Recommend company to store and prep Caterham for trackdays?
Discussion
Tracking my Cayman is proving more and more expensive. I average £500+/TD in consumables, £200 in fuel, I pay £250 for insurance with Moris, plus depreciation which I’m not even accounting for.
I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
Edited by ldn_mx5 on Monday 1st May 11:31
ldn_mx5 said:
Tracking my Cayman is proving more and more expensive. I average £500+/TD in consumables, £200 in fuel, I pay £250 for insurance with Moris, plus depreciation which I’m not even accounting for.
I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
I’ve been in your shoes and the only answer is tfl racing. I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
Edited by ldn_mx5 on Monday 1st May 11:31
https://www.tflracing.co.uk/
They specialise in arrive and drive for Caterhams and have around 40 at the moment. They are also some of the very best people I have come across and good value.
Thanks all for good suggestions. I’ll be in touch with the companies you recommend. Yes arrive and drive is what I’m after. Buy my own Caterham, or rent, both in theory could be fine but generally cars available for rental (that I’ve seen) were the less powerful models and I’d like a 420/620.
Sorry. Just back home and fed after Brands.
They send out a menu of pricing options but drop them an email and I’m sure they will send on.
Rental wise, it’s around £1450 for the car for the day. Includes fuel, transport, possibly insurance and then running you for the day. Trackday cost on top.
They send out a menu of pricing options but drop them an email and I’m sure they will send on.
Rental wise, it’s around £1450 for the car for the day. Includes fuel, transport, possibly insurance and then running you for the day. Trackday cost on top.
Another vote for TFL here too, they've looked after my 7 for years both on track days and a dabble of racing.
They have all kinda spares on the truck, so even a moderate issue need not keep you off track. When yoyu're paying strong money for 2 days at spa with someone like RSR it's very much worth it.
Sarah is the boss (experienced 7 racer and pro diver for JLR), drop her a line.
They have all kinda spares on the truck, so even a moderate issue need not keep you off track. When yoyu're paying strong money for 2 days at spa with someone like RSR it's very much worth it.
Sarah is the boss (experienced 7 racer and pro diver for JLR), drop her a line.
The only downside with your plan IMHO is not having the car available for all the times you might want to drive it on the road! There is something absolutely brilliant and somehow "naughty" about driving an aeroscreened 7 home without helmet and HANS after a good trackday blast. I have minimal TD experience but I cannot believe how the 7 just ate up hours of trackday hammering with basically no wear, compared to a Boxster which was just eating rubber an boiling fluids after a few sessions.
The 7 is so much fun on the road it would seem a real shame for it to be stored away somewhere. There's nothing like a very early summer morning blat for a few hours for no particular reason. The suspension is so good (and because the cars actually have sidewalls) they soak up crap roads brilliantly, the tiny size makes threading them down even small B roads an absolute blast, and driving such a focused car on the road makes every journey a real event.
In terms of trackday prep, they are such incredibly simple things to work on, a lot of it is DIY-able. I recently noticed I needed to change a split steering rack gaiter. There aren't many cars where you can do this without needing to jack the car up or even remove the wheel!
I've not driven a sequential box'd 7, but the 6 speed manual is such a fantastically rewarding thing to use on track, I kinda feel some of the fun would be lost with a sequential box unless you are just after raw speed/lap times. Don't discount a manual!
My last trackday, soon after this I put all my tools, fluids, compressor etc in the boot, put my lid on the passenger seat and just drove home...felt really odd with no lid and with traffic coming the other way though!
The 7 is so much fun on the road it would seem a real shame for it to be stored away somewhere. There's nothing like a very early summer morning blat for a few hours for no particular reason. The suspension is so good (and because the cars actually have sidewalls) they soak up crap roads brilliantly, the tiny size makes threading them down even small B roads an absolute blast, and driving such a focused car on the road makes every journey a real event.
In terms of trackday prep, they are such incredibly simple things to work on, a lot of it is DIY-able. I recently noticed I needed to change a split steering rack gaiter. There aren't many cars where you can do this without needing to jack the car up or even remove the wheel!
I've not driven a sequential box'd 7, but the 6 speed manual is such a fantastically rewarding thing to use on track, I kinda feel some of the fun would be lost with a sequential box unless you are just after raw speed/lap times. Don't discount a manual!
My last trackday, soon after this I put all my tools, fluids, compressor etc in the boot, put my lid on the passenger seat and just drove home...felt really odd with no lid and with traffic coming the other way though!
ldn_mx5 said:
Tracking my Cayman is proving more and more expensive. I average £500+/TD in consumables, £200 in fuel, I pay £250 for insurance with Moris, plus depreciation which I’m not even accounting for.
I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
I’d be intrigued to know your findings in this one.I’ve rented paddleshift Caterhams for a couple TDs and I had a blast, more so than in the Cayman. I now think I’ll have more fun and spend less if I buy a 420/620 to use on track.
I don’t fancy driving it on the motorway though.
Can someone recommend a company (if such exist) who would store, prep and deliver a Caterham to trackdays?
Any downsides to this solution that I may not be aware of?
Edited by ldn_mx5 on Monday 1st May 11:31
I suspect that the storage, prep and transport would actually make it more than £500/TD.
Twinpipe said:
I’d be intrigued to know your findings in this one.
I suspect that the storage, prep and transport would actually make it more than £500/TD.
Consumables alone are £550/Td.I suspect that the storage, prep and transport would actually make it more than £500/TD.
Plus insurance.
Plus petrol (£200).
Plus depreciation.
And Caterham is much more fun on track..
So the breakeven is a bit higher than £500.
I’ll report back.
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