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 Uphams
Clive with Lachlan
Aaron
Adam and Paul
Adam
Alan
Cat 'n' Seven
Cat vs Elise
Cats getting ready to pounce
Clive giving it a bath
Clive trying to get a grip
A contemplative Dick
Danielle
Daryl, Dick and Shane
Which way did you two go_
Daryl
Dick
Garry
Girls just wanna have fun
Jake with Mal

[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_6938 MG_6592 Lotus-line Lotus-Club-level-Motorsport-for-Article MG_9070 IMG_8619 IMG_3624 view_from_rockton 123_2370_IMG IMG_8442 MG_6617 IMG_6877 IMG_6730 image_234 image_171 lot_015 IMG_7753 IMG_3950 IMG_4356 Cats getting ready to pounce europas-1 boots-up Martin-OBrien-chased-by-Clive-Wade-photo-by-Trapnell-Creations Group-8.16-Friday-Afternoon-Traffic-at-Lakeside-A-Stevens 20161105_100120 Sevens Exige_pic4 model-t-hotrod Shane 25c Philps-7 Green machine IMG_0490-4 Ready to go with Bond, Moneypenny and Bond girl (in jacket). Three-Sevens Adam-Daryl 26-Clive-on-the-eastern-loop 13-Paul-creeping-up-on-the-Ferrari P1060082 Mar-main-86 Mar-main-56 Carolyn,-Robyn,-Norma-and-Jenny John-in-his-Cheetah-and-on-track main-27 IMG_4856 P1010409 Stowing_the LCQ_Line_up DSC_1537 F1000008 IMGP2250 Ploughman's Lunch Ploughman's Lunch 1425988397_f9c9688ccc_m_1 DSC_5347 img_1029 Dicks Rubber Steve-Mary-Anne DSC_1530 PICT7279 P1060331 Man_talk_in_the_shed John_Lundgren_Lakeside Ready_to_go 5610_G IMG_3790 IMG_8052 0094 IMG_5164 IMG_7368 IMG_7323 122_2241_IMG IMG_8508 Carolyn-Elisa-Craig Waiting for the fog to lift 1 Parking-was-a-bit-tight Camp-Murphy Noosa Surf Club Alan-Bents-Esprit-1 main-5 Jasons-Exige Camp Those Damn Slicks Phil Loose-Wires IMG_9690 20170923_112858 img_2040 photo-16 IMG_8805 main-22 IMG_0172 mg-racer-3 mk1-lotus-cortina-2 view from the bridge mga IMG_6184 IMGP8511 main-111 170709 Sevens Run

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