Track-Day Drivers Rejoice: Lotus Has Reopened Its Driving Academy

Lotus has reopened its fabled Driving Academy, less than a year after it was closed as part of a cost restructuring move that was allegedly made to cope with production demand, not because of cost-cutting as had been rumoured.

After shutting its doors in October 2016, the much-loved programme has been restarted, letting anyone over 21 who’s happy to travel to the company’s Hethel base in Norfolk test some of the firm’s latest models on its own test track. There is even a left-hand drive car for visitors coming from Europe or North America.

Training will still be based around one-to-one coaching but the entry package has been made cheaper. The ‘Scare Yourself Sensible’ experience now costs £119 and gives people the chance to scare themselves in an Elise Sport 220, learning a bit of car control along the way and hopefully becoming a better driver.

The popular Bronze, Silver and Gold licence days, prices for which rise as high as £899, use the Elise and the awesome Exige Sport 350 in a progressively more challenging series of track-day biased tests that will strain even the keenest track driver’s ability. Participants can add the option of on-board footage and buy merchandise to remember the day by. Anyone who completes all three licence days is awarded the ‘coveted’ Lotus Licence, which only seems fair since you’re likely to have thrown a couple of thousand pounds their way by that point.

Simon Poole, head of the Lotus Driving Academy, had this to say as the track activity begins to wind back up.

“The Lotus Driving Academy offers enthusiasts a unique opportunity to drive at speed, at the home of Lotus for over 50 years. Hethel oozes with heritage and any car enthusiast will revel in the chance to learn new skills in the latest Lotus alongside the guys that have made these cars so special on the road and track.

“We’ve very much kept the intimate ethos of the Academy with one-on-one coaching but have broadened the appeal with more affordable pricing at the entry level and more intensive track time for the licence packages. The Gold licence gives drivers advanced skills exercises to perfect: heel and toe, power oversteer and negotiate the extended cone slalom.

“These courses are very similar to the ones Lotus delivers to third party manufacturer engineers so a customer will go away having learned much more about their driving, but also a good understanding of vehicle dynamics. That’s what makes us different from other experiences; you really are coming to the home of vehicle dynamics to learn from the masters.”