Lotus Club Queensland
Dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the Lotus experience
Login
Register
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
    • Member Login
  • Events
    • Calendar
  • Motorsport
    • Lakeside DTC Timed Laps
    • LAKESIDE DTC RESULTS
  • Magazine
  • For Sale
    • Merchandise
    • Classifieds
  • Posts
  • Galleries
  • Directory
    • Suppliers & Parts
    • Advertisers
  • Archives
Clive-trying-to-get-a-grip

Skid Pan Day with Paul Stokell and his team

Skid Pan Day – Saturday 11th June

By Adam Kingston, Photos Gloria Wade

With the not too distant memory of 25mls of rain on the previous Saturday, a group of excited Lotus owners mingled at the Mt Cotton Truck Skid Pan, on a beautiful Queensland winters’ morning. It was 8.30 am, a bit fresh, but the sun soon warmed us.

The cones had been strategically placed, the water had started flooding across the pristine bitumen, a few “skid pan virgins” had even washed their cars. Our instructors for the day, Steve Owen (Mark Winterbottom’s co-driver) and Andrew Price (from Paul Stokell Motorsports) ran through the program – three different courses through the day. On the first course, which was ready for us, we would have a few test runs, then the timing would start. The competition was on!

After the obligatory procession around the course, just to learn the route, the first few drivers made their initial runs. The discussion on the grandstand (Toilet block with coffee making facilities and some shade from the rising sun) was about which turns were causing the most difficulties. There also seemed to be quite a few drivers struggling to slow enough to stop inside the finishing box, ultimately resulting in a two second penalty. The challenge for some, was traction control on or off – others didn’t have the luxury. Some, myself included, always wondered what the button on the dashboard DTC actually did… we certainly found out.

The race between the 7’s/Caterham’s was as competitive as usual, with Shane, on his skinny tyres posting the best times, but the main competition was between El Presidente` showing electric pace, with his new tyres on the green S1 Elise and Garry in the heavily modified red S2. With each driver pushing, trying to find the limit – which they managed to do with ease and regularly spinning, finding the balance between power and the trusty handbrake, it was Garry on the final run who managed to shave a second off his previous time and pip Clive.

The biggest cheer from the grandstand, during the morning session was for an out of control Garry who managed to spin just in front of the finishing box, as he slid sideways towards the cones, somehow, he managed to slide the car in backwards, demonstrating the fine art of reverse parking at speed.

A big thank you for the hearty BBQ lunch which was provided and cooked by Mal and his two capable assistants, Jake and Lachlan. While we ate and discussed the finer detail of the morning’s event, the course was modified to allow two cars to race against each other. Clive threw down the gauntlet to Gary and the rest of us, with a quip about only seeing the back end of his car this time. Would he be able to back it up?

Again, after a couple of drives through the course, to learn the route, we lined up to take on the next challenge. With instructor Andrew doing his best impression of the start of the car race in the movie Grease, luckily without the outfit, we got under way. Surprisingly, or not, the biggest challenge seemed to be getting the cars around the correct course with many drivers, crumbling under the pressure of competition and missing some of the cones.

The final course change for the day, turned the entire arena into a mini Queensland Raceway, with a high speed sweeping horseshoe, starting and finishing in the same box.

Unfortunately, I and a few other drivers were unable to stay to the end of the day, the call of watching the Wallabies take on the old foe England at Suncorp pulled us away. I can only imagine the conversation in the grandstand, of, if only, and how much fun was that!

Thanks to the silent few who organised the day and to the Lotus Club who subsidised the event, it certainly is a great and safe way to find out what the cars and drivers are capable of.

The Pits
Male bonding
Scott
The line up
Girls just wanna have fun
Garry
Dick
Daryl
Jeff
On your marque
Shane surveying the skid pan
A contemplative Dick
Clive trying to get a grip
Clive giving it a bath
Cats getting ready to pounce
Cat vs Elise
Kelly, speed demon
Which way did you two go_
Shane
The Uphams

[Show slideshow]
1 2 3 ►
A Definite Plus – the Elan Plus 2 DTC Lakeside – Sat 27 August

Related Posts

mp-banner

Events, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Racing

Morgan Park Sprints R4

gold-rush-banner

Events, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Racing

Gold Rush Hill Sprint – 2022

leyburn-banner

Events, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Racing

Leyburn 2022

Random images

IMG_8616 Mick-in-Birkin MG_9455 6.Martin-Garry-Jason CRW_6610_RJ Lotus_Toowoomba_1 113_1370_IMG img_9455 IMG_4433 IMG_7015 12-Rear-end-rear-wheel IMG_8611 IMG_4913 image_250 image_222 image_188 IMG_3290 IMG_7751 IMG_7487 threelotus 172_THC22_2022-16 DSC_0397 Matt-Plowman As-bought-1970 Vianta-Beerwah_gw Bling-on-the-landscape_gw Cresting-MT-Roland black-seven MG-8191 121_2139_IMG James dtc-15 Matt & Sally Club comaraderie John Barram 3436 broken-hill Maviss-kitchen-garden IMGP3407 2006_08_27_Gympie_Skid_Pan0068 main-11 Mar-main-55 main-14 Gathering-at-OReillys-2 Geoff-in-his-Honda-powered-Elise Geoff-watching-his-fuel-disappear-into-Clives-car- main-45 IMG_4904 IMG_4355 P1060103 P1080255 Allan IMG_0071 DSC_5353 20130630_134659 img_1124 img_1086 IMG_8932 32g IMG_7406 image_053 IMG_7427 IMG_8896 04a Morris_Minors Club_Lotus_Dec_08_027 P1050440 IMG_6364 MG_4599 IMG_0553 0211jb IMG_5117 image_091 119_1954_IMG IMG_6613 Green Machine DSC_4135 Shane unnamed Happy-Laps-2014 Craig and Greg Pat-Richards-trying-to-work-out-why-Geoff-is-so-fast-by-Bridie-Moran Over-3000cc-sports-car-podium IMGP8407 IMG_0309 20170709_104245 10-Greg-Chris Geoff_gw 20170923_112858 main-14 Seriously _MG_9679 as Smart Object-1 suzuki anglia Chatter main-26 View-of-the-concours-display-from-the-hotel-roof MG_3909 IMG_9110 Vyvyan in his Elan Plus 2 IMAG5990

Recent Articles

  • Morgan Park Sprints R4
  • Kev’s Big Day Out
  • Duratec Elise – better late than never
  • Gold Rush Hill Sprint – 2022
  • Marburg Pub Run – 4 Sept 2022
  • Unique +2 Road Trip to Brisbane
  • Leyburn 2022
  • August 2022 DTC

Latest Gallery Images

20220220_093834 20220220_093818 20220220_093827 20220220_093743 20220220_093812 20220220_093730

Search articles by category

Archived articles

Lotus Club Queensland
© Lotus Club Queensland   |   Site by Black Eye Studios