BROMSGROVE racer James Cater says his performances at Croft Circuit have given him a massive ‘psychological boost’ going into the next stage of the Ravenol Formula Vee Championship.
Having never raced at the North Yorkshire circuit before, Cater qualified 19th for both races despite running with new suspension modifications and new brake pads.
In Race One on a dry track, Cater made good headway as he climbed six places before the first corner and continued to push the car around the fast corners at the rear of the circuit.
Cater’s continuous bravery paid off is he climbed another few places and despite a huge moment where he put two of his wheels off the circuit at 120mph due to a rear suspension failure, he held off the extreme pressure from behind to finish fourth in Class B and 13th overall.
Race Two was a more difficult affair. Driving around in extreme weather conditions, Cater tried to drift the car around on opposite lock and after recording the ninth fastest lap, he was steadily making his way towards the top ten.
However, when the same suspension component broke like in his first race, Cater was spun into a field before being beached in mud – an accident which brought out the red flag.
“It was a brilliant weekend for me really despite the conditions and I know I can drive a car fast even when it’s not running perfect,” Cater said.
“We’re still down on power in terms of the front runners but after making some modifications to the car, we’re starting to get on the tails of the top ten.
“Qualifying is something I’m looking to improve on too because I think at Croft I was following cars rather than focusing on myself.
“Psychologically though the weekend was great as I know I can be fast around an unknown track and have developed some skills in the wet which could make me a serious contender.”
Cater returns to racing action on Sunday, June 12 at Mallory Park – a track he has only driven round in a bike – and is hopeful the rear suspension will be fixed in time.
“It’s not a huge problem. Hopefully it will be a quick fix,” he said.
“What happened was the welding on the modifications broke so it should be an easy fix but if it isn’t, we will find a way to sort it out.
“Another bonus for us is a new sponsorship sticker is on the car and I’m hoping to get a few more.”
To sponsor Cater, contact him through his website www.jamescaterracing.com.
Full length race videos courtesy of James Cater Racing.
