Free Networking chat & coffee event with track-powertrain and RRR Engineering.
All Lotus owners welcome to attend for coffee, cake and engine chat. On hand will be the track-powertrain engine build team to offer a free engine health check for any four cylinder Elise, Exige or 2-Eleven (We can also discuss the V6 cars but the health checks take a lot longer on these cars).
Owners can book a slot to have their engine borescoped and a full compression and leak down analysis carried out – there will be no charge for this service on the day (The normal fe for this service is £75.00)
Various engines will be in display on the day both in build, part built and fully assembled and guests will be able to view them in the engine build room and also see a Lotus engine being run on the in house dyno.
Also available on the day will be the team from RRR Engineering and slots can be booked to power test your car on the RRR Hub Dyno and discuss ECU and electronics options.
This is event is to be confirmed early March subject to Covid rules in place at the time.
From 10am at the track-powertrain Engine Build Facility – Unit V2, Grovemere Court, Bicton Ind Est, Kimbolton, PE28 0EY
For further information or if you want to book as specific slot for your fee engine inspection please call Stephen on 07590 688 211 or e-mail us via info@track-group.com
track-club are heading to the USA for the inaugural Circuit of the Americas 24 Hour race – held just a few weeks after the US Grand Prix at the amazing GP facility in Austin, Texas the track-club team have prepared a freshly built Porsche 991 GT3 Cup into Endurance spec for the race.
The car started life as a standard 991 GT3 Cup in the famous Porsche Supercup series and was purchased from a German team earlier this season. After a couple of test days and track days to allow the drivers some familiarisation the car was stripped back to it’s shell and a full rebuild was undertaken. The engine and gearbox have been rebuild by the factory and all other critical parts replaced or refreshed including the dampers, driveshafts and radiators.
Specialist watch supplier Chronext have sponsored the car (www.chronext.com) which has now been prepped for endurance racing with the additional of a light pack suitable for night driving, a driver drinks system and coolvest system to help them cope with the Texas heat and then the even hotter temperatures when the car heads to Dubai for another 24 hour race in January. The Matt Reeves designed livery was then applied in house and the car heads to America from Southampton on 19th October
The Drivers office complete with coolest controls, driver ID transponder, multi function steering wheel, electronic drinks system, predictive lap timing, rear view camera and full colour OLED information screen!
A Racelogic Video VBox HD, Autotel pit to car radio, rear view camera system and Bosch M4 ABS have all been added with all the additional electronics controlled through a bespoke PDM – power distribution module to avoid any interference with the Porsche factory electricals.
Team Principal Stephen Docherty said that the the team firmly believes in creating as good an environment in the car as possible – “drivers are in the car for up to two hours at a time, the temperatures in the cockpit in Barcelona last year reached over 50 degrees C and a race car at 4am in the pitch black can be an intimidating environment so whilst our primary focus is reliability, very close to this is helping the ‘reliability’ of the driver”.
The tema have prepared many different spring and endurance cars but this will be the first time out racing with a Porsche however they hope to add another car during the 2018 season which will run alongside existing commitments to the British GT championship and Lotus Elise and Lotus Cup club series.
COTA will be the teams tenth 24 hour race having competed in previous Dubai races as well as Barcelona 24 Hours, Paul Ricard and twice at the Silverstone 24 Hour race.
If you are interested in getting into Endurance racing drop the team a note via info@track-group.com
track-club drivers Adam Balon and Adam Mackay took a superb third place in the British GT Pro-Am GT4 Championship at the end of a somewhat trying season with the new McLaren 570S GT4. The former Lotus Cup drivers were the only Pro-Am team to take two outright GT4 victories during the season including the Blue Ribband Silverstone 500 race and were it not for a car issue at Spa which repeated itself despite a factory recall at Donington the team would have been in the running for the overall and Pro-Am championship titles.
Mackay who won the 2016 Lotus Cup title with track-club and Balon who finished third in the same championship drover superbly all season after an opening round win that made the paddock sit up and notice the series newcomers. This victory was proved no fluke at the Silverstone round where the three hour race saw the flawless execution of four driving stints and three tyre and refuelling pit stops by the team put them in position for the biggest victory of their careers.
Unfortunately an issue traced to the design of the 570S manifold put paid to what was looking like a promising weekend at Spa and despite a factory fix the problem re-occured at Donington robbing the two drivers of a second place finish in the race.
The team are now focusing on working with McLaren to help remedy the problem over the winter for another title attempt in 2018.
track-club – the motorsport division of track-group have confirmed their first multiple car attempt on the Dubai 24 Hours in January 2017. Experienced GT Professional Jamie Stanley will lead the attack on the SP3 Class in the track-club Lotus Evora GT4 which has been modified to suit the demands of both Endurance racing and the SP3 Class Regulations – joining Jamie will be three other experienced Lotus racers – Glenn Sherwood, former Lotus Cup Champion Adam Knight and Lotus Cup and Caterham race winner Adam Balon.
The Cambridgeshire based team are also running an A3 class Seat Leon Supercopa also with an experienced line up comprising of Simon Atkinson, Bob Drummond, Stuart Ratcliff and Marcus Jewell. The Seat finished 5th in the Silverstone 24 Hours and the team whilst light on 24 hour experience have their sights set on a podium.
The Supercopa on the way to a 5th place finish in the 2016 Silverstone 24 Hours
track-club Team Principal Stephen Docherty reflected that endurance racing whilst expensive offers drivers better value in terms of seat time and means that drivers need to bring more than just pace; Stephen said “good club and semi professional drivers now want more than just a few 20 minute races spread over a weekend and they also recognise that they can contribute fully to a team not just through sheer pace but through consistency, teamwork and being able to focus on the bigger picture – I don’t want 4 young hot shots for a 24 hour race if they all want to compete with each other for bragging rights – I want 4 level headed consistent drivers that wont make mistakes!”
“track-club took the chequered flag in Dubai in 2016 but were outpaced by the Ginetta Supercup cars, the Evora has been upgraded since then and we’re going for the win in 2017” added Jamie Stanley
The track-club Endurance team in Barcelona
The team is planning a full campaign in the Creventic run 24H series in 2017 and will have options in the Lotus Evora and also in the TCR Class while the team are also evaluating a Porsche 991 Carrera Cup Car in Endurance spec.
Interested drivers should contact Stephen@track-group.com to discuss options for the 2017 season including a 24 Hour race at the Circuit of the Americas, the US Grand Prix Venue.
track-group Ltd has successfully achieved FCA compliance and teamed up with Pay4Later and Close Brothers to be able to offer retail finance on its range of motorsport parts. We believe this is the first time that customers will be able to spread the cost of the race engine over the course of a season or even longer.
Engines, electronics and safety equipment are getting ever more expensive even at club level and with high end video and data systems, engine control and other electronics representing a significant investment for competitors over several years of racing we think that this will be a significant benefit to customers who want to invest in quality. Virtually all products ont he track-group website including engines and high end race electronics are now available on low or zero rate interest over 12 – 36 months.
track-group see many customers who understand that putting the right quality component on a car can have significant benefits in terms of both performance and reliability but often drivers are forced to compromise due to budget restrictions which in turn compromises performance an d reliability. If we can help spread the costs of these items and low or sometimes non existent interest rates it will allow drivers with more modest budgets to compete on a more level playing field with the big spenders in a series.
track-group represent a number of premium motorsport brands and we focus on only supplying what we use on our own vehicles – these premium brands can be a difficult to justify luxury for some customers who compromise their reliability and performance according to budget. track-group can help avoid those compromises.
As well as premium brands like Racelogic and ATL track-group will also offer their own engine and gearbox build services and even bespoke wiring loom and electronic systems design.
Premium motorsport brands looking for quality and pro-active dealer support can also contact track-group MD Stephen Docherty via Stephen@track-group.com if they think their brand can benefit from an association with track-group.
In pretty shocking conditions at Anglesey even by Novembers usually fairly harsh standards the track-club run Lotus Exige V6 Cup R of Bob Drummond, Rob Myers and Adam McKay took a convincing victory in the 9 hour endurance race that is set to become one of the club calendars classic races.
With a full 45 car grid on the Anglesey International Circuit and a 3 hour night race into parc ferme followed by a 9am restart and the unique pause for the moving Remembrance Sunday service this really was a special race.
track-club ran in class F, the top class for professional and semi professional entries which was evident with the presence of some high level professional drivers including ex Touring Car ace Tom Onslow-Cole in the KPM Golf which won last year and current Touring car ace Jack Goff in the SW Lotus run Exige.
With two Exige V6 Cup R entries and the quick Lotus 2-Eleven being handed over from father to son (Ken Savage bowed out of Lotus Cup UK this year and the car will be raced by son Ryan in 2016) there was always likely to be a track-club car on the podium and this years stand out Lotus Cup UK Discover Alex Reed soon put the marker down with a dominant pole position.
Sadly, this wasn’t to be his race and a flawless 2015 run with zero retirements and a trophy at every round came to a halt courtesy of the worlds slowest fire service with a drive belt failing and taking out an oil line causing a fire just 100 yards from the pit entry.
Snapping on his heels in any case were the Golf, the Honda factory run Civic and the SW Lotus not to mention subsequent star of the race Scottish Formula Ford Champion Adam McKay.
McKay was in the other track-club V6 Cup R alongside new driver Bob Drummond competing in only his second race and former Elise Trophy driver Rob Myers.
Left right -Rob Myers, Bob Drummond, Adam McKay. Behind the stunning navy blue number 63 Lotus Exige V6 Cup R
Despite a strong challenge from the Savage 2-Eleven and the other class F entries the pace advantage of the V6 was able to overcome the fuel disadvantage that the car had by making clever use of the safety car periods to minimise the downside of the thirsty V6 engine and the normal 55 minute running time was stretched by the wet weather conditions that at times were horrific and ultimately led to the race being declared run around 45 minutes before it should have ended by which time the number 63 Exige had built a 3 lap lead. All three drivers played their part with strong stints from each in the dark and a stunning group of laps from Adam when the race restarted to reel in the 2-Eleven and take the overall lead which the team then never lost.
Ken and Ryan Savage finished 4th overall and 2nd in the Lotus Cup Class which was a great achievement for Ryan who was racing his 2016 mount for the Lotus Cup UK Championship. In shocking conditions and managing a supercharger issue for the last three hours Ryan put in a near 2 hour stint in horrific conditions in the open top Lotus.
We should not forget the reason behind this race and why we were all there please take a moment to visit these sites and find a way to support the racing and reason behind the racing. Yes, we won the race, one of our cars paid a fairly high price for trying but it’s nothing like the price that some of the guys on the grid paid doing their job for their country. It was an honour to be with them for this weekend.
http://www.missionmotorsport.org
http://raceofremembrance.com/index.html
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them………………
Following multiple championship titles it was always going to be difficult to maintain the momentum but 2015 saw track-club drivers take the runner up slot in the Overall Lotus Cup UK Supersport Championship (Ken Savage), the Lotus Cup UK Exige Cup (Alex Reed) and the Lotus Cup UK Production Championship (Stuart Ratcliff & Anthony Dunn).
The final round at Snetterton wasn’t without success however as it brought one of the most popular victories in the history of the series when Seth Walpole took not only his first podium but a first overall victory holding up multiple race winner Craig Denman to take a stunning win in the second Elise Trophy race.
track-club drivers Seth Walpole (top step) and Craig Denman (2nd)
Seth’s win was long overdue and his results have steadily improved since switching to a later spec Lotus Elise 111R. There was literally a queue of drivers and crew waiting to congratulate one of the most popular drivers in the paddock as he brought the car back into the parc ferme.
The FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) will add a new name and new manufacturer to the World Championship: former WRC driver Gigi Galli and Kia Rio. Both Galli and the all-new Kia Rio Supercar will compete at the upcoming World RX of Italy (16-18 October). track-groups engine division has provided the horsepower!!
The successful rally driver from Livigno, who competed in last year’s World RX of Italy, has decided to take one step further in 2015 and compete in a new car. Galli – who narrowly missed out on a spot in last year’s Italy RX final – has created his own RX team starting the project with a brand new Kia Rio Supercar, the first of its kind in RX.
track-group have built the bespoke engine for the car and provided technical and engine support for the project through their track-powertrain division which builds competition engines for a wide range of motorsport competitors worldwide.
Despite a relatively short lead time the team at track-powertrain designed and commissioned bespoke engine parts and assembled the engine to meet the teams tight schedule.
Less than 12 months after his first World RX experience, Galli is now ready for his new adventure thanks to the support of his Italian partners. Giovanni Bernacchini, Galli’s co-driver from his rallying days, will join Galli as a key member of his new team.
“I am delighted to be back in World RX,” explained Galli, who competed in a total of 66 WRC events and scored two podiums. “My supporters have been pushing for this to happen and my endless passion for racing has made this happen. I am especially excited about creating a brand new team and car plus I am excited to also have Giovanni [Bernacchini] by my side. We will introduce ourselves at the Italian World RX round at Franciacorta next month. Our aim is not to win, it would be foolish to think we could do that straightaway – we simply want to demonstrate how hard we have worked so far.”
Alex Reed took victory in the 7th round of Lotus Cup UK on the Silverstone GP Circuit on Saturday 12th September. He converted his third consecutive pole position in the track-club run Lotus Exige V6 Cup R to a dominant victory surviving a first corner drama all around him and taking fastest lap along the way.
Left to right – runner up Adam Knight, winner Alex Reed and third place Marcus Jewell – track-club 1-2-3
Reed won from Adam Knight also in an Exige V6 and Marcus Jewell in the Lotus 2-Eleven completing a track-club 1-2-3.
Championship leader Ken Savage was 4th surviving initial contact with Adam Gore and Adam Knight and doing a solid job with a compromised car suffering side panel damage and restricted air flow.
Reed who is hoping to graduate to GT racing in 2016 dominated the weekend timing his pole run in changing conditions perfectly and managing a tyre issue towards the end of the race. He was delighted with his result. track-club’s Stephen Docherty commented “Alex seems to be driving better every time he gets in a car at the moment. He’s very focused, takes his driving seriously and is probably now the quickest driver on the grid. This is his first season full seasons racing and there’s a lot more to come from him”.
The series now moves on to the final round at Snetterton in October where the championship title will be decided.
Ken Savage runs a track-club built & run Lotus 2-Eleven and currently leads the Lotus Cup UK Championship.
track-club drivers are currently leading both the Lotus Cup UK Supersport Championship and Lotus Cup UK Production Championship in a strong year for the team. track-club drivers have won the overall title twice with Steve Train in 2012 and Adam Knight in 2014 – the team aren’t taking anything for granted however and whilst they lead the championship in 2015 there are three races remaining and every championship to date has gone down to the last race – often the last few laps of the last race!!
After a stunning 1-2-3-4 at Spa Francorchamps headed by a race win for the 2014 Champion Adam Knight the championship lead remains with Ken Savage in the newly built for 2015 Lotus 2-eleven. Knights victory is thesecond overall win for track-club drivers this year following the Donington victory for championship rival Alex Reed.
Adam Knights Lotus Exige V6 Cup R – the 2014 Champion
In the Production Championship track-clubs Stuart Ratcliff in his third season with the team leads along with co-driver Anthony Dunn in their Lotus Elise 111R.
Ratcliff & Dunn have had to fight hard for their points with a start from the pit lane enforced at Oulton Park and a fight through the field after contact early on at Spa where they were also compromised by the timing of the safety car.
Elise 111R of Stuart Ratcliff and Anthony Dunn
With three 60 minute races remaining and a dropped score to be taken into account both championships are very tight. The next round is at Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix circuit as part of the Lotus Festival on the 15th & 16th July. Given that there is a British GT4 test for the Supersport Winner and a Lotus Cup Supersport Test for the Production winner all the competitors are highly motivated to maintain reliability and results.
track-club are heading to the USA for the inaugural Circuit of the Americas 24 Hour race – held just a few weeks after the US Grand Prix at the amazing GP facility in Austin, Texas the track-club team have prepared a freshly built Porsche 991 GT3 Cup into Endurance spec for the race.
