In the last chapter of my saga, I had told of my fantastic 2,600 mile drive
to the LOG.
The LOG, what can I say that hasn't been said before. The LOG is the
culmination of the true Lotus Guys year.
Friday: Arrival.
The Winfrey Hotel, used for this years LOG was the best event Hotel I have
experienced. Great rooms, large comfortable lobby for hanging out in ,
convenient underground parking, good restaurants, nice bar, good location,
and close to the freeway.
Hanging around in the underground parking lot, (We had a whole floor blocked
off, just for us), Waiting for everyone to arrive, wondering who would show
up, and what they had done to their cars, what outrageous thing Johan had
done this year, it was exciting.
And so they came, one after another, friend after friend, each car the best
of the best.
Johan's car had Lotuspox this year, (black vianal spots), Guy's
had bullet holes, Karl Franz's was exquisite, Marc Capolons S4s was like a
black Panther on steroids, and don't get me started on Michael Friedmans
Black Sport 350; that car means business.
Then there were a pack of the most beautiful Europas that I have seen in one
place.Yellow, Silver, Orange, a 47, and a Candy Red S2 that knocked my socks
off.
There were also Elans, 7's, Plus 2"s, a bunch of beautiful Elise's, and one
of the nicest polished aluminum 6's in the world.
Add to this the old friends that arrived, and the new ones that I finally
met, after only knowing of them from the list, and it was a great day.
At this point, let me say, that when you meet someone that you have only
known from the Internet, they are usually uglier than you thought they would
be, (In my case, shorter too).
The Reception, Friday night, was wonderful. Good food, renewing old
friendships, making new ones. Finding out what everyone had been doing,
drinking, bragging, B.S.ing.
The conversations went on into the night. On the couches in the lobby, in
front of the hotel, (where there was a display of all of the models that
Lotus has made), in the bar, down in the parking lot, where we were all
showing our friends the new things that we had done to our cars..... It
just went on and on and on.
That night, my roommate, Steve Valeski, (beautiful Red S4), from
Massachusetts, arrived. He was my roommate last year, an since he had seen
me in my underwear, and didn't go blind, I figured it would be safe to room
with him again. Also he is an excellent guy, and fun to hang with.
Saturday:
Morning; Tech Sessions, Car washing, and Breakfast.
About 10:00 AM we all lined up to go to the Barber Mortorsports park. Had
to be 100 cars in the caravan. what a great drive.
Barber is a pretty new facility. Big flowing spaces, large Museum, and a
great track. They put the Concourse down in a large field, close to the
Museum. Must have been at least 120 cars; and what cars. Some of the
best Lotuses in the world. Too many to describe. I thought that I was in
Lotus Heaven.
There were also some interesting venders, and Hypersport had an great
display. (Those boys are serious about going fast).
This was also the day when they were celebrating the Birmingham Humidity
Festival. What a treat.
The Museum was fantastic. 6 floors, with a winding ramp between all of
them. An openness that made you feel like you were in the middle of
everything, all at the same time. They had more bikes than cars, but the
cars, that they had, were almost all Lotus. Some of the best examples of
Lotuses great racing heritage.
We had a wonderful buffet lunch, overlooking a back turn of the Race Track.
We then had the presention of the awards for the Concourse.
During all of this, there was a workshop with Lotus Cars, Tony and Simon,
about the Esprit replacement. They had a model of what it will look like,
(Sorry, we were sworn to secrecy), and the new car was talked about in some
detail.
After that, we all went back to the hotel for the Lotus Ldt. board meeting,
and to get ready for the banquet that night.
The banquet was fantastic. Food was excelent, and everybody looked great.
It's so much fun to hang out, and get to know all of the Lotus people.
After dinner, it was time for our main speaker, Dan Gurney.
The first thing that he was going do do, was to present the award for the
best of show. This usually goes to a beautiful old Elite, or race car,
that has been restored to 100 point condition.
I had my camera up, and was about to snap a picture, when he announced the
name. It was ME !!! I couldn't believe it. I was completely stunned,
and almost fell over.
There was a lot of applause, and congradulations. It was like a dream.
Dan then launched into an hour and a half of stories about his career,
emphasizing his involvement with Colin Chapman and Lotus. He then answered
questions from the audience.
Needless to say, after the Banquet, there was the usual hanging around, in
the bar, lobby, front of the hotel, and in the garage.
A good time was had by all.
Sunday:
I met Dan Gurney in the lobby, with his wife, and he signed my plaque. I
then took them down to the garage, and gave them a guided tour of my car,
Mellow Yellow. (Which he also signed).
They were both very gracious, and it was an honor to just share the
experience with them.
After breakfast, They had the Auto-Cross, in a parking lot, right next to
the Hotel. Although I didn't participate,we all had a perfect view from
the hotel parking structure. Those guys looked like they were having a ball
going around the cones.
After that, everyone lined up for the Alabama Mountain Drive. I did not.
The sounds had stopped coming out of my stereo, and I had to get it fixed.
Fortunately, at LOG there is a Lot of help.
Les Jones, (Pristine Red S4s, also with a killer stereo), from
Florida, Lent a hand, but could not fix it. Karl-Franz, also from Florida
chipped in a couple of fuses, but still no sound. Finally, Michael
Friedman, (after a call to Claudius), did a Stereo by-pass, and achieved a
temporary fix; good enough to get me home with sounds. A BIG THANKS to
all of you guys. The "Lotus Boys" will never let you down.
In the afternoon, a lot of the guys were preparing their cars for the Track
day, the next day.
Also in the afternoon, Dave Cosky, from Wisconsin, came driving up in his
new Blue Elise. I mentioned that I would like to give it a drive, and he
said "Come on down".
Got to drive it for about 40 minuets. Through some really fantastic
Alabama back roads. I was REALLY INPRESSED !!! Wouldn't replace my
Esprit with one, but would like to have one ALSO. Thanks Dave.
That night there was another great dinner, and a "Chalk Talk" for all of the
Track Drivers.
Monday:
After breakfast, since we were only going to watch at the track, Steve and
I decided to do the "Mountain Drive".
There weren't really a lot of "Mountains' in central Alabama, but they sure
had a lot of beautiful country roads. Twisting small roads, lined with
forest, and rolling hills, that went on forever. Some of the nicest that I
have seen. Lots of fun.
We then made our way to the track. It wasn't too hot this day. And the
track wasn't too crowded.
Everyone was having a great time running the track. The track is new and
very well laid out.
Tony Shute, Of Lotus Cars, was giving track rides in a new Elise. What a
GREAT DRIVER. One of the best that I have been with. The ride was
fantastic, and my neck hurt from the G forces. The Elise was really
impressive.
After the track, back to the hotel for dinner, and to pack for the trip home
and to say goodbye to everyone.
Tuesday:
Steve (my roommate), took off at around Nine AM. After that I packed the
car, and left. (Had to get west fast; to beat the hurricane).
This LOG was the best Lotus event that I have ever been to, and will only be
topped by LOG 25 in St. Louis.
Will report on my fantastic ride home in a few of weeks.
Pictures on our site: http://www.lotusla.com (thanks Guy Johnson, our
web-master).
Gordonie [EMAIL PROTECTED] 818-841-3189
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