Caterham Cars is excited to reveal two digital versions of its iconic sports car – the Caterham Seven Academy race car and the Seven 420R race car – are now available on iRacing, the world’s largest online sim-racing platform.
Included as part of iRacing’s recently announced ‘Season 4’ upgrade, the Caterham Academy and the 420R race cars allow fans of the sim-racing platform the chance to experience the brand’s iconic lightweight sports car in the virtual world for the first time.
The Caterham Academy and 420R race cars have been developed using actual race data to replicate the raw driving dynamics and feel experienced by Caterham racers in real life. Each car has been 3D scanned to capture its physical form in precise detail, while real-world audio recordings, captured during pre-season testing, recreate the Seven’s distinctive engine and exhaust notes. Both cars have been tested and approved by racing drivers currently competing in Caterham Motorsport to produce the most authentic and immersive Caterham racing experience.
Ali McColl, Global Head of Marketing at Caterham Cars commented: “We’re very excited to be partnering with iRacing. This collaboration brings the highly competitive nature of Caterham Motorsport to thousands of sim racers globally. From our entry-level Academy race car through to the powerful Seven 420R, sim racers can now experience the Caterham Motorsport journey for themselves – developing their skills and progressing from novice to competitive racer in an authentic racing environment.”
“It’s a great opportunity for people to discover what makes a Caterham so unique: lightweight performance, pure driver engagement and racing that rewards skill. For us, the real opportunity is to turn that virtual experience into a desire to get behind the wheel of a real Caterham Seven and experience it for themselves.”
Established in 2003, iRacing is the world’s leading online racing platform. Featuring over 180 officially licensed cars and more than 150 race circuits, it is currently enjoyed by more than 350,000 sim racers and gamers around the globe.
“We’re very excited to welcome Caterham to iRacing with both the Academy and 420R race car launching together,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “We know that iRacers will have a great time getting familiar with these unique, lightweight, driver-focused cars while enjoying the challenge of progressing up the virtual ladder, just as they would in real-world Caterham Motorsport. This has been an exciting partnership for us that adds a totally new angle to our road racing series on sim, and we’re excited to see what our players think of both cars!”
Caterham 420 Racercar available on iRacer NOW. You can still buy a ‘proper’ version though, don’t worry!
Players can race the Caterham Seven Academy and Seven 420R race cars by purchasing these from the official iRacing store and entering the dedicated Caterham series. Both cars are available together as part of a single, in-game bundle purchase.
For gamers who want to take their sim experience to real-world competition, Caterham Motorsport runs the official Academy Championship, currently available in the UK and France, which is a pathway for novice or rookie drivers to enter the world of motorsport. The Academy Package price, in addition to your car, also includes obtaining your race licence, entry to a full season of race weekends, and technical support, with prices starting from £44,995 and €59,995 respectively.
The new Caterham Seven Academy race car, featured in iRacing, is powered by a Horse Technologies 1.3 litre, four-cylinder HR13 turbocharged engine, which delivers 130bhp (132PS) and a peak torque of 176Nm. Fully road legal, the Academy car features a host of race-ready upgrades, including bespoke suspension tuning, an MSA approved roll cage, composite race seats, six-point harness and lap timing transponder.
Offering intoxicating performance, the track-only 420R race car features a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre Ford Duratec motorsport-tuned engine producing 180bhp, mated to a six-speed SADEV sequential gearbox and Nova Motorsport slick tyres, delivering exceptional levels of grip and driver engagement. Prices for the Seven 420R race car start at £53,990 in the UK or €59,995 in Europe.
For more information on the Caterham Seven Academy or Seven 420R race car, please visit the Caterham website at www.caterhamcars.com ENDS.