I’ve been lurking around this forum for a few months now soaking up your words of wisdom,and now I have an exige after eons of patient saving.I’ve always wanted a Lotus,but nothing prepared me for the sheer excitement when i first got it last weekend.The handling and noise i just love.Its a chrome orange S , with sports pack,done 1500 miles in a week!It wasnt supposed to be my daily commuting car but everyday i cant resist driving it instead of my Peugeot estate into central London from Bucks.I love the waves and flashing headlights from other Lotus drivers, and even passers by and other road users,although just frowns and cold stares from BMW and Porsches.Copes very well with the daily grind although I cant wait to track it.I’ve never done a track day before, not much point in a Peugeot Estate, anyone got any advice on where to start? Should I get track day insurance and a helmet and what pre track checks should i do before my first day?I’ll post some picks soon,look forward to posting more in the future!I think i will always drive a lotus I would fall asleep at the wheel driving anything else…Ive never ever seen an exige on the roads ,but the day I got it I saw an exact chrome orange one in High Wycombe anyone here own it? Ive never seen a driver wave so enthusiastically and i thought i had seen a ghost!
Welcome Phil,
You must, must, must get it on track.
I bought my - drove it around for a couple of years and thought it was awesome. Then took it on track and kicked myslef that I had not done it sooner. If you think its good on the road it will blow your mind on the track.
Some Lotus friendly insurers give you 5 free track days per year, AON, Autotorque to name but a few but if you already have insurance may be worth noting for renewal time.
Personally I would not take mine on track without insurance but thats just my opinion. Some companies will do cover per event and someone will be along to give you some examples. I have it in my policy so cant give you any recommendations.
As for a helmet they can be hired, but if the unthinkabke ever did happen I would want my own, correct fitting helmet rather than whatever the organiser had that you hired on the day. Decent hemlets need to cost the earth so if I were you I would buy one. Once you’ve had the car on track you will be desperate to get it back on track so you may as well get your own. Also more and more people are wearing race suits but if you haven’t got one dont worry.
In terms of mods before tracking I only did my brakes - braided hoses, SRF fluid and Pagid RS14 pads - oh and some towing eyes on the back I got from Eliseparts (just in case).
Get yourself and helmet and get on track, maybe somewhere like Bedford that has plenty of run off area so you can explore the car in relative safety.
Exige S eh ? Lucky bugger.
sorry read “decent helmets needent cost the earth”
Thanks for the advice,the bedford track looks very appropriate for someone like me and is not far away so I think i will book a place for the next available day in october. i think it would be a shame not to track it and its something to look forward to.
Welcome!
It’d be wrong not to track an S! Get the track damper settings too, it’s why they threw them in there and spent ages setting them up.
Ian
Some Lotus friendly insurers give you 5 free track days per year, AON, Autotorque to name but a few but if you already have insurance may be worth noting for renewal time.
Autotorque have just refused to insure my S1 - apparently due to it having the official Lotus 190 upgrade
Got a really good price from Competition Car Insurance, which then nearly halved when I lowered the mileage from 5,000 to 3,000. Don’t know why, but I hadn’t thought that this would have made such a difference
Heritage, although initially more expensive, would have worked out a good deal if I did more than 6 or 7 trackdays (only with car clubs though not companies ) a year and wanted them included.
Autotorque have just refused to insure my S1 - apparently due to it having the official Lotus 190 upgrade
WHAT?!
shoorley shome mishteak ??
shoorley shome mishteak ??
Had a nice email from JohnO saying he would look into it, it may well be a mistake but i see from recent posts on SELOC that others have been refused.
All I can say is, when its time to renew, give them a ring and see what the say in your particular circumstances.
Got a really good price from Competition Car Insurance, which then nearly halved when I lowered the mileage from 5,000 to 3,000. Don’t know why, but I hadn’t thought that this would have made such a difference
Toby has our Exige insured with Competition Car insurance (we have the sprint car through them too) and we’ve got 4 track days covered in with the price too, I think it was �60 more than elephant who were very competitive even with the 190 upgrade, but the trackday cover swung it for us
Interestingly this year there does not appear to be the glass restriction, ie, if you have trackday cover then you loose the glass cover.