Caterham Academy

[milt]

I’m seriously contemplating taking one of the last 9 of 50 places in the 2004 Academy. Has anyone any opinions on the program or perhaps had first-hand experience entering in prior season. Any feedback, positive or otherwise appreciated.

 

[Chelspeed]

Not done it myself but compete against them every year at Combe (different class though). They are certainly having fun. Very competitive amongst themselves but always a really nice bunch of people. Don't think you'll regret it.

 

You can tell how much they enjoy it by the fact that they have set up the grads races and super grads just so that they can cary on competing. Don't see that happening in any other one make series.

[Graeme Smith]

Did it back in '99, when it was called Scholarship and you could still get a fish and chip supper for under a pound... Excellent fun and a great intro to motorsport. I would have never started racing without it - the guiding process of getting your licence, entering races, etc gets you over a big (mostly mental) hurdle.

 

But it is getting rather pricey these days - budget on £20k (car: £15k, "extras" like paint and weather equipment: £1-3k, build: £1k, then you've got to buy race kit (£1k), get to races, stay somewhere, pay for any damage...). Back in '99 it was only £10.5k for the car (although it was lower spec). If you want to go racing, buying a second-hand Grads car could be a much cheaper option (and we can help with your licences, entering races, etc. - its not as complex as it seems).

[milt]

Thanks Graeme. In terms of true cost , what would you expect my potential new Academy car to be worth after a year. How would this compare to purchaisng a buying a second-hand Grads car now?

 

Thanks

[Graeme Smith]

I'm not that au fait with the used prices but one-year old ex-Academy cars seem to be advertised for about £13k; I guess they actually sell for less? The cars probably cost £17-18k new.

 

Three levels of Grads cars:

Grads (live-axle, 8-valve Ford or Vauxhall): £7 - 10k

Supers B (ex-current Academy spec): ~£13k

Supers A (135bhp upgrade of ex-Academy): a grand or two more?

 

If you went the Grads route, you'd obviously have to pay for your licence and race entries yourself.

[MikeW]

Milt

Would definitely recommend that you move from seriously contemplating to seriously getting out there 😬 Guarantee you will have a fantastic time.

Didn't do the Academy myself ( didn't have the budget) but know a number of people who have or are doing it and they are having a great time. There's also the monthly write ups on this season in EVO ( 2 of the journalists are doing it)

I think the Caterham package is a good one and you will have a great car at the end of it that you can continue to race. I think Graeme covered most things would just add that you need to buy a trailer as well.There's probably someone somewhere that drives to the events but wouldn't recommend it.

I bought a Grads car and just started racing which has been a fantastic experience and for me was more affordable and certainly an alternative option.

Good luck

 

MikeW

1600 VX Black/Ali Race No 134

Membership No 6582

[not a Postman Pat]

I drove mine to all of the events last year, and have also driven to all RSB events this year. I would heartily recommend it - means you have lots of fun even if you do badly in the races. But then I would say that, wouldn't I.

 

Almost everyone else trailered theirs, though.

 

Either way, the Academy is fantastic, you should do it.

 

Pat and his not quite black and white cat

[Graeme Smith]

"have lots of fun even if you do badly in the races" - as long as you haven't binned it - then it gets quite stressful (but people will help out to get you home)! But I did my Academy year without a trailer (although girlfriend followed in sensible car - it would have been cheaper to tow...).

[MikeW]

Just knew somebody would come along and say how good it is without a trailer 😬Thanks (not a) Postman pat 😬

Personally after not having my car roadworthy at the end of 3 out of 4 races I'll stick with the soft option 😬

 

MikeW

1600 VX Black/Ali Race No 134

Membership No 6582

[not a Postman Pat]

Happy to oblige Mike

 

Pat and his not quite black and white cat

[Eric the Viking]

The Acad is great fun...however, before you sign up a few tthoughts!

 

Consider the spec of the car you want and then acquire bits off Blatchat as required. You often find seats etc much cheaper than the Caterham price list. The 'full' role cage gives a stiffer feel to the car and hence I would go for that option, again get a second hand cage if possible. Depending on how serious you take the racing and I guarntee that you'll be looking to shave a second or two from your times, budget for some new bits, e.g. thicker role bar etc. Finally, don't let Caterham set your car up, there are cheaper guy's around and everybody tries to attach a load of mystery around it. A good basic setting is relatively simple to do. Finally, Finally, budget for some track days, you will need to find the limit of the car and this can't be achieved on the road...well it can but it might hurt or you could acquire a few points! I hope this helps

[Graeme Smith]

I believe a full roll cage is standard spec in the Academy now (or from next year)

[simon_fletcher]

I did the Academy in 2001. As everynoe else has said already, it was great fun and an excellent introduction to motorsport.

 

I'm not sure I'd recommend it now though as the price seems to have got a bit silly. As a £10.5k car it was good value, as something closer to £15 now there are other options worth considering. People have already mentioned buying secondhand and this is a good option, There's no shortage of people here and on the Graduates web site who would be more than happy to help you through the first few events till you know what's what. In fact, the folk on the Graduates web site probably gives you more of an idea about what you need to be doing than the support from Caterham for the Academy!

 

Other options (wait for the flames!) are Radicals, Formula Ford, Mini's, etc. All have their pros and cons, though none have a community of enthusiasts like a Caterham! One big consideration is how tightly specified the various classes are specified. You want to make sure that you don't end up in a class where you can spend your way to success...it's nice to know you are winning (o being beaten) because of your skill rather than the size of your wallet!

 

Simon

[RichardO]

I did the academy last year and agree with most of what is above. One thing I would add though: I'm not aware of any other series that leads you through the entire year - ARDS licence, test day, technical days, entries, and so on. One of the things that worried me most about competing was lousing up the paperwork - but being led through it, I got to concentrate on lousing up the racing instead 😳.

 

As for budget, I allowed 20k for the first year, but buying a trailer and a slight reshaping of my rear suspension at Mallory took me about 2k over.

 

R