So, we’ve already reached the final sprint of the season. I always knew this year was going to fly by but it’s all going in such an amazing blur of sights, sounds and emotions that you just can’t help but enjoy it.

The final really long haul up to an event was completed without too much drama on the Friday afternoon and I pitched my tent up whilst waiting for the wrinklies to arrive. They were good enough to treat me to a steak dinner! A nice evening chat with the other campers and a relatively comfortable nights sleep through the pouring rain and wind.

It was a leisurely morning with the on-track action not getting under way until 11:30am. With the morning weather dry and bright, it was painful having a track so close, but not able to get on it! the weather reports were all saying heavy showers and possibly more persistent rain through the day, so it was always likely to be a pot-luck day.

The Academy sprints are rather alien affairs. We’re not allowed to test at the sprint events ahead of time, so you arrive at the start line with zero experience, in a cold car and as a novice – and off you go! Imagine arriving at a track day, on a track you’ve never been to before, and having to go flat out from lap 1 with no sighting laps! It’s scary. With only 2 practice runs and then 2 official timed runs planned for the day, you don’t even have the luxury of feeling out the track in one of the runs.

I’m hugely happy with my first run of the day for that reason. I’d watched videos of people driving the circuit but it’s a very different experience to actually drive it. Here’s that run…

A good start then – and put me ahead of the field early on. Run 2 was a different affair! A huge shower came over the circuit part way through our groups runs. Unfortunately, that meant my main rivals had another dry practice run – and I was out on a completely soaked track – and cockpit! It was unbelievably slippy! I knew it would be but it caught me out a few times – including a frankly embarrassing start! It took 3 attempts and the first half of the start straight before the wheels stopped spinning! It certainly wasn’t my finest hour but was quickest of the wet runs. Here it all is in technicolour…

It was then onto the first timed runs of the day. After being put a little on the back foot by the wet run, this time the track was dry and I could try and get more speed out of the track. As it went, I took too much speed in several places! It was a scrappy affair – but probably good to watch from the sideline! Plenty of squealing and sideways moments! It was good enough for second place in Group 1 but Henry had set a screaming lap 0.8s faster. That’s was a huge margin to try and find in the one remaining timed lap.

I spent some time watching back the video from the first timed run and worked out a plan of action. 3rd gear for the chicane on the back straight and several places to take slightly less speed in and more out.

The run, amazingly, went exactly to this plan. When queueing, the rain started falling again. I can’t repeat the language that was spoken inside my helmet at the time but I spotted my mum on the spectator bank doing her sun-dance and it made me chuckle all the way to the green light. It felt absolutely brilliant to return back to the pits knowing that you’d not left a lot out on the track as far as times went. However, none of this was confirmed due to the fact that Jenny had hidden all the times… nobody knew the result. However, with a good run under my belt and Henry having a 4 wheels off, I was pretty happy!

And then the bombshell – just as in Aintree, we would be having another timed run added to the day. All the way up until my second run, I would have been extremely happy with the additional run! Somehow, it’s not so nice when you’ve got everything to lose!

As it went, I moved the lap time on again – which I didn’t think I would do. Again, we didn’t have times to compare with others so I had to wait until the presentation before I knew for sure. To say I was happy doesn’t do it justice. Completely bloody over the moon. I had to work hard to overcome the wet practice and a few re-runs that some rivals had and it paid off.

The sprints have been good to me but we’re now moving onto the meat of the season – the racing. That’s what we all signed up for and that’s what everyone’s focus is on. First up on the calendar is Donington and I am already counting the days!

A quick visit to DPR on Friday morning for an oil change and a weight check confirmed that I’ve shifted enough weight now that I’m running at minimum. That’s a great milestone for me and an overall drop of car/driver weight of 21kg. And, by golly, I needed that weight saved. The sharp end of Group 1 is a very competitive affair.

I arrived at the circuit late afternoon and, much to the bemusement of my dad, set up my tent. There were a hardy group of drivers who’d made the decision to camp out – at differing levels of comfort – and it was a great evening spent chatting and joking over some pretty ropey BBQs and enjoying the shelter of James’ fantastic shelter (Pfaff to Action Ratio of 189 – but Reward Offset Constant of 1200). Very glad I stuck it out through the rain.

The morning was gray, overcast – foreboding even – and everywhere was damp. However, the forecasts were now all agreeing that we wouldn’t see rain through the day, so things were going to dry out pretty quickly. However, as Group 1 were first out on track, it was extremely damp tarmac that we used to familiarise ourselves with the corners.

My first run was a poor affair. It didn’t put me in the best of moods and really, with the conditions, was an irrelevance in the day. We’d already been told that we would only get 2 timed runs, so that left just one practice run in the (nearly) dry. I made the decision to just assume everywhere was dry and go for it. That paid off and I got down to 105.59. Game on. Only Henry Heaton ahead by a few 10ths.

Into the first timed runs – my first attempt saw my time drop by 1.3s to 104.27. This was a great banker lap to have on the board but again, Henry was showing us all the way forward and cracked into the 103’s with a 103.85. That was very impressive. He had been on top form all day and was showing us a flavour of the pace we have to look forward to when the racing proper begins. James Houston wasn’t far behind, just missing out on the 104’s. And Nick Horton, who had set good times in the morning, span – so he was also one to watch out for in the final run.

As I lined up for the final run, I had the words of David Da Costa running through my head “Chris, you’ll find those 4 10th by being neater – not more aggressive”. And that proved to be the case. It was a vary neat and tidy couple of laps and it did result in a time of 103.86. I knew I’d bettered my time from the previous runs from the feeling on-board. I also knew I’m left a little bit out on the track around Agostini and Oggies. It turns out that Henry wasn’t going to be denied today and he’d moved the benchmark onto 103.60.

Considering the lack of relevant running through the day, I was extremely pleased with the result and Henry absolutely deserved the win. He was a step ahead on every round. James did move his time down, but couldn’t crack into the 103’s. Nick had to be slightly conservative after the first run spin.

So, it was a second place on the day for me. Another great result. I left the track wanting another run to find more time but on reflection, I know that James and Nick would have been right in there as well, and with Henry on such good form and likely to nail even more of a lap together, I think it may have been a bad idea!

We’ve got a 4 week gap to the final sprint of the season. It’s going to be hard work waiting for that to come around.

Sorry it’s taken a while to get round to uploading the vid. Here’s the new record run. I’ve plonked on my 3rd timed run at the end as, other than the start, this run was quicker! That time is for next years groups to find!

Aintree hosted the British Grand Prix five times during the fifties and sixties and this year it played host to another season opener for the Caterham Academy.

The far reach of Aintree circuit is a wonderful location to begin proceedings of the Academy season. The drivers get the opportunity to learn more about their cars and their limits in a safe, friendly and enjoyable environment. During the day the camaraderie around the paddock strengthens between the competitors along with the competitive streak within them. Tips and hints become more guarded as the lap times decrease and competition intensifies whilst they try to establish a pecking order for the forthcoming season. Satisfaction can be rewarded to all the drivers as they look back at the improvement throughout the day. During the practice runs both groups were split by about eight seconds although after the timed runs the majority of the field were within three seconds of the leaders.

Last year the more mature gentleman took an early lead whereas this year the flirty thirties were fighting back. Grp 1 started out how they meant to go on with Chris Hutchinson, 35 breaking into the 53 second mark on his first practice run. James Houston, 30, Nick Horton, 35 and Lawrence Barwick, 42 (ok not technically in his thirties but you would never know) all set times in the mid 54’s which is impressive for a first attempt.

Grp 2’s quickest drivers were even younger, Will Smith, 26, Lee Bristow, 20 (a Caterham technician based at the Dartford factory) and Dan Gore also 20 all started off by setting times within the 54 second mark.

The same names appeared at the top of the listings for the timed runs with the exception of Henry Heaton in Grp 1 who pushed his way in and Houston and Barwick out with a low 53 second time on his first timed run. Heaton, 22 from Leeds would have been much happier if the proceedings had stopped after three timed runs as he lay in third position. However as there was time for a fourth run we decided to count it and low and behold Hertford based Houston snatched third by one hundredth of a second from under Heaton’s nose. A driver who I am sure will have been delighted that we decided to count the last run is London based Frenchman, Alexis Dusserre, a 37 year old Banker. He improved his time by over 3.5 seconds between the first and last timed run jumping from 26th place up to 12th.

New Sprint record – Chris Hutchinson 53.13

Group 1

1st Chris Hutchinson 2nd Nick Horton 3rd James Houston

Group 2

1st Will Smith 2nd Dan Gore 3rd Lee Bristow