4x4s & Sports Cars - Lotus Club & Range Rover Club Experience
Date and time: 9:00am to 8:30pm, Saturday 2nd March
Description: If you're reading this you've got an interest in matters automotive. But up until now, perhaps your enjoyment of things on four wheels has been limited. Maybe you're a sports car owner and have never experienced "adrenaline at 5km/h", or you might have wondered why people buy expensive 4x4s and drive them up and down remote mountains, spending a fortune to live like a hobo.
Or could be you're a 4x4 driver and your eye has been caught by a beautiful sports car, and you might have wondered what it's like to own one, drive it to the limit on a racetrack or what it would feel like to enjoy on a remote, twisty road. Or what it's like to drive along and have people pull out phones and video you because you're just so damn ice-cool.
Well, no longer will you need to toss and turn at night, wondering how the other half live. Two great clubs are coming together to experience each other's culture and particular brand of car enjoyment - the Lotus Club of Victoria and the Range Rover Club of Victoria.
Exactly how we'll do this is going to be dependent on interest, but here's a plan thus far:
- 0900 - meet at Black Spur Inn
- 0930 - briefing inside Inn
- 0945 - Lotus runs up to Lake Mountain and back with 4WD people. Swap passengers at top of mountain, return to the Inn.
- 1200 - lunch at the Inn
- 1300 - 4WD trip with Lotus people as passengers, afternoon tea in the bush
- 1600 - "show'n'shine" noting this is an abstract concept for 4x4s. Lotus people pick a S&S winner for 4x4s, 4x4 people pick a S&S winner for Lotus
- 1800 - dinner at the Inn
- 1930 - short talk; 4x4s for Sports Car People, Sports Cars for 4x4 People
- 1945 - Q&A with reps from each club, S&S winners announced, prize will be something amazing like a handshake
You can attend as much or little as you like, in the true relaxed spirit of both clubs, for example just do the mountain run or just the dinner or whatever you like. The Inn also has rooms so you can stay overnight, or the 4x4 people can show you the delights of a swag.
If this appeals, please sign up and indicate what interests you so the day can be planned in further detail.
The way I run these events is to delegate everything so on the day I have no jobs left to do so would like some assistance here, namely:
- Trip leaders for the 4x4 trips (might need up to 3, plan for 2-3 hours out of the Inn).
- Run leaders for the Lotus sprint to LM & back.
- Passenger coordinator in case there is more demand for Lotus runs than Lotuses; should be fine vice-versa.
- People who know both sides to go on the Q&A panel (hello, Guy! any others?).
Weather: Event will run regardless.
Equipment: all-terrain tyres, recovery points, basic recovery gear, in-car UHF radio essential. Please have at least 2 preferably 4 seats free for sports-car passengers.
Maps and Reference Material: Any topo which covers the Triangle area.
Trip Standard: Medium - some steep, low-range hill climbs and some rocky tracks!
Fuel: a full tank ex Healesville
Distance: Approx. distance from Black Spur Inn will be 3-4 hours of mainly low range driving.
Duration: 1 days
Convoy limit: Unlimited vehicles
Location: Black Spur Inn, Narbethong (between Healesville and Marysville)
Trip Leaders: Robert Pepper / 0408 226 354 / robert@pepppernet.org
Club Guest Registration policy: It is club policy in regard to insurance cover that if a member brings any non-members on the trip they must be registered and have paid the required fee as Temporary Members BEFORE the event.
i.e. non- members can no longer register on the day with the trip leader.
Temporary Membership information and ways to register can be found at:
Temporary (Guest) Membership
Also if a non-member wishes to bring their own vehicle, the member inviting the non-member must contact the trip leader for approval to bring the vehicle. Such approval will take into account skills of the driver, suitability of the vehicle and whether or not a place within the convoy limit is available for a non-member's vehicle.
