Produced with permission from
Author: Kelvin Hughes
"I joined everyone at Scotch Corner services on Friday at lunchtime, which was
just as well judging by the number of speeding tickets that might get issued to
everyone that came down the A68! Not unsurprisingly TUT created an impression on
our Club Lotus contingent who presented TUT with a NO FEAR sticker on Saturday
night. I won't explain as I'm sure you can all figure it out (-: Full marks must
also go to the Vauxhall Omega Lotus owners who tried
in vain to keep up with the Loti, to no avail (obviously) much to some of his
passengers relief.
The actual event itself was very good. All the obvious companies were in
attendance flogging their wares and much haggling was done by Peter, Keith and
Laid Back Lawrence to get some bent bits of metal vaguely shaped like exhausts.
Anyway, they seemed to get a good deal. No doubt one of them will post the
results. There were a couple of companies doing Elise wheels (both new and
useable) I noticed a couple of fronts for 50 quid each a rear at 90 and another
rear at 75. Campbell got the contact details for some of these people so we may
have a source for some cheap rims. Robin bought a couple of sets of EBC Green
stuff brake pads so we'll soon know what they are like as well.
We went for a drive on Sat PM through the Peak District and came across some
excellent roads which we drove within the speed limits, keeping a safe distance
and no overtaking........not! hee hee. We were probably the topic of a couple of
hundred conversations for the rest of the day as we blasted past yet another
convoy of slow moving Micra drivers having lunch on the move while looking at
the countryside. On the Sunday Campbell and I planned out a fantastic route home
taking in some excellent roads (-: Unfortunately, so did the rest of Yorkshire
making it a very tortuous journey. We got a bit mixed up just before the Dales
and, as time was getting on, decided to leave that road for next year. That
said, we were only 4 miles or so from Bolton Abbey which was our intended
stopping point but, the Chinese was good if a little strange.
There were a few hairy moments. The main one for me was coming down Snake Pass. Robin blasts past the the Z3 followed by me then Keith. Of course by this time we are right on top of the next corner and I could see the whites of Keith's eyes as his Elise squirmed under some very heavy braking. TUT's overtaking maneuver at the end of the pass was a sight to behold. We were stuck behind a whole bunch of slow moving cars on a very twisty steep descent. TUT was at the back of the Elise convoy. The next thing I see (and hear) is TUT hammering past everyone darting in and out of the traffic. The funniest thing for me was when chasing Robin, Peter, Keith and TUT across the A65, they had left our stopping point about 5-10 mins earlier. By this time it was dark and the A65 has few passing places so progress was slow. I came up behind a Ford 4x4 that was doing it's best not let me past and he was driving up the arse of the car in front. After a bit of a tussle I passed him and the other cars as did he. He then switches on his full beams and I think, what a wa&%$r, as he rapidly becomes a bright dot in the distance. Of course little did I know that he had just been buzzed by 4 other manic Elise drivers only a minute or so earlier. When he saw me coming he must have thought that there is no way I'm letting this one past. On the last leg of the journey we pulled off the M74 onto the B7076. A few miles along this road Campbell suddenly swerves to avoid a rabbit. I managed to miss this one only to flatten it's mate 30 secs later. I thought about picking it up for TUT 'cause I suspect he intends feeding us all roadkill when we go up to visit to him later on in the year (-:
Special thanks and much respect to Lisa (GPS Gill) who did most, if not
all, the navigating for the entire weekend. I told Vicky about this as she knows
only too well what it's like. She has been her clans chief European navigator
since she could say "take the next left".
It's also worth mentioning the camaraderie and general frivolity. My sides are
sore from all the driving and all the laughing (-;
Author: Campbell Ford
HIGHLIGHTS:
- The anticipation of the whole weekend. Like Christmas all over again.
- Wearing the new Club Uniform. Including suspender belt. Er sorry,
Baseball Cap, that's it.
- Leaving the last A68 camera behind.
- Keeping down a couple of Burger King Dinky Donuts whilst clearly suffering
that "Bad Bottle of Red
Wine" syndrome at Scotch Corner ;-)
- Missing the A17 services/turnoff, having to take to the back-roads
Stelvio-stylee, only to meet
other Elises coming the other way after 10 minutes !! Also very Stelvio,
we thought. Classic.
- Getting to the hotel on Friday night and having a cool G&T.
- Cruising through Castle Donington village, roofs off, with the rear window
shaking and all the cars boogie-ing to the unmistakable Sound of the Underground, courtesy of
the one
and only Keith Palmer ;-)
- Finding cheap Elise rims at the show (ain't bought 'em yet but will try some -
SHORT - negotiations!)
- Bumping into fellow Stelvians Mike & Helen, and the one & only Lorne
Mason himself.
- Tearing up the Peak District behind "Number 1 Tut"...or was that
Tumber 1 Nut...
- Top Curry...and Top Totty...in Nottingham Central
- Stew's Taxi Queue stand-up routine
- Lisa laughing at Stew's Taxi Queue stand-up routine. OK, she was p*shed.
- Not having a headache on Sunday morning
- Finding a route planner as ambitious as me...cheers, Kelv ;-)
- Tearing up the Peak District Part Deux: "This time we're in front"
- The expression on the face of the solitary Elise which passed us going the
other way in the Peaks.
- A few miles of B-road north of Glossop [large grin]
- A shot behind the wheel of an Elan SE...a lifelong dream realised. Cheers,
Ross.
- Best fuel consumption of everyone between Ilkley and M6 Tebay Services (Lisa
was driving most of that, is there a link...)
- Avoiding the rabbit near Abington.
LOWLIGHTS:
- Flashed in the face by a GATSO (so what's new I hear you all cry!!)
- Suffering that "Bad Bottle of Red Wine" syndrome all the way to
Scotch Corner ;-)
- Not getting the mid-section of the Karting Circuit flat-out.
- Not going clubbing with Keith & Ross :-)
- Waiting two hours while Laid Back Lawrence "J.R." Hoy and the rest
of the Ewing Brothers
negotiated the deal from hell (from Motobuild's point of view, that is)
Word is the salesman has today been committed for psychiatric treatment ;-)
- Following too bluddy many Mr Forty Miles An Hour from Chesterfield onwards.
- Cocking up the Addingham to Bolton Abbey turns resulting in the aborting of
the Yorkshire Dales and the Wensleydale Creamery :-(
- Hearing about the rabbit near Abington :-(
All in all. WHAT A BLAST. Must do it again sometime. Next
year, anyone?!
Author: Keith Palmer
Donington - The trip has been described already, and here's my turn:
The convoys should be split up into groups of 2. This means that you are only worrying
about keeping sight of one person, and you can concentrate more on the driving
rather than what the person in front/behind is doing all the time. Also, if we
have already organised places to stop fairly regularly, this this should work a
treat.
I think that Tut & myself perhaps made one or two unnecessary risks which may have been a little dangerous?? ALL GOOD FUN THOUGH! I will try to take a few more deep breaths in future to preserve me pride and joy!! ( I think we almost caught up Lawrence!) And that's about it, cheers everyone, I had a ball. And I leave with the last mention being to the very sad and lonely single Elise which passed us all going the other way just before Huddersfield somewhere, why didn't he turn around and join us?? I know I would have.
Author: David 'TUT' Duncan
This is definitely uncurious slander, and should be stamped out immediately. It obviously applies to another blue Elise with a similar number plate ie NUT 1E.
As Marvel wrote :- Had we but world enough and time
This coyness laddie were no crime
For at my back I always hear
Tut's winged Lotus drawing near
Whilst yonder far before me lie
Visions of vast eternity
The graves a fine and private place
But none I think do there embrace
(apologies to Andrew Marvel for the bastardisation of his great poem)
tut (the failed poet)
Produced with permission from
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
