The fourth event of the season is now open for registration for everybody at MotorsportReg. The price is the same as always and 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 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.

Never-the-less, despite one man down, the team displayed a winning determination that saw Kimi manage tyre degradation under difficult circumstances, executing a 3-stop strategy that again displayed his consistency and championship talent.

A great finish for the team who also welcomes Nick Chester as Technical Director, following last week’s announcement of James Allison’s mid-season departure.

Kimi Räikkönen, P2, E21-03 “Unfortunately it’s second place again so it’s not time to celebrate too much. The car felt good and we did pretty much all we could today, but we didn’t have the pace to challenge Fernando [Alonso]. I drove to the maximum and it’s good for the championship that Sebastian finished behind us. It’s nice to be on the podium for me and the team; let’s see what we can do in Monaco.”

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E21-02 “I made a poor start but after that I was on the pace and we know we’re able to produce good race strategies, so there was potential for a strong result today. The car was feeling pretty good until we had an issue with the rear suspension which meant I had to return to the pits and retire from the race, which is a great shame. It’s always disappointing for everyone when something like this happens but there’s no-one to blame; it’s just a part of motor racing.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal “Firstly, we need to investigate what happened to Romain’s car. I feel sorry for him and for the team. Equally however, I’m delighted for the team to achieve another second place with Kimi. Once again he drove fantastically and we were able to give him a great car with a good strategy. We took points from Sebastian in the Drivers’ Championship, but we have lost out a bit in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a good job by the entire team.”

The sixth round of the competition takes place in Monaco 26th May 2013.

Press Release from Lotus

Shinoo Mapleton from Sector 111 will be presenting the BAC Mono, a lightweight, ultra high performance supercar designed and manufactured using the latest racing technology. Shinoo even managed to register it – find out how.

Jerry Wilkins from Custom Kitchens will be presenting Gladiator GarageWorks – flooring, cabinets, workbenches, wall systems to keep your garage stylishly organized.

We’ll be serving good French wine and artisan pizza. Come when you can, stay as long as you like.

Your Hosts
Eric Gauthier, Shinoo Mapleton & Jerry Wilkins

WHEN:
Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 PM
to 6:00 PM

WHERE:
Suspension Performance
2224 Old Middlefield Way, Suite I Mountain View, CA 94043

View Larger Map

In our continual effort to provide our customers with the maximum amount of track time, we will be running our regular Thunderhill format which allows you to bridge run groups. There will be three run groups but you will sign up for either Novice/Intermediate or Intermediate/Advanced. We will be offering early bird pricing for this event at $135 for GGLC members, and $155 for non-members. This price will increase to $155 for members and $175 for non-memberes after May 15, so sign up early! Additional drivers sharing a car are $50. You can become a GGLC member for $25.

Click here to sign up via MotorsportReg.com to sign up.

Be advised that Thunderhill Raceway enforces a 104dB sound limit. Please read your confirmation email as it has been expanded to include the general schedule and other important information.

See you at the track.

John & Scott
GGLC Track Day Chairs

Kevin Jost, Editorial Director of Automotive Engineering International Magazine said, “The Lotus Evora 414E was chosen for the AEI Tech Award for its unique combination of a multimode virtual seven-speed shift schemel, torque-vectoring stability control, and energy and power management optimization schemes.”

Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer for Lotus said, “In one high tech vehicle, the Lotus Evora 414E encompasses all the key areas of Lotus Engineering’s expertise, and doesn’t just demonstrate the high level of technological advancements in our products, but is also relevant to the motor industry and applicable to the long term future of the car. We are delighted that the SAE have recognised this with such an important and prestigious award.”

Every year, the editors of Automotive Engineering International select, from among SAE World Congress exhibitors, the technologies they judge worthy of an AEI SAE 2013 Tech Award. Judging is based on level of design and engineering innovation, uniqueness, potential for “real world” production application, and potential benefit for industry customers and end user. The SAE 2013 World Congress will be held this year from April 16 to 18 in Detroit; and other highlights of the event are viewable online at www.sae.org/mags/aei/saewc.

The Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept showcases new developments in plug-in, range-extended electric propulsion, new electronic technologies to enhance driver involvement and the adaptability of the Lotus Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA).

The range extended electric drive of the Evora 414E Hybrid consists of two electric motors driving each of the rear wheels independently via single speed geartrain, integrated into one common transmission housing, thus enabling torque vectoring for stability control of the vehicle. Electrical power is stored in a lithium polymer battery pack which is optimised for energy density, efficiency and high power demand and mounted in the centre of the vehicle for stability and safety. Additional range is provided by the Lotus Range Extender engine, an optimised 1.2 litre, three- cylinder engine, designed specifically for series hybrid vehicles. The drivetrain is designed to combine astonishing performance with efficient, low emissions driving.

Driver involvement is enhanced by the incorporation of HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis technologies from Lotus and HARMAN, which provide sound contouring within the cabin and improve pedestrian safety outside the vehicle. Integrated with the HALOsonic technology, the Evora 414E Hybrid also showcases a brand new technology from Lotus Engineering, a sports mode that simulates a 7-speed, paddle shift transmission that combines exceptional driver involvement for a hybrid sports car and optimised energy recuperation.

The Evora 414E Hybrid has been designed to highlight Lotus’ innovative electric and hybrid vehicle technology without distracting from the pure sportscar character of the Evora.

• 0-60 mph / 97 km/h in around 4 seconds
• Total hybrid range of over 300 miles / 483 kilometres
• Eco mode or Sports mode featuring realistic 7 speed paddle shift with energy recuperation
• Next generation of Lotus and HARMAN intelligent pedestrian warning system, integrating the advanced
• HALOsonic sound synthesis system with video technology.

• Torque vectoring for improved dynamic stability
• 152 kW (207 PS/204 hp) of power and 400 Nm (295 lbft) of torque

GGLC AUTOCROSS ROUND#3 – MAY 11, 2013 – MARINA AIRPORT
Registration for Round 3, May 11th is now open for GGLC members. Sign up at http://gglotus.motorsportreg.com

The entry is still $60 for members and $70 for non-members (includes lunch). 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 in one week.

We continue our 8 classes. Please read over the details on the club page.

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.

BRITISH CAR AUTOCROSS – JUNE 22, 2013 – COW PALACE, DALY CITY CA
The GGLC is estatic to partner with Triumph Travelers Sport Car Club to present the British Car Autocross on June 22nd at the Cow Palace in Daly City. This event is a celebration of British cars and open to owners/drivers of the likes of Jaguar, MG, Triumph, Morgan, McLaren, Mini, Austin, Marcos, TVR, Lotus and other British marques.

Registration is now open at http://gglotus.motorsportreg.com

Entry is only $40 for GGLC members (non-members is $45), lunch is NOT included, but there will be food trucks on site.

This is a practice event, no-points.

We will use the 3 run-group format like we do at GGLC events. This is an invitational event and space is limited to 75 drivers. Sign-up early to secure a spot in this special day!

Don’t hesitate to contact Colm or myself if you have any questions about any of this year’s events or any other autox topic – autox@gglotus.org

See you at the track!
Kiyoshi (on behalf of Colm – GGLC Autocross Chairman)

The battle began early for Kimi as despite him having qualified second, a poor grid start meant he lost early race positioning. By lap 16, a track tussle with Sergio Pérez saw Kimi damage his nose cone culminating in a loss of downforce for the Finn. However, showing the spirit of a Chinese martial arts warrior, Kimi took on the opposition tenaciously, employing a well-thought out strategy that saw him conquer the challenges with tactical use of KERS (kinetic recovery system), DRS (drag reduction system) and tyre preservation. Needling his way through the grid traffic and deciding not to lose time by replacing the broken nose cone. Kimi’s assault in the black, gold and red steed saw him take the chequered flag in P2 much to the delight of the sea of Räikkönen fans all sporting their blue and white flags and black and gold Lotus banners.

Romain Grosjean also once more delivered important points for the team finishing in ninth place despite suffering with tyre wear issues.

Kimi Räikkönen, P2, E21-03 “Second wasn’t quite what we wanted, but in the circumstances it was the best that we could manage. I’m not 100% happy because we didn’t win, but it is what it is and second place is a good result after a bad start and the incident with Sergio [Perez]. It was quite difficult out there; obviously the car is not designed like that otherwise we would use it all the time, but I was surprised how good it was still. Of course there were some handling issues which was not ideal, but we just had to try to live with it and we still had pretty okay speed.”

Romain Grosjean, P9, E21-01 “I couldn’t get the performance I wanted. It was a long, tough race and again we were not able to make it work quite as well as we wanted. I’m definitely not happy with ninth place; we started P6 and thought we had a good chance to end up within the top five, but unfortunately we could not manage it. I did as much as I could, but I couldn’t get the performance I wanted and being in traffic of course affects this. It was good to score some points for the team, but I want more in Bahrain for sure.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal “It’s a good result for the team. Kimi showed once more why he’s one of the very best drivers in the world by being one of the fastest on track despite sustaining damage to his car. As a team we were able to give him a good strategy allowing us to beat Lewis [Hamilton] and Mercedes in a close battle. Romain had a more difficult day, but he scored points in another race which is positive and we feel he’s reached a turning point now where things will start coming together. Without the poor start and without the incident for Kimi, we definitely would have fought for a win.

We now look forward to the forth round of the competition that takes place in Bahrain, next weekend, 22nd April 2013.

Press release from Lotus

The long awaited movie adaptation of ‘The Host’ written by Stephanie Myer, author of ‘The Twilight Saga’ premiered in LA on 19th March and will be on international release from March 22nd at which time big screens all over the world will be alight with a fleet of awesome looking Lotus Evoras.

The movie follows the plight of ‘Melanie’ played by Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as she battles an unforeseen enemy lead by ‘Seeker’ played by Hollywood favourite Diane Kruger. A romantic action-adventure which sees Melanie join resistance fighters as they battle for the survival of the human race, ‘The Host’ is a tale of spirit, individuality and determination – traits that echo Lotus’ own character.

Treated in a chrome vinyl wrap and fitted with special-effect lighting, the Evoras are driven by the ‘baddies’ of the piece. It is the mission of ‘The Seekers’ to rid earth from all human negativity achieving this by invading human ‘hosts’ and cleansing their minds and erasing their memories to build a neutral race devoid of character and emotion.

Negotiations for a “hero car for ‘Lead Seeker’” started in early October 2011 and by the end of the month Lotus had agreed to provide a number of Evoras to the project directed by its screenwriter Andrew Niccol who was looking for an extraordinary car for the role. The Lotus Evora was chosen for its stunning and futuristic aesthetic, which when juxtaposed with contemporary locations, gives a truly alien element to the Sci-Fi movie.

Lotus has a strong cinematic history; with appearances in two ‘Bond’ films – in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ out-racing a motorbike and helicopter before taking to the sea as the iconic submersible Esprit, and in a cool role in ‘For Your Eyes Only’; “cornering like its on rails” with Julia Roberts at the wheel in ‘Pretty Woman’; and taking part in an adrenaline fuelled chase sequence along the San Francisco coastline with Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’.

No doubt the dynamic driving scenes featured in ‘The Host’ will take their place alongside these exciting movie moments as stand out performances for Lotus.

A force to be reckoned with, Kimi Räikkönen proved Lotus was the team to beat during a race marked by the threat of rain, and where tyre strategy was critical in the racing game plan. With the other front runners taking 3 pit stops, Kimi was able to preserve tyre condition, docking only twice over the 58 lap Albert Park course. From the off, the E21 showed its prowess, with a race pace that was nothing less than impressive, the fastest lap of the race 1:29.274. What marks the 20th win in his career, and the 81st for the Lotus name in F1® the former World Champion is now leading the 2013 F1® World Championship race.

Kimi Räikkönen: “Our plan was to do two stops and though its difficult in the first races to know when to stop and not go too early, we got it exactly right. The car has been very good all weekend, we were a bit disappointed qualifying 7th but with the conditions it wasn’t so easy. I knew if I went through the first laps in a good position we should give ourselves a good chance for fighting for the podium. It turned out to be not so difficult.”

Eric Bouillier: “The best start you can ever dream of. I am very proud of our team today.”

Team mate Romain Grosjean finished 10th, securing an important point for the team. All eyes are firmly on next weekends assault where the second round of the competition takes place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

The second event of the season is now open for registration for club members on MotorsportReg. Register early as a sell out is expected. For an added challenge we plan to run the course in the reverse direction in the afternoon!

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 at

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please use the classification tool to calculate your index points and choose your class. 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 next month,
Colm.