Race Preparation, Handling Day and Test Day (Playing Catch-up)

With a mad few months at work and a growing family I have neglected my blog recently (this is being written the day after the Aintree Sprint), but I am desperate to keep the diary going and record everything I have been doing, so have tried to compressed everything between the Set-up Day and the Aintree Sprint into the one update:

Race Preparation (Take 1) - Saturday 10th March:

After the Set-up Day at Caterham it was clear that there was still a lot of work to be done to our cars to get them ready for competition, so I took mine back over to my parents garage to start on the list of things to do. As usual, most of the jobs took much longer than expected and I didn't get anywhere near as much done as I had imagined, but it was a good start.

At the Set-up Day I had bought some competition brake pads and the thicker front anti-roll bar (the red-bar, rather than the orange bar the car was supplied with). I fitted both of these quickly and without any great trouble. I then moved onto the grill which requires the 7 be in front of the mesh, whereas the IVA requires these to be the other way around. Again this was a very straightforward job and done in a matter of minutes. After these small jobs I set about draining the gearbox oil and changing it for a different grade. I had used Comma 75-90 GL5 and had been unhappy with the gear-change from new, so was recommended Redline 75 – 90 GL4 as an alternative. This was a pretty unpleasant job to complete, but made much easier by the loan of a transfer pump from a fellow Caterham 7 owner (Ian - SM25T) and a much better understanding of how to fill the gearbox after the original build. The transfer pump enabled me to suck all of the old oil out of the gearbox and by using a small oil can with a thumb pump and a long thin nozzle, filling took a matter of 30 minutes rather than the 2 – 3 hours during the original build. The next job on the list was to fit the side intrusion bar, which mounts at the front of the cage, behind the drivers seat and at the front A-frame mounting point. Whilst not a difficult job, it took quite a lot of jiggling and heaving to make everything line up properly and get the bolts in and torqued up properly. The final job I completed was to fit and connect the rain light, the hardest part of which was making the p-clip that it mounts to stretch far enough around the roll-bar to get it mounted correctly.

That little lot took me the best part of a day and I had only just made a small dent in the to-do list. It was at this point I realised how horribly time consuming race preparation is!

Flat Floor & Race Seat - Thursday 15th March:

After the Set-up Day I had decided to take advantage of the Caterham flat floor option, which they are doing as deal for £50 for all Academy drivers. This is really impressive given the time involved (at least 3 hours) and is done to try and help avoid Academy racers getting taken advantage of by people blinding them with set-up science and large set-up bills. I have heard mixed things about the Caterham set-up, but decided to give it a go and see how I get on with it. Some they aren’t very accurate, but the set-up morning and Simon’s Lamberts explanation of the basic parameters showed that in theory it should work just fine. Whilst my car was back at the factory Caterham had offered to change the rear callipers, which needed replacing as part of a parts recall, and I had decided to have a foam race seat made at the same time as I didn’t have enough leg room with the Tillet seat and I was worried that I would be too close to the roll bar with my crash helmet on to comply with the regulations.

I set off for Caterham at 6am and arrived at the factory just after 7am - an early start to give the guys the best possible chance of finishing everything in a day. My car was taken off around the back of the factory to have the callipers changed and my drivers seat taken out, which took a good couple of hours and gave me plenty of time to sit in reception watching videos of previous years Academy racing, drink coffee and eat biscuits. A little later I was called around to the back of the factory to start my seat fitting which involved me sitting in the car on top of a large plastic bag as the technician, Mark, pored expanding foam in. This process was repeated three times for the different parts of the seat and took a good couple of hours as we chatted waiting for the chemicals to set. After the seat had been formed Mark got to work on the suspension; toe, camber and ride heights, which he found to be quite a long way out from where they needed to be, particularly at the rear where the ride height was very low.

After lunch and a long wait back in reception as Mark wrapped the seat in tape and fitted it to the car, I got to pay (£300) and take the car back. I drove it down the road and immediately brought it back as the steering wheel was off-centre. Mark sorted this in a matter of minutes and we were off again. The car certainly felt a whole lot better to drive home than it had on the way there, with none of the bottoming out I had experienced from the basic factory set-up, feeling much more fluid and planted on the road. I felt much more comfortable in the car too, sitting much lower and with all the legroom I needed, so whilst and expensive trip it felt like money well spent. I really enjoyed the drive home, especially as it had turned into a beautifully sunny afternoon.

Handling Day - Sunday 18th March:

The next event on the calendar was held on Mothering Sunday (not the best day when you are short of brownie points) and was the “Handling Day” at Silverstone. I actually joined Group 2, as the Group 1 guys were doing theirs on the Saturday, but I was at the England/Ireland game watching the Irish front row collapse with clients......it was a tough weekend :-)

The Handling Day was our first taste of (semi-serious) competition and was brilliant fun in a hooligan sort of way. I left home early for Silverstone, driving through freezing fog with the hood down along the back roads and arrived to a bleak and chilly Silverstone frozen to the core but happy. After quite a bit of waiting around we were given our briefing and started the day with a Le-Mans start, sounding our horns when fully strapped into our cars. Ten minutes after the starter had sounded, most of us were still fiddling with our wrist restraints/crotch straps! Whilst slightly bizarre the challenge had brilliantly highlighted just how long it takes to get properly strapped into a Caterham and it was a lesson well worth learning before the first competitive event.

We then moved on to scruitineering, where our cars were checked over for race readiness. I had completed a few of the jobs on the list, but was far from ready, so was issued with a list of all the jobs I needed to complete before the first event. Luckily I wasn't the only one (some guys hadn't even got their cars yet), but it still made me realise quite how much work I had left to do.

As the day went on we practised standing starts, slaloms and a sprint around the cones, all of which were timed and taken very seriously by everyone there, even though we pretended we weren’t that bothered. My standing starts were exuberant, but slow and I struggled with understeer on the handling course, but came a respectable 5th overall. Some of the guys have been doing serious track mileage, so whilst slightly disappointed I didn't feel as though I had done too badly. The day wasn’t very representative of any future events, but was an excellent way to practice some of the skills that I know I will need and get to know my car at and beyond the limit in relative safety.

Race Preparation (Take 2) - Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th April:

I had originally planned to complete the remaining race preparation on the weekend of the 14th April after our family holiday, but the early (by 4 weeks) arrival of Henry William James Gurr on Wednesday 11th April put pay to that plan. Once home from hospital my ever patient wife let me spend a couple of days trying to finish off the last of the jobs on my list.

I started on Monday by fitting the roll-bar padding, fitting a wide angle rear view mirror and convex door mirrors (which I had bought to replace the horrible standard items), fitting the fuel sampler, sealing the boot floor and changing the engine oil. All of these jobs were pretty straight forward, with the only problem being a leak on the fuel sampler which was quickly fixed with some PTFE tape.

Most time consuming of all was fitting the racing decals, which took me a couple of hours and a lot of swearing to get just right. This was a job worth taking time and pride over as it would be very easy to do a shoddy job, but I was pleased with the end result, despite the persistent air bubble persisting. It was also one of those jobs that was highly satisfying as the car finally looked like a proper racing car.

What I have rapidly become aware of, apart from the cost of motor racing, is the amount of time you spend getting the car ready. With the build finished I had naively assumed that there would be little else to do but climb in and drive it, but I have probably spent an extra week on the car getting it ready for the first event. Time has always been a constraint for me with a young family, but has become even more so with Henry arriving. Apparently paternity leave is not “a great time to work on the car”, so with one more job to do (fit the oil breather tank) I handed the car over to Chris Wheeler at the 7 Workshop to do this and fit the timing strut for the sprints. At this point I really appreciate why some people use race teams to support their efforts, but thankfully for my very limited bank balance, these are not permitted in the Academy.

Test Day - 18th April:

The final event before the first competitive sprint was held on the 18^th April and thanks to my ever patient wife I was able to attend the “Test Day” at Castle Combe, despite Henry only being a week old. This time I decided to trailer the car down to the circuit, which turned out to be a great idea given the biblical weather and my severely sleep deprived state. Because of the expanded family we had been out and bought a new family waggon (a Volvo XC60) which very conveniently came with a removable tow bar and I had borrowed a trailer from a friend of mine (Wes Fox, who won the Academy in 2010). I had never trailered before, so it took me a good hour to load the car and get it strapped down properly the night before. The drive down was uneventful, but I stopped at least twice within the first couple of miles to check that everything was still tight and that I had actually taken the handbrake off the trailer (it is amazing the tricks your mind can play on you)!

The Test Day itself was an exclusive track day for the 2012 Academy guys and a great opportunity to spend time on the track with my car. Many of the other drivers have done a number of track days already, a couple doing up to 1,500 track miles already, but with a busy client project and the birth of baby Gurr number 3 I simply hadn’t had time to get out on track until this point. Before setting off at 5.30am I was feeling tired and generally not in the mood, but by the end of the day I was elated.

Our cars were noise tested and scruitineered in the morning, but after that it was a case of enjoying our 20 minute sessions and sheltering from the unrelenting rain. The track was unbelievably wet and slippery and our first session was started behind a course car, which I thought was going stupidly slowly until I started sliding and wheel spinning just trying to keep up. I was at the front of the group and could see virtually nothing, but built speed up slowly and started to leave the other guys behind. During our second session I got more confident and started trying different lines and looking for grip off line. I also started overtaking a few of the slower guys which felt fantastic. By the end of the fourth session I felt I was really getting on top of the car and the conditions, overtaking plenty of cars and not getting overtaken myself. I know it wasn't a competitive event, but it helped give me confidence in my driving. It was by far and away the most fun I have ever had in a car and a fantastic opportunity to practice very delicate car control. Visibility at points was near zero, with my screen misting up badly and the only way of telling where the track went being to follow the rain light of the car in front, but it was unbelievable fun and a good gauge of who will be quick in our coming races. I was pleased with the way I had driven and left the circuit late that afternoon with some really positive feedback from the tutors and my car still in one piece, which put me on a real high. If our races are half as much fun, then it is going to be an incredible year.

The Set-up Day

Today I went to the "Academy Set-up Day", a new addition to the Academy calendar held down at the Caterham Dartford factory, which is geared towards helping us get a better understanding of basic car set-up. It has been established this year following feedback from previous groups and a desire to help us keep costs down by showing participants that they don't need to go to race teams and spend a fortune getting their cars set-up. It was an excellent morning.

We started at 10am, as usual, with a cup of tea and a good chat with new and old faces alike, before being separated into our groups. My group started by going to the "skunk works", which was really a small building a couple of doors down from the factory where we got to have a close look at the new Caterham SP300R. This was a really exciting opportunity and the car really was a very impressive looking bit of kit, sold to us as what we would all be driving in 5 years’ time if we followed the Caterham motorsport ladder all the way up. At the best part of £70k (excluding VAT) that may be wishful thinking, but one can always dream.

After this we went back to the factory to be shown the production line, which was quaint and fascinating at the same time. The thing that amazed me most of all was the number of different car specifications that the guys building the cars have to deal with. There were a lot of left hand drive cars on the line when we were there and there were all number of strange exhaust systems, mirror mounting points, lighting set-ups etc. It really is like stepping back in time with about 30 cars on trolleys and not a robot in sight. Just how you would imagine and want it, albeit more sophisticated than the garage I built mine in!

After this we were taken over to a car in one of the service bays where the guys talked us through tyre pressures, camber, castor, toe in/out, anti-roll bars, corner weights and ride heights. The aim was to try and explain how each of these settings affects the car and the rough parameters that we should be looking to work within, before finding our own preferences. I had a reasonable understanding of these parameters before going in, but it was a really useful refresher and as always the guys patiently answered all of our questions, no matter how silly.

We finished around 1pm, but before leaving I popped into the parts office to pick up some race spec brake pads, a thicker front anti-roll bar and some nylon wing bolts so that I now have all I need to finish preparing my car next weekend. After that I have booked the car into Caterham to have a flat floor set-up done, which they are offering to us at £50 and is a real no-brain decision as far as I am concerned. I am also looking to get a bag seat made up at the same time as I am just too tall to fit the tillet seats properly. It is fine on the road, but with a helmet on my head is too close to the top of the rollcage. It will be yet more money, but Caterham really are doing all they can to help take as much of the sting out of the tail as possible. Today was another excellent example of that.

The ARDS Day

Yesterday was the Association of Racing Drivers Schools (ARDS) day for the Group 1 Academy gang…..the day where we were all going to be tested to see if we were ready to be given a racing license. I didn’t really know what to expect as we hadn’t been told a great deal about the day, or the test, and there wasn’t a great deal of information available on the Internet that I could find. We had been sent the MSA Blue book (which is not an easy, or indeed required read) and associated MSA DVD to revise from, but I couldn’t find any sample papers to prepare myself with, so felt quite uncertain about what the day would hold. I needn’t have been worried.

The day itself started very early, with me leaving just after 5am from Hertford to try to get to Castle Combe for 8am (a journey of 130 miles). I didn’t want to be late, so left myself plenty of time! I also decided that with the melting of the final few patches of snow it would be appropriate to try and put a few more miles on the Caterham, so wrapped up warm, dropped the hood, plugged in my i-pod and set off. I love driving at night with the roof down, but it was really rather cold and I was glad of a cup coffee and a few minutes of last minute revision when I got down to the circuit. Two of the other guys had decided to bring their Caterhams down as well, one coming down from somewhere well and truly up north (a 6 hour drive away), so I didn’t feel like the only other mad man there.

Once at the circuit it was nice to catch up with some old faces and introduced myself to some new ones at the same time. Everyone is very friendly and we were all quickly exchanging war stories of our build experiences and first track days (for those that have done them) whilst Jenny and Simon from Caterham tried to get our attention to start the day. They did a brief introduction before splitting us up into 4 groups for the day. My group started by watching the MSA DVD, before heading out onto the track with an instructor who showed us the circuit at 60 – 70% race pace in a Fiesta ST. I had never been to Castle Combe before, but it is very fast and flowing track that was easy enough to learn. It would be fun in a Caterham Academy car, but probably quite eye opening on a quick bike or in a single seater.

Whilst the first of our group went off for his track test I went off to pee in a pot and see the doctor. With eyes tested, blood pressure taken and some intimate question asked, it was back to the car for my turn on the track. I did eight laps - five with the instructor instructing, then three with him observing in silence. He was looking for a good understanding of the racing line, smoothness, consistency and good forward vision and all-round awareness. Basically they want you to drive at 60 – 70% race pace, but in a controlled and safe style, such that they would be happy to be on a circuit with you. Speed is not important! I passed the track test just fine, with positive comments on all aspects of my style, but a note of warning about changing down the gears too early and carrying a touch too much speed into some of the corners. I did however have to stop myself from really going for it when I was overtaken on the pit straight and remind myself that it wasn’t a race….not just yet anyway.

After the track test we watched the second part of the MSA DVD, before sitting the written test. The DVD really does give you all of the answers to the test, so this really was very simple. It consisted of approximately eight statements/situations, for which you had to write the colour of the flag that would be used and whether it would be stationary or waved. There were then approximately 20 multiple choice questions asking you what you would do in certain race day and racing situations. These really were common sense, so if you know your flags and have common sense then you really should pass this part of the test first time.

After lunch my group went off to the skid pan, where we spent an hour thrashing some very tired old BMW 3 series around an oily and very slippery circuit. This didn’t form any part of the test and was a great excuse to behave like a hooligan, spinning around like a fool with no danger to either car or self. After the skid pan it was back to the race centre for a talk with the Caterham guys on preparing the car for scruitineering. This was really useful and highlighted that we all still have a bit of work to do to get our cars ready for the first sprint. I think another day in the garage is required, especially as my car has been re-called for potentially faulty rear brake callipers that I also need to swap over. At this point we found out that everyone had passed their test, which was fantastic news and a demonstration of the fact that they really are looking for people to pass rather than fail. As ever the guys from Caterham did a fantastic job in preparing us all and generating an environment that was friendly, relaxed and where we could take another gentle step towards our first race with confidence.

After a long day at the circuit it was great to get back into the Caterham for the drive home knowing that I was one step closer to becoming a fully-fledged racing driver. The drive itself was long and cold, so I got home very tired, but also very pleased, with a Caterham well run in and in desperate need of a good bath. It was a very good day and certainly beat being at work!

Short blat to collect the christmas tree

Short blat to collect the christmas tree:

It was a beautiful day today and I hadn't been in the car for a couple of weeks, so I used it as an excuse to go out and get our christmas tree. We have two saloon cars, neither of which have folding rear seats, so the Caterham was a surprisingly practical alternative. I managed to combine this with a short blat around some of the local lanes, but gave up after half an hour because my hands were getting pretty cold. On the way home with the tree sticking out of the top of the car I got some pretty funny looks, but who cares....tis the season to be jolly, and I felt jolly today!

Caterham Academy 2012 - Collecting the Car

Collecting the Car:

This morning my long suffering wife took me down to Caterham Dartford to collect my car following it`s post build check and IVA. To say the location is less than glamorous is an understatement, especially on a Saturday morning where the place looks deserted.  I got to meet the chap who had been working on my car, who said it was a good build, which was nice to hear. I suspect they say that to everyone who comes to collect their new-build after it's post build check, but it put a smile on my face none the less.

There was another owner there collecting his R500 after a service, so we had a bit of a chat. It turns out he has had endless problems with the car miss-firing, so is actually looking to get shot of it, which was a real shame. Still, I couldn't have been more excited to get in and drive mine away, even if it did take me a good 10 - 15 minutes to get in and buckled up (they may be quick cars, but you certainly don’t make a quick getaway). The drive back home was rather dull, round the M25 and up the A10, but driving a Caterham is such an event it makes even the most boring drive into a mini-adventure.

Initial impressions of the car are very good. It has strong acceleration up to 80mph, after which it tails off noticeably like all lower powered Caterhams with a windscreen in place. The engine sounds fine, with a nice exhaust roar and some lovely pops and bangs on the overrun, which give it some real character despite the humble origins. The most impressive aspect, as always, is the immediate response from the steering, throttle and brakes, which make you feel absolutely connected to the car. Even the ride is ok and certainly better than my last 7, but I haven't really pushed the handling too far as yet to see if this will cause compromises elsewhere.

Later on in the day I took the car for a proper blat along some of the narrower country roads around home and it came alive......there really is nothing like driving a Caterham on a pleasant evening with the roof down, the engine singing and the smells of the country filling your nose. It has been 5 years since I last owned one, but all the fantastic memories came flooding back in an instant....most fondly the easily controlled oversteer out of each and every roundabout! Goodness only knows how much fun the racing is going to be J

Caterham Academy 2012 - Academy Seminar & IVA

On Saturday I went up to Caterham Midlands for a seminar on the Academy with my fellow 2012 Academics. It was a fantastic day and a great opportunity to meet many of the guys that I will be racing with throughout 2012.....they are a diverse, but great group, united by a shared passion. It was fascinating to compare build stories with those that are building their cars and share our fears as well as excitement for the year ahead. If truth be told I think we were also starting to eye each other up and work out who our main competition was going to be :-)

The Caterham team did a fantastic job of giving us an idea of what to expect from the year and answering all of our questions, no matter how silly (do we have to bring our own brolly girls? being the best). The highlight for me was having a couple of the guys from the 2011 Academy come and talk us through their experiences. What was absolutely clear was that it had been a great experience for them and that they had formed some fantastic friendships along the way. It was really apparent that they had caught the racing bug badly and were looking forward to their 2012 season.

We had presentations from Book a Track on track days and tuition, REIS on Insurance, PRG on trailers and Demon Tweaks on race wear. These were all really useful, but also highlighted how much money there is still to spend getting ready for next year. I hadn't even considered things like Hans devices for my helmet, but it became clear that it is something that I should really consider. However if I do go for a Hans device I also need to get my seatbelt mounts modified at the chassis manufacturer, for yet more expenditure in time and cost. At least I now know what I need to do between now and the first sprint in March and that I need to prioritise the key decisions. First off.....what colour race suit do I go for (as Simon said on Saturday, if you aren't winning, you need to be looking good!).

Today I got an e-mail from Caterham saying that my car had failed its IVA on a seatbelt issue. Being confused and slightly concerned as to exactly what the problem was, I phoned Kate at Caterham Dartford and she told me that the seatbelt buckle was faulty (a manufacturing issue) and that it needed to be replaced under warranty. Later that day I got a call to say that they had fixed it and put it in for a re-test, which it had passed. I have to say I am really glad I decided to get Caterham to put the car through for me, as it saved me the time and cost of taking time out for two tests as well as getting the faulty part fixed, which would likely have taken me several weeks in elapsed time and a couple of days out of work....it really was money well spent!

I am obviously delighted and am now itching to pick the car up and get driving as soon as possible. Caterham are also doing the registration for me and if the DVLA are on top form there is a chance I might be able to pick her up on Saturday. I really do hope so as I started this journey over a year ago when my wife and little girls came down to Caterham with me to put the deposit down on the car as a birthday present (the photos below are of that day and are where I got the idea for the colour scheme for my car). The waiting has been painful at times, but as they say....good things come to those that wait....and I have done enough waiting :-)

Caterham Academy 2012 - Build (Post Build Check Update & Time Lapse Video)

Post Build Check Update & Time Lapse Video:

I heard back from Caterham today on my post build check, which went well, but highlighted a few issues that needed sorting. The comforting thing was that almost all of them were items that I had pointed out to them as being required because I had run out of time, but there was one of concern, which was a cracked A-frame. Caterham claim this was due to the diff not being properly spaced, but I am adamant that it was +/-2mm as per the instructions, so will have a chat with them about it. The rest are related to tidying up the engine bay wiring and replacing a couple of washers that were the wrong size, so not too bad a result for someone that has never done something like this before and did it largely un-aided in two weeks. I am pleased.

The car is booked in for its IVA test on the 22nd, which Caterham will do for me. Having thought long and hard about it I decided that the lack of time and lack of brownie points with the family made this the sensible option. They will also register the car for me, so it will be ready for collection from the 29th November onwards. To say I can't wait to collect her and go for that first drive is a massive understatement!

In the mean time I thought I would put up a link to the time lapse video of the build, which seems to show me displaying copious amounts of builders bum......enjoy :-) It is certainly a nice memory of the whole build process and I really enjoyed watching it back last night.