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The popular Caterham series standing out from the crowd

OPINION: There may be plenty of places to race a Caterham, but the continual innovation from the 7 Race Series is helping it attract the masses

Caterham 7 Race Series Ollie Read

There can be no disputing the popularity of Caterhams among club racers. Every year, hundreds of drivers compete up and down the country in various forms of the humble Seven. There is a plethora of series dedicated to Caterham machines, and even more multi-marque categories in which fans of these cars can race. Yet, despite that abundance of well-established options, there was still space in the market for one more.

Back in 2017, successful Caterham team McMillan Motorsport joined forces with MotorSport Vision Racing to develop its own version of the theme: the 7 Race Series. This proved tremendously popular from the off, attracting 38 entries for its Brands Hatch event in that inaugural year, and it has continually grown since, last year averaging a combined 57 cars across its two grids. Such success for the 7 Race Series is no coincidence and there are several reasons why it has proven a hit.

“One is everybody abiding by the technical regulations, we are unbelievably hot on that,” says series manager Sean Bicknell. “Andy McMillan is a phenomenal engineer – McMillan Motorsport rebuild the diffs, rebuild the gearboxes, the engines, so that fundamental understanding of a legal car and a non-legal car [is there].

“Also, drivers don’t want to go and play bumper cars. It’s about driving standards and we’re really hot on that from a number of angles. We actually don’t let the teams run their own hospitality. Because what we think is, if you’re going to sit down in the morning next to a guy you’ve not met before and have a bacon sandwich, you’re less likely to have him off at the first bend.”

That approach is proving popular with drivers. Gary Smith claimed the 1600 championship last year, having previously competed in several other Caterham-based series, and believes a good atmosphere off-track is important.

“You pay a lot of money to go racing and you want to do it with people you get along with,” he says. “If you go to a different grid, everybody will go back to their particular vehicle or hotels, whereas we generally try to stay in the same hotel. We’ll be around in the evening and have a meal together.

“None of us are going to be in Formula 1 or be paid drivers, let’s be honest. We’re paying to go racing at the weekend, so you’d best enjoy it – otherwise, what are you doing it for?”

Racing on Brands GP layout in front of a huge crowd was a highlight for Smith

Racing on Brands GP layout in front of a huge crowd was a highlight for Smith

Photo by: Gary Hawkins

And the 7 Race Series drivers get to enjoy their competition at some of the best circuits in the UK and Europe.

“Last year we went to Monza, Estoril and Spa and the GP circuits in the UK, so we do Brands GP rather than Brands Indy,” continues Smith. “When we were at Brands, Valentino Rossi was racing [in the GT World Challenge Europe that the 7 Race Series was supporting]. There were so many spectators, there were 25,000-30,000 people, and we were racing in front of them!

“I managed to get a double win that weekend and those are ones I’ll watch on YouTube forever! You look at the crowds, everybody’s applauding and they’re loving the racing. It’s a bucket-list experience.”

Organisers have even gone a step further than most club categories and are offering prizes for the champions. The 420R and 310R title winners will receive a day’s testing in a Porsche Carrera Cup GB machine, while the 420R Sportsman and 270R champions will get to sample a Porsche Sprint Challenge Cayman

In addition to the premier UK venues, European trips have long formed part of the series’ schedule. Valencia, Jerez and Estoril are on this year’s itinerary after the main championship season, which begins at Donington Park next month, has concluded. McMillan has the ability to transport significant numbers of Caterhams across the continent and can also handle the extensive post-Brexit paperwork, thereby providing competitors with a hassle-free experience.

“All the guys jump on a cheap flight – we’ve taken all the cars, all the spare wheels, everything down there and it just makes it more cost-effective and more fun,” says Bicknell.

With it being Caterham competition, the racing is also incredibly close. Smith says the huge grids mean there is always someone for each driver to race against, and he picks out last year’s Snetterton contests– when he was part of a trio separated by less than a second across the three races combined – as particular favourites.

But organisers are conscious of keeping those not involved in the fight at the front engaged, and have therefore introduced the 420R Sportsman championship to give inexperienced drivers in the midfield something to fight for. Similarly, the Chapman Trophy has been created for the top scoring driver aged over 55 on each weekend. A number of enquiries have also led to the formation of a bespoke 270R championship, rather than the catch-all 1600 contest that was dominated by 310R machines.

Smith enjoyed very close
Snetterton contests last year

Smith enjoyed very close Snetterton contests last year

Photo by: Richard Styles

Further innovations include the series trying to do its bit for the planet, with Smith’s Optimising IT firm helping offset the carbon produced from the use of fuel, tyres and brakes across the season. And organisers have even gone a step further than most club categories and are offering prizes for the champions.

The 420R and 310R title winners will receive a day’s testing in a Porsche Carrera Cup GB machine, while the 420R Sportsman and 270R champions will get to sample a Porsche Sprint Challenge Cayman, all courtesy of Porsche and Caterham squad Team Parker Racing. Those prizes are just one example of how the 7 Race Series is continuing to develop and is not resting on its laurels.

“The team of guys we’ve got at McMillan, we sit around and it’s like, ‘You know what, let’s give it a go, let’s give it a try,’” Bicknell concludes. “And we’re not scared of doing that. If we do something and it doesn’t work, fair enough, you don’t know if you don’t try.”

The entry numbers do not lie and it’s clear that, so far, this approach is paying off as the series continues to grow.

The championship's approach is paying dividends with healthy entry sizes

The championship's approach is paying dividends with healthy entry sizes

Photo by: Mick Walker

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