Lotus Notes 2001

The Clubs’ web site commentary, and last months Acorn’s verdict on the final standings in this year’s Marketing Machine Speed competition said. “As usual Andy Webber finished in second place, he also took the Tourist and Hill Climb titles, what does this man have to do to take the coveted overall top spot”.

A good question and one that I have thought about, the only answer I have is drive faster and make less mistakes particularly on events I do least well at, i.e. local to home and that are not up a hill!  Certainly the Marketing Machine scoring format and variety of venues means that unlike some of the regional Association championships it is unlikely to be won simply through good attendance or in a car and driver combination perfected for just one or two venues.

It needs committed attendance certainly, and some pretty good performances over a wide variety of courses ideally in a well attended class. If you can drive well it does not necessarily need the very latest ‘money no object’ kit, as Martyn Ellis has so clearly demonstrated over the last two seasons.

It is pleasing to hear that Rick has pledged further sponsorship next year and that Gordon Franks has picked up the ‘Bernie Ecclestone’ role from Steve Medhurst. Steve has done such an excellent job behind the scenes for the last umpteen years. Gordon looks set to continue to select a great variety of venues, and is working on refining rather than scrapping the already good scoring system. Added to that we have the recent decision by most regional organisers to move the Lotus Elise and their variants out of my class. So what are my chances next year? or  … “what does this man have to do”?

Well, to start with I’ve got the green light from Karen to have another go. Pretty important that one, particularly as we have another team member on the way and due at the time of the first round and taking a year out was a consideration (well for a minute or two anyway). Without family support I can’t get off the ground.

I’ve got the car, no big plans for a complete change, 23 years with it now and there is not much I can’t have a go at fixing which I find a big plus. Like so many of us I don’t have an abundance of hours or money, but hours can usually be found easier than money if needed in a crisis. I have been offered 2 ‘baby’ Elan’s in the last couple of months. One of these with my running gear in could be a sensible way forward with a 350 pound weight saving and I wouldn’t be giving up my accumulated knowledge (they are the same but smaller). Such a change would however still be pretty time and money consuming and I would be largely in uncharted territory in driving it quickly for a while. Added to which if it did the trick it would be the car not the driver that made the difference, and if it didn’t win the driver would be even more in the spotlight for poor performance than ever, so not much of an incentive there.

So sticking with the Elan Plus 2, over the winter I haven’t got anything too major for it. It will get a 70’s alternator from the Brother in Law’s scrap Escort van to replace the early 60’s dynamo and control box. This will charge the (smallish) battery whilst lining up at tick over making restarting easier when needed, leaving me in a more relaxed frame of mind coming up to the start line rather than the ‘will it /wont it’ restart if I switch off to stop it boiling over. Its also 5 pounds lighter meaning I don’t have to cut out a couple pints the night before or the lunchtime burger! I will sort out a better breather/catch tank system to avoid oil loss into and partially overflowing the catch tank that occurred this year at Weathersfield. I’ll repair or modify the ailing starter motor to cope with the higher compression and overgrown capacity better (the original car uses a BMC Mini starter so it was typically Lotus marginal before my engine upgrades)!  I also want to sort out a working petrol gauge or at least a sight tube so I don’t keep running out of fuel (Landow this year and Longleat last year) and it needs a pair of new rear tyres but that’s about it.

Engine wise I’d love to sort a nasty rattle / knock that is present at very low tick over speeds. I’ll whip the sump off and check the clearances on the big ends but I suspect number 3 piston is a bit slack in the bore (number 3 picked up in the last block when it cracked mid season). These pistons were made up a few years back as complete shortened specials and combined with the horrible, piston slap inducing, rod to stoke ratio I use, help to get the capacity up from original 1558 cc. If that is the problem it can stay there. After the mid season block changes I ended up setting the cam and ignition timing on a Friday evening in the Travel Lodge car park near Landow circuit. They can’t be far out as it’s pulling OK, but they would be worth a more thorough check, possibly trying a little advance on the exhaust cam to bring the power in a 500 rpm or so less. The standard timing on the Brian Hart cams I run is quoted to work in the 5500 to 9000 rpm range and I’m not brave enough (rich enough) to dare using more than 8000 with such a long (82mm) stroke. (John Milligan’s photo of his deranged engine bits in last month’s Acorn makes the point). So moving the range down would make sense if I can do it without the valves touching each other on the overlap. I currently use quite short trumpets on the Weber’s and might try the original standard length items, and rework the exhaust for the same reason.

Cosmetic repairs are needed after the season’s scrapes at Weathersfield (cone on the chicane cracked front wing), Landow (spin and beached on the rumble strips, cracked sill and floor) and Wiscombe (spin on the first corner and trip down towards the river making the cracks worse). While I’m at it I’ll give it a cut and polish to take out the worst of the previous season’s brush with the tyres at the Pestolozzi hairpin, memories of a happy class win which, with its now confirmed demise, will not be repeatable at that excellent venue

I don’t think within the rules or the ‘spirit’ of the rules there is much more to come from the car without going over the top. I was really looking forward to the test/alignment session offered by John Hewat and Colin Billings this season but the engine block blew the week before. I would jump at another such ‘low key’ opportunity to confirm that I’m not living with any real problems. However considering the sheer variety of events we do, and the results it sometimes gives me, I don’t think there is much wrong with it and I think the driver not the car should be the focus from here on all the time nothing breaks. I guess most of you know L O T U S stands for Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious !

So what mental notes have I tucked away during the season to find those seconds (or tenths of seconds) for next year ?……

Lydden….I’ve stagnated with upper middle order results here the last couple of years, I think I’m too cautious at Paddock. To see the Craig father and son duo round there shows what commitment means, even Mark (competitive) Dawson commented as such in one of his Acorn articles earlier in the year. I really don’t think I’ll catch the Plus 2 if it went that far sideways and that is not the place to find out (is it Trevor?). Neither, so the experts say, is it necessarily the quickest way round. But I am convinced that if I can get it to apex more against the inside kerb there is a useful bit more to come on the exit, I don’t think I’m cutting it close enough. Roy Nicholls is very tidy but committed through here and his times show the result. I think (from a recent CCC magazine article on driving Lydden) I should go for more of a double apex at Chessons, I’m staying too far left around the first section. I also need to go in deeper at the top of the hill to open up the exit to take more power earlier coming back down.

North Weald…. A better year for me here a 2nd and a win, I like the new course, the chicane needs to be exploited fully and I would do better to take this faster in practice to find the limit if necessary backing off for the final runs. I’m often braking too late for the entry to the roundabout entry ending up too deep into the right hander. I think ‘smooth aggression’ around the rest is the way to go. Jon Miles, on seeing his class winning time at the Herts MC event this year said difference on the run was less gear changing and more time steering with both hands, I think he has a point.!

Lotus Cars (Hethel)….I’m not far off the top times in the class, certainly without the Elises, but made a note to be braver through the first ‘S’ bend, Sevenoaks “and District” man Peter Neal showed the way this year with a cracking time, but I mustn’t be as brave as Keith Crocker, his fight with the 50 gallon oil drum this year showed that his Ginetta is a lot stronger than my Plus 2, if I hit it like he did the car would disintegrate and have to be buried at its birthplace!

Harewood….my jewel in the crown, what a venue and I’ve managed second in big classes to local champion Bobby Fryres in his sorted Clio Williams the last 2 years, so don’t change much for here and hope Bobby upgrades to the big capacity class with a V6 (size matters) Clio as reported recently in Motoring News.

Wiscombe….Best ever time this year but don’t waste a final run by spinning it on the first left hander, keep it floored over Bunny’s Leap, a bit quicker through the gate, control the wheel spin better on exiting the two hairpins should see more of the locals off.

Goodwood….I didn’t go this year as the bits were going back together in the replacement block. Memories from the previous year were that only competing here once a year these days will always make it difficult to be competitive with the regular ‘Association’ championship visitors. It’s the only one where I wasn’t happy with the car, 2 years ago it was very nervous/unstable in the 100 MPH plus zone, which lets face it for us is only a problem at Goodwood but for there it’s most of the lap. Since then I’ve a bit more spring rate and less wheel offset on the front plus corrected a rear toe out problem, both of which may help. Maybe I’ll sit this one out next year; Chris FG always takes points off me here anyway.

Landow….hope we go again, a cracking little circuit, don’t waste a run by running out of petrol and another with a spin. Be braver on the bend leading into the back straight.

Llys-y-Fran…another cracker, second this year with a time much quicker than a previous visit several years ago. Could use a bit more of the run off to the left over the bridge. Stay on the gas for longer up to the left hander coming up from the river into the woods, possibly easier on the throttle to cut down wheel spin up the final squirt to the finish. Oh and find a better pub for the night before (eh Gordon)!

Longleat….a win this year at this power venue (engine must be OK then), do it again as is, unless Jon Miles shows up in the Escort, in which case be braver still on the entry into Prospect bend.

Weathersfield….my problem venue, 2 visits in 2 years very poor times and positions, big classes both times, a lost opportunity, not sure why. I think it was one or both of the Crockers had worked out 1 MPH slower all round cost 5 seconds overall, I’m sure they are right, my runs felt reasonably quick, the car was moving about OK. I need to be clearer in my mind where the twiddly bits exit onto the longer faster sections and so I can floor it earlier (sitting low in a low car doesn’t help as you can’t see what’s coming up next). I mustn’t out brake myself into the last right hander, other than that I’m not sure.

So there we have it, a better start here, later braking there, and of course improve more than everyone else. Is that “what this man has to do”? ,  I’m sure the likes of Eddie Jordan, Ron Dennis, Frank Williams etc must go through the same process at this time of year with rather more at stake, and a tad more pressure!  We shall see, but I know I’ll enjoy finding out.

All the best
Andy, Karen and Ben

The Acorn : December Edition