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The Caterham Graduates Championship was started in 1998 by competitors from the 1997 Caterham Scholarship (subsequently Caterham Academy). For the first year it was called the Graduate 797 series (the first "7" for Caterham Seven, and "97" from the year that most drivers started competing). In its first two years, it was a multi-discipline series, with the rounds being made up of sprints (single car on track, against the clock), 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 been entirely circuit races.[1]
In 2001, following the Caterham Academy's change to Rover-engined cars, the championship launched a second class named Super Graduates, based upon an uprated K-Series Academy car.
In 2003, the Super Graduates class was further upgraded and renamed the Mega Graduates. A replacement Super Graduates class was created to accommodate standard ex-Academy cars with Rover K-series engines.
In 2007, the "Graduates" class was rebranded "Classic Graduates".
In 2010, Ford Sigma-engined cars were introduced as a sub-class of Super Graduates. From 2011 onwards, the Sigma cars have been a separate, 4th championship class.
In 2013, a 5th championship class was introduced for variants of the Ford Sigma-engined cars - SigMax. This allows suspension and engine upgrades in line with the Caterham Tracksport and Supersport series.
In 2019, the Super Graduates class was discontinued and merged into the Mega Graduate class. New classes were introduced for variable camshaft Sigma engines, 135 and 150 classes corresponding to 270R and 310R in the Caterham Motorsport series.
In 2020, the Mega Graduate class was merged into the SigMax class by allowing for the fitting of an LSD. The championships did not take place due to the Covid pandemic in the UK, but one-off events were able to be run when restrictions eased.
In 2021, Classic Graduates were discontinued leaving 135, 150 and SigMax classes. The CGRC Trophy (a 3 round-mini champship) was also introduced.
In 2023, the Sigmax class was merged into the Sigma 150 category.
The series is one of the largest in the UK, if not the largest, with well over 100 registered competitors. 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.
The Caterham Graduates race series takes place over 7 race meetings each year at UK and European motor racing circuits. The races are usually run over 20–30 minutes and the leading car across the line after the time has expired is the winner. Wherever possible, each class has its own grids, but for the European round, the grid is usually shared by the two CGRC classes. The events are typified by close wheel to wheel racing, often having several lead changes on the same lap.
Championship points are awarded thus: 30 for a win, 28 for 2nd place, 27 for 3rd place, right down to 2 points for finishing 28th or lower. And even a driver who fails to finish will still earn one point. A point is also awarded for the fastest lap in each race. At the end of the season, drivers drop their lowest three scores, to allow for missing a race or two, or a "DNF" (did not finish). For the purpose of calculating championship points, only championship members are relevant i.e. Trophy and Guest members are ignored.
As well as the full championship, the club also runs the Trophy for drivers who are unable to commit to a full season of racing. At the start of the season, Trophy members pick which 3 of the 7 CGRC race meetings are to be counted as their Trophy rounds. Scoring is as per championship scoring, but both Championship and Trophy members are taken into consideration when calculating scoring i.e. only Guest members are ignored.
CGRC also welcomes guest members with eligible cars. Guest members do not pay a membership fee but do pay a slightly higher race entry fee. Guest members are eligible for race trophies but cannot score points towards the Championship or Trophy.
In addition to the standard Motorsport UK rules, the club operates a Driving Standards Team (DST), made up of respected club racers and ex-racers, which ensures that the close racing is fair and safe for all. The DST exists to educate and advise drivers in all matters relating to driving standards, as well as issuing penalties where necessary.
The cars in the series are genuinely road-going, albeit with the deletion of lights, and indeed some are driven to and (hopefully) 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.
No 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.
All cars must run on Toyo R888R tyres in 185/60R13 size and in GG compound. Championship drivers are limited to 3 sets of tyres per year and Trophy drivers may use up to 2 sets. Tyre usage is monitored via a barcoding system.
Current classes are:
Sigma 135 (270R, Roadsport, Modified Roadsport and Academy)
Uses the Ford Sigma engine with TiVCT variable valve timing, as adopted by the Caterham Academy from 2014 onwards. The specification mirrors the 270R specification in Caterham Motorsport. Power is 135 hp.
This class also includes:
Caterham Roadsport
Modified Roadsport (Lights removed & Windscreen replaced with Aeroscreen)
Caterham Academy
All of which can be fully upgraded to Sigma 135 specification.
Many of the upgrades are optional (wide track suspension, quick steering rack, brake bias valve and race dampers/springs) so you need not do everything at once (or at all).
A Sigma 135 can be later upgraded to Sigma 150 specification.
Sigma 150 (310R and Sigmax)
Upgraded from the Sigma 135 (270R) class, the Sigma 150 class mirrors the 310R specification in Caterham Motorsport. Upgrades include a limited slip differential, lightened flywheel and a further engine tune with different camshafts and remapped ignition. Power is 152 hp.
Also included in the 150 class are the older fixed cam Supersport/Sigmax specification cars.
Affordability is a key ingredient to Caterham Graduates racing. Strict regulations allow only limited modifications and work on the sealed engines is limited to nominated engine builders.
Other ways the club promotes affordability include limiting the amount of tyres the drivers can use through the season, providing race-day catering as part of the drivers' entry fees, and encouraging drivers either to stay on-site at the circuits or in budget hotels locally. Wherever possible, a low-priced "free practice" session is available before qualifying, so drivers can familiarise themselves with the circuit without having to book a full day of testing before the meeting.
Drivers may choose their race number, with first refusal for each number being given to the driver who used it in the previous season.
Special numbers which are not available for drivers to choose are number 1 and number 7. Number 1 is given to one of the previous season's champions (decided by a ballot into which each class's champion is entered). Number 7 is given to the winner of the previous season's Martin Kay Trophy, which is awarded by the club's board of directors to the driver who typifies the spirit of the club with their pure joy of racing.
2002 Graduates Champion Rachel Green[4] - the first woman to win a one-make Caterham championship, and twice winner of the Lord Wakefield trophy.[5] The award is given for "outstanding achievement by a woman in motorsport worldwide."
Multiple Classic, Super and Mega Graduate champion Jamie Ellwood, now a race-winner in the Caterham Superlight R300 championship. Jamie has won a total of 10 CGRC Championships and is the only person to have won all of the Graduates Club classes in which he has competed. He is quoted by Caterham Cars as "the most successful Caterham racer ever".
2009 Classic Graduate Champion Flick Haigh, who won the championship in an exciting final round decider at a very wet Spa Francorchamps. Flick is the second female champion in the club's history, following Rachel Green's triumph in 2002. After racing in the Caterham R300 championship, she is now driving an Optimum Motorsport Ginetta GT55 in the 2015 Ginetta GT4 Supercup.
Sponsors
About a dozen or so companies have their branding across each of the 100-plus racecars, and on the club's website www.cgrc.uk.[6]
Relatively few of the drivers have individual sponsors, although this is permitted.
