HiFi Lounge Goes Motor Racing!

[HiFi Lounge]

Snetterton Photobook, Fire, Rain + New Livery!

Hi All,

So for our Snetterton race weekend it was certainly a weekend like no other, basically it was British Summertime so we had plenty of rain but we also had a huge pit lane fire just when we were about to go out for our first race, basically a teams lorry caught fire and it took 2 fire engines to get it under control, luckily no one was injured but it meant we lost our first race and our 2nd race was re-scheduled for 6pm, this ended up being cut short due to a car stranded on the track so basically we did 3 days at the track for a 17 minute race but at least we came away with a trophy so it wasn't all bad.

Plus we had the new livery on the Elise to promote iLounge Racing, a couple of tweaks to do but overall really happy with the look, really stands out on track now.

So off to Brands Hatch this weekend, really looking forward to this one as it is on the short Indy layout so is very much like a big Go Kart track which should suit me, presently we are 5th overall in the standings and 2nd in our class so plenty to still play for.

We were testing there last week and I had my closest moment to a big crash yet, please see below, certainly a Code Brown moment but luckily we got away with just a little damage under the car where I had to go over the grass in avoidance, could certainly have been much worse.



Anyway please find a few pictures below from our Snetterton weekend.

Cheers,

Paul.

[struth]

well done on trophy, and avoidance of smash... could hear the rattle from underneath

[HiFi Lounge]

Thanks Grant, hoping for no more near misses like that for a while.

[HiFi Lounge]

Brands Hatch Race Report, Pics + Video's!

Hi All,

So the Brands Hatch Indy layout is one of the races I really look forward to every year as it really suits my driving style as to me it is just one big go kart track and although it is really technical with every corner seemingly having multiple ways through it I always seem to go well there.

Thankfully that continued with our first trip there in the Elise where we had our best race weekend of the year. Unbelievably I have never had a lap time disqualified before but unfortunately my best lap in Qualifying was deleted for exceeding track limits so I ended up starting 4 places back on the grid to where I had hoped to start but that made the race more fun I guess.

When it came to the race, we just avoided a big crash at turn 1 which I had to stop to miss so that dropped us right to the back pretty much so I got my head down and lap by lap caught the pack back up, now this was a 45 minute race with a mandatory pitstop so once I caught the pack I pitted early to try the undercut which worked a treat as I made 2 places, made me smile as I exited the pits and I said to myself, right now it is Hammer Time, below are my first 3 laps after the pitstop -



Then half way through the race there was another big accident but I was 2nd in my class with 3 other forced induction cars behind me, who to be fair have been quicker than me all year so it ended up with a 10 minute race to the finish, as I am fighting these guys in the championship I was determined to hold my 2nd place so basically I just looked forward and ignored my mirrors and at the end we held of the assault from behind to finish 2nd in class which I was really pleased with.

So we have one more race weekend left at Donington on the 30th October and if we have a good weekend we could finish 2nd in class and third overall but just checked the weather and it looks like it may be wet which will be a real shame as I’m much happier in the dry but let’s see how things pan out.

Certainly going to be a fun end to what has been a really enjoyable first season racing the Elise, please find highlights from Brands below + a few pics -

Cheers,

Paul.

Video Highlights!

[HiFi Lounge]

Lotus Elise Trophy Season 1 Complete, Donington Photo Book!



Hi Everyone,

So where did that season go? it only seems like yesterday we were collecting our new Lotus Elise looking forward to a new adventure and before you know it we have 7 race meetings under our belt and it is time to park the car ready for winter. Looking back it was a great season though, a lot of fun, if I'm honest at the start of the season I was surprised how quick the competition was, I was expecting to be straight on the pace but as the season progressed we got quicker and quicker, which was also helped by quite a bit of development on the car, and by the mid point I felt we were getting on top of the car with the Brands Hatch round being the highlight of the season with some really great racing.

Championship Standings!

In the end we finished 2nd in the Forced Induction class and 4th overall, really wanted 3rd but for our first year I was really happy with that. We have plans already in place for next year where we are taking the Elise into a different category, endurance racing, with one round at Spa so that is extremely exciting, more news next year.

Donington, The Final Round!

The less said about this race weekend the better really, we did some dry testing the Monday before and the lap times were great and the car felt on rails but once we got to race day we could have done with a boat rather than a car, much the same as the previous year in the Radical at Donington, it was just a challenge to keep the car on the track, I don't mind driving in the wet but when it is this wet it just isn't any fun really but we survived multiple incidents over the weekend where I lost it under breaking, ended up in the gravel with 6 others at the start of race 2 and had a Praga race car spinning off in front of me in testing, so getting away with a cracked windscreen was a result really.

Please find a few pictures below, roll on next season.

Cheers,

Paul.

[HiFi Lounge]

The 2022 Season Is Go As We Attempt Endurance Racing!

Hi Everyone,

So the closed season is now behind us and iLounge Racing is getting ready for another season of racing, I have spent 4 years now doing 20 minute sprint races in the Radical SR1 Cup and the Lotus Elise Trophy so for this year I fancied trying something different so we have entered the 750 Motor Club 'Club Enduro' Championship which comprises of 7 races weekends with races ranging from 125 minutes to 180 minutes with a driver change and refueling required so as a big LeMan fan it will be really interesting to try some mixed class racing over a longer race distance.

I will be sharing the drive with my Race Coach, Tom, he is seriously quick so the pressure will be on me to not lose too much ground to the leaders before he jumps in as it looks like I will be starting the race.

We will be racing in the top A class which is 300bhp per tonne so I have no idea how our very light and little Lotus will compete against the much bigger and heavier cars with more power on the grid, the first race is this Easter Monday at Donington so not long to find till we find out.

For anyone who would like to come along and spectate then please find the calendar below, yes we really are racing at Spa this year, that is a big tick on the Bucket List + I have never raced at Croft or Anglesey so plenty to look forward to this year -

• Donington GP - 18th April
• Croft - 29th May
• Spa - 8th/9th July
• Snetterton - 31st July
• Silverstone - 21st August
• Anglesey - 11th September
• Oulton Park - 8th October

Watch Races Live - https://www.750mc.co.uk/live.htm

If you would like to see how we get on please find a link above to live coverage on YouTube or Alpha Timing also have the below coverage -



We tested at Donington last week to get back in the groove, thanks to being on my sim at home all winter I was straight on my pace but please find a video of Tom below on a quick lap, great to watch, if I can get within a couple of seconds of his lap time then I'm happy.



Finally I am racing in the Senna Cup at Rye House kart track this year also which has just been resurfaced, please find another video of a quick lap in the wet, great fun I have to say as sideways more than anything -



As normal I will update on how each race in the Club Enduro goes after each round and also please feel free to subscribe to our iLounge Racing YouTube page for videos from each event.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK-...LlSAqRScDGHqKg

All the best,

Paul.

[HiFi Lounge]

Club Enduro Round 1 Race Report, Donington, Not What We Expected!



Hi Everyone,

So here we go again with another season or racing, for the last 4 years I have raced in mostly 20 minute sprint races with the odd longer 45 minute race in both the Radical SR1 Cup and Lotus Elise Trophy and it has always been the longer races I have enjoyed the most and have been the most competitive at so for this year we thought we'd try something different, endurance racing in the Elise in the 750 Motor Club 'Club Enduro' championship, which it turn out is the biggest grid in UK motorsport, for our first race at Donington we had 58 cars on track which certainly kept me busy for the 2 hour+ race.

So there are 3 classes we could enter depending on the power to weight, we decided to unleash all of the Elise's power to be bang on the 300bhp per tonne limit to be in the top class A group, I was going to share the drive with my driver coach Tom and we really thought that we could be competitive and maybe fight for the title, how wrong we were.

We arrived at Donington for Friday practice but we suffered brake issues all morning but once we sorted them we soon realised that the Touring Car type cars, TCR's for short, are much faster than us even though we all run to the 300bhp per tonne limit, they are basically specially built race cars where our Elise is a road car we turned into a race car.

Anyway come race day I did my mandatory 3 laps for qualifying then Tom went out to see what could be achieved, he is basically one of the quickest guys around and he could only manage 14th on the grid, it was decided I would start the race and Tom would jump in at the fuel stop. I must admit I was a little nervous at the start as I starting higher up than my natural speed would normally put me being Tom qualified and at the start I got eaten alive by all the quicker guys but in the end I fell back to where my pace was competitive and settled into the race, after an hour or so I was summoned into the pits for a fuel stop and driver change, I jumped out the car and refueling started and whilst out the car I decided that I'd like to do the whole race which Tom was happy with as I need the practice and he doesn't and at the end of the day we weren't competitive so I may as well get more seat time, so in the end I did the full 2 hours and 5 minutes which I must say was brilliant fun, towards the end though I could see I was getting low on fuel and as I was going through the Craners with a couple of minutes left when the car spluttered and I thought, bugger, I'm not going to finish the race so I decided I would limp home to the pits but as I came round the last corner the chequered flag was out so I just made it across the line to finish, talk about relieved.

In the end we finished 25th out of 58, there were quite a few Elise's entered and we finished as the top Elise so I guess that's something to take away from the weekend, but it certainly wasn't the weekend we were hoping for, at the end of the day though I loved being in the car for 2 hours+.

What to do for the rest of the season? well there are 6 rounds left, I have decided to do the next one at Croft in 2 weeks as never raced there then we are off to Spa in July so will do that as that is a huge tick on the bucket list then I will decide what to do from there, I have an historic racing itch I'd like to scratch but more on that later.

Please find sme pics below, they are quite funny as they make you realise just how small the Elise is.

Cheers,

Paul.

[HiFi Lounge]

In Over My Head!

As a lifelong motorsport fan something beyond my wildest dreams is about to kick into gear tomorrow for 4 days, here is a clue, any ideas? tbh it is all a bit terrifying and the enormity of it won’t sink in for a few days after I’m sure, all very exciting though and an amazing opportunity, all will be revealed tomorrow

[struth]

goodwood festival of speed?? good luck whatever it is...

[Jac Hawk]

1st time i've come across this thread, some great photos, personally looking forward to Silverstone, it's been an interesting season so far in F1, who would have thought that a 40 year old concept would be so difficult for some teams to get right? i'd like to see Hamilton do well, but as the company i work for do the AV and IT work for Williams i'd like to see them do well too.