This is JMO. Unless you are ready to write your car off as a total loss, I would think twice about racing it.
That is what one of our instructors told us when I first started. Yes...he was right. Man...was he. During my first year I saw 2 write-offs in 2 of the 3 classes I was racing. I had sponsors, but I was the main dog. $$$$. One of the current pro racers, who was a teenager then, was my pit crew in the Mazda venture.
I won a bunch of Nationals, was invited to the Runoffs (top 3 drivers in your class got the invite) and got punted off the course...rear ended...more than one time. After 2 races, the cars fenders were hit on both sides, guys later said they were "losing their brakes."
A "sorry" didn't pay for the repairs. And with the SCCA, at least then, you couldn't show up with a dented or messed car.
If it was a glass Lotus, I would have been screwed. Less skilled and non-thinking drivers, thought they would dive inside me at the last moment and take the turn with only one wheel on the marbles and the rest of the car in the dirt ...blah, blah,...lots of crazy and dangerous moves. One was even flagged for his BS antics. Guess he thought he was Parnelli J. Again, if driving a Lotus...pull over and park it...instead of continuing to race. Unless, you can afford to
write-it-off.
When three or four cars are approaching a 2 car MAX turn, there's a good possibility that someone is going to get crunched. The Lotus is not a real good car for "crunch" type racing. Either end, just a slight tap and your into mega $$. Definitely not to be used as a "race car" and daily driver under those conditions. Accept the
possibility of your baby being in for repairs a lot, if you want to be one of the top finishers race after race. And NONE of the
time-outs may be due to your driving skills! I'd venture that every driver out there is an Alpha male or female......or both! rotfl Couldn't be serious for too long.
Trailer it...because if you're
really racing something will happen to disable you. Either you will break something or someone will break you...unless you're car is like Bruce Willis in the movie "Unbreakable."
Again JMO...I think if you really don't want to waste your Elise/Exige get something you can ball up and walk away from, then kick back and say, "Can't wait 'til the next race at Laguna, it should be fixed by then."
Like the instructor said years ago,
think about whether you can lose your car and forget about it. Does anyone agree...or am I just blowing smoke?
Anyway, good luck to everyone. HTH