West Coast Lotus Meet Update #2

I’d like to start with giving another thank you to the Lotus community for their enthusiastic response to WCLM 2014. We have had tremendous response from Lotus fans and since our last update we have even gotten some international participants from Canada and Germany. The WCLM is your chance to meet a large number of fellow Lotus fans from all over the Western US and the world. If you havent signed up already head over to http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/ and sign up today!

Sierra Boat Restoration Tour
I am happy to announce that we are having a new event on friday afternoon. Those folks who wish to have a shorter drive than the High Sierra Tour can now opt to go for a shorter drive around the lake along with a stop at the 60,000 square foot facilities of Sierra Boat in Carnelian Bay. We are still finalizing the exact details about this event and will post the final details on the WCLM website in due course.
Sierra Boat overhead

Established in 1952, Sierra Boat is one of the oldest and largest antique and classic boat restorers in the country. The quality restoration of wooden boats includes the fine craftsmanship and finishes, but it is much more than that. In order to restore a boat properly; you must research the boat as to correctness of wood, finish, upholstery and mechanical details. With a process that has many similarities to car restoration, the hour long tour of their facilities will be a revelation to any fan of mechanical restoration.

WCLM T-Shirts
We have also been hard at work on the official T-shirt of the WCLM which will be given to all WCLM attendees. Kiyoshi has done an outstanding job on the graphic design and we can now give you a sneak peek at design. Done in a JPS-styled color scheme, the t-shirt shows correctly scaled silhouettes of important Lotus passenger cars starting from the Seven and continuing down to the Evora. We will have a limited number of extra t-shirts at the event for folks who would like to buy some extras for friends and family.
WCLM T-shirt

Sponsorship
I would like to welcome two new associate sponsors – Sports Car World and Sector 111. Both have a long history of supporting Lotus and we are delighted to have them on-board as sponsors of the 2014 West Coast Lotus Meet. The 2014 WCLM would not be possible without the generous support of all our sponsors and I’d like to personally thank them all for extending their support to the event.

The WCLM is a great way to promote products and services to the Lotus enthusiast community. Along with display advertisement on the web, sponsors will be listed in event banners and can distribute promotional materials during the event. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please visit the WCLM sponsor page.

Those are all the WCLM updates we have for the moment. As more things happen we will continue to post them on the GGLC blog as well as on the WCLM Facebook page. If you have not registered for the 2014 WCLM yet, head over to http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/ and sign up today for the best Lotus event of the year. I look forward to meeting everyone in person on October 2nd.

Rahul Nair
Chair
2014 WCLM

GGLC Thunderhill 5 mile event (11-Sept-14)

The Golden Gate Lotus Club will be hosting an Open Track Day on Thursday, September 11th, 2014 at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California. We will run the new 5-mile long, 27-turn track configuration in the standard counter-clockwise direction but this time it will be WITH THE BYPASS.

Due to the length of the track, we will have only two run groups – Group A and Group B, with sessions lasting approximately 25 minutes. This should give each driver approximately 3.5 hours of track time. Group A will have open passing for experienced drivers with 20+ track days/race experience or equivalent. Group B will have restricted passing rules for Novice/intermediate and less aggressive drivers. Price will be $175 for members and $195 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.

All types of cars are welcome to attend. Formula cars will be allowed in the open passing group only. Convertibles must have roll-over protection. Factory installed roll hoops are acceptable.

Click here to sign up using MotorsportReg.

We are accepting a limited number of beginners at this event who will be assigned a coach. These individuals will run in Group B with the Novice/Intermediate drivers. Price for Beginners is $155. Thunderhill is a good track to learn on, if you know anyone who might be interested in attending this event, you can direct them to the Motorsportreg.com website where they can sign-up.

Thunderhill Raceway’s 104dB sound limit will be strictly enforced.

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

See you at the track.

John & Scott
GGLC Track Day Chairs

GGLC Autocross – Round #6, Sunday August 10, 2014

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross season.

The 6th event of the season is now open for registration for GGLC members at: http://www.motorsportreg.com/events/2014-gglc-autocross-points-event-6-marina-airport-golden-gate-lotus-club-autox-393768

Please note that this is registration for the August event, not for next weekend’s event.

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 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 at http://www.gglotus.org/ggautox/classify.html 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.

And like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GoldenGateLotusClub
And check out our event videos (you might see yourself) at: http://www.youtube.com/goldengatelotusclub

See you all soon,
Colm & Kiyoshi
autox@gglotus.org

Roberta Bean Finds Some Time to Volunteer

When Dave and I were starting Dave Bean Engineering back in the 70s and growing it in the 80s, our workweeks were seven days, 10-14 hours a day. (Yes, we both were younger back then, but still ….) Sourcing Lotus parts in the UK and elsewhere for our customers simply took a lot of time. Communication with suppliers was by phone (time differences), telex (remember those?), and trans-Atlantic trips. Invoicing and accounting were done by hand.

By the time we were fully relocated in Calaveras County, things had loosened up a bit. We were now computerized and communicated mostly by fax, although UK trips were still on the menu. In 1992, I was invited to join the Calaveras County club of Soroptimist International, a worldwide service organization for business and professional women. If you’re not familiar with Soroptimist, please visit www.soroptimist.org and www.sicalaverascounty.org. There is a link to our Facebook page on our website. We are a 501(c)3 organization.

Our service projects to support the Soroptimist mission to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment are funded by fund raising efforts throughout the year. One of our major fund raisers is Chairs for Charity—a collaboration with the Calaveras County Arts Council. It’s a fun event. Local artists decorate (or make) chairs, which are auctioned off (both live and silent). A couple of examples appear at the end of this article. One of the things we incorporated into our last event was a “big ticket”, non-chair live auction item. One of our club members donated two weeks at her vacation home in New Mexico, and it did go for a nice amount.

We’re now looking for a similar item for the event on January 31, 2015, but we’re thinking—with the price of gas these days—of perhaps something a little closer: Monterey, Carmel, maybe, or the beach above San Francisco (Bodega Bay, for instance) or perhaps Lake Tahoe.

I’m hoping one of the GGLC members might have a vacation home or timeshare they’d be willing to donate some time at. It needn’t be two weeks (in fact, two people split that up). Even a weekend would be wonderful.

If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know and thank you. Soroptimist International of Calaveras County will provide you a receipt for your donation. I can be reached at Dave Bean Engineering, (209 754-5802. at home, (209) 754-1256, or by email to roberta@goldrush.com.

Registration open for all – GGLC autox, round #5, Saturday July 26th

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross season.

The 5th event of the season is now open for registration for both GGLC members and non-members at: http://www.motorsportreg.com/events/2014-gglc-autocross-points-event-5-marina-airport-golden-gate-lotus-club-autox-678015

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 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.

And like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GoldenGateLotusClub
And check out our event videos (you might see yourself) at: http://www.youtube.com/goldengatelotusclub

See you all soon,
Colm & Kiyoshi
autox@gglotus.org

West Coast Lotus Meet Update

I’d like to start with giving a huge thank you to the Lotus community for their enthusiastic response to WCLM 2014. Early registration has just ended and we are on track for having the largest WCLM in a decade. With registered attendees from Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California, this is your chance to meet Lotus fans from all over the Western US. If you havent signed up already head over to http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/ and sign up today!

Events Update
The WCLM organizers have been busy scouting the various events and sites for the 2014 WCLM and I am happy to say that everything is on track to make this another successful Lotus event. We scouted the sunrise drive and can say that while it has an early start, the roads and the photo opportunities make it well worth getting out of bed.

IMG_20140523_055546

The route for the High Sierra tour is in the advanced planning stage as well. We can announce that we have secured passes that will allow us to use sections of SR207 which will be closed to the general public for the duration of the event. Click here to see the tentative route for the drive.

The WCLM banquet is also shaping up to be one of the marquee events of the 2014 WCLM. Dinner will be served around the ex-Dan Gurney Lotus 38 Indy car and is followed by a private tour of the National Auto Museum. Having tasted the menu, I can safely say that the food will be spectacular as well.

IMG_20140523_172834

After a site visit and speaking to several locals we have decided that the track surface at Reno Fernley Raceway is not up to the mark and are canceling the planned friday track day. However track rats need not despair, we are looking into organizing a replacement track day at the brand new Thunderhill West racetrack to be held on October 6th. Stay tuned for more details.

thunderhill west

Accomodation
The WCLM has reserved a large block of rooms for WCLM entrants at extremely attractive rates. The block is at 50% occupancy at the moment – reserve now for rates as low as $69/night.

Sponsorship
The 2014 WCLM would not be possible without the generous support of all our sponsors and I’d like to personally thank them for extending their support to the 2014 WCLM.

The WCLM is a great way to promote products and services to the Lotus enthusiast community. Along with display advertisement on the web, sponsors will be listed in event banners and can distribute promotional materials during the event. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please visit the WCLM sponsor page.

Those are all the WCLM updates we have for the moment. As more things happen we will continue to post them on the GGLC blog as well as on the WCLM Facebook page. If you have not registered for the 2014 WCLM yet, head over to http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/ and sign up today for the best Lotus event of the year.

Rahul Nair
Chair
2014 WCLM

Thunderhill full track event registration is open

Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club Thunderhill Track Day on Thursday, June 26th, 2014 in Willows, California. This will be our inaugural event running the new 5-mile long, 27-turn track configuration in the standard counter-clockwise direction, with the Cyclone.

thunderhill

Due to the length of the track, we will have only two run groups – Group A and Group B, with sessions lasting approximately 25 minutes. This should give each driver approximately 3.5 hours of track time. Group A will have open passing for experienced drivers with 20+ track days/race experience or equivalent. Group B will have restricted passing rules for Novice/intermediate and less aggressive drivers. Price will be $175 for members and $195 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.

All types of cars are welcome to come out and play with us. Formula cars will be allowed in the open passing group only. Convertibles must have roll-over protection. Factory installed roll hoops are acceptable.

Click here to sign up via MotorsportReg.

We are accepting a limited number of beginners at this event who will be assigned a coach. These individuals will run in Group B with the Novice/Intermediate drivers. Price for Beginners is $155. Thunderhill is a good track to learn on, if you know anyone who might be interested in attending this event, you can direct them to the Motorsportreg.com website where they can sign-up.

Sign-up early to ensure you get a spot as this event will likely fill-up fast. People are excited to experience the new track and the GGLC is one of the first groups offering it to the public.

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

Temperature on June 26 will be a very mild 82F, so it’s a great time to be at Thunderhill.

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

See you at the track.

John & Scott

AutoX Round #4 Registration is now open

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross season.

The 34th event of the season is now open for registration for GGLC members at MotorsportReg

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 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 autocross page.

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the autocross 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.

For more news about the GGLC, like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GoldenGateLotusClub)
And check out our event videos (you might see yourself) on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/goldengatelotusclub

See you all soon,
Colm & Kiyoshi
autox@gglotus.org

2014 West Coast Lotus Meet Announcement

The West Coast Lotus Meet (WCLM), the premiere event for Lotus enthusiasts in Western North America, is heading to Lake Tahoe. With the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains and the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe as backdrops, the 2014 WCLM will encompass four days of total Lotus celebration starting Thursday, October 2, and ending Sunday, October 5.

05tour1

Hosted by the San Francisco Bay Area’s Golden Gate Lotus Club (GGLC), this event will be a joint effort with the Southern Nevada Lotus Club, Lotus Owners of Phoenix, Club Lotus Northwest, Lotus Car Club of British Columbia and the Evergreen Lotus Car Club. Without a doubt, the 2014 WCLM will have something for every Lotus enthusiast from hard-core track junkies to vintage cruisers as well as everyone in between.

05autox1

The WCLM organizing committee has planned a fantastic series of events that include: a Casual Concours; a private tour and banquet at the famous National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV; a Lotus Autocross; and an optional Lotus track day at challenging Reno-Fernley Raceway. In addition, there will be great awards, lunches and spectacular scenic drives!

05tour2

The 2014 WCLM will be headquartered at the Ridge Resorts in Stateline, NV, and discounted rates (as low as $69/night) have been negotiated for event attendees. Each room includes a covered parking spot, and onsite trailer parking is available. Everyone staying at the Ridge Resorts will have full use of the resort’s facilities, which include: golf lockers, complete health club (with racquetball), year-round sports complex (with tennis), billiards room, indoor/outdoor swimming pool, whirlpool, spas and saunas, movie theater, guided hikes, yoga and aerobic classes, weekly cooking demonstration and wine tasting.

05awards

Registration for the 2014 WCLM is now open. Be sure to take advantage of the lowest rates by signing up before the early-bird deadline of June 16. Members of any regional or national Lotus club will receive an additional $25 discount. Registration is per person, and it includes access to all WCLM events except the optional track day. The key events included in your registration for the 2014 WCLM are the opening reception, group drives, autocross, main banquet and casual concours. In addition, lunch will be provided October 3–5.

07 WCLM Seattle-155

To sign up for the 2014 WCLM, or to get more information about this spectacular fall weekend at Lake Tahoe, please visit http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/. This comprehensive site includes details about all of the weekend’s events as well as specifics regarding registration and hotel arrangements.

2004 WCLM Panorama

Registration for the final 2013 Autocross is now open

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

The GGLC is pleased to announce that the last autox event of the season will be held on Nov 9th.

The event is now open for registration for club members at MotorsportsReg.
The price is the same as last year. 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 online 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.