07 July 2022

A new era of Caterham Motorsport

Caterham Motorsport is about to see its biggest shake-up in over three decades. We’re excited to announce that Caterham Cars Ltd will be joining the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), one of the UK’s biggest motorsport organisations, as our new official club for motorsport events (for the 2023 season and beyond).

Since the 1990s, our motorsport championships have operated as part of the British Racing & Sports Car Club (BRSCC). Over the years, our five championships have grown exponentially thanks to Caterham’s innovative formula, allowing drivers of all budgets and experience to participate on an equal footing. Now, we’re positioned to take our championships to a new level, continuing our successful growth.

BARC has a rich history spanning 110 years, organising and running events for the likes of the British Touring Car Championship, the MINI Challenge Championships, and the Porsche Carrera Cup (GB). 

Both Caterham and BARC are committed to continuing our long-celebrated format,   characterised by big grids, low running costs, and exceptionally close racing. For example, over half of the ten races at Silverstone GP (2022) were won with less than a 1/10th second margin. Closely controlled regulations ensure one of the most level playing fields in motorsport, whilst comprehensive support from the manufacturer in the low rungs is bolstered by professional teams at the higher levels.

Today, our championships boast nearly 200 drivers.  This includes the phenomenally successful ‘Caterham Academy’ novice-exclusive series, which has seen more than 1,200 ordinary people become racing drivers since its inception in 1995. Building on the foundation of the Academy, we have assembled a ‘ladder’ of championships progressing through Roadsport, Seven 270R, and Seven 310R to our flagship series, the national level Caterham Seven Championship UK, a one-class series for the Seven 420R race car (which is on pace with GT4 cars).


Our championships have also welcomed familiar faces and created racing legends. BTCC driver Ollie Jackson cut his teeth in the Caterham Academy; British GT champions Flick Haigh and Jon Barnes started their car racing careers with Caterham; whilst Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy is a former Caterham stalwart.

We have enjoyed a long and successful partnership with BRSCC for more than three decades, and I could not be more grateful for the work the dedicated HQ and regional teams have done to keep our customers racing. Making the move to a new club has not been an easy decision, but as we continue to grow and step up our service, we feel the BARC are more closely aligned with our goals,” said Simon Lambert, Chief Motorsport and Technical Officer for Caterham.

As well as organising 30 club race meetings each season, BARC also runs three circuits (Thruxton, Pembrey and Croft), two Hillclimb venues (Harewood Hill and Gurston Down), and provides the sporting services for all three of Goodwood’s Major Events (Festival of Speed, Revival and Member’s Meeting).

We are thrilled that Caterham Cars have chosen to race with BARC,” said Ben Taylor, BARC Group Chief Executive. “This is really positive news and demonstrates the work that has gone into evolving our race organisation business over the last few years. We have put a great focus on delivering for our Championships and Competitors, which has led to improved calendars, a commitment to quality live streaming and a financial model that returns a proportion of the revenue to successful Championships. We can’t wait to start racing with Caterham Motorsport.

So, stay tuned… we’re only just getting started.  Get ready for a new era of Caterham Motorsport. 

Learn more about our championships here:

To find out more about the B.A.R.C., click here