Cosworth Power for Caterham's UK Challenger

07 October 2005

Following its most successful-ever season of racing, Caterham Motorsport is looking forward to even greater accomplishments in 2006, with the launch of a new car for the UK and Europe and revisions to the championship line-up aimed at further improving the package.

More than 225 drivers took part in the five Caterham UK-organised race series during 2005 -a significant increase over the previous season thanks in part to the successful launch of the Cosworth Caterham Masters, the pan-European endurance series for the exciting new Caterham CSR 260.

Caterham plans enhancements for 2006 not only to the Masters but also to the successful Eurocup, Roadsport Challenge and Academy, aimed at making them more accessible and cost-effective for competitors. But it is Caterham's UK premier class, the Caterham Challenge, which will see the greatest changes…

A new racing model - the Cosworth-powered Caterham C400 - is being developed for the UK Challenge grid, and the championship is likely once more to be a main feature event on the prestigious British GT & F3 championship tour.

Under the bonnet of the new Caterham will be a Cosworth-developed 2-litre Ford engine developing in excess of 220bhp - 20bhp more than the K-Series unit of the existing R400 model - and torque in excess of 160lb ft. The new motor features Cosworth roller barrels and a bespoke dry sump system and exhaust. A complete upgrade kit, complete with loom and cooling system, will be available with which to convert R400s, and Caterham will in addition be producing new, race-ready C400s.

The championship will retain a class for the R400 model for the 2006 season to facilitate a phased transition to the new car.

Caterham's director of motorsport, Magnus Laird, said: "The demise of MG Rover, coinciding with our renewed links with Cosworth, has enabled us to produce this remarkable car, the C400. It combines the excellent R400 chassis, which has been honed over many years of race development, with this all-new, torquey 2-litre Cosworth engine and really gives us the best of both worlds. I think many people will be surprised by just how good this car is and I see it having a long and bright future both here and overseas."

It's envisaged that the 2006 Caterham Challenge and its combined grid of C400s and R400s will appear on the bill of six GT/F3 meetings in the UK, and that the championship will once again benefit from extensive Sky Sports TV coverage.

Cosworth Caterham Masters

Caterham's new-for-2005 European 'mini endurance' showcase for the all-new CSR 260 model proved a runaway success, with in excess of 50 different drivers - French, British and Italian - sampling the car in double-header one-hour races at six top-class venues, including Monza, the Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Valencia and Dijon.

'The Cosworth Caterham Masters is the fulfilment of a long-held Caterham ambition,' said Laird, 'and the new car has proved ultra-quick and competitive, and the strategy required for the pit stops and driver changes has produced some epic races. Plans for 2006 include a larger grid with even greater national diversity, enhanced durability and a stellar line-up of Grand Prix circuits.'

Autosport Caterham Eurocup

Next year will be the Eurocup's sixth season and significant technical and class structure changes are planned to make the series even more accommodating to Caterham drivers seeking to make their first forays to Europe's top circuits. Chief among these will be a switch for the whole grid to Avon CR500 tyres, as employed across all Caterham's UK-based championships.

There will be classes for both the R400 and the new C400, as well as a Roadsport class for Inter-specification cars. Additional classes to cater for other Caterham models are under consideration. It is anticipated that the Eurocup calendar will run parallel to that of the Cosworth Caterham Masters, promoting cost savings for the teams and the opportunity for drivers to sample both series in one weekend.

Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge

With 53 registered drivers on its books this season, the twin-grid Roadsport Challenge has proved an unqualified success. Next year, as pioneered in 2005, there will be two separate grids of Roadsport Inter and Roadsport B cars at each double-header meeting.

No major technical changes are envisaged for either car, but the Roadsport Inter cars will have a new, streamlined name: Roadsport!

Around 80 drivers have already expressed a desire to take a place on the Roadsport or Roadsport B grid for 2006 - another successful season seems assured.

evo Caterham Academy

The Academy has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over those years around 500 new racers have been introduced to the sport, including 56 during 2005 alone. Next season's grid is almost fully subscribed, with 50 of the 56 places sold at £16,495 a head - a price which includes a road-legal Caterham 1.6 to keep, full ARDS race tuition, club membership, a test day with instruction, championship registration and paid-for entries into three sprint events, a hillclimb and four circuit races.

See series calendars for all 2005 Caterham Championships

Related Story 19.09.2005 - Barnes Back in a Caterham R400 for Brands Hatch