Caterham Motorsport took centre stage at Castle Combe for two days last month as it played host to its ARDS days, which saw its annual intake of novice drivers – a total of 50 – into the Caterham Academy.

With exclusive use of the Wiltshire venue, fledgling Academy drivers were put through their paces whilst also building bonds as they prepare to share a grid at some of the UK’s top venues this year.

Among the new influx of competitors were parents of Academy drivers from previous years. Cadwell Park local Dave Jarvis, who looked after his son Will’s car last year, decided it was his turn to get behind the wheel whilst Ann Hall is set to follow in the footsteps of her son James.

The family connections didn’t stop there either with brothers Arif and Barry set to compete against each other whilst another brother pairing – Henry and Orlando – will share also share the same grid. Other notable additions to Caterham fans on the entry list include Barry Thompson and Andy Bruce.

Alongside the ARDS course, Caterham also laid on some skid pan exercises in a BMW to give drivers an idea of what rear-wheel-drive feels like, as well as a valuable lesson in car preparation.

With 50 new drivers having successfully passed their ARDS courses over the two days it now means that more than 1,300 competitors have started their racing careers in the Academy since it started back in 1995.