Ex Academy Caterham
Discussion
Good Morning one and all..
I've been a long time member but rarely posted in the forums to be honest. More of an honest bystander than serial offender as such.
But here we go.. Back in the back end of summer last year i purchased a 2009 Ex Caterham Academy Car. This is a 1.6 Sigma engine with approx 125BHP (Same as Fiesta Zetec S). This basically means it was used in the caterham academy motorsport series and raced. It was then used to do a part season of the roadsport series aswell i believe.
There's alot of people out their scared or put off by buying an ex race car. But in my opinion these kind of cars get abused from a early age and for much of their life anyway. When it comes to consumables etc. That being said i made an offer and got a train down to central london to go and view / collect the car.
Upon arrival the car had some minor bodywork dings and scuffs (to be expected) but the mechanics of the car were spot on. It has also been fitted with a Limited Slip Diff and had some work done to lengthen the first gear to make it that little bit more usable when driving in town etc.
so here is a photo of the day i collected the car..
literally 4 days after collecting it... straight onto Donington Park for an evening shakedown of the car..
Windscreen Removal - Carbon Aeroscreen Fitted..
Last Weekend at Donington again..
I've got a YouTube Channel which shows Video from track days and also videos around caterham ownership and fitting new parts etc. Please take a minute to have a look and leave any comments on other content you'd like to see along with subscribing so you can see the latest.
http://bit.ly/1TeoV00
I've been a long time member but rarely posted in the forums to be honest. More of an honest bystander than serial offender as such.
But here we go.. Back in the back end of summer last year i purchased a 2009 Ex Caterham Academy Car. This is a 1.6 Sigma engine with approx 125BHP (Same as Fiesta Zetec S). This basically means it was used in the caterham academy motorsport series and raced. It was then used to do a part season of the roadsport series aswell i believe.
There's alot of people out their scared or put off by buying an ex race car. But in my opinion these kind of cars get abused from a early age and for much of their life anyway. When it comes to consumables etc. That being said i made an offer and got a train down to central london to go and view / collect the car.
Upon arrival the car had some minor bodywork dings and scuffs (to be expected) but the mechanics of the car were spot on. It has also been fitted with a Limited Slip Diff and had some work done to lengthen the first gear to make it that little bit more usable when driving in town etc.
so here is a photo of the day i collected the car..
literally 4 days after collecting it... straight onto Donington Park for an evening shakedown of the car..
Windscreen Removal - Carbon Aeroscreen Fitted..
Last Weekend at Donington again..
I've got a YouTube Channel which shows Video from track days and also videos around caterham ownership and fitting new parts etc. Please take a minute to have a look and leave any comments on other content you'd like to see along with subscribing so you can see the latest.
http://bit.ly/1TeoV00
Smitters said:
Nice - I did the same - ex race car for trackdays and some road use. What are the shiny bits on the wheel rims? They look hi vis, but not seen them before.
Nice Work.. I'm doing the same to be fair. I'm looking to either enter the graduates race series with this car next year. Or even sell this and perhaps do the Academy myself. I'm glad someone spotted the wheels. It's just adhesive vinyl thats in hi vis yellow and orange. As the car is black with a blue bonnet stripe (painted) it's getting obvious that other road users cannot see me when coming out of junctions etc. So i popped down to McMillan Motorsport (Hinckley) to talk through some vinyl wrap options for the body / cage. After many hours had passed, he showed me the colours that were available. I then saw hi vis stuff and asked about that. They have pre-cut lengths that are in an arch shape to match the 13" diameter wheels. So i took a few to play with and see what i thought about them.
I decided to try solid yellow up front, followed by a "crash test dummy" style pattern on the back to see which i preferred.
james_gt3rs said:
Is it cheap to get the full weather gear on one of these? The thing that puts me off these is getting wet on a track day.
It's about £500-£750 for the full roof/doors if you have a windscreen. There are half hoods you can get for abit less money to prevent the most of the water...However if its a wet track day you'd be surprised how little you get wet with no roof on at all. Most of the water comes from the wheels up front. So if you've got your doors on then its pretty dry. You will however find the biggest problem is the spray that comes in the car and goes on the inside of the windscreen. You'll have to wipe it every lap almost.
If you go down the aeroscreen route.. you cannot really fit a roof anymore and the doors wont fit either. However you can get half doors which i might purchase at some point.
james_gt3rs said:
Is it cheap to get the full weather gear on one of these? The thing that puts me off these is getting wet on a track day.
The weather gear is horrible on track, you are best off manning up and going the other way completely with an aero screen, half doors and a full face helmet.HustleRussell said:
The weather gear is horrible on track, you are best off manning up and going the other way completely with an aero screen, half doors and a full face helmet.
What's wrong with it? I'm not really a fan of convertibles so always have the roof up/hardtop on... but I do want a Caterham one day.
d. Will ruin the whole experience tbh. james_gt3rs said:
HustleRussell said:
The weather gear is horrible on track, you are best off manning up and going the other way completely with an aero screen, half doors and a full face helmet.
What's wrong with it? I'm not really a fan of convertibles so always have the roof up/hardtop on... but I do want a Caterham one day.HustleRussell said:
You're going to have to undo that if you are going to race it in Grads
Yes your correct, have you had much experience with the Grads ? Keen to get some more information around what its actually like. I'm planning to come along to the Silverstone race in march to see what i make of it all.james_gt3rs said:
HustleRussell said:
The weather gear is horrible on track, you are best off manning up and going the other way completely with an aero screen, half doors and a full face helmet.
What's wrong with it? I'm not really a fan of convertibles so always have the roof up/hardtop on... but I do want a Caterham one day.If you are used to modern soft-tops and are expecting similar you'll be disappointed. Even if you're expecting 25 year old Mazda Mx-5 standard, you'll be disappointed. This is a cheap, low volume sports car from the late 50s.
Your right arm is going to get wet. It's going to steam up. The engine, gearbox and diff noise is going to prevail over anything you should be hearing outside. The doors and hood are going to seriously limit your side and rear vision and it's going to feel very claustrophobic as a result, especially with a helmet on. It's going to be tough to get in and out, especially if you have a cage and impossible if you want a side impact bar. The side and rear windows will start going opaque the moment you use them and will soon start hampering the views out of your mirrors.
The Caterham hood just about works acceptably on the road, particularly if you zip out the rear screen. Without a helmet it's actually pleasantly cosseting rather than claustrophobic.
mark284811 said:
HustleRussell said:
You're going to have to undo that if you are going to race it in Grads
Yes your correct, have you had much experience with the Grads ? Keen to get some more information around what its actually like. I'm planning to come along to the Silverstone race in march to see what i make of it all.HustleRussell said:
Then buy a Caterham 21- seriously!
If you are used to modern soft-tops and are expecting similar you'll be disappointed. Even if you're expecting 25 year old Mazda Mx-5 standard, you'll be disappointed. This is a cheap, low volume sports car from the late 50s.
Your right arm is going to get wet. It's going to steam up. The engine, gearbox and diff noise is going to prevail over anything you should be hearing outside. The doors and hood are going to seriously limit your side and rear vision and it's going to feel very claustrophobic as a result, especially with a helmet on. It's going to be tough to get in and out, especially if you have a cage and impossible if you want a side impact bar. The side and rear windows will start going opaque the moment you use them and will soon start hampering the views out of your mirrors.
The Caterham hood just about works acceptably on the road, particularly if you zip out the rear screen. Without a helmet it's actually pleasantly cosseting rather than claustrophobic.
I'd agree with most of what Russell has mentioned. Except the part about it being impossible to get into with roof / doors on with a helmet if you have a side impact bar.. I'm about 13st and 6ft and i can fit in the side with my helmet on. Yes its not quick or dignified but it's definitely possible. Its just better with the roof off.If you are used to modern soft-tops and are expecting similar you'll be disappointed. Even if you're expecting 25 year old Mazda Mx-5 standard, you'll be disappointed. This is a cheap, low volume sports car from the late 50s.
Your right arm is going to get wet. It's going to steam up. The engine, gearbox and diff noise is going to prevail over anything you should be hearing outside. The doors and hood are going to seriously limit your side and rear vision and it's going to feel very claustrophobic as a result, especially with a helmet on. It's going to be tough to get in and out, especially if you have a cage and impossible if you want a side impact bar. The side and rear windows will start going opaque the moment you use them and will soon start hampering the views out of your mirrors.
The Caterham hood just about works acceptably on the road, particularly if you zip out the rear screen. Without a helmet it's actually pleasantly cosseting rather than claustrophobic.
HustleRussell said:
Four seasons racing in the Classics class 2010-13. Dad raced in Megas 09-14. Both of us had an entirely positive experience and cannot recommend it highly enough. Be warned, if you go to Silverstone you'll want to enter this year!
Brilliant sounds good. Had you been involved in any motorsport before you both entered the grads or was this your first exposure to racing ?haha im sure.. I'll attempt to resist has much as possible.
mark284811 said:
I'd agree with most of what Russell has mentioned. Except the part about it being impossible to get into with roof / doors on with a helmet if you have a side impact bar.. I'm about 13st and 6ft and i can fit in the side with my helmet on. Yes its not quick or dignified but it's definitely possible. Its just better with the roof off.
Thanks good to know. I'm used to folding into my VX220 every day and being chilled by the useless heater. But getting a wet arm may be a step too far 
james_gt3rs said:
Thanks good to know. I'm used to folding into my VX220 every day and being chilled by the useless heater. But getting a wet arm may be a step too far
Well if you get an ex race one.. it wont have a heater.. but the good thing is when the engine is warm it warms the cabin up due to the hear radiating from the engine itself. I've found so far to prevent getting a wet arm etc i just wear a waterproof coat. :-)
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