All I can say is WOW. Wow, wow, wow. The track is fantastic, and the Corkscrew is all it looks like it would be, and more.
Will write blog ad caption photos later, but wanted to get the pics up first. Some of the pics are similar but were taken on a motor drive so are actually a sequence, so if you scroll through them quickly it is almost like a movie !
Have to say a BIG thanks to HelixUS.com - Jake and J.L. - who took the amazing photos for me in the middle of very busy day for them. Thanks SO much, guys. And to Jared at Skip Barber for making it all possible, an equally big Thank You. And finally to Phillip Holmes at Yourprivatetrackday.com for putting the whole thing together - You are a legend !!! You have all made an old man VERY happy. Any of you come down my way one day, you know you only have to call for a bed and a beer !! Thank you all.
And of course, it goes without saying, to Lotus, for building such an incredible little car to enjoy it all - a big Thank You as well !!
More on the day later. In the meantime here are the pics
https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/LagunaSecaDay1?authkey=Gv1sRgCKvfjqTpnobQvwE#
LATER:- There was a Skip Barber driver training and racing weekend in progress, so they arranged for me to go out in my Elise at lunch time, with Jared in front in one of the Skip Barber Evoras, and Phillip Holmes behind in his turbo MX5. So as soon as the track was clear, out we went, and to say I was a little excited would be an understatement ! When we got to the Corkscrew the first time I was so euphoric that I couldn;t help punching the air and yelling out loud - Quite forgetting there was a photographer there to capture one great moment in my life ! And I was very pleased to have someone in front so I could follow their lines to start with, because that corner is WAY steeper than it looks on TV - There is no way you can see over the brow of the hill - You have to know which tree to aim for so that when the track falls away from underneath you, it ends up in the correct place for the second half of the corner ! Big gratings lurk just a couple of feet off to the right, so you REALLY don;t want to miss the apex ! In addition, immediately following the Corkscrew is the left handed Rainey Curve, which in my view is all part of the same sequence and is the corner that absolutely makes it great. In fact, I think Rainey is my favourite corner, but only because the Corkscrew sets you up for it !
The other over riding impression is how steep the climb is up the main straight, past the pits, and then at the top is another blind corner where you had better have your car in the right place because you are travelling prety quickly and right in front of you as you crest the hill and drop down the other side is the double apex Andretti hairpin.
Overall, a great track. We did about 15 laps (I lost count) and then stopped on the Corkscrew to do some promotional shots for Lotus who provide the Skip Barber school with their Evoras. And that 15 minutes spent wandering around the curves really makes you realise how steep it is. To put it into perspective for the Queensland boys, it is way steeper than any section of Mt Cotton Hill climb circuit.
