The first race and next event is Sunday 4th July at Rockingham, Corby, Northants.
http://www.rockingham.co.uk/about/gettingto.asp
My Race starts at 10:55am. Those wishing to attend should be at the track for 10am. The rest of the day will include other Caterham races, including the mighty Caterham R300 cars. Fingers crossed for good weather, because I understand it could be a real challenge if its wet!
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Saturday, 12 June 2010
2nd at Snetterton Sprint
Snetterton was the final sprint of the 2010 Caterham Academy season where the whole field turned out in glorious sunshine to test the cars to the limit.
Unfortunately I suffered yet more brake problems and my near side rear brake calliper had to be replaced after the practice sessions in the morning. In the afternoon the heavens opened but not before Richard Grimes of Sidelines automotive made yet another long trip to assist in making the brakes reasonable. This however, caused another problem where on my first timed run I locked the newly efficient brakes at the second corner, sending me straight off onto the grass causing me to fail on my first run.
The second run I posted a time that gave me 7th position, however I knew this was not going to be enough to keep a serious position in the championship.
I knew I had to push harder, my performance so far did not give me a benchmark so it was all or nothing. The last run was two seconds faster, which secured second place overall however this obviously was not enough to get 1st place. One of the problems was the way I drove the circuit, it was very Karting Esq. turning in late, staying off the racing line, which apparently was the way to drive the circuit in the wet - but my runs were not aggressive enough!
I don’t want to sound ungrateful for my second place, however this is the third consecutive 2nd place where I now hope that a 1st place is not too far away. If I want to pose a serious challenge to the leader I will need to go one better in the races which start on 4th July at Rockingham. I will be getting tuition at both Brands Hatch on 8th June and Rockingham on 12th June where I hope to find more time on the track to go faster.
I hope to improve this year but there are now many drivers that are capable of winning races. Anyone wishing to attend at Rockingham should let me know beforehand because it is likely to be a great weekend.
Unfortunately I suffered yet more brake problems and my near side rear brake calliper had to be replaced after the practice sessions in the morning. In the afternoon the heavens opened but not before Richard Grimes of Sidelines automotive made yet another long trip to assist in making the brakes reasonable. This however, caused another problem where on my first timed run I locked the newly efficient brakes at the second corner, sending me straight off onto the grass causing me to fail on my first run.
The second run I posted a time that gave me 7th position, however I knew this was not going to be enough to keep a serious position in the championship.
I knew I had to push harder, my performance so far did not give me a benchmark so it was all or nothing. The last run was two seconds faster, which secured second place overall however this obviously was not enough to get 1st place. One of the problems was the way I drove the circuit, it was very Karting Esq. turning in late, staying off the racing line, which apparently was the way to drive the circuit in the wet - but my runs were not aggressive enough!
I don’t want to sound ungrateful for my second place, however this is the third consecutive 2nd place where I now hope that a 1st place is not too far away. If I want to pose a serious challenge to the leader I will need to go one better in the races which start on 4th July at Rockingham. I will be getting tuition at both Brands Hatch on 8th June and Rockingham on 12th June where I hope to find more time on the track to go faster.
I hope to improve this year but there are now many drivers that are capable of winning races. Anyone wishing to attend at Rockingham should let me know beforehand because it is likely to be a great weekend.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
2nd at Curborough Sprint
Having travelled to Curborough for the second round of this years Pistonheads Caterham Academy, I feel happy that I have finally solved my long term brake problem.
Having complained for months now, Caterham have finally changed the Brake Master Cylinder which appeared to be the faulty part. This was changed on the morning of the Curborough Sprint which was less than ideal, however the brakes improved dramatically. The only problem was it changed all the braking points that I learned on the previous day during the test sessions.
Having missed 3rd gear twice on my last run of the day, I had to settle for second place. Whilst my time would have improved I doubt it would still have been fast enough to get first place on this occasion.
Having complained for months now, Caterham have finally changed the Brake Master Cylinder which appeared to be the faulty part. This was changed on the morning of the Curborough Sprint which was less than ideal, however the brakes improved dramatically. The only problem was it changed all the braking points that I learned on the previous day during the test sessions.
Having missed 3rd gear twice on my last run of the day, I had to settle for second place. Whilst my time would have improved I doubt it would still have been fast enough to get first place on this occasion.
I am still in a very strong position for the rest of this season however its now time to start winning some races!
Next round is Snetterton on 29th MAY.
Next round is Snetterton on 29th MAY.
Monday, 10 May 2010
Round 2 - Curborough Saturday 15th MAY
This Saturday is the second round of the Pistonheads Caterham Academy 2010 at Curborough. This is one of the oldest motor racing venues in the UK and hopefully I can go one better than last time out. Those wishing to attend can join me at the circuit from 9am.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
2nd at Aintree - First Sprint
On Saturday 24th April the Caterham 2010 Academy started. We visited the Aintree Sprint in Liverpool where this years drivers competed for the Championship.We had two practice sessions before being timed on the course. One my second run was done in 54.61seconds only to be beaten by 0.02 of a second during the day. I therefore picked up the first Losers place (2nd) where its clear that this year is going to be very close.
My pit crew for the weekend included my wife, son and daughter so it was a family affair through and through. I guess their view is if we cant stop him, we may as well join him!
I have attached the video for my fastest run but unfortunately I knocked the camera as I got into the car so unfortunately it points off to the left a bit.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Castle Combe
On 14th April the first official Caterham Academy 2010 test day took place. The venue was Castle Combe.
It was the first chance to see how quick all 48 Academy would be in the year ahead. Whilst timing was forbidden, a few (including yours truly) timed their laps to see how well they were doing during the day.
The day confirmed that this year is going to be very close and is likely to go down to the wire.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Silverstone Slalom Challenge
The Silverstone Slalom Challenge on 27th March was the first time all Group 1 Drivers competed in a Friendly pre-season event. The day was organised by Caterham where the purpose was to get drivers to push their cars through short, tight, twisty courses during the day to get to know how they perform.
The day also included the opportunity to practice standing starts against the clock and to discuss the tales so far with other drivers.
The final task of the day was to compete against all competitor's and the clock to win the Caterham Slalom Challenge. I am pleased to confirm that I won it with a winning time of 25.54 seconds. Hopefully this will be first victory of many this year but the competition will be strong. The Slalom Challenge was something that I was not comfortable with all day but I managed to change my driving style to generate a fast enough time on a damp course.
The day also included the opportunity to practice standing starts against the clock and to discuss the tales so far with other drivers.
The final task of the day was to compete against all competitor's and the clock to win the Caterham Slalom Challenge. I am pleased to confirm that I won it with a winning time of 25.54 seconds. Hopefully this will be first victory of many this year but the competition will be strong. The Slalom Challenge was something that I was not comfortable with all day but I managed to change my driving style to generate a fast enough time on a damp course.
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