About

The Caterham Graduates series was started in 1998 by competitors from the 1997 Caterham Scholarship as a “follow-on” championship. In its first two years, it was a multi-discipline series, with the rounds being made up of sprints, hillclimbs, and circuit races, similar to the Caterham Scholarship format. The emphasis moved more and more towards circuit races, and from 2000-on the series has comprised solely of circuit races.

In 2001, the championship spawned a second class – Super-Graduates – based on an up-rated Caterham Academy car. In 2003, Super-Graduates because Mega-Graduates and a new Super-Graduate class was formed for standard ex-Academy cars (confusing, isn’t it?). Each class generally races on a separate grid, the exception this year being Spa-Francorchamps, where all classes will start together on a 65-car grid!

The cars in the series are genuinely road-going, although Mega-Graduates spec is moving away from this with the deletion of lights, and indeed a few are driven to (and hopefully back from) races. Many are used by drivers mid-week for transport to work and for shopping, needing no more than the covering up of competition numbers to make them road-legal. Very few changes from the standard specification are allowed, putting the emphasis firmly on driving ability rather than car development and set-up. Along with low consumable costs, this keeps the costs of running a car very much under control, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to go racing. The large grid sizes are a testament to this low-cost formula, with over 120 drivers registered for the championship across the three classes. Part of the championship’s popularity is due to the technical support which is available to all the drivers F.O.C. at every round – parts and expertise are provided by McMillan Motorsport.

The championship is one of the largest in the country, if not the largest. The competitors come from a variety of backgrounds. A number have “graduated” from the novice Caterham Scholarship and Academy series, whilst many others have made it their first foray into motorsport. Past champions include 2002 Super-Graduate runner-up Jon Barnes who went on to win the Bristish GT championship in 2008.

In each of the classes points are awarded thus: 50 for a win, 49 for 2nd place, 48 for 3rd place, right down to 3 points for finishing 48th or lower. And even a driver who fails to finish will still earn one point! At the end of the season, drivers drop their worse three scores, allow for missing a race or two, or a DNF.

Race numbers represent a driver’s performance in the previous season: Numbers 1 – 70 go to Mega-Graduates, 71 – 99 to Classics and 101 – 199 to Super-Graduates. And the first ten numbers in each class are reserved for those finishing n the pervious year’s top ten (For instance, Graeme Smith’s number 71 indicates that he came 1st in Classics in 2008). Higher numbers go to those who are new to the championship or class.

All classes run on Yokohama tyres. Classics race on list 1A A539s, whilst Supers and Megas use the stickier list 1B A048R. George Polley Motorsport provide tyre service at selected rounds.
The championship enjoys sponsorship from Yokohama tyres, George Polley Motorsport, Arch Motors, Comma Oils, Juniper Networks (Jo Self), MSAR (Jenny Grace), ID:UK websites (Jamie Ellwood), SMM Solutions (Sheila Marshall), Thornhill Heat Exchangers, Pattemores and McMillan Motorsport.

Classic Graduates

The cars in the Classic class are Caterham Seven Classics with live-rear axles and 1600cc 8-valve engines, producing around 100 bhp – cars which originally came from the Caterham Academy between 1995 and 2000. Engines are either from Ford or Vauxhall. The standard Graduates run on class 1A Yokohama A539s, ensuring a good balance of power-to-grip.

Super-Graduates

The Super-Graduate class is for cars from 2001-on Caterham Academy specification. The only significant permitted changes are a swap to stickier Yokohama A048R tyres and an optional rear anti-roll bar. The cars have more modern DeDion rear suspension and 1600cc Rover K-series engines, producing around 125bhp.

Mega-Graduates

Mega-Graduate is an up-grade of the Super-Graduate car, with about 140bhp thanks to some controlled engine modifications. The cars are also allowed wide-track front suspension for better handling. Perhaps the most obvious changes are an aeroscreen instead of a full windscreen and the deletion of headlights and rear lights, giving a more “race car” look and reduced aerodynamic drag.

(reproduced from the Caterham Graduates website)