Driving the Lotus Elise and Exige at LRP - Team Juicy Racing's Racing School and Race Series Forums

sydude · #1 11-08-2004

Thanks to Mark Starr of Hunting Ridge Motors in Greenwich, CT, Francois Alesi and I took a couple of sessions each in some new Lotus cars. We drove the regular Elise, which is a great car, and also the Exige race car, which was as expected even more fun and as expected a much more suitable track car. As the cars weren't ours (the Exige belonged to one of Mark's customers, who generously allowed us to drive it), we were extra careful with them.

The Elise we drove didn't have the track/performance package, and that really didn't suit it well. It's severely under-tired at the front, and is set up suspension-wise to push consistently. I'd go with the track package for sure, which has 20mm wider tires up front and has upgraded suspension as well. Driving the Elise on the track confirmed another flaw in the car that I had witnessed in an on-road test I had a month ago, which is that the brake pedal is way too mushy and soft. Brake power and feel is good, but the travel is excessive. I suspect that the car needs upgraded brake lines etc. at the least, to firm things up.

The Exige was a fantastic track car. It's almost a full on race car that was very tractable and handled beautifully. Very predictable, too. The engine is different than the one in the Elise, but has about the same power. The motor in the Exige is an old Rover motor, whereas the Elise has the new Toyota MR2 motor. The Toyota revs and revs, but the Rover has lots of torque. Pictures and video to come soon from Francois.

The highlight of the day, however, came about when Mr. Alesi decided to pass a car under yellow, when a gorgeous old Jag XK120 was stuck in the middle of the track ahead. Evidently Francois didn't see the flag, but when he came in at the end of the session the Chief Instructor was there waiting for him. The guy was SUPER pissed. I thought he was going to tear Francois' head off! Too funny.

And finally, an observation on Track Days and Car Clubs. They suck. The drivers there all stunk hugely but thought they knew everything. The driving out there was just plain awful, and the instructors were clueless. Guys were going out there in their own cars and destroying them. Some guy wrecked the hell out of a Ferrari 355 Challenge car in the downhill.

This event re-affirmed to me how amazing the Skip Barber Race Series is. The level of driving is head and shoulders above anything else, the feedback and driver development is unmatched, and you can actually drive the car at the limit without worrying about writing off your $80,000 car.

sydude · #2 11-08-2004

Whoops, forgot another tale. After Francois got reamed by the Chief, the team starts hounding him on where one of his lugnuts went. Evidently he lost a lugnut and most of the other one's in the rear were loose and about to come off, too. They actually gave him some grief about it. What the $#%@?

sydude · #3 11-08-2004

Here are some pictures of us driving the Loti.

cdh · #4 11-08-2004

looks really cool, especially the Exige....................

Francois Alesi · #5 11-08-2004

I DID NOT SEE THE YELLOW !!!

Because I was too busy passing bunches of guys in M3, porsches and Ferraris who would be better off learning how to drive at SB

Anyway the cars were cool even if not that track ready for the Elise....
Sy, you are too harsh on the system even if I agree it is miles away from SB level...

sydude · #6 11-08-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francois Alesi

Sy, you are too harsh on the system even if I agree it is miles away from SB level...

I guess I'm a racing snob. Hanging out with MB too much, I guess!

Charlie25 · #7 11-10-2004

Hey Sy,

That sounds like a blast! I fell in love with the Elise the moment I saw it at the Pittsburgh Auto Show.
How would you say it performs compared to the RT 2000? I think it has some 80 more horsepower and isn't much heavier....?

It's been a little over a month since the last race and I'm already going bonkers! How on earth will I survive untill next April??

sydude · #8 11-10-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie25

Hey Sy,

That sounds like a blast! I fell in love with the Elise the moment I saw it at the Pittsburgh Auto Show.
How would you say it performs compared to the RT 2000? I think it has some 80 more horsepower and isn't much heavier....?

It's been a little over a month since the last race and I'm already going bonkers! How on earth will I survive untill next April??

Welcome to the club! We all suffer, too. But you don't have to, as the best thing you can do (if you can) is to do Winter Series races. They run at awesome tracks and are looking like a great deal right now. Other than that, Karting Karting Karting. A whole bunch of the guys are doing an F1 Boston day on Nov. 28th if you want to join.

In regards to the Elise, the horsepower to weight ratio is slightly less than the R/T, at approx. 190/1900 compared to the R/T's almost 140/1200. Also, the R/T has more tire for the same weight and the obvious increased handling traits of a lower C/G and better braking. But the Elise's suspension is really good and provides great mechanical grip. I've heard that the Elise can get close to the one minute mark, and I think that's possible. That's pretty amazing for a 40k road car. And it has an awesome interior, too.

Charlie25 · #9 11-11-2004

Ha, you should have seen my principal's face when I told him I was missing six days of school this past season

. Private schools suck. I'm amazed they're letting me go to Laguna Seca next weekend for the shootout (Hopefully I'll see some of you there?) I hope to make it to Sebring in February. I'd love to go karting with you guys but I can't easily jump on a plane to Boston

. I guess video games will have to suffice...

spintowin · #10 11-11-2004

I think Bico was turning 58s in his Exige at LRP...also v competitive times at WGI