Sector111 Events

OS Giken Drivetrain Tech Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Earlier in December, we had two OS Giken engineers, Sean & Mark, come to our shop for a technical presentation on drivetrains. OS Giken is a leading clutch, flywheel & limited-slip differential (LSD) manufacturer for both street and track cars. Their knowledge shed some light on a very important but often overlooked portion of what makes a car "go."

The 40+ Lotus & Ariel enthusiasts who attended enjoyed demonstrations, examples & practical explanations of clutches, flywheels & all types of LSDs. Lotus-specific examples, like OE clutch failures, were also discussed.

Thanks to Sean & Mark from OS Giken for a great presentation and thanks to everyone that came out to join us! Like always, we will be posting a video of the tech seminar for everyone to enjoy!

Sector111 Track Weekend @ Monticello Motor Club, NY

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:03:00 +0000

This past weekend (Sept 11-12), we held a 2-day track event at Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, NY. This country-club track is located about 90-min outside of New York City in the Catskills. The 20+ Lotus owners that attended were treated to a nearly-wide-open, 4.1 mile world-class track where they enjoyed a ton of track time.

Saturday was nicer than we could have ever hoped. It was in the mid-70°s with hardly a cloud in sight. Each car was fitted with a transponder to start logging times to grid them for the proposed time trial (more on that later). The first few sessions were dedicated to lead/follow laps to help everyone learn the track. In the late morning, the lap times started coming down!

During lunch, a track-position lesson from a member helped some drivers really shave off even more time. One of our dealers, Bill Thomas of WT Roadsters in Frenchtown, NJ, ended up with the fastest lap of the weekend with a 2:40.7 lap in his Katana2 Elise. That was almost 4 seconds faster than the next fastest car!

Sunday, however, took a turn. The forecast initially called for light showers in the late morning. That quickly changed into showers all day starting at 7am. Unfortunately, the slick surface on the track forced us to cancel the time trial. This was a unanimous decision that, due to the difficulty of this track, was the right one. The track stayed green all day for a brave few who got lap after lap of wide open, empty track time!

Our first Sector111 Track Event on the East Coast was a huge success. Everyone had a great time experiencing a world-class track with a volume of Lotus cars far greater than they ever had in the past. We are already planning a few more events on the East-Coast for next year. A special thanks to the Monticello Motor Club and all of the participants for making this event so much fun and so successful!

Lotus Exos & Evora Cup GT4 @ Laguna Seca

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:49:00 +0000

This past Saturday we attended the North America debut of the Lotus Evora Cup GT4 & the World premier of the Lotus Type 125/Exos ultimate track/race car. This event took place at Laguna Seca during the Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion. Lotus really put on a fantastic show. Their display area was extremely well done and really showed how much Lotus has stepped up their game.

When we arrived at the garages where the cars were being displayed, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the Exos was a ground-up, purpose-built formula car based on somewhat on Lotus's current F1 car, the T127. The full carbon-fiber-bodied Exos is equipped with a 3.5 Cosworth V8 producing 650hp that revs past 10,000rmps. It features a starter motor and 2,400-mile tear-down interval making it relatively easy for customers of this $1 million car to get the Formula1 experience. The car absolutely stunning and will be a sure hit for all 25 lucky owners.

The Evora Cup GT4 was an equally impressive machine. This is a full-on, proper race car. As Lotus test driver, Johnny Mowlem, exclaimed at the end of the day, "It looks the business!" That it did. This car was fitted with what Lotus calls the "low downforce" package yet still looked very aggressive. Lotus Challenge Series racers Jack F. & Andy K. and LCS organizer, Jim Navarro, were given rides around Laguna Seca and all came out amazed at the capabilities of the car. We're very excited for the possibilities and potential of this car.

We are very excited for the new direction Lotus is going. These two cars and the manner in which they were presented were really top-notch. We're feeling very bullish about Lotus future prospects!

Type125 & Evora Cup GT4 Reveal @ Laguna

noreply@blogger.com (Shinoo) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Bill and I are attending the reveal of Lotus's newest track weapons. Some speculation on the web suggests that it might be a rebadged Caparo T1.

I had the pleasure of getting a ride in one late last year. It is awesomely fast! This picture of the T1 is an owners car that was painted Lotus colors and not necessarily the Type125.

We will be posting pix and details from the event tomorrow.

Targa Trophy Rally Stage 1: San Diego

noreply@blogger.com (Shinoo) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:12:00 +0000

Stacy and I participated in the first stage of Targa Trophy Rally with our new Evora. This rally started in Hollywood and ran through various roads in the city & country and ended in San Diego. About 70 cars started the event and amazingly most finished! The organizers did a superb job of arranging a fun event that I fully recommend to all sportscar enthusiasts.

The event started with a kick off party at the W Hotel in Hollywood Friday night. We placed sponsors stickers onto our car that eve. Our Evora was staged at the entrance of the W and held it's ground next to a Ferrari & Lambo. We had HRE build us some special wheels for the Evora with a special finish - gold. We had also added a new Larini exhaust to improve the ultra-quiet stock system. It sounds superb.

Saturday morning the organizers had an excellent breakfast ready for us - so we fueled up. We then staged our car at the Car Show they arranged. After the Driver's Meeting we went out and checked out the show before lining up for the rally. No specifics were given at the meeting so we were quite anxious to see what this rally would entail. They informed us that there would be a Navigation Stage and a Driving Stage but that was it. It was the first rally I had participated in so I was very curious.

As we approached the start line, the organizers presented us with the instructions. We were first told to go buy a map of Southern CA and keep

the receipt. We then need to find specific shops in certain cities and buy items from each one. The receipts from each place would be the proof that we had actually made it there. We ran through some city streets, freeways and coastal roads.

We met everyone for lunch at Ferrari of Newport. Then the Drivers Stage started which took us to the desert. In fact, we ended going through some canyon roads that I know - including Mt. Palomar. The Evora cruised serenely through the freeways and then ate up the canyons. I surprised a 997, M3 & M5 with its rapid pace in the canyons. This car may not be as good as the Elise in the canyons but it sure felt awfully close. We were required to get some pie in Julian and then blast through the desert. Stacy got a bit car sick in the canyons so I ended slowing down to keep her lunch intact. But even at 6/10s this car is a blast to drive.

Ultimately we ended up at the W Hotel in San Diego. After 7 hrs of driving we were both in much better shape than if we had attempted it in the Elise or Atom. Frankly I could have gone on for many more hours. The Evora is a proper sportscar that covers plenty of miles with gentleman-like pace and composure.

We had a great time that evening at the awards banquet. We learned that we finished 17/70. The organizers basically keep tabs on your mileage and time and then compare it to their own mileage/time. The contestants who came the closest win. So the fastest team is not necessarily the winner. Luck surely plays a role in this rally but frankly that makes it plenty of fun. You don't needed a massively powerful car to win. The next stage is in late August and will be held in San Francisco. I highly recommend this event - and yes, I paid to run it and will do so again!

Sector 111 Ariel Atom 2 @ Cars & Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Shinoo) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:56:00 +0000

I got a chance further test our Ariel Atom 2's numerous upgrades this weekend while taking it to the huge weekly car gathering in Irvine, CA, Cars & Coffee. As C

alifornia's only Ariel Atom dealer, this also gave me a chance to meet some local Atom owners.

The trip over the famous Ortega freeway gave me a chance to feel the full effect of the front and rear aero. Ortega is a near-15-mile road twisting through the mountains in a series of long sweepers. The car felt extremely planted and just ate up the curves.

Once over the mountains, I was able to experience Steve from Secant Vehicle's amazing engine calibration. The car was very easy to drive at low speed around town AND through the very crowded Cars & Coffee parking lot! Our power upgrade and new intercooler allowed the engine to stay strong even as the air heated up throughout the day.

The performance of this Atom 2 is unquestionable along with the attention it gets. There was constantly a crowd around the Atom even in a parking lot filled with Ford GTs, Mercedes Gullwings, a Ferrari Enzo and a Lamborghini Reventon. It even drew the attention of an upcoming car show that will 'air' on AOL.com. Look for our appearance on the show when it airs.

After spending the morning with the Atom, it is a sportscar that continues to thrill me unlike anything I've ever driven! It is a showstopper no matter where you are at - even Cars & Coffee.

Sector111 Spring Track Day - NEW DATE!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:27:00 +0000

Location: The Streets of Willow @ Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, CA

Date: April 15, 2010

Price: $300

Contact Bill Forelli to reserve your spot on the grid! Bill@Sector111.com or (951)296-6762 x206

This track day includes in-car instruction, a catered lunch at the track and lots of track time! Enjoy taking your car to the limit in a controlled environment on one of Southern California's best road courses.

For those of you living outside of California and Southern Nevada, contact us for a R3-Motorsport-prepared Lotus racecar rental for both our Sector111 Track Day on April 14th AND the Lotus Challenge Series races the following day, April 15th. You can now experience a Sector111 Track Day and the Lotus Challenge Series first hand! Escape the snow or rain and enjoy the bright Southern California sun in a fully prepared Lotus racecar. This service is available for all LCS events and Sector111 Track Days.

LCS Round #2 @ Big Willow

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:56:00 +0000

It was a great weekend at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park for the second round of the Lotus Challenge Series. It was a busy two days in the Sector111 garage. We were supporting racer Kelley S. and her Union-Jack-wrapped Exige Cup car AND testing numerous parts, including our new Katana2 supercharger kit, on our own Project Nirvana Elise.

We were running the 2.5 mile, 9-turn Big Willow track that is commonly referred to as "the fastest road in the West." This weekend it was especially fast. Like we saw at Buttonwillow last month, the times across the board were far faster than they have ever been. Robb B. had the winning Time Trial lap at a blistering 1:30.88 in his Nitron GT3 & Monolite-equipped Exige S.

We escaped the threat of rain and it ended up being gorgeous all weekend. The entire field of cars proved to be equally as reliable as the weather. There were no earlier retirements due to mechanical failures. The wheel-to-wheel race, also won by Robb, was clean and really fast. The side-by-side rolling starts never get old!

Congratulations to Robb for his TT & Wheel-to-wheel wins!!!

LCS Round #1 is in the Books!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:43:00 +0000

The first round of the Lotus Change Series at Buttonwillow Raceway Park was quite exciting. We couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend weather wise.

All of the drivers were excited to get their year off to a good start. Despite varying results, everyone seemed to have a fantastic time. A particular participant, Kelley S., came off the track after every session with the biggest smile!

The mood in the Sector111 garage was equally elated. Patrick, the driver we supported for the weekend, had the best time. Not only did his car run perfectly, but our data acquisition and driver coaching helped him improve his time significantly. His final time from the time trial was in the 1:57s (about a second off the fastest overall time of the weekend). We'll post some more detailed information on how data acquisition helped Patrick achieve this time over on our Tasty Innovations Blog.

The next event is coming up fast (Feb 20-21 @ Big Willow). Hopefully we'll get to see some of the drivers that were unable to make it to this first event. It should be another great weekend with a full grid of exceptionally fast Lotuses.

Special thanks to Jim Navarro for putting on another stellar, professional event. For more information on the Lotus Challenge Series and for full timed results, visit www.LotusChallengeSeries.com

Preliminary ... Podium Results by Class for the Race:

ULTRA:
1st: Jack
2nd: Andy
3rd: Patrick

CUP:
1st: Robb
2nd: Kevin
3rd: Mike B

SS:
1st: Glen
2nd: Roy

Preliminary ... Podium Results by Class for the TT:

ULTRA:
1st: Andy
2nd: Jack
3rd: Patrick

CUP:
1st: Mike W.
2nd: Robb
3rd: Mike B.

SS:
1st: Glen
2nd: Victor
3rd: Roy

Fast Times at Buttonwillow

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:51:00 +0000

The last session of the day just finished and the times have been posted. At least four drivers broke the 2:00.00 mark and a few think a time in the 1:57 range is doable. Like I posted earlier, 2:05.00 was the fastest time anyone could achieve two years ago. Its amazing how these cars have advanced and how much more experienced the drivers are. Tomorrow's time trial and wheel-to-wheel races look like they will be VERY exciting and competitive.

Action Continues at Buttonwillow

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:44:00 +0000

Its been a great day so far here at Buttonwillow. The sun is out and the engines are blaring. The times are very impressive for morning practice sessions on a cold track. Many cars are hovering around or just dropping below 2 min. Those are very fast times considering 2 min 5 seconds was a blistering time not too long ago. The drivers and their cars are noticeably getting faster!

Patrick, who's 2-11 we're supporting, started to put down some impressive laps. His first two sessions were run on R-compounds to get warmed up. We've now switched him to brand new slicks and are starting to dial in optimal air pressures.

A crop-duster making low passes over near-by fields provided a slight distraction for the drivers but made for some cool pictures!

Special Guest at Buttonwillow!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:28:00 +0000

We've brought a special guest to join us this weekend at Buttonwillow. Our partner, Ralph Provitz from V2 Motorsports, flew out from Detroit to be here and provide driver coaching and AiM data support. Ralph's company, V2 Motorsport, has partner with Sector111 to develop tasty bits like V2arms, V2linx, V2 Fuel Tank & more.

2010 Lotus Challenge Series Season Has Begun!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:01:00 +0000

The 2010 Lotus Challenge Series is underway here in Southern California. The season starts this year at Buttonwillow Raceway Park about 2 hours north of downtown Los Angeles. The field has grown from last year and its good to see some new faces on the grid. The first run group went out at 9:10 am and the second group will go out around 10:30 am. So far, everyone is looking fast. Times will be sure to drop as the track warms up.

This weekend we are supporting Patrick's chassis #1 Lotus 2-11. This is THE first 2-11 ever. It is the very same car used in all of the press releases/pictures/videos when the 2-11 was first released. It also happens to be the 2-11 featured in Xbox360's Forza. We are providing Patrick with track-transportation, service, pit support & AiM data driver coaching. Ralph from V2 Motorsport joined us to help and give us his well seasoned tips. This 2-11 is such a fantastic car!

Lotus Challenge Series 2009 Season Finale

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

The beautiful track and facilities at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch is the venue where the Lotus Challenge Series will end it's second season. It's been a season of growth for both the series itself and it's participants. The times are coming down rapidly as drivers continue to dial in their cars and the wheel-to-wheel racing has matured from demo racing into a points-paying championship.

I've been talking with some of the drivers and organizers here at track about the wheel-to-wheel racing and the future of the series which we'll be sharing with you via Sector111 Podcast in the next few weeks.

Nurburgring/Data Acquisition Tech Seminar! Sept. 26

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:57:00 +0000

We would like to invite you to a special Tech Seminar @ Sector111 on Saturday, September 26, 2009 @ 11am

This tech seminar will feature OEM ride & handling engineer and proven hot-shoe, Dave Thilenius. Dave has logged over 200 laps of the 14-mile Nurburgring testing performance vehicles for major auto manufactures. He's currently putting his talents to good use as a driver in the Koni Challenge Series as seen on the SPEED Channel.

Dave's Technical Seminar will focus around OEM development on the "Ring" as well as his extensive knowledge of data acquisition. He'll explain how the pros use data acquisition equipment and how those same methods can be used by amateurs to improve their lap times. During a Lotus Challenge Series event at Spring Mt., Dave used some sophisticated data acquisition tools to help Shinoo save significant time off his laps. Dave will share all his data secrets with you!

To RSVP: call 951-296-6762 or e-mail: bill@sector111.com

Tech Seminar Location:

Sector111
41740 Enterprise Circle N. Ste 101
Temecula, CA 92590

Interview with Jim Navarro

noreply@blogger.com (Shinoo) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:52:00 +0000

We've posted a podcast of our interview with LCS founder and organizer Jim Navarro. Click here to listen to the podcast: Sector111 Podcasts

This is the first of 3 podcasts that we are publishing from the LCS event at Laguna Seca. We will release one each week so stay tuned.....

Shout Out to Kelley!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:02:00 +0000

I have to give a shout out to Kelley Spieldberg! This last session just ended a few minutes ago and Kelley dominated. She passed at least 6 or 7 cars. She flew by and pulled away from a Porsche 911 along with about 5 other LCS cars. I got a chance to talk with her yesterday and she's really been working on improving her times. Its definitely paid off! Great work Kelley!

An Amazing Race!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:50:00 +0000

Everyone had a great first day on the track at Laguna Seca today. Jim has done a fantastic job putting together this event. It really could not have gone better. The demo race was at the end of the day and was incredible! The drivers pushed HARD but were all safe and had a great time. The 12 car field separated into their respected classes pretty quickly as the faster cars pulled away. This created about four mini battles throughout the race. It was so much fun watching these battles play out on the track. This series has come a long way. LCS organizer, Jim Navarro, said if you told him a year ago the Lotus Challenge Series would be running wheel-to-wheel at Laguna Seca, he'd laugh. Great work getting it done Jim!

Contrats to Brent for a great race and win. He fought with Kevin, who put up a fight, the entire race.

Mid-day at Laguna Seca

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:16:00 +0000

The lap times are starting to drop. Drivers are starting to get more familiar with the track and pick the pace a up quite a bit. We've only had two spins so far. Nothing serious but one cause a black flag to clear gravel off the track.

I talked to Any Kern who has raced and taken classes here before. This is his first time here with his Lotus Exige S and he said he is really starting to feel comfortable. The one difficult portion of the track is turn 6 which is a fast left hander setting you up for a fairly long up-hill straight. Andy says he's loosing time in that turn because he is lifting a little too much and not carrying enough speed up the hill toward the corkscrew. I'll check in with him after his next session to see if he's able to drop any time in this sector.

In the garage right now, some guys are making some minor tweaks like brake pads, suspension settings and so on. The next run starts in about 10 min. This session is where we'll probably really see some times drop.

1st Session Done

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:46:00 +0000

WOW. I really cant believe how amazing this track is. The corkscrew is MUCH steeper in person. The first few laps everyone took it a little too hot and a few guys actually slid down it and went off a little. The laps following everyone started to take the turn a little more cautiously.

Nirvana looked great too. Shinoo was very happy with the way the car felt. Remember, he drove it all the up to the track (400 miles). It looked planted, smooth and fast. Shinoo is still getting acquainted with Laguna Seca so his lap times didn't break any records but sub-2 minutes for his first time out is still very good. He's working with an instructor right now to go over a few racing lines on some of the tougher corners (6,8, 9 &10).

In the garages right now, a few of the guys are changing out exhausts to pass the sound limit. Laguna Seca is a surrounded by homes and is one of the few race tracks in the country with a sound dB level limit. Needless to say, some stock exhausts are going on for the next session.

The picture uploader is not doing well with the broadband card. So, you can view a full gallery on our Facebook page HERE.

The Start of Race Day

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:06:00 +0000

The morning fog has burned off, the driver's meeting is finished and the track is hot. The cars are all lined up in the garages as the drivers make last minute changes before the first LCS run group goes out at 10am. Some of the Laguna Seca newbies are nervously pacing back and forth. Its a beautiful track but it's actually quite daunting when it gets to it. Jim Navarro has put together a really great event this week. The seasons will be overlooked by an official race steward and he's provided tech support and instructors for the drivers.

I'll be heading over to the corkscrew as soon as the LCS drivers hit the track to get some pictures of the famed corner! The weather is gorgeous. Track temp is rising. Excitement is building. This is going to be a great day!

Getting Settled in at Laguna Seca

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:59:00 +0000

We arrived at Laguna Seca this evening after a long day of driving. We've got incredible garages in the paddock right on pit lane! We're actually in pit garage #16, which, as LCS participant Kelly Spielberg pointed out, is the same garage Valentino Rossi was in for the Moto GP US Grand Prix. Pretty sweet! We detailed the car and did a little fine tuning of the suspension before we left for the hotel. The track looks absolutely amazing. Everyone is extremely excited to be able to race on such a great track! Bright and early tomorrow. We'll be at the track at a little after 7am then, shortly after, all the fun starts!

On the road to Laguna

noreply@blogger.com (Shinoo) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:19:00 +0000

Took a quick snapshot of Nirvana with my Blackberry....

Project Nirvana Leaves for Laguna Seca!

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:40:00 +0000

This past week has been a busy one for us. We got our stock '05 Elise (code named Project Nirvana) in the middle of last week and immediately began to transform her into the perfect N/A Lotus. Our goal was to have the build finished in time to take the car up to beautiful Laguna Seca for a special round of the Lotus Challenge Series.

We worked through almost every day and even late into the night on the some occasions building a car that would personify performance through lightweight. We still have a long way to go, but already, Project Nirvana is naturally aspirated driving bliss! This morning, Shinoo took Project Nirvana to our friend Carl's to be aligned and corner balanced. From there, we'll be heading up to Monterrey to take on the corkscrew!

This is the first time the Lotus Challenge Series has visited this world-famous track. Its a great track with an exhilarating mixture of high and low speed turns as well as some wild elevation changes.

For those of you that are not familiar with Laguna Seca, it's home to one of the most notorious and beautiful turns in all of motorsport. Turn 8a/8b, more commonly referred to as "the corkscrew," is a very tight downhill chicane that requires massive mechanical grip (grip that is not generated by aerodynamics). The elevation change alone is awe inspiring! Pictures WILL be posted!

Stay tuned here an follow us on twitter @ www.twitter.com/sector111 for full coverage of the Lotus Challenge Series at Laguna Seca and our Project Nirvana Elise.

We'll be posting live track-side!

That'll Do It

noreply@blogger.com (bill4le) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:26:00 +0000

The first round of the Lotus Challenge Series at the Streets of Willow is over. It was an exciting day of racing! The rain stopped long enough to get over three hours of dry track time. Abel and I had a great time meeting all of the drivers and spending the day here at Willow Springs. We have a lot of great pictures that will be posting a little later. If we did it here, it would take forever because of the connection.