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.

Girls just wanna have fun
Jake with Mal
James
Jeff and Co
Jeff, Verne and Dick

[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

121_2194_IMG Final-packing-up-for-the-year Lunch-at-the-Peak-Pub 12-Tony-on-the-Straight Meet-and-greet-at-Yatala MG_8909 Hosts_Tim_and_Carol_Moore Cameron_s_Elise P1020647 IMG_6192 Geoff N on the track 121_2193_IMG 121_2149_IMG IMG_4452 IMG_6922 IMG_6819 IMG_6686 image_239 image_185 gw_Garages of other competitors Rob-Parer-leading-the-pack-by-SDPICS Darryl-and-Mitch-all-rugged-up Pumped-for-a-great-week-ahead Group-6.1-Patrick-Mewing-Elan-26R-3 Group-3.2-0 Vyvyan, Mitch, Margie Steve Lennox 2008 Lotus Europa - 1 Rhys Watson 2013 Renault Megane RS265 - 1 Daryl Wilson 1998 Caterham Super 7 - 1 img_1114 Leigh & Russell Gary _MG_9178 as Smart Object-1 IMG-0178 Garry and Geoff James tony-galletly-with-car Always a Heckler main-36 IMG_8503 IMG_8451 IMG_6401 image_049 Track-newbie-Kelly-Pitt img_1050 IMGP8559 A-bit-of-fatherly-advice-being-given main-26 Don_Thallon_Roger_Ealand-Alan_Telfer 2006_08_27_Gympie_Skid_Pan0092 lec_0177 IMG_0588 P1060117 Ploughman's Lunch P1080263 Ploughman's Lunch IMG_8097 IMG_4339 IMG_5209 160_160 024_24 Mike_Gary_Geoff_Pieter P1050415 Cane_field_run_5 Cane_field_Moderns IMG_0913 IMG_8131 IMG_5088 IMG_8094 IMG_8066 IMG_8055 IMG_8571 IMG_5183 Looking-Good IMG_1805 Happy-Laps-2014 IMG_4549 Jen-and-Sam-Murphy-At-the-original-GP-Track-Airfield The Murphy's Mitch-Ringuet-exiting-under-the-bridge-by-Gideon-Street Running-Repairs Gideon-2 Lots_Of_Tickets_Usually_Speeding 0-2000cc-Supermodified.-John-Barram-Andrew-Row-and-Bridie-Moran Mt-Alford-area_GW IMGP8134 Evan-ready-to-run IMG_0473 mk1-cortina 20200816_133706 Steve and Co Ken 2 These framed Memorabilia items are at every table craigs-elan jaguar-e-type-2 A bit of a chill main-42 main-72 Dick and Zac 20170709_104617

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