30 Minutes Of Track Time With A Lotus Elise Taught Me More About Driving Than I Ever Thought Possible

After my third lap around Lotus’ Hethel test track, I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m mustering as much speed as I possibly can from the Lotus Driving Academy Elise I’m in, and I’m cornering at what seems to be a brisk pace. My track experience is limited and I don’t consider myself a particularly brilliant driver, so I’m here to try and improve my proficiency behind the wheel.

My instructor - Lotus development engineer Darren Cockle - however, doesn’t seem all that hands on. Sure, I get the odd reminder of when I need to brake a little more and where I should turn in, but that’s about it.

However, a lap later, Darren suddenly pipes up, and gives me an embarrassingly long rap sheet. I’m braking far too early at most corners, my steering inputs are too aggressive, I’m keeping too much lock on as I exit each bend, and I pointlessly hover my hand over the gear knob long before each shift.

That whole time he’d been keeping quiet very deliberately; silently observing every aspect of my driving and building up a list of areas in which I needed to improve. He knows what he’s doing, this guy.

I’m starting to properly enjoy myself, and I’m loving being behind the wheel of this Elise

My pointless gear knob hovering antics are quickly eradicated, and I’m starting to get the hang of steering in a less choppy manner. But a few laps later I’m still braking much too early and not with enough force, particularly at the chicane before Hethel’s back straight. To show me how much of the Elise’s braking potential I’m not using, Darren instructs me to hold the speed at 70mph on one trip down that straight, and do an emergency stop where I’d started to brake the previous lap. Of course, the Elise stops dead incredibly quickly, with a small puff of tyre smoke drifting away from where we’ve come to rest. The corner is nowhere near. Point taken.

Next on Darren’s hit list is my ham-fisted steering inputs, which still aren’t quite up to scratch. He has a trick up his sleeve to sort that, too. For the next few laps, I’m told not to exceed 70mph, but still use all the same turn-in points and apexes. Without the speed to worry about, my driving is considerably smoother, and I’m told to start building up the pace.

This works wonders. I’m getting into a good flow, braking as late as I dare, and not making the car understeer so much in the tighter corners. I’m starting to properly enjoy myself, and I’m loving being behind the wheel of this Elise. It really is the perfect car for this sort of thing.

You have to ring the neck of the 1.6-litre, naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted four-pot to get the best out of it, which is an utter joy on track. The 134bhp on offer is enough to get the 900kg car around at a decent pace, but not so much as to leave you worried about dropping the back end and smashing into a barrier.

But it’s the chassis that really impresses. Body roll is minimal, while the steering is accurate and about as communicative as you can possibly find in a road car. The whole package just feels at home on track. It may be set up for understeer on the limit rather than the perhaps more favourable oversteer, but I’m not bothered - today isn’t about drifting heroics, it’s about lapping the track as quickly as possible.

I’d learned more than I’d ever thought was possible in just half an hour, but clearly it’s just the tip of the iceberg

With my time on track drawing to a close, everything feels like it’s coming together, and I belt out what seems like a series of fast, smooth and consistent laps. I’m pretty contented as we pull into the pits, but then we swap places, and Darren takes me for a hot passenger lap around the track. Oh. It only takes until the first corner to realise what this car is really capable of when at the hands of someone with a little more experience. Darren brakes far later than I, nails every apex and takes several corners flat where I’d backed off.

I’d learned more than I’d ever thought was possible in my half an hour of driving, but clearly it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m left with a sense of determination to get back on track and carry on my quest to be a better driver. But not just yet. As I climb over the Elise’s high sill - an impossible thing to do with any shred of dignity, by the way - I’m exhausted. I’ve given myself a minor headache from concentrating so hard, my throat feels dry, and my arms hurt. I’m certainly not cut out to be a racer, but damn it, track driving is a good way to spend your time. As I leave the circuit, I’ve got an idiotic smile slapped right across my face.

It turned out my visit to Lotus had come at a poignant time. The very next day, the British company made the sad announcement that due to some restructuring required to secure its future, over 300 jobs could be at risk.

It’s not the most promising news for a company that has trod a rocky financial path over the last few years, but after spending an afternoon at this excellent facility, meeting some of the very talented people that work here, and hooning around in one of its most celebrated products, I really hope this restructuring works. This is the sort of organisation we want around.