Caterham Seven Academy: racing in the rain

► We’ve finished building our Seven!► Now to race it in the Caterham Academy► Join us on our rookie race adventure Rockingham’s International Sportscar Long layout uses the first of the circuit’s four banked turns, adding a unique complexion to a circuit that often struggles for appeal with the likes of Silverstone, Donington and Snetterton all less than two hours away. In an Academy-spec Caterham the banked corner is taken flat-out in fourth gear when it’s not raining, the ideal line being just inside the white line that denotes the track limit. But throughout the qualifying session for our recent race at Rockingham, round six of the championship, it was raining; hard. Wipers-going-full-bore-but-making-no-difference raining.Turn one became a lift and a gentle re-application of a steadying throttle once into the corner, with the ideal line a little higher on the banking to steer clear of the friction-free rubber on the normal racing line. Fine, until you pass over the dry line towards the end of the corner, revs flare, and the car kicks sideways at 90mph. Good times. The 15-minute session was an all-consuming lesson in low-speed, zero-grip car control, with more slides provoked and clumsily caught than in the rest of the season combined. Come… Read full this story

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