Barnes and Stevens Team Up for the Caterham Masters

29 April 2005

Reigning Caterham champions Luke Stevens and Jon Barnes are to team up to contest the Cosworth Caterham Masters, the two-driver championship for the all-new Caterham CSR 260 model, which gets underway in Germany next month.

Stevens, who last year pipped Barnes to the Powertrain Caterham R400 Challenge crown, says the two are setting aside their rivalry to race under the Hyperion Motorsport banner with backing from Acre Jean Ltd.

They will form the youngest driver pairing in the exciting new 12-round championship. Barnes, 21, said of his team-mate: "Luke and I have had our battles on the track but they've all been fair and good fun. It will be great to combine our talents and see what we can do with the new car…"

Barnes has an advantage over Stevens in knowing most of the circuits on the Cosworth Caterham Masters schedule - he won at the Nurburgring and Dijon last year on his way to the Autosport Caterham Eurocup championship title. Stevens, 22, said: "It's going to be a steep learning curve for me with new circuits as well as a new car, and the fact that I'll be running with a team rather than looking after the car myself, but I'm looking forward to it."

The man behind chief sponsor Acre Jean is experienced Caterham racer Ross Maxwell, who said: "I'm delighted to be helping to put two such talented youngsters on to the grid."
Hyperion will also be fielding a CSR for Eurocup regulars Daniel Mitchell and Mike Cantillon, and another for Autosport journalist Nick Phillips, partnered by Nigel Bent. A fourth Hyperion car is likely.
Other British teams taking part are Taylor's Foundry Motor Sport with Scottish pairing Esmond Smith and Malcolm Johnstone, and Colards Motorsport, who will field a car for multiple Caterham champion Clive Richards and former Le Mans star Richard Hay.

Colards will also prepare a 'solo' car for another Eurocup regular, David Knox - rather than handing over to another driver during the mandatory pit stop in each race, Knox will instead have to remain stationary in the pit lane for the required period. Another driver taking this route is veteran Philip Derby, who will drive a Team Parker Racing-prepared CSR.

One of the most unusual driver pairings is Mr and Mrs Gladman - Philip and Natasha - who will be the first husband and wife ever to contest a Caterham championship together. Philip was a Superlight Challenge race-winner and Natasha, to whom he has been married for six months, is a Lotus sports car racer just like her father, Bobby Bell.
Ranged against the Brits will be at least a dozen cars entered by Caterham Competition France.

Unveiled last October, the Caterham CSR is an all-new version of the legendary Seven sports car, featuring fully independent rear and inboard F1-style front suspension plus many chassis and aerodynamic enhancements. Power for the racing model is provided by a Cosworth-developed Ford Duratec 2.3-litre.

Each of the six Cosworth Caterham Masters meetings will feature two one-hour races. Each car must make a pit visit for a set period at between one-third and two-thirds distance.
In addition to title sponsorship from Cosworth, the championship is backed by Comma and by Avon, which has developed bespoke wet-weather and slick tyres for the CSR and which is providing competitor assistance at each meeting.

See series calendars for all 2005 Caterham Championships

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