Lotus Driving Experience

[Aero]

I thought I remembered some more info about driving outside (or in addition to) the driving academy.
Dont know whatever became of this but I would contact Scott (post 4) in this thread thru the link at the end to see if you could add on to your existing tour day before the academy day. Click 'Request an appt' on page.

Can you test drive at the Factory?

Can you test drive an Emira at the factory?

www.emiraforum.com

Lotus Hethel - Sales Centre | Lotus Cars United Kingdom

Discover the heart of Lotus at Hethel, our home since 1966. Meet our passionate experts and explore our product range. Book your visit today!

www.lotuscars.com

 

[_w_]

I’ve been thinking of doing an advanced day but the limited seat time has made me ponder other options. Wondering if there are other recommendations or if anyone has tried awdrivertraining (co.uk) ?

 

[GetawayDriving]

A little disappointing that you only get (2) 20 minute sessions on the track to learn the car.. I would have thought with there being 3 hours of track time at the end, you would get more time behind the wheel to learn the car and push it a bit..

I have only been on a track once in an elise (well twice).. so I don't have much experience pushing a car to the limits.. I def would love to learn more.. maybe I should do a USA driving school before going over there.

I have track experience in an Elise, Exige, A110, 911 991 GTS, ND MX-5, Model 3 Performance and Radical. So not my first rodeo and I’ve experienced a wide range of chassis dynamics.

The Emira’s limits are ridiculously high. If you’ve only been on track once before, you won’t get near them. It’s just astonishing how much grip this car has. I kept creeping up to what I thought was the limit based on the cars above (except radical which I also got nowhere near) and the Emira would shrug and say, “oh you thought THAT was the limit? lol well here’s more leftover for when you get the corner entry wrong and dive late toward the apex. Yawn.”

Also if you’ve only had one session before I guarantee they’ll be focusing on your fundamentals like what your eyes and hands are doing, anticipation, smoothness, basic car control.

You will have a ton of fun.

 

[RyanGphoto]

I have track experience in an Elise, Exige, A110, 911 991 GTS, ND MX-5, Model 3 Performance and Radical. So not my first rodeo and I’ve experienced a wide range of chassis dynamics.

The Emira’s limits are ridiculously high. If you’ve only been on track once before, you won’t get near them. It’s just astonishing how much grip this car has. I kept creeping up to what I thought was the limit based on the cars above (except radical which I also got nowhere near) and the Emira would shrug and say, “oh you thought THAT was the limit? lol well here’s more leftover for when you get the corner entry wrong and dive late toward the apex. Yawn.”

Also if you’ve only had one session before I guarantee they’ll be focusing on your fundamentals like what your eyes and hands are doing, anticipation, smoothness, basic car control.

You will have a ton of fun.

I appreciate the insights... Do you know of a place online or anywhere i can even read about how technique or tips before going to a track? Anything I can do to prepare better? I did drive an Elise on the track, but it was a SMALL road course for about 15 laps (in 5 laps stretches).. and that was a blast.. I had one on order back then, but the housing crumble made me get my deposit back as I lost my job, etc..

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what I can do the next 2 months to try and get some insight on how to drive better..

I checked and the factory tour is NOT available the day before we arrive for track day, so that changes a few things.. Now I have to redo the schedule of things...

 

[Speedy Emira]

There is another option in the UK to go to Thruxton. I went there last year on a Maclaren driving experience and it’s a decent track I will go to Hethel at some point but it’s a 4 hour drive for me if the traffic is good.

Here’s a link to the Thruxton Emira one on one course:

Lotus Emira One-2-One

Drive the brand new Lotus Emira at Thruxton. The Emira is a giant slayer and can easily lap quicker than much more expensive machinery.

thruxtonracing.co.uk

 

[Porter]

You all describing your experiences makes me want to go do the factory tour and track experience myself, it sounds like a great time.

I might even opt for a RHD car, I did a 10 day driving loop around Ireland a few years ago and absolutely hooned a RHD Opel Corsa around some of the world's tiniest B roads, so driving on the other side on track might be a fun challenge.

Maybe next spring though, in 2025. I have an 8-week-old at home, so it isn't quite the time to be disappearing for multiple days to Jolly Old England for Lotus fun.

 

[Biggles of Norwich]

I did the advanced tailored. It wasn't tailored quite the way I expected. There are four 20-minute sessions, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon with lunch in-between. I think we had 6 participants on my day, with 2 instructors. There were 4 cars, some are touring and some are sport. All were RHD at the time but this was right when they first made the switch to Emira so they might have LHD available now?

1 session on skid pad
1 session brake and avoid
2 track sessions

Skid pad session you have freedom to just hoon, they want you to break the car loose and do donuts. In Emira, it's actually quite hard to induce oversteer even on a wet pad. Also, this isn't really a full 20 minutes. Once you successfully slide a few times you generally head back to the clubhouse.

Brake and avoid is a high speed run toward essentially a moose test, where you mash the brakes at full pressure and swerve through a set of cones. It's meant to show you how you can still control this car under hard braking. I absolutely murdered some cones here, I blame the fact that they tossed me the key to a car I had never driven before first thing in the morning with the steering wheel on the wrong side and said ok now attack.

You're paired with the same instructor for the day, which is nice. They give you feedback, and at the end you get a "report card" with scoring and ways to improve.


You'll try both touring and sport suspensions but on track it's hard to tell a difference in ride. Slightly more lean in touring I suppose.

When you're not driving you're hanging in the clubhouse watching others run or hanging with the other folks who are awaiting a car.

You have lunch in the Lotus cafeteria, it was finger sandwiches and sweets for me.

Interesting, did you not have a slalom session as well? I did that course in May last year and we had 3 sessions in the morning, including a slalom. Matt the Lotus MD and his brother were on the course too, but I doubt it was enhanced just for their benefit!

 

[@Life411]

This has been a very interesting thread to read because my fantasy would be to determine when my Emira is in production and plan a trip to the factory to see it being manufactured, then maybe do a track experience while I'm there. I'm guessing the odds of pulling this off are astronomically low at this point because I don't think they'll be able to provide this timing with enough lead time to book a trip from the U.S. etc. Welcome any thoughts or feedback. Maybe I'll just have to plan a trip later after I take delivery...or maybe not depending... Thanks in advance.

 

[_w_]

This has been a very interesting thread to read because my fantasy would be to determine when my Emira is in production and plan a trip to the factory to see it being manufactured, then maybe do a track experience while I'm there. I'm guessing the odds of pulling this off are astronomically low at this point because I don't think they'll be able to provide this timing with enough lead time to book a trip from the U.S. etc. Welcome any thoughts or feedback. Maybe I'll just have to plan a trip later after I take delivery...or maybe not depending... Thanks in advance.

I guess it depends how big your YouTube following is

 

[Time2Fly]

This has been a very interesting thread to read because my fantasy would be to determine when my Emira is in production and plan a trip to the factory to see it being manufactured, then maybe do a track experience while I'm there. I'm guessing the odds of pulling this off are astronomically low at this point because I don't think they'll be able to provide this timing with enough lead time to book a trip from the U.S. etc. Welcome any thoughts or feedback. Maybe I'll just have to plan a trip later after I take delivery...or maybe not depending... Thanks in advance.

They're actually very responsive. I asked the same thing and they asked for my sales order number to forecast the build date.

 

[@Life411]

I guess it depends how big your YouTube following is

 

[@Life411]

They're actually very responsive. I asked the same thing and they asked for my sales order number to forecast the build date.

Thanks for the tip. Don't suppose you can point me to the contact info? I'm sure it depends who I reach out to.

 

[RyanGphoto]

Thanks for the tip. Don't suppose you can point me to the contact info? I'm sure it depends who I reach out to.

I didn't ask because I am going over in March.. my build is in May and I am not going back over that soon.. although maybe they will build it better if I am there WHILE they are building it

 

[RyanGphoto]

Just in case anyone is interested in knowing.. Thurxton is ONLY RHD cars and it's a manual for the Emira (they only have 1). So I opted NOT to do that, as I can't drive a RHD care manual. I have driven RHD cars, but automatics and I don't think I would get the best experience from trying the RHD car.. Just thought I would let everyone know.. So I am sticking with the Lotus driving academy as they have a LHD car manual, which is what I ordered. .

 

[DPB]

For what it’s worth, I had never driven a RHD car in my life and had only driven a manual once in the past 25 years (a transit van in Italy) before I did the Driving Experience at Hethel. It was awkward to be sure, but I had an absolute blast in the Emira on track. For me the hard part was not running off the roadside due to the mass of the car being on the opposite side! You definitely should do what you are comfortable with, but the car is so damn fun you forget any weirdness pretty quickly. Have a great time and don’t forget to post your experience when you are done!

 

[RyanGphoto]

For what it’s worth, I had never driven a RHD car in my life and had only driven a manual once in the past 25 years (a transit van in Italy) before I did the Driving Experience at Hethel. It was awkward to be sure, but I had an absolute blast in the Emira on track. For me the hard part was not running off the roadside due to the mass of the car being on the opposite side! You definitely should do what you are comfortable with, but the car is so damn fun you forget any weirdness pretty quickly. Have a great time and don’t forget to post your experience when you are done!

I agree with this, IF it was an automatic.. I have actually driven an automatic in England in September 2023 for over 10 days.. It was fine and the other side of the road I got pretty comfortable pretty quick... but driving and shifting with my left hand on a track, I am not sure I am comfortable with (paying money for that). I can also ONLY do Thurxton on the same day as the Hethel Driving experience, so I am choosing to goto Hethel. I will def report back.

 

[longhalfling]

This has been a very interesting thread to read because my fantasy would be to determine when my Emira is in production and plan a trip to the factory to see it being manufactured, then maybe do a track experience while I'm there. I'm guessing the odds of pulling this off are astronomically low at this point because I don't think they'll be able to provide this timing with enough lead time to book a trip from the U.S. etc. Welcome any thoughts or feedback. Maybe I'll just have to plan a trip later after I take delivery...or maybe not depending... Thanks in advance.

Exactly what I am trying to pull off, although the chances are probably slim. But it would be incredible. I am there the first week of April and my FE2 is supposed to be in production in April so chances are?? Trying to find out how to contact them to see if it would possibly line up.

 

[brainf18]

Hey everyone,

Yes I searched.. I am looking to do this in March.. but wondering if there is anything else to do around there before or after the driving experience (full day).

Also any insights on the best way to get there (cheapest also) from Heathrow. I am hoping NOT to fly to Heathrow and go into London and then just out to Hethel for the day for the academy and then back to London.. Just wondering what else there is to do around there.

Thanks so much
Ryan G

Gatwick. Much better choice than Heathrow.

 

[RyanGphoto]

Gatwick. Much better choice than Heathrow.

Have to fly in to LHR as the end of my trip puts me in London anyway.

 

[Time2Fly]

Brad at Hide and Seam made me a gaiter and sent it to the hotel. Fantastic stuff! And next, the track. See your there if you're in town on the 7th.

Thanks to @JonFuller for showing his work.

Update:

The Introduction to Sports Cars course is interesting. Two twenty minute sessions on the track, regardless of how many other people attend. There's a brief, then an instructor takes you on two sighting laps, and then switches seats and you go for five laps. You rotate out and then there's another brief and the next time it's only you driving (instructor still seated next to you).

I feel that's a very brief time to actually absorb much. On the other hand the car handles really well up to 120mph and is very stable even under heavy braking.

Because we only had six people in total, we were able to do the heritage tour and factory tour, which was nice, though I would have preferred more track time. The advanced course on Friday is apparently all track, no tour but I think based on how things went it's probably just four twenty-minute sessions.

Sheena and Nick who run the programs are terrific, and you do get a 10% discount in the shops. They were out of indoor car covers, but they do have the Jordan Bespoke leather hold all, and some nice books and jackets. The heritage shop and the factory shop have different items.