GGLC Autocross registration is now open

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2015 Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross season!

The 1st event of the season is now open for registration for GGLC members at:

Registration is limited to club members for the first week. Non-members will be able to register next week. The entry fee is $65 for GGLC members and $75 for non-members. First time autox’ers (first time at a GGLC event) are eligible for a $10 discount, so invite your friends along too.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Please read over the details on the club page at http://www.gglotus.org/ggautox/ggautox.htm.

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 us if you have any questions about this year’s events or any other autox topic.

You can like us on Facebook and check out our event videos on YouTube (you might see yourself).

Registration Open for Lotus Club Track Day at Thunderhill Raceway May 26, 2015

Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club Thunderhill Track Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 in Willows, California. We will be running the 5-mile long, 27-turn track configuration in the standard counter-clockwise direction. This is the Tuesday after Memorial Day, so make a nice four-day weekend for yourself and enjoy the fun. There are not many opportunities to run the 5 mile course, and this is guaranteed to be a beautiful spring day with green grass, snow on the mountains, crystal blue sky with assorted white cumulus clouds, and a wonderful 82F temperature.

We will be running 3 different Run Groups – Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice, each with unique passing rules. Advanced sessions will allow open passing everywhere, Intermediate sessions will allow open passing on most short and long straights, and Novice sessions will allow open passing on the long straights only. Passing is always allowed everywhere and in all groups with a point-by.

The Novice Group is intended for drivers with 1-5 days experience. The Intermediate Group is restricted to drivers with 5-15 track days experience. Advanced Group is for drivers with 15+ track days or race experience. Price will be $200 for members and $220 for non-members. You can become a GGLC member for $25. Additional drivers sharing a car in a single run group are $60. Two drivers sharing a car and driving in both groups will each have to pay full price.

We are accepting a limited number of Beginners (zero track days experience) at this event who will be assigned a coach. Beginners will run in the Novice sessions. Thunderhill is a perfect track for first-timers so if you know anyone who might be interested in attending this event, direct them to the Motorsportreg.com website to sign-up.

All types of cars are welcome to come out and join us. Race cars, including Formula cars, are allowed in the Advanced Group. Convertibles must have a roll bar with rear braces. – no “style bars” will be allowed. Factory installed roll hoops and integral roll-over protection are acceptable.

The Lotus Club will be providing lunch from the Thunderhill Grill for all entrants.

Click here to sign up via MotorsportReg

Also, remember that Thunderhill Raceway strictly enforces a 104dB sound limit.

Please read your confirmation email as it includes the general schedule and other important information.

See you at the track.

Lotus Elise celebrates 20 years

20 years ago, the Lotus Elise revolutionised the sports car world, setting the benchmark for handling, purity of the driving experience, lightweight and efficiency. Its pioneering and advanced bonded aluminium chassis was a market-leading technological innovation at the time and over the years has improved and evolved and remains core to the Elise’s exceptional performance today.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, welcomes the Elise 20th Anniversary model, “It is sometimes hard to believe that the Elise has been around for 20 years. It was ground breaking when it was launched and continues to be the benchmark for handling and performance in its class. Over the years we have improved and refined the Elise but we have also ensured that we have retained the purity of the driving experience and for the Elise to remain as the sports car to which other marques aspire.”

20th anniversary elise

The Elise 20th Anniversary, with its lightweight aero-optimised, composite body, is powered by a 1.8-litre supercharged engine. It reaches 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 145 mph (237 km/h). The benefit of this light weight is that the Elise 20th Anniversary consumes just 5.9 litres / 100 km (47.6 mpg) extra urban and emits just 173 g of CO2 per km.

Weighing just 914 kg, 10 kg less than the Elise S, the Elise 20th Anniversary is the sports car that both enthusiasts and newcomers to the brand will desire. Lightweight, efficient and totally pure in its driving experience, its benchmark in handling remains the envy of the sports car scene. Additional equipment compared to the Elise S comes as standard and is designed to reduce weight, including lightweight matt black forged wheels, lightweight centre console in body colour and lightweight sports seats in leather or Alcantara with colour coded stitching. A sport mode is also included which increases throttle response and alters the traction slip thresholds allowing the driver enhanced control before intervention.

Four classic Elise colours are available in Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver and the rear diffuser, wing mirrors, roll hoop cover and rear transom are in matt black. Elise 20th Anniversary decals inside on the dashboard and seats and outside above the side indicator identify the anniversary special edition.

All this additional equipment amounts to £5,150 worth of extra value, for only £2,700 more than the standard Elise S (£37,200) and the Elise 20th Anniversary will become a driving investment for the future.

The Elise is the most successful Lotus model in terms of numbers built, with a total of almost 32,000 built and sold globally. In addition to the Elise, the Lotus small platform technology has been used to great success in the Lotus Exige, Lotus Europa and Lotus 2-Eleven models, all of which are, or have been manufactured by Lotus at its Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk.

The Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary is on sale now with an MSRP of £39,900. It replaces the Elise S Club Racer. For other currency prices, please contact the Lotus press office. Orders can be placed now.

Specifications:

Each 20th Anniversary Lotus Elise Edition will have the following as standard:

  • Body colour, lighter weight interior centre console
  • Leather, or Alcantara (no cost), lighter sports seat trim option
  • Colour-coded stitching on seats and door cards
  • Colour-coded seat hoops
  • Matt Black forged alloy wheels
  • Matt Black distinguishing exterior trim
  • A choice of four exterior colours – Classic Blue / Green / Yellow / Silver
  • Auxiliary driving lights
  • Elise 20th Anniversary decals externally and on dashboard stereo blanking-plate