Donington 2006

[Rambo]

Here are some important dates for your diaries.

Next year's Donington Lotus show and festival will be 18th - 19th March 2006. More details will appear in issue 4 of the Club Lotus magazine (due out about the end of Oct.)

Mark

[cjay]

Cool!

All I have to do is clock up 30,000 frequent flyer points in the next 8 months and with a bit of luck I'll be able to make it

cjay.

[Doug]

cool

I'll keep thinking about it; I'll just tell the Mrs that I missed the SH4RK and have to go back to see it!

Still like the plan of flying into Athens for co-piloting the SH4RK to the event . . .

[Sy V]

Donington - don't you just love that word filter add-on!

[Sy V]

There's an 'interesting' thread just getting under way at:

http://www.british-cars.co.uk/

Elise General - "Club Lotus - Invisible on the BBS!"

[Gary]

I guess they do have a point, what is needed is a bigger car park.

I think we can guess who 'Cane' is...

[muley]

Handbags at dawn?

[Stef]

Agreed. No one really likes parking on grass (unless a few donuts have been completed first) and a bigger better car park is needed.

Sad to hear it caused grief to other Lotus owners but since the 'Elan only carpark' was only enforced untill 9:45 it should't have affected too many other drivers. Besides we formed an impressive display!

Wonder if the Elise boys or others will get their act together for a similar display?!

Good to hear we had a defensive voice on that thread. Cheers Cane!

Anyway, lets hope for an even better presence in 2006.

[Scott J]

200,000 bikers go there for the brit Moto GP

2000 Lotus go once a year, and we complain we need a bigger car park.

handbags for sure.

[muley]

Team,

Applying my rusty Mark I brain to the problem, sorry, challenge, caused by our large cavalcade and massed parking, I was wondering if we should park somewhere else. If I recall correctly, there is a large parking area opposite the (excellent) Donington museum. Maybe we should park together up there out of the way. OK its'a bit of a stroll to the main building and there may be a potential security issue - but normally there is a LECer around, otherwise we could make a rota of "watchkeepers" to keep an eye on our cars. So, is the area big enough? Do we need special permission? What does the team think?

Have I gone mad?

Jim B

[Sy V]

Strikes me as being an excellent idea. What do other people think?

[rob]

Walk, WALK..........





if I must.

[Sy V]

It's only about 400-600 yds Rob

[Nige]

I think Jim's idea is a good one, if our massed arrival and subsequent parking really did cause a problem. I have no desire to p*ss off other Lotus drivers and I am not biased for or against any particular model (given the means I'd have one of each please). However, one gripe isn't sufficient justification for changing what has become an Elan thing. Cane Ts response put it most eloquently it was organised and agreed and full consideration had been given to the impact on other Lotus drivers. If only one person is upset then seems a good measure of a successful approach.

[cjay]

That will be to far the handbag carrying Elise owners to walk... we should be safe

[Stef]

But, but, but where will the Smart car group go??

Major disadvantage there is that many people will miss the spectacle and I thought that was half the point, to put on a good show for event goers.

Tell them to clear one of the fenced car storage type pens for us!

[muley]

But, but, but where will the Smart car group go??

Stef,

I don't recall seeing any Smart cars at Donington - I remember a few bikes (quite nice ones) maybe I was distracted. Anyhoo, we could just biff the Smart cars out of the way!! Good point about it being a bit of a 'show' not sure how to solve that...

Nige,

I know there were other people unhappy at the time and voicing off, only one person has actually posted something.

Jim B

[clemo]

im happy to do whatever ..
but also i AM happy to piss people off..
every dog has its day and at the moment its our day...
the time will come when we will be sidelined for other lotus lines.
so let bask in the glory that others notice us . that we can organise a good show .. those that are hosting the event don't mind our mass numbers and entry fees .. and those that are stall holder DID notice the M100 as a still present and strong marque... this does help in getting bits re-made for our cars....

besides ..do you really think in 5 years time those "elise brand new racer boys" will be turning up... i think not ...
so if we don't grab the opportunity and make our presence known the car park will be "elise"only and everything inside will be elise stalls... just like every other lotus event .....
they can't have it all their own "elise"way all the time....

m100 business as usuall..
clemo

[Nige]

Clemo,

I wouldn't set out to p*ss people off, but if after, a taking the reasonable approach they were p*ssed off then tough, thats life. Bit of natural selection here, we were organised, others were not. You make a very good point about keeping the profile of the M100 high, I'm delighted the Elise has been a success for Lotus but I wouldn't want to see Lotus events becoming any more Elise dominated than they are at present either, it's only the attraction of the new and shiny after all (oh and the opportunity for the traders to cash in on market forces).

Jim,

Ok, others had a moan, still think the moaners are the minority though.

Stef,

You are right the spectacle is what it was all about.

Right, heading over to the Stoneleigh thread to have a think about how to further the plan for M100 domination of the world

[clemo]

nige ..i wasn't setting out to piss people off.
i was picking up on an above comment..
maybe it should read "unfortunatly rub them up the wrong way" i do think we need all the attention we can get . so if it puts a few noses out of joint then thats unfortunate but it is for the common good of the m100..