I never sleep well on these race event nights. I wake up constantly wondering what time it is wondering if I'll fall back asleep. Eventually I noticed the sky was lit more by the glow on the horizon than by the half moon high in the sky. Like the first morning attending my first vintage race at Mid Ohio, I seemed to be one of few people up at 6:15. I warmed up the Seven and drove to the front gate looking around the top and sides of the Brooklands screen which was covered with the morning's dew. I was hoping to grab a ticket for the dinner at Siebken's that evening. I had heard that they might be sold out already. Peter Warr was to speak and I wanted to be sure to be there. After standing in line for 10 or 15 minutes, It was my turn at the window where I did get a ticket. I then went in search of breakfast. A sausage 'egger' is what I came up with: basically a hamburger sized roll, with a sausage patty and a a fried egg inside. I think these are the same rolls that they put the brats into at lunch and dinner times, but they sure are good! I ate my egger while the morning warm up session was on. There's just nothing quite like hearing the roar of race engines while eating one's breakfast. The sun was just clearing the trees on the eastern edge of the course (along the front straight). There was not a cloud in the sky.

After breakfast, I spent most of the morning wandering 'round the paddock, looking for the Lotus cars to see what sort of 'All Lotus Race' we would have on Sunday. There were a few sports cars - two or three each of Elan and Europa, about a half dozen Sevens, all Ford/Cosworth powered, an Eleven replica, a couple of 20's and 20/22's, a pair of 18's and 23's and then some of the higher numbered single seater formula cars that I still struggle to identify!

Paul Timko Lotus 51A	'Dreamsicle Racing' Lotus 61 FOR SALE	Ken Alter Lotus 20/22
A few of the single seater Lotus cars that I always have a tough time identifying. Driver/owner names and mk numbers are from the entry list!

In all I have to admit I was expecting more Lotus cars than were actually present. Any vintage event at Mid Ohio has always included at least a half a dozen Elevens, a couple Type 14 Elites, and two or three Fifteens as well. Is it the location of the track? Do the owners of these cars all live on the coasts and resist traveling inland? Is it the fact that Lotus cars fair better on tighter, shorter courses? Road America is after all, a 4 mile course, and a fairly high speed one at that. It was designed immediately following the demise of the Elkhart Lake road races, and was therefore purposely laid out to simulate the types of turns and bends found on an open road course. All this means you get to attack a corner without too much worry about how you come out of it because there's plenty of straight to set yourself up before the next corner comes along. Not the type of course that the light, nimble Lotus cars were generally designed for. Please, someone enlighten me if I'm off the mark, but this explanation makes sense to me.

Justin Segel Lotus 23B	Jeff Hailand Lotus 69 FB	Jeff Hailand Lotus 69 FF
A 23 and some single seaters, also present but not shown here were a couple of Europas, Elans and 18's. Oh, and a batch of Sevens as well, though many didn't make it to their feature race.

Considering how a Lotus would do on the track, I was reminded that I intended to participate in 'track touring' which, though it often turns out to be slow moving a parking lot on the track, is usually worth the few turns one can get in at speed. I mentioned my intention to take the car on the track for touring to someone and they asked if I had registered yet. Registered? Whoops! Back out to 'Registration' for the third time that morning, I lined up at the window.

Hello, I'd like to register for track touring please, yes, Saturday and Sunday... WHAT??? A hundred bucks??? Fifty for today and fifty for tomorrow. Um, how about just Sunday then... and isn't there some kind of break for being a Lotus club member? What club? Um, Lotus Limited, yeah, that's it! Not on the member list? Are you driving a Lotus? Yes Ma'am I am! See, it's right there! Okay then, twenty five per day. That I could justify! She handed me some papers which I folded and put in my pocket along with the schedule and entry lists.

William Taylor, writer of 'The Lotus Book' among others, had a display set up at the tent where the race results were distributed. I parked the Seven in front of the tent and went to look at his other books. When William saw me, he asked if I would consider leaving my Seven parked there during the day so that no one else would park a truck or modern car there. Of course I was happy to oblige as this area was fairly central and it was fun to stop back every hour or so and chat with William and Jim Bennet who soon joined him there.

As it turned out, Peter Warr spent much of the day there as well, signing autographs and generally chatting about Lotus History. he told of the Seven that was modified for Graham Hill to race, which Peter subsequently bought and raced successfully. He recently saw his old car and considered to purchase it from its current owner. The nice woman explained to him, that no, the car was not for sale and that it would be left to her son in her will.

The day's agenda included a "police led tour" of the original Elkhart Lake road course, in which I was eager to participate. As I prepared to leave from the "Lotus Book Tent" William asked if I had an extra seat for the Elkhart Lake tour. He explained that his partner, Jim, had been working his tail off, and thought it would be nice to send him off on the tour of the old road course with me.

I was happy to oblige, but when we offered the ride to Jim, he declined having 'stayed out too late' the previous night preferring to sit comfortably still during the midday break. No amount of coaxing could get him to change his mind, so I turned to William and suggested he ought to ride with me. He didn't hesitate too long, grabbed his camera and off we went. We lined up at the gate from which the tour was to leave, and William asked if I thought we'd be back by noon, when he was expected to participate in the track touring. As it was already nearing 11:30, we decided that he probably better not go along. Only a little disheartened, William said he'd walk back up to the paddock - probably a mile back winding through the infield. I told him not to be silly and climbed out, offering him that if he didn't get to tour Elkhart Lake in a Seven, at least he could drive it back up into the paddock!

With with me riding, William had (he told me later) his first drive of a Lotus Seven. Unfortunately, the car was not running very well, stumbling in low revs in second and third gears, so he didn't get the full flavor of the phenomenal torque of a 948 powered Seven (humor). Dropping him at his tent, I hopped back into the driver's seat, and went back down to the Elkhart Lake tour lineup.