The World According to Tim Skipper

I’ve been really looking forward to today since I had a test drive in a new S2 Elise last week, and was offered by the dealer the opportunity to drive the new Lotus Sport Elise 190 around the Lotus factory test track, with a tour of the MotorSport facility thrown in for good measure.

The factory is at Hethel, Norfolk, just off the B1135. This road is one of my favourites in the whole of Norfolk, but sadly now has a 50mph speed limit due to excessive nannying by the local authority (a few idiots crashed and killed themselves entirely unnecessary, it’s has excellent visibility along it’s whole length, and this was the knee-jerk reaction.). As I was a little early for my 10am appointment, I had an enjoyable run along it in the 911, in both directions. Doing 50 of course. Sort of.

So at just before 10 I turned into the factory gates and pulled up in the visitor’s lay-by by the security control, to await Guy from Lotus Cars dealer Stratton Motor Company. He arrived bang on time and went off to collect our security passes and sign us in, after which I followed him through the factory site, past a collection of finished Elise’s and a heap of Vauxhall VX220s towards the entry to the test track, where the MotorSport Facility lives.

First interesting sight is a couple of Lotus liveried HGV Transporters parked up outside the MotorSport factory unit, one of which has a huge awning attached.

Guy then introduced me to Chris Dinnage, General Manager of Lotus MotorSport. Chris worked for many years in the Lotus F1 team, and was Ayrton Senna’s chief mechanic. His enthusiasm for Lotus and what the MotorSport division are doing was very apparent as I was shown around the facility.

Just inside the door was a row of ex Autobytel Lotus Championship race cars that were being rebuilt for sale to private owners. These are the 220bhp seat-in-the-middle cars that the MotorSport division ran 20 of for the last two seasons. Chris explained that it was hard work with 30-odd staff to run that many cars and they were now selling them off so they could divert more of their resources towards providing bespoke road and track cars for customers.

A couple of early development 340R cars were laying around in various states of build, and a bare Elise chassis was up on blocks. Chris pointed out the construction and explained a bit about how it was made and bonded together.

Other cars of interest (aside from the one in the corner under cover which looked suspiciously like the 600bhp type 115 GT1 Elise) were a couple of Endurance cars (with larger 100 litre fuel tanks and gearbox cooling systems), which I was told would be out again next season at a few races.

In the middle of the floor being polished by one of the team was the bright yellow Lotus Sport Elise 190 development car I had come to play with.

Chris explained that this was their development car, so was left hand drive, rather tatty and ‘well used’, but the engine and driveline was production ready. He said it was running on standard suspension currently and had Exige tyres (Yokohama AO39) and that the production cars would have slightly firmer suspension and new Yokohama AO48. It also had the AP Racing brakes (so no handbrake) which would be an option on the production car.

He opened the engine cover; the carbon fibre induction system was immediately obvious, alongside a normal looking engine. The induction kit encroaches on the luggage space a bit, and some of the electrics have been relocated to a corner of the luggage space so you lose a bit of practicality - not that this car has much in the way of that anyway!

I asked what they do to the standard engine to make the 190bhp, to which I was told they throw it all away, aside from the block and a few sensors! It’s essentially a new engine and electronics (which can be factory adjusted to suit different applications - more road or race bias if required).

After signing an indemnity, I strapped myself into the four point harness with a bit of help from Chris and Guy, and made sure I was firmly planted in the passenger seat before Chris did likewise and he fired it up. It’s loud! Blipping the throttle gives a lovely throaty roar, and generally makes all the right noises.

Moving off across the site to the security control (new battery required for the radio, which must accompany us at all times while on the track - not that you’d ever hear the damned thing!) we signed onto the circuit and drove back to the entrance. I could hear the AP Racing callipers ticking away, Chris said they were noisy under light load but did the job when warmed up and pushed hard.

Onto the circuit now and we’re travelling at a reasonable pace to warm things up, through a series of right left right left right bends in succession and down towards the first of two 2nd gear corners. Even though Chris is not booting it, you can feel it’s got a lot more go than a standard Elise and it changes direction quickly with almost no change in attitude. This is the smoothest part of the circuit so the ride is firm but smooth.

Into the second gear right-hander and we’re heading out towards a faster series of left-right bends before the main straight. Picking up a bit more speed now and the surface is getting pretty bumpy, which is translating directly into my backside, yet the car is going exactly where Chris wants it too. At the end of the main straight is an artificial chicane built out of a wall of tyres - we approach it fairly quickly in 5th and after a brief yet effective dab on the brakes and down two gears to 3rd he aims directly at the first tyre wall… I get shaken right then left briefly and we’ve come out the other side!

Through the second 2nd gear right hand corner and onto the front straight Chris is now building up the speed even more and we approach the circuit entrance again with him rattling it up the gears. There’s a nice shove in the back as we accelerate and you I can really feel the conversion has made a big difference to the standard car. Brake, down to 4th, turn into the left. Let the car settle then brake and down to 3rd and through the first series of right-left corners again.

The next 3 laps are taken at what I would call a bloody fast pace! The car is reacting instantly to every input, I’m getting pushed into the seat under power and we’re occasionally bumping across the circuit as the amount of grip runs out on some of the bumps. He’s missing apex cones by millimetres and generally drives like a man who could drive this circuit with his eyes shut. Just for good measure on the two tightest 2nd gear corners Chris backs off, catches the slide and we power out sideways.

We pull off the circuit into a mid-field pit lane area, and Chris asks what I think of the car. Very impressive is all I could think to say, wondering how the hell I was going to avoid embarrassing myself in a big way!

We swap sides and I realise the seat is bolted down. Chris is a lot taller than me, and my feet can barely move the accelerator! Ooops. Hastily we pull the foam padding from the passenger seat and pack it down my back, which if I slouch a bit, means I can just about operate the controls fully.

Oh dear, this is going to be embarrassing. Not only have I never in my life driven a left hand drive manual car before, I can only just reach the pedals and now I’m about to do it in front of a man who used to work with Ayrton Senna!

“Right, now you know your way around the circuit, it’s all yours. One thing, if I say brake, I expect you to brake!” Ok no problem, lets go!

First impression now I’m behind the wheel is how easy it is to get away off the line. No need for lots of revs and slipping of clutch just let it up slowly and away we go. Throttle response is instant, which means a gentle use of the accelerator is required at low speed otherwise it hops about a bit.

We come out one corner from the main straight, so I accelerate briskly up the gears into 5th and towards the chicane. The first half of the lap is fairly slow while I adjust to being on the wrong side of the car, and find my way around the gearbox (missed a couple) but by the time we’re on the front straight it feels natural enough so I open it up some more. It pulls very well; the gearbox is superbly short and precise (as per the road car I tested).

Chris is telling me where to dab the brakes going into the first complex, which is 3rd gear throughout, and I go in a little faster than required so we exit the first half on the wrong side of the track for the next series. “We need to be over there [points to other side of track], and a touch slower, or we’ll end up over there [points to field]” he says, laughing. OK, bit slower next time round.

Through this set of corners you’re constantly changing direction, and the car does it almost before you’ve thought of it. The steering is telling you what’s happening with the tyres and that coupled with the instant response of the engine makes it a lot of fun to drive. I’m getting more confident with changing gear with my right hand now and managed to double-declutch it nicely down the box to the next 2nd gear right, which I exited with a touch of opposite lock!

The next series of bends you accelerate flat-out through, changing up the gears before you turn in, so that by the time you’re on the back straight you’re in 5th with the pedal on the floor. No idea how fast we’re going as the speedo isn’t working, but we were pulling close to 5,000rpm in top. The back straight is part of the old runway, and is pretty bumpy, but the car doesn’t really move around off your chosen line at all, just tracks straight and true towards the tyre chicane.

Braking a lot later and harder this time and finding 3rd gear just in time to fly through the chicane was a LOT of fun. You literally aim at the wall and at the last second flick it right then left to get an instant response from the chassis as you fly through. There follows a quick squirt of throttle and then down the box to second for the right-hander onto the front straight.

After a couple of laps I’d worked out there was quite a late apex to this corner and made a much faster line through it, indicated by getting in to 5th for much longer at the end of the straight.

Next time through the 3rd gear complex I’d remembered the right line and speed, and we flew through, finding the exit to the last corner much more satisfying. “Well done, that was much better” Chris shouted across the din.

It’s noisy, very noisy! You couldn’t put up with it for a long journey without either wearing a crash helmet and/or ear plugs!

I’m not sure how many laps I drove for, must have been 8 to 10 I would think, but after each one I felt more at home in the car, and was going faster and braking harder and later (especially for the chicane). Chris had completely stopped giving me pointers and I was really enjoying myself. I can’t really explain in words just how responsive this car is other than to say it just does exactly what you tell it too!

Power wise it still doesn’t compare to the shove I get in the 911, but in all other respects it’s a hugely better car to drive around a track. I did find the instant throttle response to be a bit annoying a couple of times when I found myself cruising on a constant throttle (to pass the Exige doing 25mph slow laps for some unknown reason), you’d barely have to lift and it would jerk you forwards and then back as you come back on the gas. I guess that’s the price you have to pay, this isn’t a car built for cruising anyway.

As we came off the track I had a brief chance to see how it pulled from low revs - no problems there at all. I didn’t get the impression that this would be an awkward or difficult car to drive in traffic, and it idled quite happily. Certainly none of the lumpy peaky behaviour associated with the earlier Sport 190 incarnation.

Once we had stopped and unbuckled ourselves, Chris turned to me and said, “Well done Tim, that was excellent. You certainly know how to drive”. Coming from Chris that’s undoubtedly the biggest compliment I’ve ever heard, especially as I was worried about making a fool of myself!

Guy came over and said that I looked like I was enjoying myself, and Chris told him I had done very well, learned the circuit quickly and followed the right lines every lap. Chris then asked me if I’d seen enough, or if I fancied a couple of ‘fast laps’ at racing speed?

Silly question! So I strapped myself in again and wondered what I was letting myself in for…

Back out onto the circuit and he’s hard on it from the first corner. We go through the 3rd gear combination almost on the limiter and he’s throwing the car at the next one barely before I’ve realised we’re through the last! Braking what seemed liked inches from the first 2nd gear right hand corner we’re down the box and into it *completely* sideways before firing out through the next combination flat out and down the back straight.

I honestly thought he was going to go through the chicane flat out in top (pulling well over 6,000 rpm), but no we were on the brakes and down the box in a good third of the distance I managed it on my fastest attempt! Again we’re through the 2nd gear corner sideways onto the front straight and off to start another lap.

Two more laps like this and he pulls off. I’m sweating like a horse and feeling a little bit dizzy from being hurled violently from one side of the track to another. The amount of grip is just beyond belief, as is the speed at which it will change direction.

With that we retired to Chris’ office to discuss the specifics of the car. He asks me what I would use the car for (track days and weekend fun) talks me through the spec and the various options available so suit that.

The Eibach suspension option is highly recommended he says, each damper is individually hand built and dyno tested so that you can guarantee they are all exactly the same. They are fully adjustable as well. The cost is £1,100 if ordered with the car or about £1,600 to retrofit afterwards. The AP racing brakes were probably not worth it unless I was going to race the car, as you lose the handbrake and they’re not suited to road use. The limited slip diff is worth having, but again the dog gearbox and motorsport clutch not worth it unless I was going racing.

So all in with some of the worthwhile goodies, we’re talking £35,000. A lot of money for a track day toy, but having seen what it’s capable of in the right hands…

With that we shook hands, I thanked Chris for his time and Guy and I departed back to Stratton Motor Company for a coffee and to talk it over. We discussed some figures, but as it stands they’re unable to offer the money for my 911 as p/ex that I would want in order to have a deal.

Would I buy the Lotus Sport Elise 190 if the deal was right? Yes too bloody right I would!

One of my options is to buy a standard S2 but have MotorSport apply the 190 bits but excluding the engine. You’d have the same amazing handling package but without the extra power, and at a much lower price. Numbers are being crunched…

This article was first published on 5th March 2002 at www.sport190.com.