Caterham C400 for Double Champ Harrington, 18

18 November 2005

Eighteen-year-old Guy Harrington is launching a bid to win his third Caterham racing championship title in as many years. He is among the first to place an order for the exciting new Cosworth-powered Caterham C400: the Derbyshire driver plans a full assault on the UK championship in 2006.

Yesterday (Thursday) the newly crowned Roadsport Inter champion enjoyed a taste of what's in store when he went behind the wheel of a Caterham R400 for the first time. Guy impressed Hyperion Motorsport, who awarded him the test session in recognition of his achievements, by eclipsing this season's Donington pole time by just under a second.

Harrington enjoyed the experience: "My appetite was definitely whetted. I found the R400 just like my Roadsport only faster and more controllable… I can't wait to have a shot in the Cosworth-powered version and I shall definitely be out to get my hat-trick of titles in 2006."

Guy - son of 1960s Lotus 7 racer Peter Harrington - began his track career only last season, at the wheel of a Caterham Academy car. He won the 2004 Academy crown and was dominant in Roadsport Inters this season, winning five times on his way to the title.

Hyperion team boss Steve Hindle was impressed by the youngster's testing pace: "He was quick and consistent. April's pole time was 1m17.1s and, within 20 minutes of sitting in the car for the first time, Guy was lapping in the low 17s. By the end of the morning he was consistently in the 16s and he went on to set a best lap of 1m16.25s. On that basis alone we would have to class him as a serious title contender for 2006."

Hyperion is hoping to attract Harrington to its C400 squad for the coming season, which is likely to feature between four and six cars for the UK championship. Nathan Bell, fifth in the R400 class this year, is set to return. Hyperion is testing several newcomers in the coming weeks, including Roadsport B champion Jeremy Ellis.

The Caterham C400 features a Cosworth-developed 2-litre Ford engine developing in excess of 220bhp - 20bhp more than the K-Series unit of the existing R400 model. The new car is part-way through an extensive test and development programme being undertaken by Caterham partner Minister Racing Engines, who report encouraging results from the shake-down tests.

It is anticipated that the C400 calendar, with dates supporting British F3 and GT, will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

See series calendars for all 2005 Caterham Championships

Related Story 24.10.2005 - Harrington and Ellis Crowned Caterham Roadsport Champions at Brands