Uncategorized | Conversations with my Esprit

I have always kind of favored Finnish racing drivers. Not in the “lost weekend in the Reeperbahn” sense of the word, but rather in the “its a contest and you have to root for someone” sense. As a species they are fearless, unbelievably quick, and extremely funny. Kimi Raikkonen is the current ace in my beloved Grand Prix racing (there is a also Finnish rookie, but on one race not worth mentioning) and he happens to be piloting for Team Lotus this year. Unsurprisingly, this suits me.

Kimmi is the most perfect Lotus driver for the modern era. The team itself is one of those only favored by real car guys, (Williams being the other). He seems to have tremendous results on a small budget, he is quirky, and if he has an opinion on something, he delivers it as bluntly as only a Finn can. Kimi makes few mistakes, never publicly criticizes the team, and has never caused drama like, say, a Lewis Hamilton. He is laid back, loves a cocktail (they were flowing in the Lotus garage exactly 11 minutes after the flag today), and seems to prefer the company of his team and his friends to the public.

He is also, shatteringly quick.

As quick as he can be, he will mostly (unfairly?) be remembered for a series of extremely funny one-liners. For example, on his way to his first victory of the year in 2012, he interrupted a well meaning engineer mid-race by telling him “leave me alone-I know what I’m doing”. And he did.

At the end of the year last year he bemoaned a third place finish in the championship standings because he only cared about winning, and if he was third, he still had to go to the awards banquet (something every other driver on the grid would kill for). Or this year where EVERY other driver in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix was grateful for the postponement of qualifying due to monsoon conditions, Kimi was irritated. It meant he couldn’t sleep in on race day (astonishing in a driver)…

Team Lotus Renault should hope for such conditions more often…

Well, old Kimi positively left them for dead today, and after the usual blather from the engineer, Kimi’s latest: “…see? I told you it was a good car…”

Here’s hoping.

There is a silent prayer of gratitude the pilot of an old Lotus car utters every time he arrives safely at his destination. Mine will be 13 this year, and having only owned it for 30 “driving days” it’s service has abandoned me twice. I forgive it. Esprits are like that. They are so very good at what they do that you forgive them of pretty much everything. In fact, before this, I owned one just like it (but in red) that pretty much tried everything in the parts catalog to alienate me, and I still wanted more.

Is not right, and I know that. I blame it on three things: 1-in 1981 my mother took me to see “For Your Eyes Only” which featured a copper S3 (that utterly claimed me). 2-getting an elementary education at Catholic schools convinced me that suffering is a natural part of life. 3-growing up as a mediocre competitive swimmer gave me discipline even in hopeless situations.

There should be a picture of me in the shop manual…

It is so bad that if I suddenly found myself in possession of a phenomenal surplus of funds, I would completely ignore other Marques, and probably end up with a stable full of Esprits. It’s like a wedge shaped Rorschach test that I shamelessly fail.

I adore Esprits completely. The lines to me are perfect. I know the engine note is maligned by others, but I love it. The handling is good, the power is good. I fit in it perfectly, and at this point, I know them, so there it is.

Another thing about the Lotus thing that is remarkable is that when you obtain one, it changes your social life. The Lotus community is full of a wonderfully diverse but quirky collection of car people, each one worth knowing, and the factory encourages it better than any other manufacturer in automobiles.

As things occur to me, I will endeavor to noodle on about them in this blog. Welcome.

Starters orders!!!

Opening laps

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