This has been a very successful series of Sprints for our Club with a strong and increasing number of Lotus competitors through the year. We had thirteen Club members and thirteen Lotus cars running in this event. I think that is fantastic.
On the social side, Warwick was hosting Australia’s largest rodeo or some such thing so the town was full of broad hats and big utes with bull horns on the bonnet. Most of the Lotus people stayed out at the track and enjoyed a very convivial barbeque on the Saturday night along with a red wine or two.
On the car front, the big news for this meeting was to be Peter Burford’s Banks Europa. The car was purchased early in the year and in Peter’s style it has been the subject of virtually a complete nut and bolt restoration to get it ready to run. The car is immaculate. I had never seen one of these before and as an old Europa owner I was mightily impressed. I think I need one Penny! Wisely, Peter put in significant practice laps on Friday, his first serious drive in the car. Tragedy struck late in the day when a suspension ball joint failed, luckily at a slow part of the track with minimal resultant damage to the car but he was out for the weekend. With a reputed 200bhp I can’t wait to see it perform next year.
Most of the Elises were also up for Friday practice. Maybe these guys have got short memories – it is not that long since we have been on this track. Or maybe they are just competitive!
Saturday was warm with a serious westerly putting our new “corporate tent” to the test. I know Sevens are not aerodynamic but I can never recall being so buffeted around in a car as I was coming out of turn three into the gale.
Peter Boel was in the beautiful Lotus 41, a car which deserves the many admiring looks that it gets. Peter is getting the car sorted and ended with second in class. Mike Goodfellow was in his Lotus coloured Talisman formula junior, which he is steadily coming to grips with.
In the pre 1977 classic sports cars (0 – 1500cc) class we had Tom Kuzman with the concourse winning Elite, Grahame Vaughan in the Eleven replica and I was driving my Seven. After about the third run, Tom had a major drop in oil pressure and that was it for his weekend. We hope it is not too expensive. Grahame and I had plenty of fun taking it in turns playing “catch me if you can”.
In the pre 1977 classic sports cars (1501 – 2000cc) class Greg Bray has been having a mighty tussle all year with some very highly developed and well driven Alfas. As any good Lotus man would do, Greg has been lightening the car, upping the horsepower and tricking up the suspension and getting quicker and quicker until this weekend he was rewarded with first in class. I think that is the first time he has beaten all the Alfas. Congratulations Greg.
And then there were the Elises. These cars and drivers have added another dimension to this series, appreciated by many. A number of these guys have considerable experience in motor racing and it shows with the attention paid to car preparation and setup and the driving. I know S1s are reputed to be unforgiving when at the limit but the number of times some of these drivers “rotated” over the weekend convinced me they must be doing it for fun. Early in the weekend Geoff Noble was having trouble getting down to the spectacularly fast times of previous meetings, but in his second run on Sunday he put in a 3min 41.56 to win the class with what must have been one of the best times at the meeting.
And then there was Les Mellor who is between cars at the moment but needed to have a drive. So he threw the Twin Cam into the MkII Lotus Cortina which we have not seen at the track for a couple of years. But by Saturday morning Les was heading home to Ipswich for some repairs having blown up his diff in Friday practice. He was back later in the day, having cobbled up another diff and got in four runs for his efforts.
With the promise of yet more Lotus competitors next year, this sprint series can only get better.
Best times were;
Geoff Noble Elise S2 3-41.56 Peter Boel Lotus 41C 3-41.79 David Reid Elise S1 3-44.78 Giles Cooper Elise S1 3-45.55 Robert Stevens Elise S2 3-48.30 Clive Wade Elise S1 3-50.59 Greg Bray Europa 3-54.05 Steve Mercer Exige Cup 3-55.81 John Barram Seven S2 4-01.63 Grahame Vaughan Eleven Replica 4-03.25 Les Mellor Lotus Cortina 4-14.98 Mike Goodfellow Talisman FJ 4-24.65 Tom Kuzman Elite 4-24.90
John Barram
** Refer Picture Gallery under "Events" for more photos.
Friday was a rush to get away (see? Even spectators do it). This probably had something to do with having procrastinated getting ready for the entire week. But finally the driveway was clear, picked up Smash who’s job it was to make sure I didn’t get us totally lost (he isn’t very good at it though), and hit the highway…
…at which point it rained. Come to think of it that set the mood for quite a lot of the weekend. Good proper British weather what? Should be perfect for Lotus’s.
I won’t bore you with the trip down, ‘cept that involved some nice road and the Alfetta’s electronics doing exactly what Italian electronics do: breaking. Needless to say though we got to Murwillumbah in one piece, mostly. Found the way to the showgrounds, and promptly got hit by a massive identity crisis. The Lotus Club had camped out behind the Alfa Club’s Little Italy. A Lotus is a touch out of a uni-student budget, so I drive the next best thing: an Alfa *dodges thrown objects*. This however has the added bonus however that I can pretend to be attached to whoever’s going the fastest at the time. Unfortunately the quickest of “those pesky Alfas” was unable to attend due to an industrial accident, so the Chapman faithful were given a bit of breathing space.
Friday afternoon was taken up by drizzle, and more drizzle which saw everyone confined to, for want of a better word, “tents”. Fabric Taj-Majhals might be a better descriptive: room for a table, chairs and stoves. Not to mention food, umbrellas, papers and the various detritus that the club tends to collect through the weekend.
I’d like to point out at this moment that the Old Man (Clive Wade) pansied out and found solid shelter.
Luckily the God of English weather saw fit to clear for the evening, leaving the township slightly damp, but at least not getting wetter, for the Friday-night street party. The thundering roar of competitor cars filling the main-street of Murwillumbah eventually gave way to the clink of glass as those faithful to the Church of Chapman secured sacrificial liquor for the night from the first bottle-o they could find. Dinner was at The Fish Bowl, the food was pretty good and the service was excellent. When the proprietor automatically assumes you want your six-pack in the fridge and doesn’t allow the table to be devoid of beer then there’s nothing of which to complain.
Saturday, the first day of competition, dawned somewhat damp. Enough to see a scramble for the Speed on Tweed merchandise tent to secure golf umbrellas. Dryness came at a price though, can’t help but think the $35 asked was a touch on the steep side. Quick wander around the covered area of the pits revealed that Alpine A110s are dead sexy, then back to the Tent-Majhal; where David Haydon (from south of the border) had apparently left the working bits of his starter motor a fair few miles back at a servo. Luckily there was at least half-a-horsepower of lounging Chapman fans who (after some protestation) could be drafted into service and the ex-Geoghegan Elite was soon happily chugging away. To think this was originally looking like being quite a relaxed weekend.
Further starter motor duty was avoided by grabbing the camera and making a dash to find a vantage point overlooking Taylors Corner…
…where it rained.
Rain’s great for the countryside (and God knows we need it), but it’s not so great for traction. Which meant everyone was taking the corner either very cautiously, very sideways or in some cases: very both. There was mild entertainment value too be found in watching those on slicks try to accelerate out of the corner and just not go anywhere. Same entertainment was to be found in watching a certain green and yellow Elan come through a little on the wrong side of hot and use up valuable time getting back on the right course… to the other side of the right course… and back again. And you know what? Every shot taken wound up being when it was going straight ahead, talk about bad timing; managed to miss the Milano GT making a headlong assault on the tyre barrier as well. No major damage luckily, minus a few moderately bruised egos I assume.
Having made life difficult all day, the rain Gods adjourned to whatever their own equivalent of the local pub; leaving the Lotus faithful yet again able to make their way in dry comfort to the main street of Murwillumbah for the Saturday night bash. Some of us got a head-start, having decided that the Imperial Hotel looked like a fine establishment that should be further investigated. This investigation was duly undertaken and yielded free 6-pack coolers!
The rest of the Church of Chapman were eventually located an hour later at the Luffley Cafe. Again, beers miraculously appeared on the table (courtesy one of the locals who we’d befriended and had joined us for dinner). The fare was mostly good, I don’t know about the others, but the sticky date pudding was a bit dry. But hey, it’s only a minor gripe. Thoroughly enjoyable experience all the same, rounded out by in impromptu street performance by a certain someone, with a wine glass in one hand and half a bottle of white in the other wondering, quite loudly, something to the effect of “where has all me wine gone! Who’s stolen all me wine!”
Returned back to the Imperial and took a seat in the window so we could make sure all the rest of the Lotus club left town safely…
…and because, as the youngest there, we were damned if we were going to be anything other than the LAST people back to camp!
Sunday was the day of the Alfa alarm clock. Hello head! I see you’re making your presence known nice and early!
It was also, of all things, SUNNY! Apparently the rain-clouds were nursing their own hangovers. Which meant it got HOT! And MUGGY! Someone on high must have been playing games with motor sport fans the world over that weekend as a friend in Texas was having EXACTLY the same weather pattern for her race meet: hot, getting muggy… but a drying track. Unfortunately the sun came too late for the grass in the pits and marshalling area, which had been turned into a slippery, muddy mess: specifically designed to get thrown onto clean trousers and clog tyre treads.
So basically the now dry track wasn’t helping much anyway.
Discussions in the Tent-Majhal between John Lungren and others revealed a new and super-secret method for clearing treads: spin the tyres for as long as possible and some of that physics stuff would miraculously give much needed grip.
Whoever was clearing out their wheel arches after the weekend: you have my sympathies.
With dry asphalt under freshly cleaned rubber times started to drop. The track may have been tighter this year but that didn’t seem to be deterring many. Plenty of descriptive language could be heard from the Lotus camp as other competitors’ times rolled in. The Marshalling area was moved off the muddy grass onto the roadway in the hope of remedying the tyre-tread problem; it was however unfortunately too late for the showgrounds’ previously pristine turf.
Final runs were made just as the Taj was being disassembled, leaving both Patrick Mewing in the Elan S3, David Haydon and Tom Kuzman, both in Elites with Class wins.
Final Results:
|
Name |
Car |
Time |
Place in |
Place |
|
Patrick Mewing |
Lotus Elan S3 |
47.34 |
1 |
11 |
|
John Barram |
Lotus Seven |
52.12 |
4 |
74 |
|
John Lungren |
Lotus Seven |
52.43 |
5 |
78 |
|
John Blackburn* |
Lotus Europa |
56.4 |
20 |
128 |
|
David Haydon |
Lotus Elite |
58.48 |
1 |
139 |
|
Tom Kuzman |
Lotus Elite |
58.48 |
1 |
139 |
|
Mike Goodfellow* |
Talisman FJ |
60.97 |
13 |
151 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* = Flat Cap Masters |
|
|
|
|
From:
http://www.speedontweed.com/2006results.html
Finally the sun started to make its way toward the horizon again and two Alfettas could be seen heading for the Numinbah Valley road. Those who were there, I really hope some of you went home that way. It was a magical drive.
Many thanks to the Lotus Club members whom attended, who for yet another year
put up with a pair of teenage hangers on; we promise we’ll find proper
accommodation next time…
…or will have at least ceased to be teenagers.
Special thanks also to the Lungrens for organizing dinner both nights. We would
have starved without you.
Richard Wade (dobbed in by father)
** Refer Picture Gallery under "Events" for more photos.
For many years we had talked about going on an Italian tour. In early September 2006 we finally realised the dream and set out on our adventure for Italy. After a four day stop over in the UK it was on to Venezia and Florenze for 3 days each. Hiring a car in Florenze we drove to our Villa in Tuscany for 7 days followed by 3 days in Rome, 2 days in Dubai then home to sunny Brisbane.
Cruising the narrow and mostly medieval mountain roads around the Tuscany region
we visited Castellina in Chianti.
This picturesque village is set very high up
on a mountain range about 20 klm west of Poggibonsi on the
Florenze – Sienna
Autostrada.
Carolyn picked up a local paper and that evening, back at the Villa, came across
an article with pictures
of a 105 Alfa, Triumph TR3 and Fiats in the Chianti
Cup. So down to the reception next morning and
via the local Italian Police our
receptionist found that the scrutineering was on Friday,
Saturday
with
competition Sunday. We were leaving Saturday so off up the mountain to have a
look.
The road up is 19 klm of hairpin bends and there are 2 straights, near the
bottom of the
range,
each about 100 metres long – amazing but hairy coming down
that night.
Castelina in Chianti is a quiet, traditional and very old historic town in the
Tuscan region of Italy.
The exception is for two weekends around March and September each year when
European
racers of all ages and Nationality arrive with immaculately prepared
classic cars for a
round of
the European hill climb championships - The Chianti
Cup.
This is an 8.5 klm hillclimb rising some 400 meters up the mountain range to the
Radicondoli Castle.
The 2005 entry list was 174 cars from all over Europe and again this year
entries topped 174.
On arrival in the village we could hear a very loud engine – around the bend
came a yellow
FIAT Bambino, complete with propped open engine cover, Arbarth
everything and wheels like
little rollers.
In the car park was an impressive collection of beautifully prepared race-cars
including four
Renault Alpine
A110s, Zagato Lancias, Alfas, Fiats and all sorts
of open wheelers.
As we looked around I heard it – a Lotus Twin Cam and it was in an absolutely
beautiful and
pristine S1 Elan.
After waiting about half an hour the owner he returned from the drivers
registration and the fun began.
How do you discuss the restoration of his Elan when his English and my Italian
were both very
basic,
especially in technical terms. In the end Lotus language
seemed to be common.
Signore Marchelli Bianci lives in Florence and has had the Elan on the road
since 2005. It has
been
restored by he and his mechanic and has lots of very
nice competition refinements. 
Chassis number 26/0061 – yes 61 is certainly one of the earliest S1 Elans I have
heard of
still existing
and it was a treat to see it looking so beautifully
prepared.
Looking at the entry list later we saw that there were four Elans, one Europa,
one Type 14 Elite, one
Lotus Cortina and an F2 - A great rollup of Lotus in the
middle of Italy.
Marchelli’s Elan finished 3rd in class and 23rd outright in the very
competitive 174 car field.
The preparation and standard of finish both inside
and out is amazing and it is obviously very quick
with him at the wheel.
It turned out to be a very special end to a great holiday.
So if you are holidaying in Italy next year, look out for the Chianti Cup in
March and September.
** Refer Picture Gallery
under "Meetings" for more photos
After having a
record 11 Lotus drivers entered in Round 2 in June, the Lotus Club improved
further to have 13 entries this round. Several new club members / Lotus owners
expressing interest in the series, we hope that the next round in October could
see a further increase in Lotus numbers.
The mix of Lotus cars was excellent – In the Historic Racing Cars 0-2000 cc
there was Peter Boel in his beautiful Lotus 41C, and Mike Goodfellow in his
first outing in his new (to him) Trefry Talisman (classed as an honorary Lotus,
especially with its classic Lotus paint job.) Then in the Pre 1977 Classic
Sports Cars 0-1500 cc were Tom Kuzman in his beautiful Elite, John Barram and
Allan Conway in their Lotus 7’s, and Graham Vaughan in his pretty Lotus XI
replica. Greg Bray was in the Classic Sports Cars 1501-2000 cc class in his
quick little Europa, and then there were 5 Elises in Sports Cars up to 2000 cc
and Steve Mercer in the over 3001 cc class in his 240 Cup.
With only one on-track hold up on Saturday, all the Lotus’ got 4 runs before the
end of the day, except the Classic Sports Cars group. Greg Bray was pleased to
have been put in with the Elises so he could stretch the legs of his Europa,
while Steve and I had been put in with a group of Alfas. This proved
interesting in the first round when the Alfas said they would take off first,
which ended up with both Steve and I having to do quite a lot of overtaking
during the 3 lap event, and although this meant a slower time, it was great
fun. On subsequent runs, the Elise and 240 Cup went off first in the group and
had a real hare and tortoise day with the Cup monstering the little Elise off
the start and on the straights, but the Elise able to right the balance through
the many twisty bits where the extra power didn’t help Steve as much.
Peter Boel and Mike Goodfellow were in a group with the older (but very quick
and spectacular) Indy Special and Terraplane, and Peter was flying in the
beautiful sounding 41C. Mike was quickly coming to terms with a stiff clutch
and gear shift that seemed to have been positioned for someone who had had his
right forearm surgically shortened by 6 inches (When Mike came back with his
electric saw many of us thought Maggie was about to perform surgery on Mike’s
arm, not his seat!) but with each outing, the gear changes on the main straight
became sweeter, and Mike’s grin grew.
Meanwhile, Graham Vaughan, John Barram, Allan Conway and Tom Kuzman were having
a great time in their class – It is wonderful to see these cars not only being
driven so well but also so spiritedly on track. These guys really get out there
and go for it. However on closer inspection of Graeme’s car it was noticed that
he had a very unique “extra” that no one was sure if it was helping him go
faster, or was for his return to the pits should he have an incident on track –
a large “witches style” whisk broom was seen tucked away on the passenger side
of his car!! It was not however seen in use during the weekend, and, despite
Graham’s suggestions to the contrary, Ann denied having any knowledge of its
presence.
Tom Kuzman had some battery problems all weekend which meant his Elite could
only be started on an auxiliary unit, but as he never stalled it once on the
track, this did not cause him any ongoing dramas.
Greg Bray was having a great day in his Europa, mixing it with the Elises in his
group (when he remembered to remove the loose spare wheel from the bonnet). He
provided the excitement of the day when he spun his Europa in a cloud of dust as
he came onto the front straight, fortunately missing everything that was harder
than his fiberglass. But Clive Wade was right behind him, and he promptly
simultaneously spun in sympathy, right in front of all the pit crew (aka wives)
who were watching – except Gloria who, fortunately for Clive, still hadn’t been
spotted at the track, so she had to get the “watered down” version of the story
later that evening.
On Sunday, after a cloudy (but warmer) morning, the sun quickly came out and the
track was quick from the start, so every one was setting good times. Of the
Elises, Kath and 20 month old Anna (now known as Miss McDonald’s Warwick 2006)
Stevens had come up for the first time “to see what Rob really got up to in
Warwick”, so he was busy showing them that the cost of his new Kumho tyres was
really “money well spent”, and he really enjoyed being able to get a lot closer
to Geoff and the other Elises, putting in some excellent laps. David Reid in
his red S1 was getting quicker each run as he got used to the car again after
not having touched it since the previous round, while Clive had little good to
say about the Kumho dealer who had failed to get his new tyres delivered before
the weekend and therefore was still on the older road going Advan Neovas which
did little for him except give him an excuse. Meanwhile, Geoff Noble kept going
quicker and quicker, and every time he changed a tyre pressure, or removed a
shim, or changed his damper settings, he seemed to get it right. He had a great
tussle for outright FTD all weekend with Rod Pugh in his quick little Nova
Clubman, and a quick Subaru WRX.
Overall, a great track, great weather, and great company all combined to provide
a top weekend for all, and at the prize giving it was great to see the Lotus’
Boys taking home a good number of class trophies. With the final round on the
28th / 29th October, we can hopefully get a few more Lotus
owners to enter so that we can topple the Alfa boys from the numbers point of
view as well as the lap times.
Geoff Noble Elise S2 3.42.91 Greg
Bray Europa 3.53.56
Giles Cooper Elise S1 3.47.14 Clive
Wade Elise S1 3.59.86
David Reid Elise S1 3.49.26 John
Barram Lotus 7 4.04.95
Peter Boel Lotus 41C 3.49.47 Graham Vaughan
Lotus 11 Rep 4.07.80
Rob Stevens Elise S2 3.51.63 Tom Kuzman
Lotus Elite 4.25.35
Steve Mercer 240 Cup 3.52.72 Allan Conway
Lotus 7 4.33.16
Mike Goodfellow Trefry Talisman 4.40.83
** Refer Picture
Gallery under "Events"
for more photos.
I
always thought there must be more to this absolute enthusiasm for all things
motor than a passion for particular types of cars and a need for speed. Being
involved for many years, I had experienced the camaraderie and the mateship that
surrounds car events but I knew I still hadn’t found “it” - the magic ingredient
that gels the whole car business together. At the Historic Race meeting at
Queensland Raceway, 5th & 6th August 2006, I experienced “it” – now I know.
All the LCQ stalwarts were there including – Alan Telfer (Lotus 7), David Reid
(Cooper T59 FJ), Grahame Vaughan (Lotus Eleven Replica), John Barram (Lotus 7),
John Lungren (Lotus 7), Mike Goodfellow (Lotus Elan + 2), Peter Boel (Lotus 41C
and Lola Mk5A FJ), Peter Vandermeer (Jensen Healey), Peter Yeomans (Lotus 11 Le
Mans), Tom Kuzman (Morris Cooper S), Wybe Geertsma and Allan Conway (Gemini
Mk3a FJ). The familiar pre-race tension was apparent, everyone busy fine tuning
their beautiful cars, the “team managers” ensuring that everything was in order,
a bit of friendly banter – usual race meeting stuff.
Time for the K.L.M groups’ 15 minute session and out they went in their
magnificent machines. Not far into the practice there was a huge oil spill –
cars were spinning out of control all over the place like whirly fireworks on
New Year’s Eve and eventually – the red flag. About 8 cars were stranded in
various positions around the track and, thinking that the session would be
called off, I hurried back to our pit area to wait for Al. Next thing the
loudspeaker blared – “look at that! He’s hit the wall hard. There is going to
be damage there. Can you see who it is?” … “Yes, it’s car 6 – Allan Conway”.
Good grief! What an awful feeling!
Al drove slowly back to the pit area. I was relieved that everything seemed
OK. But… the left front wheel was broken – about a quarter of the rim was
missing. I’ve learnt that this is a very special wheel – original, magnesium,
incorporating the brake drum in the wheel – just about irreplaceable. I didn’t
want to admit it – but it looked like the end of the meeting for us.
Then, I started to experience “it”. John Lungren found Peter Phillips, renowned
engine builder and mechanic extraordinaire, who immediately called “the only man
who could fix the wheel” - Bruce Ayers, an alloy welding wizard. Peter was
completely confident that the Gemini would be back on the race track pronto.
Bruce, without hesitation, organised to meet us at his workshop in Brisbane that
afternoon. One of the track officials went out of his way to help and found
the missing bits of the wheel on the track – amazing!
Bruce – magician – worked meticulously and tirelessly for more than 4 hours to
mend our wheel until it was as good as new. Bruce gave up his precious Saturday
afternoon to help us. He worked with all the care, attention, professionalism
and good humour that are becoming so rare to find. Pete Boel `phoned from the
track through the afternoon to check on our progress even though he was so busy
racing both of his beautiful cars (what a stable that is!) and waited at the
track until it was too late for us to return.
Sunday – we scurried back to the race track before day break. Pete was there
too – ready to do whatever had to be done to get the Gemini on the track for the
day’s racing. Tony Slattery, “The Dunlop Man”, opened his shop early to put the
tyre back on the wheel and balance it. Finally the wheel was on.
Pete, ever creative and clever, conjured up what seemed to me to be an ingenious
method of aligning the wheels. Wise and wonderful John L put aside his
priorities and helped Pete and Al every way he could. The rest of the guys were
around, lending support and magically finding exactly what was required to
complete the job – like Alan T quick as a flash with the precise piece of wire
to replace a split pin! It was a great display of teamwork – they were having
fun in a serious kind of way. There was never a doubt that the Gemini would be
on the track again soon.
And – it happened. The Gemini was ready for the second event of the day for the
K.L.M class. How wonderful it was to see the little car back out on the track.
Al was thrilled with how it handled. The horrible oil traps had dried out and
the impromptu wheel alignment had negated the Gemini’s “tendency to rotate when
provoked”!
Then came the final event for the K.L.M group, a handicap race. Al won!! First
time in the Gemini! What excitement for all of us. Team managers Bev Boel,
Maggie Goodfellow, Penny Barram and I were hoarse from urging our LCQ guys on.
Because of the strong support and single mindedness of the team, Al had not only
been able to compete but also had his first win in the Gemini!!
Our LCQ team results were brilliant too. Best results achieved by individuals
over the weekend were John Barram 1st, Mike Goodfellow 2nd,
and John Lungren 2nd in regularity events with John B’s consistency
apparent with his 3rd place in the overall average for the weekend.
In racing events, David Reid placed 2nd in both races of the Formula
Junior championship and Peter Yeomans was 2nd to Al's win.
I well and truly discovered the mysterious “it” that weekend. “It” is the
never say die attitude, the conviction that nothing is impossible, the deep and
true empathy for a driver with a broken car and the will to do whatever it is,
as a team, to get that car and driver back on the track. Al was lifted by the
team from almost certainly withdrawing from the event to winning a race!
Sir Isaac Newton’s words “if I have seen further it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants” epitomise the “it” that I discovered. “It” - the pure LCQ
team spirit at the heart of all things motor.
** Refer Picture
Gallery under "Events"
for more photos.
Congratulations to Patrick
and Gabrielle Mewing on the arrival of "Claudia Maureen Claire" on Mon 26th
July 2006.
How quickly life can change!
A small but enthusiastic group met at Grinstead Park Sunday 23rd July 2006 at 8.30 am for a 9.00am start on a cloudy and threatening morning (some taking the long way after few laps of the Pickering Street roundabout). People from south of the river should not follow each other. Derek was as proud as a new father (probably not quite as Patrick and Steve.) due to the arrival of a bouncing baby Esprit SE. A bit too bouncy for Anita’s sake over the mountain. Russ Carter also a proud grandfather of a shiny red Elise on its second outing.
Elans made up
the balance, 3 in total, Greg and Chris, Wybe and Angela, Wade and a less
enthusiastic daughter Emma. Emma was even less enthusiastic by the time the
mountain had been scaled and the morning tea stop was reached at White Cedar
Creek Park. Derek knew he still had petrol although Anita had inhaled most of
it. Greg was summons but it was decided that morning tea must take priority.
Unfortunately all were limited to only one each of Derek’s private stash fully
imported ginger nut biscuits. The drive to Malcolm’s of Maleny was more sedate
to the co-drivers relief and we arrived at 12.30 pm spot-on. A drive enjoyed by
all and lunch was only just beginning. A few glasses of bubbly, a traditional
ham and turkey Christmas lunch with all the trimmings including plum pudding,
rum balls, white xmas and gifts was enjoyed by all beside the open fire. (except
for those chasing Aston around the hills) Even a rainbow appeared beside the
Glass House Mountains for some magical photographic moments.
It was decided that the Exprit needed the nearest petrol station available (they
could no longer smell any petrol) and from experience if its not leaking, it’s
empty.
Some of us stopped for the annual strawberry picking on the way home. If all
Christmases could be this pleasant life would be sweet.
Wade Greensill.
Wybe orchestrated a Lotus Event on Sunday 2nd July 2006 in conjunction with a theme being held at the Ipswich Art Gallery "Driving Passions - the Colours of Motorsport. It commenced firstly with meeting at Angela and Wybe Geertsma’s home named "Rockton" which is on the historical plaque displayed on the front of their home, presented by the Local City Council.
A good group of Lotus’s headed to Breakfast, where members were greeted with reserved parking outside the RSL. Darcy Doyle’s offered a full English breakfast with a set menu, which satisfied everybody. We are making it easier for the treasurer. After feeling rather full, it was time to exercise the limbs and head off to the Art Gallery and admire the extensive variety of motorsport memorabilia.
A guided tour allowed people to understand the enormous effort put in by The Ipswich Art Gallery having this display, this included one in particular a Torana SS model valued by Shannon’s at $2,500. Another was a Repsol Honda motorbike piece a” Barry Sheene 1976 Motorbike” in a glass case which came over from England insured for $2 million dollars located above the doorway as you entered the Art Gallery. In addition to this was a shrine to Peter Brock Number 5 “King of the Mountain”..
There was a display of car pieces with side and front panels from the V* supercar series and paintings of cars as well. An intense group of Lotus enthusiasts experiencing a wonderful display but the day didn’t end there.
Finally back to “Rockton” – where a guided tour of the house, which is historical in itself considering it, was once owned previously by the Bullmore family – who were direct relations of the late Kerry Packer. However in 1918 it became the family home for Angela’s family. If you are lucky enough to be guided to the widow’s walk (a flat level rooftop area with railings) as they call it you have the pleasure of admiring the views all the way to the Brisbane CBD.
Everybody took their time in leaving this magnificent traditional family home and were quite satisfied this was a worthwhile and satisfying event. A superb Art Gallery Exhibition, fine weather, great food and great company, those who did attend were happy they did. Thanks to Wybe and Angela.
Wade Greensill.
Congratulations to Stephen
and Ann Amos on the arrival of "Matthew Leonard" on Mon 21st June 2006,
a little brother for Charlize.
Saturday the 17th June, 2006 saw
the gathering of fifteen (15) Lotus at the B.P. Service Station at Yatala,
outside Brisbane.
The plan for the day was a quick run of approx. 2 hours to the Bakery at
Sanctuary Cove (those of you who were at Lotus 2003 will know where this is)
for morning tea, then on to the Queensland Lotus Dealership at Southport where
the Staff had arranged a “sausage sizzle” for lunch.
The morning was a little cool and we saw the open car people – Sevens, Elans &
Elises – arrive all rugged up for the occasion. Some with closed cars – Elan,
Excel & Carlton – were enjoying the use of heaters & air conditioning.
The route was planned, but due to an unforeseen circumstance (a street sign had
been turned around) saw Lotus heading in different directions, but on some great
Lotus roads around the sugar cane fields of Jacobs Well. However all went well
as we all reached the morning tea break at Sanctuary Cove. Much coffee & cakes
were taken on board and we then headed in convoy to the Lotus Dealership via the
scenic route of Sovereign Island, where some of the most expensive homes on the
Planet are situated, along the Broadwater to Labrador and then on to the Lotus
Dealership at Southport where the facilities were thrown open to us and the
B-B-Q was blazing.
Our special thanks go to Dean, Jamie, Craig & Staff for organizing the day,
manning the B-B-Q and also bringing along an Elise to participate on the run.
Another great day was had for Club Lotus Queensland.
Russell Carter
** Refer Picture Gallery under "Runs"
for more photos.
Lotus cars and Lotus Club
Queensland members were well represented at the annual Historic Race meeting at
Morgan Park Warwick in April 2006.
The meeting was a round of the of the Formula Junior series so Peter Boel and
Alan Conway left their respective Lotus' at home to race their juniors.
Peter Yeomans brought his Lotus Eleven Le Mans and Grahame Vaughan his venerable
Lotus Eleven Replica.
Alan Telfer was racing his Seven and was joined by Bruce Mansell from Sydney in
a quite original looking S2 Seven.
** Refer Picture Gallery under
"Events" for more photos.
On Sat night 11th Mar 2006 club
members attended the opening of Malcolm Kelson's shed.
This has been an 18+ month project for Mal and it was felt the completion of
this project should not go unheralded!
The highlight of the night was the reading of the poem below written by Mal's
son in law.
Mal’s Shed
By Dean Trevaskis
The Kelson's moved from Canberra to the hills of Shailer Park
And though it all went smoothly Malcolm’s mood was kinda dark,
For 19 Mangaroon Street didn’t have a bloody shed,
No den, no cave, no workshop where a bloke could clear his head.
No place to hide when ‘Yes Dear” wasn’t working anymore,
So he drafted up a master plan, with 60 square of floor,
Split levels, double entrance, natural lighting with a view,
It all looked good on paper, but he didn’t have a clue.
For the monster he’d created soon consumed his day and night,
And blew his workshop budget out of scope and out of sight.
See the problem was the backyard sloped at 45 degrees,
Complete with native palms and two big eucalyptus trees.
He chain sawed through the tallest gum but that’s when things got tense,
As it groaned then fell majestically, straight through the neighbour’s fence.
With experience of hindsight Malcolm tackled number two,
He’d learnt his lesson first time round and new just what to do.
But Murphy’s laws a bastard – for he slipped on shaly ground,
And sprawled out like a sitting duck beneath the creaking sound
Of seven ton of timber as it fell down from the sky,
Kelson cursed his rotten luck convinced that he would die.
But fate decreed that Mal survived to build his flamin’ shed,
The trunk fell short as gum leaves fluttered round his trembling head.
From then he spent the months ahead digging all day long,
Discovering that palm tree roots are very bloody strong.
He dug until the shovel and his hands were joined as one
But digging was no problem because Malcolm digs for fun!
He dug out all the tree stumps, then moved ten ton of dirt
Dug foundations, dug out steps, he dug until it hurt.
But every time I asked him how the workshop had progressed,
He answered with “the problem is” and seemed a bit depressed.
“The problem is collapsing walls the problem is the rain,
The problem is the problem is” time and time again.
And when the brickies finished and the shed was standing tall
He carried rocks in bucket loads uphill to pack the wall.
And painted porous blockwork till he thought that he would cry,
With every stroke the surface seemed to suck his paintbrush dry.
But through the many obstacles his stubborn streak won out,
Doggedly he soldiered on despite his every doubt.
Like his father many years before persistence won the day
Malcolm chose the toughest path, but did it Malcolm’s way.
Now the shed stands as a testament, to what can be achieved
With some good old fashioned elbow grease and courage to believe
That there always is an answer to the problems that we face,
And the bloke who’s slow and steady is the bloke who’ll win the race.
That bloke is Malcolm Kelson and he’s put in heart and soul,
With Chris there right beside him to achieve final goal.
So let’s raise our glasses high and toast this engineering feat,
The Taj Mahal of workshops and the best shed in the street.
