Race Report: Team Lotus on Track RDC with Lotus Elise

The experiences of LOTRDC at 24H Barcelona



Early promise turns to disappointment for LOTRDC at Barcelona 24 Hours after the success of the two previous
events that the LOTRDC team had taken part in, much was expected of them for their third event.

Following a small power upgrade and maintenance of the car the team arrived at Circuit De Catalunya on Thursday
and carried out a successful test of the car. This also allowed the drivers to familiarize them selves with the circuit.

Following the successful test day the team felt in good shape for qualifying. With each driver needing to complete
the minimum 3 laps in both day and night sessions. The team worked through the 4 drivers, and after they had set the
third fastest time in class the team felt pretty happy. With just a few minutes left the teams Danish garage neighbors
sneaked into 3rd in class but essential work on the alternator would prevent the team going for a faster lap.
The alternator issue also hampered the night session as it led to a frantic race against time to get all drivers through
the night session, eventually the team managed it with 10 minutes to spare.

So race day came and so did 32 degree heat which would mean the drivers were in for a hard time. With the team
lining up on the outside of the 13th row the run down to turn 1 would be tricky having qualified 26th out of the 52
car grid.

Stanley made a clean start and moved up the order and at end of lap 1 was up to second in class. Over the course
of the next hour Stanley vigorously defended the position but eventually succumb to the faster mini cooper. By the end
of opening stint which came just before the two hour mark the team had climbed to 16th overall and was 3rd in class.

Ken Savage took over the helm but his stint would be short lived after the car threw an oil hose. With the repair taking
longer than the maximum 2 hours drive time any driver is permitted. Steve Quick then took out the repaired number
Lotus Elise 35 laps behind the class leader The race would now become a long game if the LOTRDC team had any
hope of salvaging a result.

James Knight took the wheel for his first stint and put in some decent laps before Ken's second stint and then followed
by Jamie as the team settled in for the night.

The night would prove to be the busiest period for the LOTRDC mechanics with a string of issues to resolve, including
a broken wheel stud, a second oil line failed. The team then fitted the final spare alternator but this was not enough
and the team decided to remove the cool box and strap another battery in to keep the Elise Sport 160 going.
As the sun came up a very weary team had everything crossed that the car could last. With spares running out fast
and the gearbox now starting to refuse to play ball the final few hours became a testament to the teams determination to
get the little Lotus to the finish line in the first instance but if possible get a classification. As the sun came up the team
had one lap spare in the fight Monday 10th September 2012 - Lotus On Track Racing Drivers Club Press Release to get
classified for a race finish, many other teams were already out.

In the end the team crossed the line after hundreds of laps with Steve Quick at the wheel and classified as the last
official team to finish, but after the hours of work during the night this was a huge success. In fact had they entered the
top class that contained the winning McLaren MP4 they would have got a trophy for 3rd in class, likewise in the higher A4
class the LOTRDC team would have finished the race in 2nd.

Conclusion: After making a decision to stick with the huge 17 car field of the A2 class rather than going pot hunting in
another class the team were glad they stuck with fair play. After the early hours with the team running in the top 3 the A2
race was going to be the most difficult race of their lives but the enjoyment and satisfaction was enormous. The K series
engine was superb as was the strength of the car, the issue is it's a 12 year+ old car and reliability is going to be an
issue unless a newer engine is put in to cut out some of the ancillaries the issue will be having to move out of Class A2.
Simon & Petes professionally run Honda Elise won class A5 but would not have got a top 5 finish in A2 so the solution
may not lay there, unless we play the class system.

The LOTRDC team would like to thank all the volunteers and helpers who made the event possible along with officials,
marshals and event organizers.

The team now look forward to the next challenge which will be the Dubai 24 Hours in January.

Are you also interested to place your team experiences on our website? Pleas send your report to natasha@creventic.com.

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