Racing with the APL Health Caterham Graduates
If you’re interested in starting racing, the APL Health Caterham Graduates is an ideal place to start.
There are a few reasons that Torque Motorsport chose the series as their preferred championship.
Firstly, Caterhams are a hugely popular car. This makes for large grid sizes, lots of entrants, an abundance of spare parts, and lots of people willing to offer you advice and help when things don’t quite go to plan. The Caterham 7, originally the Lotus 7, dates back to the 1950s and the basic design has changed very little since then. Therefore there are always Caterham enthusiasts around who are willing to get stuck in.
Next, the Caterham Graduates is a single make series. With very little to choose between the cars this means that more often than not, the best driver is the one who wins. There is only a small difference in power and handling from one car to another.
Another significant benefit to the Graduates is the friendliness of those involved. It’s run professionally, with driving standards teams and committees, but also takes into account the drivers wishes. The paddock is full of friendly faces, willing to help, or just join in with a few beers and a barbeque in the evening. This means that for new comers the prospect of getting into motorsport is considerably less daunting.
Finally, the racing is some of the closest, most exhilarating racing you’re likely to see. Because of the not particularly aerodynamic ‘wedge’ shape of a Caterham, slip streaming is tactically crucial and very often seen in a race, and means that you’ll invariably see clusters of 10 or so cars all jostling for position. Even if you’re watching from the side lines, it really is a spectacle worth seeing.