Superlap 2009 Gets A Green Light!

[N1GTR]

I agree with your points on the motorsport Lotus's. Your point about the Ultima, while technically correct i would argue is on the same page as a Lotus, im sitting here with a 5.7L v8 turbo one that will be entered if permitted (Aus delivered, not a backyard build). Im looking forward to seeing if it can be entered (according to the Superlap guys) based on the Lotus's being allowed. If not, no biggie - it needs to get used though and this is such a great time to dust it off

Maybe a minimum production amount of vehicles, and the car at one point of its life at least, being able to gain normal road rego would help to eliminate these "non JDM tuner" cars

[BezerkR32]

apparently theres a v8 cattegory, but no one entered last year. so i was told.

  N1GTR said:

I agree with your points on the motorsport Lotus's. Your point about the Ultima, while technically correct i would argue is on the same page as a Lotus, im sitting here with a 5.7L v8 turbo one that will be entered if permitted (Aus delivered, not a backyard build). Im looking forward to seeing if it can be entered (according to the Superlap guys) based on the Lotus's being allowed. If not, no biggie - it needs to get used though and this is such a great time to dust it off

Maybe a minimum production amount of vehicles, and the car at one point of its life at least, being able to gain normal road rego would help to eliminate these "non JDM tuner" cars

[DRIFTER]

I would rather there not be Lotus's allowed.

[Roy]

  hrd-hr30 said:

Ultima GTR is a kit car and they're not allowed in the rules.

Those Lotus' are Motorsport Elise, not a production Exige. The Motorsport Elise was the race only predecessor to the later tamed down road going version that was called the S1 Exige. The Motorsport Elise weighed in the 700kg range from factory, not 1000kg.

On top of that it has been converted to GT spec to run in the Australian GT CHampionship, which resulted in an 11 sec per lap improvement around Eastern Creek than it was in Production Sports Car spec.

The Motorsport Elise came with a tuned version of the Rover 1.8 puting out 200 flywheel bhp. These cars have been converted to supercharged K20A engines with about 230kw at the wheels if I remember rightly from the info board they displayed down there last year. Race weight is apparently low 800kgs with driver!

I am no expert but i do like my Lotus cars and i think you are off the mark there. The "Motorsport" Elise that you allude to is very limited build, something like 65-75 that was a tad over 800kgs and still only a lazy 200-230hp or something. They are the same aluminium chassis but rather then fibreglass panels they use some carbon. They are not radically different from a standard Elise and can be readily built up using kits out of the UK. They are basically the CSL of the M3 range or the GT3 of the 911 range. Nothing all that radical or crazy.

My mate almost bought one of the few that are in Aus. But after driving it he went for the 340R instead as he said it was both quicker and just flat out wilder

I think the GT1 Elise was the only one to have carbon monocoque and the sort of crasy stuff that the average guy cant buy off tuning places.

But your points regarding running in the GT championship etc and being built to GT2 regs (or has Australia now detuned all the cars to GT3 spec) means that these cars are now pretty out there and in the land of Prodrive Astons etc

[N1GTR]

  BezerkR32 said:

apparently theres a v8 cattegory, but no one entered last year. so i was told.

Really? Was that on the old website?

Would love to get the go ahead on the Ultima

  DRIFTER said:

I would rather there not be Lotus's allowed.

I vote that at the end each entrant be allowed one lap sideways. Mmmm, wonder who's done that before...

[N1GTR]

The Lotus in question is the "Sport 200" Exige model, yeah?

[Neil]

  N1GTR said:

Would love to get the go ahead on the Ultima

Whats your next choice a bloody Mosler. Settle down tiger.

Neil.

[hrd-hr30]

  N1GTR said:

I agree with your points on the motorsport Lotus's. Your point about the Ultima, while technically correct i would argue is on the same page as a Lotus, im sitting here with a 5.7L v8 turbo one that will be entered if permitted (Aus delivered, not a backyard build). Im looking forward to seeing if it can be entered (according to the Superlap guys) based on the Lotus's being allowed. If not, no biggie - it needs to get used though and this is such a great time to dust it off

Maybe a minimum production amount of vehicles, and the car at one point of its life at least, being able to gain normal road rego would help to eliminate these "non JDM tuner" cars

I agree. Its hard to define when a kit car becomes a small scale production car. I'd love to see it run too. I like seeing those Lotii mix it up with the big hitting Jap cars as well. It makes it a really interesting mix of cars as i said all along through last years thread and i stick to that now, but they're trying to rule out euro mid and rear engined sports cars to focus on JDM tuner cars, its hard to justify letting the Lotus run and not the others I think.

  N1GTR said:

The Lotus in question is the "Sport 200" Exige model, yeah?

they started life as a Motorsport Elise which had a tuned 200bhp (flywheel) version of the K series Rover engine compared to the production Elise's 118 flywheel bhp thanks to big cams, quad throttles, different intake and exhaust and ECU and probably other things, and it came with an oil cooler mounted in the nose. It weighed pretty much bang on 700kg. About 50kg lighter than the production elise even with al the extra stuff it got.

The differences from the production Elise were huge. For starters it was for motorsport use only and only came with one seat. Body was totally different apart from the hydro-formed bonded aluminium tub and the doors. It had an integrated roof instead of a rag top for safety (racing) and aero efficiency which incorporated an intake scoop for the engine, a wider front clam, front splitter and air dam, lightweight engine cover, and adjustable rear wing. Some of the mechanical differences were AP racing 4spot front calipers on lightweight aluminuim bells, some rose joints in the suspension, wider front track and probably alot more I don't know about.

Lotus later released the Exige lookalike for road use that weighed about 80kg more and had 54bhp less, and didn't get any of the real fancy bits.

[Roy]

  hrd-hr30 said:

The differences from the production Elise were huge. For starters it was for motorsport use only and only came with one seat. Body was totally different apart from the hydro-formed bonded aluminium tub and the doors. It had an integrated roof instead of a rag top for safety (racing) and aero efficiency which incorporated an intake scoop for the engine, a wider front clam, front splitter and air dam, lightweight engine cover, and adjustable rear wing. Some of the mechanical differences were AP racing 4spot front calipers on lightweight aluminuim bells, some rose joints in the suspension, wider front track and probably alot more I don't know about.

Lotus later released the Exige lookalike for road use that weighed about 80kg more and had 54bhp less, and didn't get any of the real fancy bits.

I hear what you are saying, but i stand by the claim that the Elise Motorsport was nothing that special from the road going version of the S1 Exige which spawned from it. Like i said it was basically a M3 CSL with some trick gear.

Grab any number of catalogues and you can turn your basic S1 Elise, the pick of the litter as they are a lot lighter then the S2 (the S2 have the same chassis/suspension, its an update of the bodywork and accessories hence the higher weight) into a car that looks like a Motorsport but blows the doors off it as there are off the shelf kits for Audi engine transplants, EVO engine transplants using Quaife boxes etc and the Honda engine transplants using Honda Boxes

Hell shop around Japanese workshops and there are some pretty crazy tuned up Elises running around which completely transform the appearance of a std S1 Elise. (pic below)

And all it takes to do the cosmetics is a $6000 bodykit which is mostly fibrelgass but part carbon. For full carbon it is a more expensive from memory and cant remember the price. Considering you can pick up S1 Elises for 35k i dont see them as being that different to an Evo 7 or R33 GTR after people have put mega suspension, carbon doors, big dollar engines and boxes in them...completely different ways of going quick.

So, sounds like you know all this already, but just because they have the "motorsport" model look of the S1 Exige doesnt mean they are anything special. They are only what they are because of the base model S1 Elise has so much potential.

If they have been built up then ok, but if they are the "1 of 15" factory GT2 or GT3 cars etc then ...

[Bozman1]

The other Lotus entered in PRO with driver TBC I think has an AUDI engine in it. Not sure if a 4cyl or 6cyl. Is this JDM

[Roy]

Just put some Greddy, Tomei and Tein stickers down the height of the door and Bobys your Uncle

[N1GTR]

  Neil said:

Whats your next choice a bloody Mosler. Settle down tiger.

Neil.

Nope, there's none of those here

[G_T_R]

  N1GTR said:

Nope, there's none of those here

I think you folk might be pleasantly surprised to know that there is a Mosler in the country and should be competing in the not too distant future...........Its up here in QLD too

[Neil]

  N1GTR said:

Nope, there's none of those here

No Moslers in Aust,,,oh yes there is.

Neil.

[N1GTR]

  G_T_R said:

I think you folk might be pleasantly surprised to know that there is a Mosler in the country and should be competing in the not too distant future...........Its up here in QLD too

Oh good stuff!

[Swiper the Fox]

  Duncan said:

let Dave know I am happy to enter it for him, or take Neil if you want a NSW state champion. It would be a shame to see the car not compete when this much effort has been put into it. genuine offer.

I'm not offering to drive Pete's death trap again though. sure it gets great air but the front left strut moves 2cm under brakes. makes braking tricker than it needs to be

If we supply the car are any of you lads coughing up the $400+ to enter it?

[fatz]

400 for ten laps

bargain

lol

[Noddy]

Hey Fatz, were you baging drifters in Tamworth on the weekend?

[Neil]

  DiRTgarage said:

If we supply the car are any of you lads coughing up the $400+ to enter it?

I'm only a PM away

Neil.

[fatz]

  Noddy said:

Hey Fatz, were you baging drifters in Tamworth on the weekend?

yup that was me tamstain rocks

drifters do weak skidz!