Caterham Classic Graduate #98
Discussion
Absolutely loving this, battled scar look is definitely way forward, I bought my ex-racecar 7 last month (Straight after graduating from Uni and starting in my new job if you are interested Alex - although had I known about some of the fantastic engineering apprenticeships around I would have looked at that route much more heavily)
Heres a pic, not too dissimilar - although mine is only used on the roads at the moment:
Good to see another young 7er - where are you based?
Heres a pic, not too dissimilar - although mine is only used on the roads at the moment:
Good to see another young 7er - where are you based?
Classic Grad 98 said:
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!Meldonte said:
Absolutely loving this, battled scar look is definitely way forward, I bought my ex-racecar 7 last month (Straight after graduating from Uni and starting in my new job if you are interested Alex - although had I known about some of the fantastic engineering apprenticeships around I would have looked at that route much more heavily)
Heres a pic, not too dissimilar - although mine is only used on the roads at the moment:
Good to see another young 7er - where are you based?
I am very interested Heres a pic, not too dissimilar - although mine is only used on the roads at the moment:
Good to see another young 7er - where are you based?
Car's looking good 
Classic Grad 98 said:
...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!
Good stuff, you've done well going straight into the top end of a championship with a lot of experienced guys in it! You'll be in front in no time. 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!
Cheers, I had a lot of fun racing with Andy! The Birkett is always a great craic!
2009-Acquisition
So, how did I end up buying it? Well, I had driven my first car, a 1.2 Clio, for two years. I had started my career in engineering the previous September, and I had about four grand saved up for my next car. I had toyed with all sorts of ideas, mostly old beemers- I just wanted something with some performance, preferably RWD, which wouldn't embarass me on a trackday. Just when I finally got serious and started hunting for a car I explained to my dad what I wanted- and he basically said "Why don't you get a Caterham?".
My dad started racing in the Caterham Academy in 2001, when I was 12. I 'helped' him build the car and watched him race and it was then that the bug bit.
I'd never really thought a Caterham was feasible, but my Dad offered to lend me the additional funds and by this time I was convinced that there was no other way- a Caterham it would be! By 2009 my Dad had moved up the ranks and was racing 'MegaGraduates' in the Caterham Graduates Race Club. The 'Classics' category runs in parallel with the Megas but the Classics are cheaper, slower, older cars- and there was a nice looking red classic for sale on the club's website which looked ideal. As it happened, it was also the cheapest Caterham I had ever seen for sale...
I first clapped eyes on it almost exactly ten years after it was first registered. It had been through the hands of three owners by then. At the time it was owned by a Caterhamming couple- It had been bought by the husband who eventually tired of it's teeny power and upgraded to a Superlight 'R', handing my car on to his wife. Towards the end of their ownership she had barely used it, so upon opening their garage door we saw an un-roadworthy car with a flat battery, a flat tyre and a big crack in the screen. It was in pretty good nick though, for a car which had been a racecar previously- and importantly it included a lot of superfluous bits which I could sell to fund the race prep.
'Yours truly' at the wheel for the first time, on the day we viewed it. Apologies, I'm a bit of a snug fit with the seat in the previous (female) owner's driving position- I'm also a bit of a lard arse!
A deposit was left, and the next weekend my dad was free to collect it with his trailer. It was an agonising few days- I was so pleased to have my hands on it, but it wasn't roadworthy yet, and some re-comissioning would be necessary. A new battery was fitted and my dad and I set about getting it running smoothly. The cracked windscreen was a certain MOT failure, so we simply removed it! I took the Tuesday morning off work and the car was submitted on Tuesday morning with some extra mirrors bolted on in liu of those usually fitted to the windscreen/doors!
I waited at my Dad's workshop near the MOT testers hoping it'd pass... meanwhile I was just finalising the insurance. The car passed! and I was straight on the phone to confirm and buy the policy. I was informed the cover would start in 30 minutes- plenty of time to wander to the testers and pick it up then!
I sat in it in the car park and literally counted down the minutes before the policy would come into effect (I'm sure they can do it immediately these days? not sure why there was a 30 minute wait...)
Anyway, it was a wet and greasy March morning, and I was staring down the louvred bonnet of my Caterham ready to hit the open road for the first time, watching the light rain evapourate off the hot bonnet. I'd never felt anticipation like it- and it's the same anticipation I feel nowadays on each and every starting grid.
It may as well have been a starting grid, because when the time came I shot down the road, spinning up the rear wheels in 1st, 2nd and 3rd (not entirely intentionally, I must admit!). The whole experience was so alive and it was clear to me that I was going to have a lot of fun!
So, how did I end up buying it? Well, I had driven my first car, a 1.2 Clio, for two years. I had started my career in engineering the previous September, and I had about four grand saved up for my next car. I had toyed with all sorts of ideas, mostly old beemers- I just wanted something with some performance, preferably RWD, which wouldn't embarass me on a trackday. Just when I finally got serious and started hunting for a car I explained to my dad what I wanted- and he basically said "Why don't you get a Caterham?".
My dad started racing in the Caterham Academy in 2001, when I was 12. I 'helped' him build the car and watched him race and it was then that the bug bit.
I'd never really thought a Caterham was feasible, but my Dad offered to lend me the additional funds and by this time I was convinced that there was no other way- a Caterham it would be! By 2009 my Dad had moved up the ranks and was racing 'MegaGraduates' in the Caterham Graduates Race Club. The 'Classics' category runs in parallel with the Megas but the Classics are cheaper, slower, older cars- and there was a nice looking red classic for sale on the club's website which looked ideal. As it happened, it was also the cheapest Caterham I had ever seen for sale...
I first clapped eyes on it almost exactly ten years after it was first registered. It had been through the hands of three owners by then. At the time it was owned by a Caterhamming couple- It had been bought by the husband who eventually tired of it's teeny power and upgraded to a Superlight 'R', handing my car on to his wife. Towards the end of their ownership she had barely used it, so upon opening their garage door we saw an un-roadworthy car with a flat battery, a flat tyre and a big crack in the screen. It was in pretty good nick though, for a car which had been a racecar previously- and importantly it included a lot of superfluous bits which I could sell to fund the race prep.
'Yours truly' at the wheel for the first time, on the day we viewed it. Apologies, I'm a bit of a snug fit with the seat in the previous (female) owner's driving position- I'm also a bit of a lard arse!
A deposit was left, and the next weekend my dad was free to collect it with his trailer. It was an agonising few days- I was so pleased to have my hands on it, but it wasn't roadworthy yet, and some re-comissioning would be necessary. A new battery was fitted and my dad and I set about getting it running smoothly. The cracked windscreen was a certain MOT failure, so we simply removed it! I took the Tuesday morning off work and the car was submitted on Tuesday morning with some extra mirrors bolted on in liu of those usually fitted to the windscreen/doors!
I waited at my Dad's workshop near the MOT testers hoping it'd pass... meanwhile I was just finalising the insurance. The car passed! and I was straight on the phone to confirm and buy the policy. I was informed the cover would start in 30 minutes- plenty of time to wander to the testers and pick it up then!
I sat in it in the car park and literally counted down the minutes before the policy would come into effect (I'm sure they can do it immediately these days? not sure why there was a 30 minute wait...)
Anyway, it was a wet and greasy March morning, and I was staring down the louvred bonnet of my Caterham ready to hit the open road for the first time, watching the light rain evapourate off the hot bonnet. I'd never felt anticipation like it- and it's the same anticipation I feel nowadays on each and every starting grid.
It may as well have been a starting grid, because when the time came I shot down the road, spinning up the rear wheels in 1st, 2nd and 3rd (not entirely intentionally, I must admit!). The whole experience was so alive and it was clear to me that I was going to have a lot of fun!
Well, work on the car started on Sunday. It suddenly seems like I have a lot to do now I'm stuck in- I'm glad I didn't put it off until March like I normally do!
Essentially the car will be getting decomissioned for the winter, I'm not expecting to drive it again until about February/March. I decided to run the engine up to temp in the garage, to flush the coolant system through, do a cylinder compression test and get the oil nice and hot ready for draining.
Compression testing. I wanted to get a rough idea of the engine's health, for re-assurance more than anything. Of course now would be the time to get any engine work done if it needed it but I think I'll be leaving it alone! The readings were:
Cyl 1: 237 PSI
Cyl 2: 245 PSI
Cyl 3: 235 PSI
Cyl 4: 245 PSI
Happy with that. Really I'm not surprised that it's in good shape, it produced good power for the spec at rolling road in the summer and I had the benefit of two other same-spec cars from the club to compare it to; mine wasn't the highest powered figures-wise, but it did have the most even power delivery.
I also started stripping down the corner with the damaged radius arm:
No surprises really- the mounting bush for the radius arm is ovalled out though so it must've been moving for some time. Not sure how I'm going to tackle that repair yet. ARCH motors, who built the chassis, would be the natural choice to repair it but it's quite a long trip with a trailer. I'm tempted to enlarge the hole, ream it out, then machine a sleeve insert which I could press in.
I'll be needing to replace the brake shoes on the back (yes, they're drums!) and repair and re-spray the rear wings. That side impact bar will be getting replaced with a brand new ARCH motors fabricated replacement (£110+vat-ouch!)
More to follow...
Essentially the car will be getting decomissioned for the winter, I'm not expecting to drive it again until about February/March. I decided to run the engine up to temp in the garage, to flush the coolant system through, do a cylinder compression test and get the oil nice and hot ready for draining.
Compression testing. I wanted to get a rough idea of the engine's health, for re-assurance more than anything. Of course now would be the time to get any engine work done if it needed it but I think I'll be leaving it alone! The readings were:
Cyl 1: 237 PSI
Cyl 2: 245 PSI
Cyl 3: 235 PSI
Cyl 4: 245 PSI
Happy with that. Really I'm not surprised that it's in good shape, it produced good power for the spec at rolling road in the summer and I had the benefit of two other same-spec cars from the club to compare it to; mine wasn't the highest powered figures-wise, but it did have the most even power delivery.
I also started stripping down the corner with the damaged radius arm:
No surprises really- the mounting bush for the radius arm is ovalled out though so it must've been moving for some time. Not sure how I'm going to tackle that repair yet. ARCH motors, who built the chassis, would be the natural choice to repair it but it's quite a long trip with a trailer. I'm tempted to enlarge the hole, ream it out, then machine a sleeve insert which I could press in.
I'll be needing to replace the brake shoes on the back (yes, they're drums!) and repair and re-spray the rear wings. That side impact bar will be getting replaced with a brand new ARCH motors fabricated replacement (£110+vat-ouch!)
More to follow...
What happened to the radius arm bush? Could you just see / feel play or was it more obvious damage from a shunt?
You are getting me paranoid about mine now - when I get it home for xmas I'll have a good look round the back end! Eeek cold garage :\
Nice story about how you picked it up though! Think you definitely made the right decision - can't really go far wrong with one of these for track work.
You are getting me paranoid about mine now - when I get it home for xmas I'll have a good look round the back end! Eeek cold garage :\
Nice story about how you picked it up though! Think you definitely made the right decision - can't really go far wrong with one of these for track work.
Hi James, well done on being so competitive this year. It seems a long time ago since I emailed you the link to that website that had the blog of your car's scholarship year. I've just (iterally this morning) agreed to buy Dan Lewis's Classic Grad so I'll see you on the grid next year. I'm scared already! I'll only be doing a couple of double-header rounds and minimal (if any) testing as I am on the tiniest of tiny budgets and will be doing the Lotus 7 Club's sprint and hillclimb championship in Dad's car. I just need to give racing a go though. You'll know which one I am on the circuit as I'll be keeping right out of everybody's way doing everything possible to avoid an expensive accident!
Right, I'm off to do some internet banking to pay the deposit on the car
Right, I'm off to do some internet banking to pay the deposit on the car
Meldonte said:
What happened to the radius arm bush? Could you just see / feel play or was it more obvious damage from a shunt?
Truth be told, I had noticed in the past when doing nut & bolt checks etc that the bolt was seized. I knew it'd be a problem if I ever wanted to remove it but I thought that was unlikely. At the last championship round, Rockingham, I was struggling with rear-end handling in testing and performed a thorough check on the back axle suspension. It was then that I noticed that there was movement in the bush. It wasn't that significant so I decided to leave it alone until the end of the season. It survived Rockingham, however a few cars didn't after a bit of a prang at the second corner of race 1. One other driver suffered a broken bone in his hand. Two of the drivers involved were due to be competing at the Birkett the next month- so a space became available for me (Sorry Coxy and Paul Hawker!). It was at the Birkett that the bolt sheared, towards the end of my 72 minute stint, on the way out of 'Chapel'. I was on full throttle and being passed on both sides by faster cars when it let go- I really felt as though I wouldn't be able to keep control, but managed to keep it from spinning and guide it off the circuit.So yes, I was aware that there may be a problem and had plenty of opportunities to fix it, but stupidly didn't. Live and learn! So long as it's all torqued correctly you probably have nothing to worry about.
Matt W said:
Hi James, well done on being so competitive this year. It seems a long time ago since I emailed you the link to that website that had the blog of your car's scholarship year. I've just (iterally this morning) agreed to buy Dan Lewis's Classic Grad so I'll see you on the grid next year. I'm scared already! I'll only be doing a couple of double-header rounds and minimal (if any) testing as I am on the tiniest of tiny budgets and will be doing the Lotus 7 Club's sprint and hillclimb championship in Dad's car. I just need to give racing a go though. You'll know which one I am on the circuit as I'll be keeping right out of everybody's way doing everything possible to avoid an expensive accident!
Right, I'm off to do some internet banking to pay the deposit on the car
Matthew, I've only just spotted this post... you must've wondered why I felt the need to start the BlatChat thread. I'm sorry I forgot who pointed me towards the Scholarship website- thanks for that! Right, I'm off to do some internet banking to pay the deposit on the car
Tiniest of tiny budgets? you aren't alone, not by a long shot. I have slept in my car in the paddock before now
I don't think you'll regret your foray in Motorsport- could you be persuaded to enter again in 2013?
It's that exciting time of the year when the build-up to next year starts to unfold in front of you- the calendar gets announced, the drivers sign up, changes to the format of the racing are revealed etc etc. Looks like next year is a mixed bag (In a good way!).
The calendar is fantastic, it features the folowing amazing circuits;
Donington
Brands Hatch
Rockingham
Anglesey
Thruxton
Cadwell Park
Oulton Park
Spa-Francorchamps
The bad news is, I have never driven four of these circuits and they will be entirely new to me. I am immensely excited by the prospect of racing at Spa. Donington, Cadwell and Oulton are also completely new to me.
New drivers- Mr. Matt W, as posted above, is joining the fray after successful competition in sprints. The guys who finished first and second last year have moved on, but things don't get any easier for me- three drivers who competed at a successful level years ago are making their return, and two very quick drivers from this year have told me they intend to do full seasons in 2012. It's going to be tough.
Changes to the racing- headline news here are the changes to technical support. The club has always forbidden professional support, preferring instead to provide it centrally by a single company, who were paid from championship registration fees. This year, professional support has been permitted and central support is gone. The same team who supported previously will be attending, but it'll now cost an extra £220 per season to be supported as I was in 2011. This leaves me with a dilemma. My budget is tight and I am familiar with most routine repair/maintenance on my car- but there is no way I could deal with bent suspension, gearbox, engine or clutch troubles myself at a circuit. I feel that it I am to be competetive I will need this support.
The calendar is fantastic, it features the folowing amazing circuits;
Donington
Brands Hatch
Rockingham
Anglesey
Thruxton
Cadwell Park
Oulton Park
Spa-Francorchamps
The bad news is, I have never driven four of these circuits and they will be entirely new to me. I am immensely excited by the prospect of racing at Spa. Donington, Cadwell and Oulton are also completely new to me.
New drivers- Mr. Matt W, as posted above, is joining the fray after successful competition in sprints. The guys who finished first and second last year have moved on, but things don't get any easier for me- three drivers who competed at a successful level years ago are making their return, and two very quick drivers from this year have told me they intend to do full seasons in 2012. It's going to be tough.
Changes to the racing- headline news here are the changes to technical support. The club has always forbidden professional support, preferring instead to provide it centrally by a single company, who were paid from championship registration fees. This year, professional support has been permitted and central support is gone. The same team who supported previously will be attending, but it'll now cost an extra £220 per season to be supported as I was in 2011. This leaves me with a dilemma. My budget is tight and I am familiar with most routine repair/maintenance on my car- but there is no way I could deal with bent suspension, gearbox, engine or clutch troubles myself at a circuit. I feel that it I am to be competetive I will need this support.
March 2009 - March 2010
In my first year of ownership I covered over 5,000 mostly road miles in the car. It had only done 18,000 in it's first nine years so I think that's not a bad effort!
Obviously I had only driven a 1.2 Clio previously so when this came along I couldn't resist driving it at any opportunity, no matter what the weather.
Unfortunately, as a car which had been used very lightly, it didn't take too kindly to being pressed into daily service. I had carried out routine, 'normal' maintenance, but being made out of older car bits, there was other stuff which I wasn't familiar with and had to learn the hard way.
Here are some pictures of that first year.
Shortly after purchase and MOT, with cracked windscreen re-fitted
A trip to Mallory park and back in the summer to see my dad racing didn't go well. This is about a mile short of the M25/M1 junction where I planned to have a fuel stop. This taught me not to trust the gauge and instead simply re-set the trip every time and fill it up when it gets to 180 miles.
On the way back from Mallory I noticed the gear lever was very hot and could smell burning gear oil. I could also feel a vibration through the seat of my pants. As soon as I slowed to 60mph or so, the car was filling with smoke. Turns out the front propshaft UJ was shot, and because it wasn't articulating properly it'd also ruined the gearbox tailhousing bearing. Cue the first engine removal, only nine weeks after I'd bought the car:
My first trackday- at Brands Indy. With my dad's help I had cracked the magic minute by lunchtime. Not that anyone was timing, you understand... this was followed by new brakes all 'round.
Another trackday- this time at Snetterton late December 2009. The car was fitted with the correct minilites and tyres for the championship and with new fluids and brakes. I drove 130 miles there, spanked the car round the track all day and then drove 130 miles home. I was knackred! and so was my differential- a known weak spot on these. The rear axle is from a Morris Ital and they weren't designed to stand up to this kind of punishment- a new one was fitted afterwards, but the drive home with the howling noise from the diff and the temperature falling to about three degrees made me realise why everyone else has a trailer and a tow car! I have since learned how to preserve them better by overfilling them with very expensive shockproof oil.
Since I had bought the car I had decided that 2010 would be the year that I'd go racing, giving me 2009 to learn the car and pay my dad back the money I borrowed. I briefly flirted with the idea of buying a ready-prepped car to save money and put mine up for sale, but in the end I decided to stick with what I had- after all, with all the driving and maintenance work I'd been doing, I had smoothed out the kinks and it was a reliable and well-serviced car.
In my first year of ownership I covered over 5,000 mostly road miles in the car. It had only done 18,000 in it's first nine years so I think that's not a bad effort!
Obviously I had only driven a 1.2 Clio previously so when this came along I couldn't resist driving it at any opportunity, no matter what the weather.
Unfortunately, as a car which had been used very lightly, it didn't take too kindly to being pressed into daily service. I had carried out routine, 'normal' maintenance, but being made out of older car bits, there was other stuff which I wasn't familiar with and had to learn the hard way.
Here are some pictures of that first year.
Shortly after purchase and MOT, with cracked windscreen re-fitted
A trip to Mallory park and back in the summer to see my dad racing didn't go well. This is about a mile short of the M25/M1 junction where I planned to have a fuel stop. This taught me not to trust the gauge and instead simply re-set the trip every time and fill it up when it gets to 180 miles.
On the way back from Mallory I noticed the gear lever was very hot and could smell burning gear oil. I could also feel a vibration through the seat of my pants. As soon as I slowed to 60mph or so, the car was filling with smoke. Turns out the front propshaft UJ was shot, and because it wasn't articulating properly it'd also ruined the gearbox tailhousing bearing. Cue the first engine removal, only nine weeks after I'd bought the car:
My first trackday- at Brands Indy. With my dad's help I had cracked the magic minute by lunchtime. Not that anyone was timing, you understand... this was followed by new brakes all 'round.
Another trackday- this time at Snetterton late December 2009. The car was fitted with the correct minilites and tyres for the championship and with new fluids and brakes. I drove 130 miles there, spanked the car round the track all day and then drove 130 miles home. I was knackred! and so was my differential- a known weak spot on these. The rear axle is from a Morris Ital and they weren't designed to stand up to this kind of punishment- a new one was fitted afterwards, but the drive home with the howling noise from the diff and the temperature falling to about three degrees made me realise why everyone else has a trailer and a tow car! I have since learned how to preserve them better by overfilling them with very expensive shockproof oil.
Since I had bought the car I had decided that 2010 would be the year that I'd go racing, giving me 2009 to learn the car and pay my dad back the money I borrowed. I briefly flirted with the idea of buying a ready-prepped car to save money and put mine up for sale, but in the end I decided to stick with what I had- after all, with all the driving and maintenance work I'd been doing, I had smoothed out the kinks and it was a reliable and well-serviced car.
Stripped the interior panels out today to get a good look at the radius arm attachment point so I can look for damage properly. I was expecting I might find a crack in the chassis tube but it's all stong- the chassis member through which the radius arm bolt passes is slightly twisted and the hole is oval, probably all residual damage from that crash on page one. Not as bad as I was expecting so I'll be sending the pictures off to the manufacturers of the chassis to see what they suggest for the repair.
I've also removed the fuel pump which I am going to replace as a precautionary measure.
Edited by HustleRussell on Friday 7th December 11:17
Thread ressurrection time!
The First Race Weekend, Pembrey 2010
…It was upon me far too soon. The calendar was published and I decided I wanted to go to the first weekend of the season… This was 330 miles away at Pembrey. This would be my first attempt at a race weekend and truth be told I was pretty damned disorganized. I had passed my ARDS in February, I’d been given hand-me-down overalls and a helmet by my Dad and I was registered with the BARC and the Caterham Graduates Racing Club (CGRC). However, a month before the event I found myself with an un-prepped car and no means of getting it to the circuit! Since Dad was racing in R300s, I was able to borrow his trailer… all I needed then was the tow car. Nothing suitable seemed to be out there. I had quite a specific brief; I have a 2006 driving license so towing laws are quite strict. I needed a car with a certain curb weight, a certain gross weight, it needed to have a tow bar and a diesel engine. I decided I wanted an Octavia but none were out there so with only three weeks to go before I was supposed to be towing to Pembrey, I bought a 2003 Mondeo TDCI with 100k miles for £1,900.
I still had a lot of prep to do on the race car, and had very little time to get used to the Mondeo. Long story short, my friends and I arrived at Pembrey circuit at lunchtime on the Friday test day with my Mondeo and trailer being towed in by a fellow competitor’s Land Rover. The car made it all the way there no problem, but when I arrived I switched the engine off to wait for the venue gates to open, and when I turned the key to re-start the engine I was rewarded with an excited whirr from the starter motor which clearly wasn’t engaged with the flywheel in any way.
That pretty much set the tone to be honest!
The test day went fine, but then things started going wrong. On Friday night I regretted my decision to cut costs by sleeping in the trailer. It might look like a caravan but on a very cold Welsh night in March it provides little in the way of comfort. Come Saturday morning, I took the car for scrutineering and naturally it failed- essentially I had interpreted the regs wrong and fitted the wrong fire extinguisher. Also, my brake lights had stopped working at some point on the Friday and my wheels were replicas which weren’t permitted by the regs. Panic ensued. Some sensible people advised me to withdraw, get my entry fee back and go home, but I’d been through too much already to give up. With the help of McMillan Motorsport, I had working brake lights. The club’s MSA scrutineer Keith Marchment managed to get me an exemption to the regs on the fire extinguisher and wheels. Meanwhile the qualifying session I was supposed to be in had been and gone, and I was unqualified. My only option was to go out for a session with much more powerful ‘Megagraduate’ cars and do the minimum required 3 laps to qualify. I completed these and was permitted to start from last on the grid for the Saturday and Sunday races.
This is when things started improving a little- I would be racing!
In the Saturday race I managed to keep my nose clean for the majority, but later in the race a fellow competitor tried to out-brake me up the inside on the way into the Hatchett’s Hairpin. I was aware he was there but I decided he was too far back to beat me to the apex so I had braked and turned in as normal and in a cloud of tyre smoke the other car glanced past, heading straight off the circuit. My Offside front wheel hit his exhaust and both of us went spinning off the circuit. I wasn’t anywhere near as upset about this as I should’ve been. In fact, in the afterglow of the race I even apologized to the guy who hit me! We both re-joined, and I finished 11th and he finished 13th. My car was not too badly damaged, a cracked wing and a scuffed wheel, and it wasn’t handling as sweetly as it had been. My competitor’s exhaust looked like this:
The Sunday race was altogether better. I was racing hammer and tong against a guy who’d been doing it at a decent level for a couple of seasons and we raced hard and without contact for much of the race. I managed to beat him to the line and enjoyed it so much that I asked if I could get a copy of his on-board video
www.vimeo.com/12033493
Our Cameraman spins off at about 12:30, and this allows me catch up and pass and a decent duel ensues! Just watch out for the red car with the shiny wrong wheels…
So after all said and done, I was faced with a non-stop 330 mile drive home with the trailer and a car with no starter motor, but the Caterham was almost totally unscathed and I had had a lot of fun!
The First Race Weekend, Pembrey 2010
…It was upon me far too soon. The calendar was published and I decided I wanted to go to the first weekend of the season… This was 330 miles away at Pembrey. This would be my first attempt at a race weekend and truth be told I was pretty damned disorganized. I had passed my ARDS in February, I’d been given hand-me-down overalls and a helmet by my Dad and I was registered with the BARC and the Caterham Graduates Racing Club (CGRC). However, a month before the event I found myself with an un-prepped car and no means of getting it to the circuit! Since Dad was racing in R300s, I was able to borrow his trailer… all I needed then was the tow car. Nothing suitable seemed to be out there. I had quite a specific brief; I have a 2006 driving license so towing laws are quite strict. I needed a car with a certain curb weight, a certain gross weight, it needed to have a tow bar and a diesel engine. I decided I wanted an Octavia but none were out there so with only three weeks to go before I was supposed to be towing to Pembrey, I bought a 2003 Mondeo TDCI with 100k miles for £1,900.
I still had a lot of prep to do on the race car, and had very little time to get used to the Mondeo. Long story short, my friends and I arrived at Pembrey circuit at lunchtime on the Friday test day with my Mondeo and trailer being towed in by a fellow competitor’s Land Rover. The car made it all the way there no problem, but when I arrived I switched the engine off to wait for the venue gates to open, and when I turned the key to re-start the engine I was rewarded with an excited whirr from the starter motor which clearly wasn’t engaged with the flywheel in any way.
That pretty much set the tone to be honest!
The test day went fine, but then things started going wrong. On Friday night I regretted my decision to cut costs by sleeping in the trailer. It might look like a caravan but on a very cold Welsh night in March it provides little in the way of comfort. Come Saturday morning, I took the car for scrutineering and naturally it failed- essentially I had interpreted the regs wrong and fitted the wrong fire extinguisher. Also, my brake lights had stopped working at some point on the Friday and my wheels were replicas which weren’t permitted by the regs. Panic ensued. Some sensible people advised me to withdraw, get my entry fee back and go home, but I’d been through too much already to give up. With the help of McMillan Motorsport, I had working brake lights. The club’s MSA scrutineer Keith Marchment managed to get me an exemption to the regs on the fire extinguisher and wheels. Meanwhile the qualifying session I was supposed to be in had been and gone, and I was unqualified. My only option was to go out for a session with much more powerful ‘Megagraduate’ cars and do the minimum required 3 laps to qualify. I completed these and was permitted to start from last on the grid for the Saturday and Sunday races.
This is when things started improving a little- I would be racing!
In the Saturday race I managed to keep my nose clean for the majority, but later in the race a fellow competitor tried to out-brake me up the inside on the way into the Hatchett’s Hairpin. I was aware he was there but I decided he was too far back to beat me to the apex so I had braked and turned in as normal and in a cloud of tyre smoke the other car glanced past, heading straight off the circuit. My Offside front wheel hit his exhaust and both of us went spinning off the circuit. I wasn’t anywhere near as upset about this as I should’ve been. In fact, in the afterglow of the race I even apologized to the guy who hit me! We both re-joined, and I finished 11th and he finished 13th. My car was not too badly damaged, a cracked wing and a scuffed wheel, and it wasn’t handling as sweetly as it had been. My competitor’s exhaust looked like this:
The Sunday race was altogether better. I was racing hammer and tong against a guy who’d been doing it at a decent level for a couple of seasons and we raced hard and without contact for much of the race. I managed to beat him to the line and enjoyed it so much that I asked if I could get a copy of his on-board video
www.vimeo.com/12033493
Our Cameraman spins off at about 12:30, and this allows me catch up and pass and a decent duel ensues! Just watch out for the red car with the shiny wrong wheels…
So after all said and done, I was faced with a non-stop 330 mile drive home with the trailer and a car with no starter motor, but the Caterham was almost totally unscathed and I had had a lot of fun!
Edited by HustleRussell on Friday 7th December 13:20
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