So, I’ve been doing a lot of reading around putting the Caterham together. I have to say that at one point I scared myself silly and really wondered what the heck I was doing. There are some pretty horrific stories out there and a number of people saying that, given their time again, they would definitely opt for factory built.

However! Part of the reason for going the Caterham route was always the plan to build my own car. Surely knowing how it was put together would mean it was easier to fix when I bend it?

So, some more reading and a download of the build manual later and I’m starting to feel that I can actually do this and saving the £3k it costs to get the factory to put it together is definitely the way forward.

I’ve got a garage lined up for the build and there appears, at this stage, to be plenty of help on offer to help build.

It’s still such a long way off at the moment but I know that the summer will fly by and I’ll be at the point of no return in no time at all!

Can’t wait.

3 times a week, no less! Have to say that, for the most part, I am also enjoying going. Early in the morning seems to suit at the moment and I have to say that the extra energy it gives you through the day is great.

Losing weight and gaining core strength and arm endurance are obviously highest on my priority list! I even have a ‘program’ to follow!

Really, what I should do is also go and join a badminton or squash club again. I’m sure that eventually the gym will lose some of its attraction but I am confident that, with my suitably fixed aim in mind, I will reach my goals.

The only other time I’ve been this motivated was when I took part in the 2005 ‘So you want to be an F1 Driver’ TV show… I spent a year getting ready for the fitness test. It was an absolute killer and I’m glad I put all the hours in to get ready. I did actually pass that stage of the competition – however, the next karting round I missed out by 0.2 seconds on a place in round 4… It still hurts now I tell you!

Anyway, onwards, ever onwards. For those also following the Academy Racer blog – you’ll know that rather more important that losing weight, will be saving money… Again, having a focus is a good thing here and I’m working out all sorts of ways of reducing outgoings and it certainly makes you question every purchase. Do I really need this or that?

Doesn’t help that the washing machine died and had to be replaced. And the TV blanked for no apparent reason yesterday as well! It came back thankfully – but I could really do with that sticking around for another year or so! Please!

Yes, I’ve only just laid down the aims for this blog but already, they are to change!

The aims for this blog have basically been transposed onto another site I’ve just set up. www.academyracer.co.uk will therefore be the learned experiences from entering/racing in the Caterham Academy and this site will be for my own personal musings/worries/triumphs of the same process.

After looking around the net, I genuinely think an information resource for prospective entrants would be very useful, and I don’t want to dilute that resource with my own personal ramblings.

Who knows, maybe that will change again in a couple of days.

Yes, it’s true. I joined the gym and have had my induction and program sessions. This has got to be a sign that things are serious!

The induction was fine – the program development session less so. It was laughable how little I did but a plank session to end with tipped me into ‘danger of vomming’ zone.

A sit down on a handy weights bench and an embarrassed pause later, I was able to speak to the instructor again! They were very understanding! Pretty much saying, starting from rock bottom, you’ll benefit from seeing improvements right away! Positive spin! Could easily just as well have said, wow, you really are out of shape!

Hasn’t put me off though. In fact, I think it’s made me more determined. I have, after all, got  a whole year before racing. Fingers crossed my motivation holds now I have an aim once more.

So, I’ve put the deposit down for the Caterham Academy 2013. It seems an awfully long way off at the moment. The 2012 season hasn’t even started yet for heaven sake. However, from my brief reading and investigating to date, there are a few very important factors to take into account.

1. It costs a lot of money to enter the championship. There are lots of cheaper ways to go racing. The sooner therefore I get the deposit down, the sooner I can get to the important task of saving oodles of cash.

2. I am building my own Caterham, and from my readings and investigations so far, the more time you allow yourself for this, the better. The sooner you get your deposit down, the sooner your kit will arrive from the factory.

With that in mind, this blog has some key aims.

Firstly, I want to document this time for my own gratification. I’ve been waiting a long time to get to the point where I race on track and the build up to this experience is just as important for me as the action will be when the lights go out.

Secondly, I’ve spent a while, so far, trawling around the net for blogs and information on the Academy. As ever, there is an initial thirst for information and I have to say that, although there is information out there, it’s not all in once place and is often not up to date.

Even the downloadable order form on the main website isn’t up to date! It’s for the 2011 season!

There are some build diaries from back in 2003/4 that contain really interesting and useful pointers and tips. However, there is absolutely nothing to say that these tips/experiences are even relevant any more. The car’s not even the same any more. Back in 2003/4, it appeared that there were often lots of missing/incorrect/or mis-located parts supplied in the package. There’s nothing to say that this situation hasn’t improved or indeed has!

The plan is therefore to combine and present good resources that I find/uncover/ask Caterham/ask the community about.

I plan to document my build as I go and also try and retrospectively go back over the process once it’s complete to document what I would perhaps have done differently. Even, whether I would have gone through the process of self-build or instead opted for factory build.

I want to document the costs that this seasons racing attracts, including the running costs of taking part all year. This information just isn’t available out in the wild. You get snippets here and there, but you have to take a bit of a blind leap into racing and hopefully, I can reveal a real world experience.

There doesn’t currently appear to be a central community for Caterham Academy racers at the moment. I can see the fractured past websites. But they look out dated and unloved.  Perhaps more time searching around will uncover a gem of a community that I can share and get involved in. If there isn’t a community, or I think there’s a niche that needs to be filled, I’ll create a forum/community area that would perhaps attract fellow Academy drivers – past and present.

Lastly, I want to document the season as it happens. I want to try and put out there any tips and advice from living through a season.

So anyway, they are the brief aims. Hopefully over the coming months, I can achieve those aims. Time will tell.

An exciting day today. I set some life plans many years ago through Uni. As well as running my own business, the major one was to have a house and a Lotus Elise by the time I was 24. I missed my targets. My Elise wasn’t on the drive until I was 25 and I’ve never been close to owning a house. In order to achieve the goal of owning an Elise, I worked two jobs and ridiculous hours. It was worth it for me.

Ever since that car was launched, back in 1996, I wanted it. A light-weight, fabulous looking, 2 seater sports car that was all about driving – no compromises to any other frivolities, such as comfort or practicality. The car I bought at 25 was a very early model, so for nearly 9 years, my car had been waiting for me. Eventually we were brought together in a Grayshot specialist dealer after a very understanding boss let me go and put a deposit down.

After 6 happy years, today I’ve finally made the decision that will likely see me sell my first love. The car is still perfect, so why am I selling? Well, the next life plan is in the offing.

Today I placed the deposit for a new car. A Caterham. I will have it before the end of the year and with that same car, through 2013, I will be racing it in the Caterham Academy.

I can’t think about the day I have to say good-bye to the Lotus yet. But it’s just not justifiable for one person to own 3 cars. So that day will come and it will be sad indeed.

Not only am I replacing my car but the replacement will be delivered in bits. It’s part of the Caterham ‘experience’ to build and race your own car. You can get the factory to build the car for you but somehow that doesn’t seem right and would also push the bank balance even further into the danger zone.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to race cars. I’ve been a motorsport nut for over 25 years and a regular karter for the last 5 years. But now it’s time to scale up. In my head, I am going to be good at this. The reality may well be very different. Thing is, you never know for sure until you roll out and wait for the lights to go out.

I can’t wait.