If you want to become a racing driver and are looking for a series where the cars are exactly the same, and it comes down to driver talent, the Academy is the best place to start your journey. You have a dedicated coordinator who is always on hand to offer you help, support and advice. The Academy is structured so you can get the best out of your experience and introduction into Motorsport.

The ethos of the Caterham Academy is for novices to enter and enjoy their first season of motorsport racing. However as competitive nature takes hold, and the will to win grows stronger, some participants invest in professional driver tuition to help achieve their winning motivations. Driver tuition can be both positive and negative to individuals. On the positive the basics can be taught on finding the apex and perfect racing line, or how late to brake on the approach to a corner. On the negative, a driver can become over-tutored and arrive at a race meet with pre-set mental instructions which can result in a driver over thinking the race & track which inversely leads to under performance. During the past 20 years drivers who have received tuition have been witnessed finishing both at the front and the back of the grid so we leave it to individuals to make their own choice on tuition. The advice we do share, is to spend as much time driving your car (which is road legal) between races as possible. This will allow for the driver to become familiar with all of the characteristics and ultimately gain confidence in how their car handles, which will lead towards quicker racing results.

In Academy and Roadsport, team support is prohibited to ensure that competitors have a level playing field of technical ability and knowledge at a circuit and there isn’t the perception of someone having an advantage. Caterham provides a central support facility manned only by specially selected, skilled Caterham technicians. The fully equipped team perform trackside accident and breakdown repairs, supported by a stock of ~£100k of parts. This service is provided free of charge to Academy, is mandatory for Roadsport drivers and available as an option to drivers in all other championships. Excluding teams is peculiar to Caterham racing. Consequently, there are a number of myths that have grown up around the subject, leaving some individuals concerned that they may not be competitive unless supported by a professional outfit. This is not the case. Whilst a race team does have more experience and knowledge than individual drivers, the technical regulations of our cars are specifically written in a way to minimise variables; for example, spring rates and dampers are fixed. The nature of a Caterham means that once a car has been set-up for a particular driver’s style, it will only vary a little from circuit to circuit, if at all. Therefore, driver-run cars can enter these championships on an equal footing. However, at this level the teams do provide a valuable service of convenience. For a number of our drivers, being able to arrive at a circuit knowing their car will be fuelled, checked and ready to go is essential. These competitors may not have the time, ability or space to be able to look after a race car themselves and without the teams services they simply wouldn’t be racing Caterhams.

One of the difficulties that may face some Academy drivers, especially those that live in city centres, is where to keep an Academy car and especially a trailer (if they choose to tow their car to events). Caterham offer a transport and storage solution to remove this headache. Your Academy car will be securely stored at Caterham and transported to and from each competitive event. In between times, it will be given a check‑over by our race technicians to ensure that it will arrive ready to race. Away from events, your car can be made accessible in order for you to enjoy it on the road or at a trackday. More details on the transport and storage service are available from our aftersales team.

Did you know that it is possible to insure against damage during racing and practice? Race insurance has no relation to your road insurance. There is no fault in race insurance either, it simply covers you for damage regardless of how the accident happened. You cannot claim off someone else’s race insurance. Race insurance is not cheap and you can expect to pay around £2,000 or more for a season’s cover, with a typical excess of £2,000; so you essentially are insuring against a single significant accident. Is it necessary? Well that is a choice only you can make. Of course, the overwhelming majority of drivers make it through the year relatively unscathed! However, if you are one of the unlucky ones, you will be thankful of having cover if you choose to take it, but there are many more drivers who have spent a lot on insurance and never claimed.