Lotus Festival - Brands Hatch - 15/16 August 2015

[dapinky]

Likewise, arrived this morning. Thanks.

[alan e]

mine to thanks Ian

[Tuga2112]

Hi Ian,

got Pm from me,

on a different topic, i just read your last message here,

My car is not anywhere near showroom condition (specially with one alloy in a different colour). is it still suitable for that stand ?

I cant fix it till Saturday, I cant seem to find the correct paint for it.

[Ian T]

Don't look too closely at my car then. Those with functioning eyesight will quickly realise I ran out of time to paint my NS wheels and they are still the decaying primer colour they came with when I bought the car.

Please come and join in, you are more than welcome and as an enthusiast, every bit as welcome / entitled as anyone else.

I will send you a ticket and the last pass I currently have and see you on Saturday. Could you send me your postal address and I will get it in the post first thing tomorrow morning.

[Ian T]

Meant to say - are you bringing a passenger, as I can send you two tickets if you are.

[Tuga2112]

PM sent

[Kathryn]

Received mine this morning too, thanks Ian.

Is anyone meeting up first to go in together?

[Ian T]

PM sent

PM replied, postal address received and thank you - you're on the list and I'll post out your pass and tickets for Saturday.

[Tuga2112]

PM sent

PM replied, postal address received and thank you - you're on the list and I'll post out your pass and tickets for Saturday.

strange, i didnt get any reply in my inbox, if you need anything from me just PM again or let me know here.

Im up for meeting before getting there, but considering ill be travelling from Coventry on Saturday morning its unlikely ill be there before the doors open.

[lotusflasherman]

PM sent

I'll be travelling from Coventry on Saturday morning its unlikely ill be there before the doors open.

Just thought I'd point out to any members coming from up't North, or 'north of Watford' anyway, and likely to be using the Dartford Crossing that to ease congestion they've now removed the toll booths south of the Dartford Crossing so you can't pay cash anymore. It's all charged electronically by number plate recognition ... so put tank tape over your number plates for the crossing ... ( Only joking).

I haven't been through since the new system was put in place but I know you can't pay cash anymore so I've set up an account with a £10 credit and get £1.67 deducted per crossing rather than cross and get a £2.50 charge that if you cross on Saturday and haven't paid by midnight Sunday becomes a £70 Penalty Charge, reduced to £35 if paid in 14 days.

Details on how to do it here https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

Note that it's free to cross after 10 pm and before 6 am so the 'arrive early Saturday, leave late Sunday' folk will be alright..

[Nickydee]

Hi Nick,

I don't believe there is a specific M100 parade lap this year and I didn't get an answer to that question when I asked - we'll see on the day I guess. Last year the M100 was singled out for some special attention with 25 years marked since it was unveiled and although my car was 25 years old this May, I don't think we can get away with that every year! If you remember last year, a number of other historic (and other?) Loti followed us out onto the track for the parade lap, so we may yet get a gentle run round.

As for space on Sunday, sorry, I've been directed to limit our attendance to 20 cars on the stand, which we have now. If you got a ticket through TLF you would be able to park in the general Lotus display parking area (not far away, but sadly not in the LEC bit). I know it's not a popular limitation and not one I'm enjoying having to stick to, but the space was allocated before we had numbers to present and I can't realistically moan about it. Lessons to learn before next year and all that.

We do have space on Saturday though, so if that appeals to you I can help. I've kept the top post in the thread updated with (I think) all the event information I have and links out to the Lotus Festival website, where the rest of the information is. Hopefully you can access that, I don't think there is any need to go through the whole thread.

Let me know if you'd like to attend with us on Saturday, I do still have some tickets and a pass or two.

Hi Ian

Thanks for all your have done on this and sorry to be a pian but I am ony just back in the UK. If you still have tickets for Saturday then I will attend and display on stand then if not I will buy a ticket for Sunday.

Cheers

Nick

[Tuga2112]

Just thought I'd point out to any members coming from up't North, or 'north of Watford' anyway, and likely to be using the Dartford Crossing that to ease congestion they've now removed the toll booths south of the Dartford Crossing so you can't pay cash anymore. It's all charged electronically by number plate recognition ... so put tank tape over your number plates for the crossing ... ( Only joking).

I haven't been through since the new system was put in place but I know you can't pay cash anymore so I've set up an account with a £10 credit and get £1.67 deducted per crossing rather than cross and get a £2.50 charge that if you cross on Saturday and haven't paid by midnight Sunday becomes a £70 Penalty Charge, reduced to £35 if paid in 14 days.

Details on how to do it here https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

Note that it's free to cross after 10 pm and before 6 am so the 'arrive early Saturday, leave late Sunday' folk will be alright..

thanks for the tip Phill,

when i get home i'm gonna check routes. see if i can avoid Dartford crossing altogether, it enrages me to pay tax on salary + car + petrol and then get asked to pay for a toll? what is the purpose of the money spent on the other 3 taxes ?

Ian,

Is there any convoy planned ?

[lotusflasherman]

thanks for the tip Phill,

when i get home i'm gonna check routes. see if i can avoid Dartford crossing altogether, it enrages me to pay tax on salary + car + petrol and then get asked to pay for a toll? what is the purpose of the money spent on the other 3 taxes ?

Ian,

Is there any convoy planned ?

If you're coming down The M1 you could go anticlockwise round M25 to avoid Dartford crossing, or go clockwise and take M11 down into east London and Blackwall Tunnel. Dartford Crossing at £1.67 will be quicker and cheaper though...

got any tank tape?

[Nickydee]

thanks for the tip Phill,

when i get home i'm gonna check routes. see if i can avoid Dartford crossing altogether, it enrages me to pay tax on salary + car + petrol and then get asked to pay for a toll? what is the purpose of the money spent on the other 3 taxes ?

Ian,

Is there any convoy planned ?

If you're coming down The M1 you could go anticlockwise round M25 to avoid Dartford crossing, or go clockwise and take M11 down into east London and Blackwall Tunnel. Dartford Crossing at £1.67 will be quicker and cheaper though...

got any tank tape?

If you go anticlockwise via the M25, George Osbourne will get more revenue out of you via fuel duty than £1.67

[Tuga2112]

google says either take the M1 and pay toll or take M40 and follow south of London.
leaving Stafford at 5am estimates 3 to 3:30 hours trip in either circuit

If I stay at my parents place (Coventry) I can save about 50 minutes drive.

anyone from london can shed some light on the state of the M25 south half state in a saturday morning?

[ShaunM]

NAME BADGES

It's either the Alzheimers kicking in or we seem to have quite a few new names coming this year. So I've printed 100 name badges for the weekend. Nothing fancy, just printed onto sticky labels which we can write your name and avatar name on which will hopefully make it easier to remember who's who, make new people feel more at home, and give Lotus Elan Central a bit of a unified identity on the day.

[dapinky]

I was going to dig out my old laminated one from Donington 2008 or 09 (but it has the old car on it)....

[Tuga2112]

let me just clarify this, do we have a stand ?

if so, does that include coffee/tea ?

I got a mug i think you guys will like to see.

[Ian T]

There is indeed a stand. Somewhere higher up in this thread it was accurately described as a thin strip of grass... I guess it's what we do with it that matters.

If you bring tea and coffee, there will be tea and coffee.

As for convoys, everyone is pretty spread out and I only live about 15 Lotus spirited minutes away from Brands, so I am planning to meet Trevor B on the A20 part way to the circuit, partly because his ticket hasn't arrived and partly because he has kindly offered to lend a hand if there are things we have to do on arrival etc.

Name badges are an excellent idea - thanks! If you could add Rice Crispy and NickyDee to the list that would be great.

Nick: I have a ticket, but no car pass (yet) for you on Saturday and no spaces on Sunday. I have emailed Bibs to see if I can get another pass for you and am cautiously hopeful. I guess you might need to meet me at the gate on Saturday and I will bring the ticket and pass along to you. I can't confirm that yet but will post here when I have an answer for you.

Dave: got your PM - fantastic, thanks for sorting that out. I have the stakes ready to go in and have confirmed they fit in the boot OK. I also have bungees if they'd be useful.

Are we nearly there yet?

[lotusflasherman]

I got a mug i think you guys will like to see.

Not sure about that. I was born a 'Barnet Boy' (North London) so to me 'mug' is a synonym for face...