off our pride and joys.
Then while food arrived everyone quickly grabbed a piece of pizza and ambled amidst the students’ works of art.
On display was a selection of the students’ past and present Formula SAE-A race machines, hand built and developed for national and international competition against other schools. Based on a three-day event which scores teams on their design, costing and marketing skills as well as dynamic events of skid pad, acceleration, autocross and endurance. The only control was the engine being a max of 610cc with a 20mm fuel restricted throttle body.
Some of the engineered accomplishments by the students included an all-in-one alloy wheel hub including all suspension mounting points (initially 3D printed), specially designed lower engine block including a two-speed gear box and diff, all made to fit under a Yamaha motorbike engine block. The later costing the school around $7k to make from alloy, saving weight and allowing the rear axle to sit closer to the firewall. Of course aero on their designs changes year to year depending on new thoughts by new incumbent students.
And another well-attended event, that all members thoroughly enjoyed and the look on everyone’s faces as they walked around the workshop was equally priceless.
