Caterham Classic Graduate #98
Discussion
It's that time of the year when most Caterham owners, myself included, tuck their toys away for the winter. It's just as well really, because my car has been used for it's first full season in the hotly contested Caterham Graduates race championship. Time for some R&R for my pride and joy and my battered bank account! I will be competing again next year of course, so between now and March-ish, I'll be stashing the battery away and embarking on some well-needed maintenance, repairs and maybe even a few little mods. I thought this might be a nice chance to start a 'mini-blog'.
The car itself is looking more than a little rough round the edges. This certainly ain't no polishers dream. Sorry about that, but really there is no way you can keep your car looking immaculate through the Championship without throwing money at it- something which I'm determined not to do, mostly because I don't have any! Meh. I'm sure some polishers are calling it neglectful but it's all part of it's unique patina.
Be warned, I'm no photographer! but here it is in it's battle-scarred and gaffa-taped glory!
It was registered in 1999 by it's builder and first owner, and used to compete in the 1999 'Scholarship' series (now called the 'Academy'). It has a live-axle chassis, narrow track and ~100bhp. It was last used to compete in the 'Holly Birkett' 6-hour relay race at Silverstone GP a few weeks ago- that explains the odd '3E' race number. We got a class win in the event dispite me stopping on the circuit with a radius arm failure!
Battered and Corroded side panel and side impact bar, from a 'racing incident' at Brands Hatch in the summer.
'Not tracking right'- the suspension damage that caused me to retire at silverstone. Yep, thats the radius arm sticking out behind the rear wing. It shouldn't be there!
The engine is out of a 1.6 astra, lightly tuned by caterham to give ~100bhp. It's widely renowned as a bit of a boat anchor, but they're all the same and the racing is very close. They're pretty tough to boot!
No nonsense- one of my favourite things about my pride and joy. You'll have to take my word for it but that steering wheel, those pedals and that gear knob are such a pleasure to use.
So, there you have it- this is the way my car looks as of a few weekends ago. Lots of work coming up, and over the next few months I'll add some more photos and info about the repair work, and a bit of the background story behind me and my P&J.
Also, one of the reasons I started this thread is to raise awareness about club level motorsport. There must be so many people out there who'd love to come racing, but have convinced themselves they cannot afford it. I am not well off, and I make compromises everywhere to be able to nearly afford to race- but I do it all the same. I think lots more people should! So I welcome any questions or comments.
The car itself is looking more than a little rough round the edges. This certainly ain't no polishers dream. Sorry about that, but really there is no way you can keep your car looking immaculate through the Championship without throwing money at it- something which I'm determined not to do, mostly because I don't have any! Meh. I'm sure some polishers are calling it neglectful but it's all part of it's unique patina.
Be warned, I'm no photographer! but here it is in it's battle-scarred and gaffa-taped glory!
It was registered in 1999 by it's builder and first owner, and used to compete in the 1999 'Scholarship' series (now called the 'Academy'). It has a live-axle chassis, narrow track and ~100bhp. It was last used to compete in the 'Holly Birkett' 6-hour relay race at Silverstone GP a few weeks ago- that explains the odd '3E' race number. We got a class win in the event dispite me stopping on the circuit with a radius arm failure!
Battered and Corroded side panel and side impact bar, from a 'racing incident' at Brands Hatch in the summer.
'Not tracking right'- the suspension damage that caused me to retire at silverstone. Yep, thats the radius arm sticking out behind the rear wing. It shouldn't be there!
The engine is out of a 1.6 astra, lightly tuned by caterham to give ~100bhp. It's widely renowned as a bit of a boat anchor, but they're all the same and the racing is very close. They're pretty tough to boot!
No nonsense- one of my favourite things about my pride and joy. You'll have to take my word for it but that steering wheel, those pedals and that gear knob are such a pleasure to use.
So, there you have it- this is the way my car looks as of a few weekends ago. Lots of work coming up, and over the next few months I'll add some more photos and info about the repair work, and a bit of the background story behind me and my P&J.
Also, one of the reasons I started this thread is to raise awareness about club level motorsport. There must be so many people out there who'd love to come racing, but have convinced themselves they cannot afford it. I am not well off, and I make compromises everywhere to be able to nearly afford to race- but I do it all the same. I think lots more people should! So I welcome any questions or comments.
Cheers, you're very kind. My top priority is making sure it's in excellent mechanical condition- cosmetics go by the wayside... And it's sods law that if I fix it up and make it immaculate, I'll have a big prang at the next race weekend!
Re: cost. I am on a shoestring budget but you won't find much chequebook racing in our club. The cars are very closely regulated against performance mods.
Six grand is a good ballpark figure for a full season on a very tight budget- I've been camping at circuits, doing minimal testing (half days etc to avoid taking unnecessary time off work) and taking full advantage of the club's lunchtime buffet
Obviously costs start escalating if you have big prangs, staying in swanky hotels, doing loads of testing etc.
The nice thing about it is you don't spend much trying to make the car go faster. You can do a full season on one set of tyres, £180/set. Engines are tough- mine is fine and hasn't been refreshed since it was built. Obviously being kit cars, parts can be had cheap if you do a little research.
Oh I also do all my own mechanical work, except for engine and gearbox. Obviously it'd cost much more to do if you're a spannaphobe.
Re: cost. I am on a shoestring budget but you won't find much chequebook racing in our club. The cars are very closely regulated against performance mods.
Six grand is a good ballpark figure for a full season on a very tight budget- I've been camping at circuits, doing minimal testing (half days etc to avoid taking unnecessary time off work) and taking full advantage of the club's lunchtime buffet
Obviously costs start escalating if you have big prangs, staying in swanky hotels, doing loads of testing etc.
The nice thing about it is you don't spend much trying to make the car go faster. You can do a full season on one set of tyres, £180/set. Engines are tough- mine is fine and hasn't been refreshed since it was built. Obviously being kit cars, parts can be had cheap if you do a little research.
Oh I also do all my own mechanical work, except for engine and gearbox. Obviously it'd cost much more to do if you're a spannaphobe.
Alex- you're probably about the same age as me. I'm 22 although I didn't go to uni, instead I got onto an apprenticeship scheme with an oil & gas company as a design engineer. Pay is modest to say the least as an apprentice- but I'm still living with my mum so a fair proportion of it is 'disposable'!
Absolutely right, I'm 21! That sounds fantastic, I was going to go for an apprenticeship but changed my mind last minute and went for Biomedicine in uni... Not the worst choice, but you wonder what might have been. What a way to 'dispose' of income anyway 
Mine is wasted keeping my road cars going, but one day I will definitely have a 7 like that! So you do the prep work yourself?
Mine is wasted keeping my road cars going, but one day I will definitely have a 7 like that! So you do the prep work yourself?Not sure I would've had the commitment for uni- looks like a lot of fun though. I'm jealous of those who went because they seem to have such a good time, and they're jealous of me because I'm in work and without the debt (sorry!). Suppose the grass is always greener...
And yes, it's a very effective method to get rid of that pesky disposable income and burrow deep into lovely overdraft.
Re: prep work- yep, everthing except the engine, which is sealed to prevent 'tweaking'. Although being a Caterham, it's basically a glorified 'Mechano' set, complete with an Instruction manual (I kid you not!).
My record time from driving into the garage to having the engine and gearbox out is 101 minutes!
And yes, it's a very effective method to get rid of that pesky disposable income and burrow deep into lovely overdraft.
Re: prep work- yep, everthing except the engine, which is sealed to prevent 'tweaking'. Although being a Caterham, it's basically a glorified 'Mechano' set, complete with an Instruction manual (I kid you not!).
My record time from driving into the garage to having the engine and gearbox out is 101 minutes!
Classic Grad 98 said:
Not sure I would've had the commitment for uni- looks like a lot of fun though. I'm jealous of those who went because they seem to have such a good time, and they're jealous of me because I'm in work and without the debt (sorry!). Suppose the grass is always greener...
And yes, it's a very effective method to get rid of that pesky disposable income and burrow deep into lovely overdraft.
Re: prep work- yep, everthing except the engine, which is sealed to prevent 'tweaking'. Although being a Caterham, it's basically a glorified 'Mechano' set, complete with an Instruction manual (I kid you not!).
My record time from driving into the garage to having the engine and gearbox out is 101 minutes!
It is a lot of fun to be honest, but I should probably do more work! One year to go... Haha yeah I can imagine, lots of positives to either side as you say. Ah yes, the beloved overdraft, my saviour And yes, it's a very effective method to get rid of that pesky disposable income and burrow deep into lovely overdraft.
Re: prep work- yep, everthing except the engine, which is sealed to prevent 'tweaking'. Although being a Caterham, it's basically a glorified 'Mechano' set, complete with an Instruction manual (I kid you not!).
My record time from driving into the garage to having the engine and gearbox out is 101 minutes!
Having to sell my only half decent car to fund the others (and the overdraft!) /shameless plug/ but the others will be more fun 
.All of it yourself? That's brilliant, yeah I've heard they are fairly simple once you get into it. 101 minutes??? Awesome! Would take me that long to work out which tools I needed
. Surrey isn't a million miles away, have to meet up one day 
Patchwork red wouldn't be so bad, it's patina 
Mine is patchwork green lolClassic Grad 98 said:
I heard about that, although I thought they were destined for Australia. Caterham must've bought them for next to nothing!
There's probably a multitude of old wives tales knocking around Grads about it, the only bit that's consistent is that Caterham probably only paid about three bob for each engine!! Good choice with not keeping it immaculate by the way, I destroyed my bare metal Mega at Spa in 2006, rebuilt it into a new shell painted with a flash blue and yellow colour scheme, only to be hit hard up the arse in the first practice session of the first weekend out in it!!! Sod's law indeed!!
Alx323 said:
101 minutes??? Awesome!
...'Cos it just sounds better than 1 hour, 41 minutes lolAlx323 said:
Surrey isn't a million miles away, have to meet up one day
Well, It's a national championship- chances are I'll be racing somewhere near you. Chances are we'll go Pembrey or Anglesey next season, assuming you're in Wales? Anyway, the calendar will be announced soon- see anything convenient and you should come along!The Wookie said:
Good choice with not keeping it immaculate by the way, I destroyed my bare metal Mega at Spa in 2006, rebuilt it into a new shell painted with a flash blue and yellow colour scheme, only to be hit hard up the arse in the first practice session of the first weekend out in it!!! Sod's law indeed!!
Just realised which 'Wookie' I'm talking to! The name of my dad, Adrian Russell, might ring a bell with you- both of you were on the same Birkett team a few years ago. I would've been there too so I'm sure I've met you. My word you've had some exciting racing experiences since then!Funnily enough my dad smashed his car to pieces in testing at Spa in 2007;
http://vimeo.com/26833659
My dad also rebuild the car using a new chassis tub, here's what the old carcass looked like a few weeks after the crash!
MrCippo- I will endevour to keep it up!
Edited by Classic Grad 98 on Tuesday 22 November 21:17
Classic Grad 98 said:
Just realised which 'Wookie' I'm talking to! The name of my dad, Adrian Russell, might ring a bell with you- both of you were on the same Birkett team a few years ago. I would've been there too so I'm sure I've met you. My word you've had some exciting racing experiences since then!
Funnily enough my dad smashed his car to pieces in testing at Spa in 2007;
http://vimeo.com/26833659
Ahhh Bish junior!!!! I know your Dad well, in fact I was sorry I didn't get the opportunity catch up with him at this year's Birkett! Please send my regards! I'm sure I've met you too at some point, I did hear that another member of the clan had got into grads though, how are you getting on?Funnily enough my dad smashed his car to pieces in testing at Spa in 2007;
http://vimeo.com/26833659
I've been lucky enough to drive some fairly posh race cars since Grads, but it was still some of the best racing and best memories I've had in Motorsport!
I do remember your dad having a fairly substantial prang in 2007, didn't remember it being that massive though!! He was probably quite happy knocking about drinking away the whiplash for the rest of the weekend though!
...I think you'll find that "Baby Bish" is the nickname which has been forced upon me! 
yes, Started with a few rounds in classics in 2010, although 2011 was my first 'nearly full' season... I managed 4th place. Not too bad for a start.
I'll send the old man your regards. Your battles with AndyMac into Copse at this years Birkett were epic, by the way!
yes, Started with a few rounds in classics in 2010, although 2011 was my first 'nearly full' season... I managed 4th place. Not too bad for a start.I'll send the old man your regards. Your battles with AndyMac into Copse at this years Birkett were epic, by the way!
1998-2008
'My' car was kit supplied and was scheduled for delivery in December 1997. The spec of the car and some of the other paperwork that came with it suggests it was several months late. Whenever it was, it must've been an exciting day for the first owner- the garage suddenly full of crates, boxes, bubble wrapped parts and the Chassis and Bodywork, Painted in the same 'postbox red' (how quaint) paint that it still wears now.
There is no question that it was one of ~30 cars delivered that year which was built to complete in the Caterham Scholarship Championship- all the literature in my file says so. At the time it was a fledgeling idea which was giving wannabe racers a chance to buy a Caterham kit, racewear, a race license and entry into a series of competetive events over the course of a season. A great idea for a series, and one which spawned a plethera of simular championships based on identical-spec cars. The Scholarship, or 'Academy' as it is now called, has taken place every year since 1997, and is still introducing over 50 new drivers a year to entry level motorsport, not including all those who enter via one of the many spin-off championships.
My car went through it's post-build checks and was road registered in March 1999- the same year it was to make it's racing debut.
A quiet website in a dusty corner of the web provided me with a little background information, and even some pictures of my car from that year;
Well, five pictures at least; three of which depicting a slightly horrific crash! As it happens, the owner of my car also wrote the race reports- and this is what he had to say about this collision:
I don't really know much about what my car was actually used for since 1999, but Caterhams are a family business and through talking to other racers of the time I've discovered it did a full season in 1999 and then probably a few races or sprints in 2000, after which it was used on the road pretty much exclusively, probably with a few trackdays. That pretty much summarises the car's first ten years.
More to follow, thanks for reading!
'My' car was kit supplied and was scheduled for delivery in December 1997. The spec of the car and some of the other paperwork that came with it suggests it was several months late. Whenever it was, it must've been an exciting day for the first owner- the garage suddenly full of crates, boxes, bubble wrapped parts and the Chassis and Bodywork, Painted in the same 'postbox red' (how quaint) paint that it still wears now.
There is no question that it was one of ~30 cars delivered that year which was built to complete in the Caterham Scholarship Championship- all the literature in my file says so. At the time it was a fledgeling idea which was giving wannabe racers a chance to buy a Caterham kit, racewear, a race license and entry into a series of competetive events over the course of a season. A great idea for a series, and one which spawned a plethera of simular championships based on identical-spec cars. The Scholarship, or 'Academy' as it is now called, has taken place every year since 1997, and is still introducing over 50 new drivers a year to entry level motorsport, not including all those who enter via one of the many spin-off championships.
My car went through it's post-build checks and was road registered in March 1999- the same year it was to make it's racing debut.
A quiet website in a dusty corner of the web provided me with a little background information, and even some pictures of my car from that year;
Well, five pictures at least; three of which depicting a slightly horrific crash! As it happens, the owner of my car also wrote the race reports- and this is what he had to say about this collision:
Paul Butcher said:
...Unfortunately, the car in front of me chose that moment to spin. I couldn't go left, as the other car was there, so all I could do is try to squeeze past. The front wheels (just) made it, but there was no way that the rear of the car (slightly wider than the front on a Seven) could fit. My right hand rear hit his right hand rear and I was spun round to face the oncoming traffic. Not a pleasant experience! I tried to get going again, if only to get out of the way, at which point it became immediately obvious that something was very wrong with the car. Loud banging noises from the rear ...After the race, I inspected the damage. The wing was scrap, obviously (although the magic plastic bolts had done their stuff again - no particular damage to the bodywork). That was the least of my worries, however. The radius arm had broken in half, and its mounting had sheared off the axle. The chassis rail immediately behind the axle (not structural, thank goodness) was bent. The axle had turned so that the propshaft was hitting the top of the transmission tunnel. The front wing also had a graze from squeezing past Graham.
However, the website also revealed that 'my' car came fourth in it's first year- So it can't be a bad one!I don't really know much about what my car was actually used for since 1999, but Caterhams are a family business and through talking to other racers of the time I've discovered it did a full season in 1999 and then probably a few races or sprints in 2000, after which it was used on the road pretty much exclusively, probably with a few trackdays. That pretty much summarises the car's first ten years.
More to follow, thanks for reading!
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