The Caterham is in iRacing, and you get two of them. The Caterham Academy is the slow, low grip entry car that races in Class D. The Caterham 420R is the proper race car, with a sequential box and slicks, and it races in Class C. Both arrived with 2026 Season 4 and both come in one package.
If you are coming out of Rookies, the Academy is the one to look at. If you already run the Advanced MX-5 or the GR86, the 420R is your step.
Checked on 15 October 2026 against iRacing's Development Update for August 2026, the 2026 Season 4 Initial Release Notes (build 2026.09.09.01, 9 September 2026), the Season 4 Hotfix 1 notes (2026.09.11.01, 11 September 2026), the Season 4 Patch 1 notes (2026.10.01.01, 5 October 2026), the Caterham Academy and Caterham 420R car and series pages on iracing.com, and caterhamcars.com. Where iRacing has not published something, I say so.
Photo of the real car: Calreyn88, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is the Caterham really in iRacing?
Yes. The Season 4 release notes list "Caterham - Academy and 420R" as two new Sports Cars, and both have their own car page on iracing.com. The in-game names are Caterham Academy and Caterham 420R.
iRacing partnered with Caterham Cars on this. In the August 2026 Development Update they describe the Caterhams as "true open-wheel sports cars", somewhere between a Formula Ford and a heavily tuned MX-5. That is a fair way to put it.
Price and what you get
Both cars ship in one package. The release notes say it plainly: pay the price of one car and you get two.
What iRacing does not do is print the price on its public car pages. You see it in the store inside your account. Coach Dave Academy lists the pair at $11.95, which is a third-party figure, so check the store before you buy. The Caterhams are paid content. They are not in the free cars that come with the membership, which you can see in my iRacing free cars list.
Both cars came with:
- rain support at launch
- AI support at launch, so you can race them offline
- IMSA and NEC car Rule Sets (for the NEC Rule Set, fuelling takes 120 seconds)
Caterham Academy vs 420R: the specs
| Caterham Academy | Caterham 420R | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Horse HR13, 1.3 litre turbo four | Ford Duratec, 2.0 litre, naturally aspirated |
| Power (iRacing) | 130 hp | "more than 210 hp" on the car page, "more than 190 hp" in the release notes |
| Weight (iRacing) | Not published | 635 kg (1,400 lb) |
| Gearbox | Six-speed, limited-slip differential | Six-speed sequential |
| Tyres | One compound for dry and wet, low grip by design | Nova Motorsport, separate slick and wet |
| Dampers | Not published | Bilstein race dampers |
| iRacing class | D | C |
| Official series | Caterham Academy Challenge | Caterham 420R Cup |
Two things to flag.
The 420R power figure does not match between iRacing's own pages. The car page says more than 210 hp, the release notes say more than 190 hp. Caterham's own figure for the real race package is 320 bhp per tonne at 635 kg with the driver, and they mark it "specification dependent". So treat it as roughly 200 hp and do not argue about the last 10.
iRacing has not published a weight for the Academy. I am not going to guess one.
The real cars behind them
Caterham Academy cars racing. Photo: Brian Snelson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The Academy is Caterham's championship for novice drivers in the UK. It started in 1995 and Caterham says more than 1,400 new drivers have come through it. From 2026 the car uses the Horse Technologies HR13, a 1.3 litre turbo four rated at 130 bhp and 176 Nm at 5,150 rpm. It replaced the Ford Sigma engine that ran in the series from 2008. The car is road legal, and the racers keep it at the end of the season.
The 420R is the car of the Seven Championship UK, which Caterham calls the pinnacle of Seven racing. The 2.0 Duratec and the six-speed sequential arrived in 2017. Caterham lists 635 kg including the driver, De Dion rear suspension, a limited-slip differential and a top speed of 132 mph. It is track only. Real races there run 30 minutes, with 14 rounds over 7 race weekends.
The tyre is the bit that matters for you. Caterham picked a low grip tyre for the Academy on purpose, to teach car control. iRacing modelled it that way. So it slides. That is the point of the car.
Series, licence and setups
From iRacing's August 2026 Development Update: the Academy is "positioned in Class D series, while the 420R takes on Class C". iRacing says "initially", so this can change in a later season.
| Series | Car | Class (iRacing) | Race length | Races start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caterham Academy Challenge | Caterham Academy | D | 15 min | Every hour at :00 |
| Caterham 420R Cup | Caterham 420R | C | 20 min | Every hour at :30 |
Race lengths and start times come from Coach Dave Academy and the iracinghub.com schedule listing. I could not open the official Season 4 schedule PDF, so check the series page in the iRacing UI before you plan around them. The same listing shows the minimum entry as Rookie 4.0 for the Academy Challenge and Class D 4.0 for the 420R Cup. Your Series page tells you if you can register.
Not in Class D yet? Start with my guide to getting out of Rookie in iRacing, and keep your safety rating up while you do it.
Fixed or open? Coach Dave Academy describes the Academy Challenge as fixed setup and the 420R Cup as open setup. iRacing's series pages do not state it. If you have never raced an open series, read my fixed vs open setup series guide first. In a fixed series everybody runs the same setup, so the lap time is all yours.
The 420R also appears in two other official series this season: it is the Week 1 car in Ring Meister at the Nordschleife, and it is one of the cars in the new Track Day series. Both are on iRacing's "This Week in iRacing" posts.
2026 Season 4 tracks
This is the 12-week rotation from the iracinghub.com listing. It is not the official PDF, so confirm the week in the iRacing UI.
| Week | Starts | Caterham Academy Challenge | Caterham 420R Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Sep | Oulton Park, Fosters | Oulton Park, International |
| 2 | 22 Sep | Okayama, Short | Donington Park, National |
| 3 | 29 Sep | Summit Point Raceway | Zandvoort, Grand Prix |
| 4 | 6 Oct | VIR, Full Course | Snetterton, 200 |
| 5 | 13 Oct | Tsukuba, 2000 Full | Rudskogen |
| 6 | 20 Oct | Navarra, Speed Circuit Medium | Brands Hatch, Grand Prix |
| 7 | 27 Oct | Lime Rock Park, Grand Prix | Oschersleben, Grand Prix |
| 8 | 3 Nov | Winton, National | Knockhill, International |
| 9 | 10 Nov | Oschersleben, Grand Prix | Silverstone, International |
| 10 | 17 Nov | Rudskogen | Hockenheim, Grand Prix |
| 11 | 24 Nov | Oran Park, Grand Prix | Nürburgring GP, Sprint |
| 12 | 1 Dec | Lédenon | Spa, Grand Prix Pits |
Look at the 420R list. Oulton, Donington, Snetterton, Brands, Knockhill, Silverstone. That is close to a real Seven Championship UK calendar. Some of those tracks are paid content, so check what you own before week 1 of anything.
Patches since launch
| Build | Date | Caterham changes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026.09.09.01, Initial Release | 9 September 2026 | Both cars added, rain and AI ready, IMSA and NEC Rule Sets |
| 2026.09.11.01, Hotfix 1 | 11 September 2026 | Rear suspension damage properties adjusted on both cars so the rear axle translates fully. Fixes cars that could not leave the pit stall |
| 2026.10.01.01, Patch 1 | 5 October 2026 | Both: front suspension collision updated, higher threshold for a 4x from contact, wiper fix, better garage tooltips. Academy: better AI, new wiper textures, new engine audio. 420R: brake valve adjuster mapped to the Peak Brake Bias control |
The 4x change matters in a pack car, where light contact is part of the racing. iRacing has not published the new threshold.
How to drive a light, low grip car
I have not driven the iRacing Caterhams, so this is not a setup or a lap time. It is how I approach any light car with little grip and little power. I grew up in karts, which are exactly that, and the rules carry over.
Minimum speed is everything. With 130 hp you cannot win back what you throw away in the corner. If you scrub 3 km/h at the apex, you carry that loss all the way down the next straight. Brake a touch less than feels right and let the car roll through the middle.
Do not over-slow. The most common mistake in a slow car is braking for a car you are not driving. iRacing itself describes the Academy as a car for "deep-corner braking". Brake later, release the pedal gradually as you turn in, and keep the car moving.
Smooth hands. A low grip tyre does not forgive a fast steering input. Turn in once, with one movement, and do not add lock mid-corner. If the front washes out, unwind a little. The front comes back. More lock only makes it worse.
Small slides are fine. Big slides are slow. A light rear-drive car will move around. Let it. A few degrees of slide is the tyre working. If you are holding opposite lock for a whole corner, you entered too fast or picked up the throttle too early.
Use the tow. iRacing describes Academy racing as high drag and slipstream heavy. In a pack, the straight is where you pass, and the corner before it is where you set it up. Exit well, sit in the tow, and pull out late.
420R: be gentle with the right foot. iRacing says the 420R "demands serious throttle control and precise inputs". Roughly 200 hp in a 635 kg car on slicks is a big jump from the Academy. Squeeze the throttle on exit. Do not stab it.
If you want to feel the limit before you race, use the skid pad or a Test Drive session and push until the car slides. Learning where the grip ends in a slow car is cheap. Learning it at turn 1 of a race costs you safety rating.
More on everything else that came with this build in my 2026 Season 4 changes.
FAQ
Is the Caterham free in iRacing?
No. The Caterham Academy and Caterham 420R are paid content, sold together in one package. Coach Dave Academy lists the price at $11.95. iRacing shows the price in the store inside your account.
Do I get both Caterhams if I buy one?
Yes. iRacing's release notes say both cars ship in the same package, so paying for one gets you two.
What licence do I need for the Caterham in iRacing?
iRacing positions the Caterham Academy in Class D and the Caterham 420R in Class C. Check the series page in the iRacing UI for the exact entry requirement.
What series does the Caterham race in on iRacing?
The Academy races in the Caterham Academy Challenge. The 420R races in the Caterham 420R Cup. The 420R also appears in Ring Meister and the Track Day series in 2026 Season 4.
Is the Caterham Academy series fixed setup?
Coach Dave Academy lists the Academy Challenge as fixed and the 420R Cup as open. iRacing's series pages do not say it, so check the series details before you register.
How much power does the iRacing Caterham have?
The Academy has 130 hp. For the 420R, iRacing's car page says more than 210 hp and its release notes say more than 190 hp. Caterham rates the real race car at 320 bhp per tonne at 635 kg.
Can I race the Caterham in the rain or against AI?
Yes, both. Both cars were rain ready and AI ready at launch. The Academy uses one tyre for wet and dry, the 420R has separate slick and wet tyres.