National racing organisers are always looking at developing fresh ideas to encourage new drivers into the sport and breaking down the barriers to getting involved. And a great example of a club innovating in such a way came with the Caterham Graduates Racing Club’s Friends and Family race at Snetterton last month.
This was a 20-minute contest purely open to people who had never raced before, and was intended to give those who may regularly trek around the country helping or watching someone race a chance to experience the action for themselves. By enabling them to borrow equipment and compete against other first-timers, it was all designed to be a low-cost and less daunting way to give these friends and family members a little taste of the sport.
“We did everything we could to make it as stress-free as possible,” explains club chairman Matthew Willoughby. “For example, we staggered the grid rather than having a two-by-two start to make it less intimidating.”
Such efforts were clearly appreciated by those taking part, including race winner Ed Drake, who is a technician for Caterham team Williams Motorsport.
“When you look at a race weekend, it’s quite a daunting thing for a novice if it’s a double or triple-header and the costs of it,” he says. “Being able to enter the Friends and Family race, that title alleviates a bit of pressure just coming along and having some fun. The costs were nowhere near what a normal race weekend would be and it’s such a good way of getting people interested in motorsport.”
David Tonge was another newcomer with just a few trackdays to his name prior to his Norfolk race outing. Unlike many of the drivers, he did not have a previous connection to Caterham Graduates but was instantly welcomed into the fold.
“It was very friendly – I turned up knowing nobody at all,” he relates. “John Benfield, the competition director, was my buddy telling me when the briefing was and what to do. It was less intimidating – we were all looking after each other.”
Given the whole field were making their debuts, there was the potential for some over-eagerness in battle, but all the drivers made it to the chequered flag – and, just as important, their borrowed Caterhams were undamaged. Each of those taking part emerged with a far greater appreciation of what it means to be a club racing driver.
“I had a couple of family members who did it and now they understand what we go through when we compete and the range of emotions,” reckons Willoughby, whose father and “gung-ho” brother-in-law were among those on the entry.
That’s exactly what the ethos of the race is all about, helping new drivers take that first step. Willoughby admits it may not become an annual occurrence, but would like to hold more in future
With a grid of novices, there was the potential for the field to quickly get strung out due to their varying abilities. But that was not the case and instead there were great battles throughout the order, especially at the front. Just 0.009 seconds separated the top three in qualifying around Snetterton – perfect for the newbies with its wide spaces and the long lap preventing slower drivers having to watch their mirrors for frontrunners.
In the race, Drake overcame the power disadvantage of the Sigma 150 machine he was piloting to emerge triumphant after a close tussle with Oscar McCall. Not that Drake went into the encounter with lofty ambitions.
“I was happy to be able to finally live out a boyhood dream of mine to race,” admits Drake, who Willoughby describes as being “super-impressive”. “I just tried my best and gave it everything. Oscar in P2 is a great driver and we had a great battle – I think we exchanged places about five or six times.”
Drake says he is indebted to Rrutuj Patki and Robin Baslington for getting on the grid. After a season last year where the Williams mechanics had a fair amount of damage to repair, several of the drivers grouped together to organise a thank you for the hard-working crew.
“They booked a trackday at Donington Park and we could drive the cars rather than spannering them,” continues Drake. “Roger [Patki] took me out in his car and I was buzzing because that was my first time in a Caterham on circuit.
“He said, ‘You’re actually quite good – you need to start racing.’ I said, ‘I would love to but that requires a lot of money – money I don’t have currently.’ A couple of months went by and he called me and asked if I’d checked my emails. He’d entered me in the Friends and Family race.”
Tonge’s route onto the grid was slightly different. “A friend of mine is doing 420s with Toyo [7 Racing category] and he did the Academy about 20 years ago,” he explains. “He then ran out of money and stopped, and last season he bought this car and I thought, ‘I should be doing something like that.’
“I bought a car, but I’d never driven a racing car before, so have spent this year doing trackdays. I saw the story in Autosport about the Friends and Family race and there was a line about it being for people who haven’t raced before. I didn’t know anyone in the Graduates, but used it as my first race.”
And that’s exactly what the ethos of the race is all about, helping new drivers take that first step. Willoughby admits it may not become an annual occurrence, but would like to hold more in future, while the club is now working on plans for another special event next year. That is something Drake and Tonge could well be a part of as both are keen to do more racing.
“Now I have the bug and I’m looking to do some other races – although I’m saving for a house and racing, which don’t go hand in hand with each other!” laughs Drake. Tonge, meanwhile, has already entered the Caterham Graduates season finale at Donington Park next month. Proof, should it be needed, that the friendly approach to encouraging newcomers really can make a difference.
