Caterham Graduates Championship set for blockbuster year after exceeding membership expectations

The Caterham Graduates Racing Club has confirmed that it has already closed its membership for the forthcoming 2020 race season, with more than 90 drivers signed up across its four classes.

Steeped in a rich history that stretches back more than two decades, the popular single-make championship has been one of the cornerstones of the British Automobile Racing Club and has continued to flourish.

Coming off the back of a memorable 2019, the category has seen membership grow by over a third this year, prompting the Club to close membership two months ahead of the seven-round campaign that lies ahead.

Andrew Outterside, Club Director, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest in racing with us in 2020 and have taken the unusual decision to close membership this early, to ensure that our members will have the opportunity to race at as many meetings as possible.

“We think our success in retaining existing members and attracting new members is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, our continued focus on having fun in a sociable environment for racers and their families. Safety and driving standards are taken very seriously, with a dedicated Driving Standards Team (DST), made up of experienced and respected members. The DST act on inconsiderate or poor driving and educate drivers on avoiding incidents.

“We have a tried and tested formula which provides a cost-effective ‘level playing field’ approach, where it’s the driver that makes the difference. This is achieved by strictly controlled specifications and a limit of three sets of tyres per season.

“In addition, this season we’ve introduced two new types of membership, which have proved popular. They cater for those drivers that are short on time but would still like to compete in a limited number of rounds (the CGRC Trophy) or just have the occasional outing with the Club during the year.

“Our calendar this year also has a great blend of circuits, including an overseas round at the  recently undated Zandvoort GP circuit, and I’m sure that is only going to add to the spectacle.

“Along with the British Automobile Racing Club, we are shaping up to have a busy year ahead and we’re looking forward to the continued growth of the CGRC into 2021.”

In addition to the healthy grid size, the Club has also confirmed that it has selected Mission Motorsport and Purple 4 Polio as its two charities that it will be supporting throughout the coming season.

The 2020 Caterham Graduates Championship kicks off its season around the Silverstone National circuit with its annual pre-season track day on February 29 before returning on March 21/22 for the season-opener.

To find out more information on the Club and championship, visit www.cgrc.co.uk.