Sangdi Ren Exige at top of Corkscrew: Bruce Hannant

Catch up with all the news from South Australia, thanks to our SA correspondent Andrew Stevens, recapping our first run of the year, Christmas lunch, the Shannons Adelaide Rally, and more.

Mike Gallasch and Alice emerge from their Elise SC at the Uraidla Pub under clear blue Adelaide skies: Andrew Stevens

South Australia’s First Lotus Run for 2023, Sunday 1st January

It was a small contingent of diehards who had avoided the fireworks and fronted up at the Sikh Centre on New Year’s Day for the 1st run of 2023. And yes, the roads were rather quiet, preceding the arrival of the lads in lycra for the TDU.

We settled on Uraidla Bakery as our destination with a roundabout route taking in Old Mount Barker Rd to Verdun, and a really excellent stretch of Greenhill Rd through Carey Gully into Uraidla. Tony Heard brought his +8 Morgan, while Michael Gallasch returned to the fold after a short absence.

The December participants at Cudlee Creek on the way to the Lobethal Bierhaus: Andrew Stevens

Christmas Lunch

The SA Lotus Christmas lunch was scheduled with our December run and was held at the Lobethal Bierhaus. There were a mix of participants in the run, with morning tea at the Cudlee Creek Café being the first stop, after Mr Plod kiboshed the plan for a photo opp at the Kangaroo Creek spillway, having taken up residence with their camouflaged speed detection device.

We ran into Ken Messenger at the café, as he’d been out on an even earlier run, so he joined us for the usual Cudlee Creek fare, and a good chat before we took off again for the short run to Lobethal and the Bierhaus.

The staff at the Bierhaus were fantastic, with drinks from their wide selection of craft brews, along with soft drinks and wines to suit all tastes. We were sharing the room with the Morgan and Cadillac crowd, so the atmosphere was very relaxed as it should be for an end of year get together. Food was great, and the service excellent, with a special treat to finish off the afternoon. We might just go back there in 2023.

Day 3 Julian Casson at Mount Lofty: Bruce Hannant

Shannons Adelaide (Tarmac) Rally

There were a handful of Lotus entered for the Shannons Adelaide Rally. This is a great event that caters for all tastes and appetites, with a wide variety of classes and speeds. They’ve obviously been following our Sunday runs, as their special stages take in many of our favourite routes through the Adelaide Hills, Fleirieu Peninsula, Barossa and McLaren Vale, including Uraidla, Strathalbyn, the Corkscrew, and the famous Eagle on The Hill.

The Victoria Park finale was followed by the Sunday evening Gouger Street Party, with the famed dining strip being closed off and the cars on display, while the owners and friends dine nearby in the plethora of local restaurants.

Julian Caston in his well known and much travelled S1 “Elsie” was in the main tour and had a ball with Alex Cross co-driving. George and Photi Kazis had George’s Evora in the Prima tour, along with George Ramsay and Dominic Kwok in their 350 Sport Exige.

The Zagame tour featured Jeremy and Arlette Culshaw in their V6 Exige, up against a barrage of exotic mouthwatering supercars, with Willa and Louis Wauchope bringing a very grounded participation in their GR Yaris (where’s the Europa Willa ?) Last but not least, Sangdi Ren and Zhongyuan Wen were out in the GH Garage category for a fast cruise.

Our old friend Bruce Hannant shared this selection of photos from the event.

Day 1 The Kazis boys (Evora) at Cleland: Bruce Hannant

SA All British Day; Sunday March 5th 2023

The legendary All British Day returns in 2023 with the largest display of British vehicles after a pause of three years. This is the same day as our March get together so those who don’t have their cars on display can head up to Echunga and join the Lotus display as spectators.

SA Monthly Get Togethers

We meet up at the back of the Sikh Centre of SA carpark at 9:00am on the first Sunday of each month. The Sikh Centre is at the start of the SE freeway up-track just before the Toll Gate. It’s the first driveway on the left after you cross the intersection from Cross or Glen Osmond Rd, or turn left from Portrush Rd.