Autocross Round 4 registration is open

May 13th, 2013

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2013 Golden Gate Lotus Club autox season.

The fourth event of the season is now open for registration for everybody at MotorsportReg. The price is the same as always and first time autox’ers (first time at a GGLC event) are eligible for a discount, so invite your friends along too. Non-members will be able to register one week later.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Please read over the details on the club autocross page.

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the classification tool to calculate your index points. For non-Lotus cars, please use the appropriate SCCA class.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this year’s events or any other autox topic.

See you all soon,
Colm.

Bravo Señor Räikkönen!

May 13th, 2013

With a performance that captured the imagination of every motorsport fan around the world yesterday, the Lotus F1® Team rose to the occasion for the fifth round of the FIA 2013 Formula One® World Championship competition that played out under sunny Spanish skies at Barcelona’s Circuit de Cataluñya. The Enstone based black and gold troupe served the Lotus name proudly with Kimi delivering a P2 finish and a points haul that places him ever closer to the Championship title position, with only 4 points keeping him off the top spot. Not such a great race for Romain however, as rear suspension failure resulted in early retirement and a disappointing end for what could have been a promising race for the Frenchman.

Never-the-less, despite one man down, the team displayed a winning determination that saw Kimi manage tyre degradation under difficult circumstances, executing a 3-stop strategy that again displayed his consistency and championship talent.

A great finish for the team who also welcomes Nick Chester as Technical Director, following last week’s announcement of James Allison’s mid-season departure.

Kimi Räikkönen, P2, E21-03 “Unfortunately it’s second place again so it’s not time to celebrate too much. The car felt good and we did pretty much all we could today, but we didn’t have the pace to challenge Fernando [Alonso]. I drove to the maximum and it’s good for the championship that Sebastian finished behind us. It’s nice to be on the podium for me and the team; let’s see what we can do in Monaco.”

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E21-02 “I made a poor start but after that I was on the pace and we know we’re able to produce good race strategies, so there was potential for a strong result today. The car was feeling pretty good until we had an issue with the rear suspension which meant I had to return to the pits and retire from the race, which is a great shame. It’s always disappointing for everyone when something like this happens but there’s no-one to blame; it’s just a part of motor racing.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal “Firstly, we need to investigate what happened to Romain’s car. I feel sorry for him and for the team. Equally however, I’m delighted for the team to achieve another second place with Kimi. Once again he drove fantastically and we were able to give him a great car with a good strategy. We took points from Sebastian in the Drivers’ Championship, but we have lost out a bit in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a good job by the entire team.”

The sixth round of the competition takes place in Monaco 26th May 2013.

Press Release from Lotus

Suspension Performance & Sector 111 present the BAC Mono (May 11)

April 25th, 2013

Join GGLC sponsor Suspension Performance to see some of the cool new cars & garage organization systems on the market.

mono
Shinoo Mapleton from Sector 111 will be presenting the BAC Mono, a lightweight, ultra high performance supercar designed and manufactured using the latest racing technology. Shinoo even managed to register it – find out how.

Jerry Wilkins from Custom Kitchens will be presenting Gladiator GarageWorks – flooring, cabinets, workbenches, wall systems to keep your garage stylishly organized.

We’ll be serving good French wine and artisan pizza. Come when you can, stay as long as you like.

Your Hosts
Eric Gauthier, Shinoo Mapleton & Jerry Wilkins

WHEN:
Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 PM
to 6:00 PM

WHERE:
Suspension Performance
2224 Old Middlefield Way, Suite I Mountain View, CA 94043

View Larger Map

Lotus Club May 29th Track Day Registration Now Open

April 22nd, 2013

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Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club Thunderhill Track Day on May 29th, 2013 in Willows, California. This event will be run in the standard counter-clockwise direction, with the Cyclone.

In our continual effort to provide our customers with the maximum amount of track time, we will be running our regular Thunderhill format which allows you to bridge run groups. There will be three run groups but you will sign up for either Novice/Intermediate or Intermediate/Advanced. We will be offering early bird pricing for this event at $135 for GGLC members, and $155 for non-members. This price will increase to $155 for members and $175 for non-memberes after May 15, so sign up early! Additional drivers sharing a car are $50. You can become a GGLC member for $25.

Click here to sign up via MotorsportReg.com to sign up.

Be advised that Thunderhill Raceway enforces a 104dB sound limit. Please read your confirmation email as it has been expanded to include the general schedule and other important information.

See you at the track.

John & Scott
GGLC Track Day Chairs

Lotus wins 2013 SAE World Congress Tech Award

April 16th, 2013

The Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender Hybrid has been chosen by the Editors of the SAE’s Automotive Engineering International Magazine, for its design and engineering innovation, uniqueness, potential for “real-world” production application, and potential benefit for industry customers and end user.

414 engine

Kevin Jost, Editorial Director of Automotive Engineering International Magazine said, “The Lotus Evora 414E was chosen for the AEI Tech Award for its unique combination of a multimode virtual seven-speed shift schemel, torque-vectoring stability control, and energy and power management optimization schemes.”

Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer for Lotus said, “In one high tech vehicle, the Lotus Evora 414E encompasses all the key areas of Lotus Engineering’s expertise, and doesn’t just demonstrate the high level of technological advancements in our products, but is also relevant to the motor industry and applicable to the long term future of the car. We are delighted that the SAE have recognised this with such an important and prestigious award.”

Every year, the editors of Automotive Engineering International select, from among SAE World Congress exhibitors, the technologies they judge worthy of an AEI SAE 2013 Tech Award. Judging is based on level of design and engineering innovation, uniqueness, potential for “real world” production application, and potential benefit for industry customers and end user. The SAE 2013 World Congress will be held this year from April 16 to 18 in Detroit; and other highlights of the event are viewable online at www.sae.org/mags/aei/saewc.

The Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept showcases new developments in plug-in, range-extended electric propulsion, new electronic technologies to enhance driver involvement and the adaptability of the Lotus Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA).

The range extended electric drive of the Evora 414E Hybrid consists of two electric motors driving each of the rear wheels independently via single speed geartrain, integrated into one common transmission housing, thus enabling torque vectoring for stability control of the vehicle. Electrical power is stored in a lithium polymer battery pack which is optimised for energy density, efficiency and high power demand and mounted in the centre of the vehicle for stability and safety. Additional range is provided by the Lotus Range Extender engine, an optimised 1.2 litre, three- cylinder engine, designed specifically for series hybrid vehicles. The drivetrain is designed to combine astonishing performance with efficient, low emissions driving.

Driver involvement is enhanced by the incorporation of HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis technologies from Lotus and HARMAN, which provide sound contouring within the cabin and improve pedestrian safety outside the vehicle. Integrated with the HALOsonic technology, the Evora 414E Hybrid also showcases a brand new technology from Lotus Engineering, a sports mode that simulates a 7-speed, paddle shift transmission that combines exceptional driver involvement for a hybrid sports car and optimised energy recuperation.

The Evora 414E Hybrid has been designed to highlight Lotus’ innovative electric and hybrid vehicle technology without distracting from the pure sportscar character of the Evora.

  • 0-60 mph / 97 km/h in around 4 seconds
  • Total hybrid range of over 300 miles / 483 kilometres
  • Eco mode or Sports mode featuring realistic 7 speed paddle shift with energy recuperation
  • Next generation of Lotus and HARMAN intelligent pedestrian warning system, integrating the advanced
  • HALOsonic sound synthesis system with video technology.

  • Torque vectoring for improved dynamic stability
  • 152 kW (207 PS/204 hp) of power and 400 Nm (295 lbft) of torque