Caterham Academy
Discussion
So I have a bit of a decision to make and was hoping to get some advice from you guys.
I am seriously thinking about doing the Caterham Academy next year, but am not quite 100% on whether to go for it or not. As far as I see it there are a number of pro’s and con’s:
Pro’s:
- I get another Caterham (I used to have a Superlight that I sold, and have regretted ever since, 3 years ago to get married)
- I get to build a car, which I haven't done before
- I get to race it
- If I love the racing I can graduate to Roadsport B with the same car by upgrading tyres and adding a rear anti-rollbar (circa £500)
- If I don’t love it I can sell the car or use it on the road (they are road registered) and still say I have tried motor racing (and driven Brands in anger)
Con’s:
- It is expensive (about £23k - £24k for the year)
- The car is a Roadsport (1.6l 125bhp Sigma engine, 5 speed box, no LSD etc) and therefore a lower spec than my old Superlight
- For the price of the Academy I could buy a Superlight R400/R500 and do trackdays
- I will be using up a heck of a lot of brownie points with my wife (we have a 17 month old and another due in June)
I went to test drive a Caterham Roadsport at the weekend to see what kind of car I would be getting and loved it, but it definitely wasn’t as intense as my old Superlight. Having said that the real appeal is getting to build and race my own car and it seems like a nice easy way into motorsport.
The timing isn’t great as there are still loads of things to do on our house and we will have two young children, plus I really should be trying to save some money rather than spend every penny we have, but I can’t help get the feeling that if I don’t do it now I won’t do it until I am loads older and too fat to really enjoy it
Is there anyone else out there who has been through this decision process and who can pass on advice one way or the other?
I am seriously thinking about doing the Caterham Academy next year, but am not quite 100% on whether to go for it or not. As far as I see it there are a number of pro’s and con’s:
Pro’s:
- I get another Caterham (I used to have a Superlight that I sold, and have regretted ever since, 3 years ago to get married)
- I get to build a car, which I haven't done before
- I get to race it
- If I love the racing I can graduate to Roadsport B with the same car by upgrading tyres and adding a rear anti-rollbar (circa £500)
- If I don’t love it I can sell the car or use it on the road (they are road registered) and still say I have tried motor racing (and driven Brands in anger)
Con’s:
- It is expensive (about £23k - £24k for the year)
- The car is a Roadsport (1.6l 125bhp Sigma engine, 5 speed box, no LSD etc) and therefore a lower spec than my old Superlight
- For the price of the Academy I could buy a Superlight R400/R500 and do trackdays
- I will be using up a heck of a lot of brownie points with my wife (we have a 17 month old and another due in June)
I went to test drive a Caterham Roadsport at the weekend to see what kind of car I would be getting and loved it, but it definitely wasn’t as intense as my old Superlight. Having said that the real appeal is getting to build and race my own car and it seems like a nice easy way into motorsport.
The timing isn’t great as there are still loads of things to do on our house and we will have two young children, plus I really should be trying to save some money rather than spend every penny we have, but I can’t help get the feeling that if I don’t do it now I won’t do it until I am loads older and too fat to really enjoy it
Is there anyone else out there who has been through this decision process and who can pass on advice one way or the other?
Although I have come to the conclusion that it's a very expensive way to piss your wife off
well, not quite in the same boat. I jumped into RSA and then r300. Have 2 young kids (2 1/2 and 1) and its bloody hard work to keep everyone happy...unless you don't have to work. If you get hooked racing becomes an obsession, not only costly but time consuming.
If you don't have an addictive, incredibly competitive personality, and you don't worry about finding the last few tenths you'll be fine, although they are probably useful traits if you want to be near the front
Good luck. On the plus side its a ball. You'll love it. Only live once last time I checked.
If you don't have an addictive, incredibly competitive personality, and you don't worry about finding the last few tenths you'll be fine, although they are probably useful traits if you want to be near the front
Good luck. On the plus side its a ball. You'll love it. Only live once last time I checked.
pw75 said:
well, not quite in the same boat. I jumped into RSA and then r300. Have 2 young kids (2 1/2 and 1) and its bloody hard work to keep everyone happy...unless you don't have to work. If you get hooked racing becomes an obsession, not only costly but time consuming.
If you don't have an addictive, incredibly competitive personality, and you don't worry about finding the last few tenths you'll be fine, although they are probably useful traits if you want to be near the front
Good luck. On the plus side its a ball. You'll love it. Only live once last time I checked.
It sounds as though you are in a very similar position!If you don't have an addictive, incredibly competitive personality, and you don't worry about finding the last few tenths you'll be fine, although they are probably useful traits if you want to be near the front
Good luck. On the plus side its a ball. You'll love it. Only live once last time I checked.
I know it is going to mean family compramises, but my wife already knows I am a pretty restless individual so is on-side as much as anyone could reasonably expect.
As you rightly say, you only live once.
Does anyone know of any companies that do racing insurance for Caterhams? Speaking to Caterham themselves they were of the belief that 50% race insured and 50% uninsured. I tried Caterham Insurance and strangely enough they don't insure you for the races themselves.
Whilst I could stomach minor repairs, a full write-off is something I am not prepared to take a risk on, so would want to get covered.
Any ideas?
Whilst I could stomach minor repairs, a full write-off is something I am not prepared to take a risk on, so would want to get covered.
Any ideas?
Irrotational said:
Hiya,
Afraid I can't give any advice but I thought I'd post and say Hi, as I bought your car off you!!
It *touch wood* is still going strong and I've almost doubled the mileage :-)
It could do with a polish though! bet you don't miss that?
Hope all is well
Andy
Hi Andy,Afraid I can't give any advice but I thought I'd post and say Hi, as I bought your car off you!!
It *touch wood* is still going strong and I've almost doubled the mileage :-)
It could do with a polish though! bet you don't miss that?
Hope all is well
Andy
Good to hear from you. So does that mean the old girl is up to 50,000 now? I am glad she is getting proper use......I would have hated for her to go to someone who didn't make the most of her.
In all honesty I wish I had never sold her to you. A disasterous stint with a TVR and now a very expensive relationship with an E34 BMW M5 has made me realise just how fantastic Caterhams are, so I am desperate to return to the fold
Alex
There is some talk over on the Caterham Motorsports Forum amongst the 2010 Academy guys about the insurance deal they have negotiated with a provider that seems to meet their needs.
I think I may well have been at Caterham South at the same time as you on Saturday morning. I spoke to Dom that morning and have paid my deposit for the Academy 2011!
Not quite the same circumstances (no children), but I went through the same process of do I or don't I? In the end I came to the conclusion, if I don't do it now, I may never do it and didn't want to look back with regret.
Incidentally I will also be looking to insure against a total loss. When I spoke to Dom about this he said insurance was possible, but I think the excess is fairly high at about 3-4K.
Mark.
I think I may well have been at Caterham South at the same time as you on Saturday morning. I spoke to Dom that morning and have paid my deposit for the Academy 2011!
Not quite the same circumstances (no children), but I went through the same process of do I or don't I? In the end I came to the conclusion, if I don't do it now, I may never do it and didn't want to look back with regret.
Incidentally I will also be looking to insure against a total loss. When I spoke to Dom about this he said insurance was possible, but I think the excess is fairly high at about 3-4K.
Mark.
Hi Mark,
I was down at Caterham South at about 2pm on Saturday, so it may well have been me you saw. I went to take out a Roadsport 125 to make sure I wasn't going to be disapointed with the performance after the Superlight.
I think I have pretty much decided to do it, but still need to work out a few compramises with my wife. Having two kids under three is going to make it quite a challenge
If you find anything more out about the insurance then do let me know. like you I want to insure against total loss rather than knocks and scrapes.
Cheers,
Alex
I was down at Caterham South at about 2pm on Saturday, so it may well have been me you saw. I went to take out a Roadsport 125 to make sure I wasn't going to be disapointed with the performance after the Superlight.
I think I have pretty much decided to do it, but still need to work out a few compramises with my wife. Having two kids under three is going to make it quite a challenge
If you find anything more out about the insurance then do let me know. like you I want to insure against total loss rather than knocks and scrapes.
Cheers,
Alex
I did the Academy in 2009. £23k - £24k is an underestimate. The car, once specced to drivable standard will be £19.5k (+ paint if you want it to look shiny - I spent £20,700 and then sold the seats for £500, so the car was £20,200 net).
I then bought a load of tools (probably a £k) and then you're looking at something like 3,000 miles to get to all the circuits (£500 in fuel), a trailer (you *COULD* drive - some do - £k), accommodation (£500), brake pads/tyres etc. (£300), track days everywhere (if you want to be competitive - £1,500 - £AsMuchAsYouWant), setup (£200), oil changes and service (£100, do it yourself), IVA (£500), Registration and tax (£400), Fuel (I did 2,000 track miles at about 15mpg - £600)
And then there'll be some crash damage - if you can't afford a £6k long front, then you can buy insurance (£1,100).
Anyway, add all that up and you're approaching £28k. In reality, I probably spent nearer £30k - I stopped counting towards the end as the incidentals are too frightening to worry about (rear wing - c. £100 - front wing c. £50 - 3 mirrors (£150) etc. etc.)
HOWEVER, it was fantastic. I've signed up for next year (RSB) and have enjoyed myself more than I could ever have imagined. Plus, I've made some great friends and the atmosphere is brilliant. It's not the cheapest way to go racing, but if you're thinking about it and you're not on the breadline, then you won't regret it. If you are on a tight budget, however, you might want to think again and look at something where you can afford to be competitive. Grads was mentioned earlier as an excellent alternative.
Jez
I then bought a load of tools (probably a £k) and then you're looking at something like 3,000 miles to get to all the circuits (£500 in fuel), a trailer (you *COULD* drive - some do - £k), accommodation (£500), brake pads/tyres etc. (£300), track days everywhere (if you want to be competitive - £1,500 - £AsMuchAsYouWant), setup (£200), oil changes and service (£100, do it yourself), IVA (£500), Registration and tax (£400), Fuel (I did 2,000 track miles at about 15mpg - £600)
And then there'll be some crash damage - if you can't afford a £6k long front, then you can buy insurance (£1,100).
Anyway, add all that up and you're approaching £28k. In reality, I probably spent nearer £30k - I stopped counting towards the end as the incidentals are too frightening to worry about (rear wing - c. £100 - front wing c. £50 - 3 mirrors (£150) etc. etc.)
HOWEVER, it was fantastic. I've signed up for next year (RSB) and have enjoyed myself more than I could ever have imagined. Plus, I've made some great friends and the atmosphere is brilliant. It's not the cheapest way to go racing, but if you're thinking about it and you're not on the breadline, then you won't regret it. If you are on a tight budget, however, you might want to think again and look at something where you can afford to be competitive. Grads was mentioned earlier as an excellent alternative.
Jez
If you have driven a Caterham before I would go straight to RSB - I did Acad, then RSB and R300 this year. Acad is great, but you drive an awful long way for the 1 min sprints or the one 20 min race. In RSB every weekend is two 20 min races and the tyres and rear roll bar make the car much better. Couple of guys came straight into RSB last year and one of them came 4th, just behind the best looking competitor :-).
As for Racing vs. track day - no contest what so ever, you have to race if you are even just thinking about it.
As for family - yep, we are all in the same boat - 3 young kids, wife who quickly realised the "don't worry its only 7 weekends and you can all come and have a great time..." was streatching it a bit
As for Racing vs. track day - no contest what so ever, you have to race if you are even just thinking about it.
As for family - yep, we are all in the same boat - 3 young kids, wife who quickly realised the "don't worry its only 7 weekends and you can all come and have a great time..." was streatching it a bit
I looked into the Academy back in 2001 but 1 thing and another missed the opportunity and had to wait until 2003 to go racing, for me it;s somethign I needed to and still need to do, once its in your system its hard not to........Academy seems like a good deal if you do plan to go through the various tiers but when you can buy a ready made sigma car for 14-16k it might be a better option to buy rather than build, get some instruction and go in B's as suggested, or a grad car for less
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