Skid pan day you say?

Sounds like a great day out. In fact it turned out to be the most fun I’ve ever had in a car.

By Aaron McKenzie, photos by Gloria Wade.

We headed out to the Mount Cotton Driver Training Facility on the 6th December under looming stormy weather with a belly full of nervous anticipation.

A great mix of daily drivers and Lotus alike arrived – all with one thing in common, a big grin. 

We were split into two groups, each with a tactical course to complete before switching over and breaking for lunch. After the initial few runs, the majority (not all!) of fishtails, doughnuts, extended handbrake turns and maniacal wheel spinning were out of the system and competition grew a bit more serious as times were recorded for ultimately what was the main bragging right at the end of the day. 

Each course proved to have its own challenges. Sharp tight turns and hairpins or wider, sweeping figure eights provided their rewards of car control and excitement. 

After a short break for a sausage sizzle and some story telling we all sat back and watched the moving of cones by Paul, wondering what was in store for our afternoon session. 

A mirror image track was set up for two cars at a time to test their new skills against one another. No time for showboating here, this was all about control and clean lines, and proved to be the most exciting part of the day. 

When all was said and done our times were irrelevant, our tanks overflowed with joy and our anticipation is building towards the next event. 

A big thanks must go to Garry and his team for doing a brilliant job of organising the day, to Paul and his team for allowing us to enjoy our cars in a safe environment, and to all the LCQ members for a great turn out.