The 2010 PistonHeads.com Caterham Academy
PH is sponsoring the Caterham starter series - and Riggers is going racing
We're pleased to announce that PistonHeads will be sponsoring the 2010 PistonHeads.com Caterham Academy, and that PH's very own Riggers will be cutting his racing teeth in the series.
For those who don't know, the Caterham Academy is one of the most interesting and exciting ways for aspiring novices to get into circuit racing, as it guides you through the license process and a season of sprints, hillclimbs and circuit racing.
It's good value, too. A fiver less than 18 grand gets you through your ARDS test, gives you a full season of racing, oh, and most importantly bags you a fully road-legal racing car.
Even consumables won't cost the earth - a set of tyres should last a whole season - and best of all the car should still be worth around 15 grand at the end of the season. (Provided you don't crash it too hard or too often, of course.)
Since it started in 1995 more than 700 people have 'graduated' from the Caterham Academy, and the series is proving more popular than ever - all 56 places on the two-grid 2010 championship line-up have already been filled, and the order books are open for the 2011 season.
Needless to say, Riggers is extremely excited at the prospect of racing a Caterham for a year. "It really is a bit of a dream come true," he says. "I've always wanted to get into circuit racing, and this has got to be the perfect way to start."
In fact, Riggers has been so keen to get behind the wheel of an Academy car that he persuaded Caterham to let him have a 'warm up' run in the 2009 model at a recent Oulton Park track day - and you'll be able to read how he got on soon.
We haven't decided if we're going to make Riggers drive his new racing car to every event, but if it keeps raining this hard we probably will. Not that we're jealous, you understand...
Meanwhile we're hoping to take delivery of our new PistonHeads Caterham racer at the PH show in January, so look out for it there.
It is a very cheap way to go racing.....even more so if you were considering buying a Caterham anyway.
Matt - nice one - look forward to reading the reports, and you'll have to let us all know what the calendar is so we can come along and

It's a fiver under £18k for the bare kit. That's without it being built, without paint and without some extras which are useful/desirable like seats and a removable steering wheel.
If you ask anyone who has done this, there is also a fairly high probability that (often expensive) crash damage will occur at some point through the course of the year.
That's not to say it's not a relatively cheap way to get into competitive racing in an excellent car, it's just a tad more expensive than that headline figure!
Doing the Academy (with Jethro) back when it was the Evo Caterham Academy in 2003 was the most fun ever.
I would strongly advise against driving the car to the events though. I don't think a single competitor did that, it's just too tiring (and puts unnecessary miles on your race engine).
Mind you, I hated towing too...
(the fact that I couldn't fit in a tillet had nothing to do with my choice)
(the fact that I couldn't fit in a tillet had nothing to do with my choice)
(the fact that I couldn't fit in a tillet had nothing to do with my choice)

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