News
By Colin
Posted: December 19, 2024 Read time: 15 mins
Every year we reach new company milestones, last year we celebrated our 1000th Trustpilot review and in July 2024 we welcomed our 7500th client. To add to this tally I’ve also written my first end of year round up!
Here’s our CATDT news - it’s been a busy one, so lots to share as without you, our much valued clients, we would not exist. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the services we provide.
Both Jo and I are grateful and fortunate to be working with professional, dedicated, knowledgeable, warm and friendly team members. The CAT coaching team continues to grow and saw Helen join us in January. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Helen is delivering our industry road and proving ground courses and in 2025 will work with individual clients in our road and track disciplines.
Paul our senior instructor experienced some health issues in the summer, leading him to take time out to recuperate. A self-confessed car geek, having owned 16 Alfa Romeos, Paul is a true motoring enthusiast. We’ve worked together for the past 15 years, having met some 17 years ago via a mutual car enthusiast friend in the Alfa world. Keep up the speedy recovery Paul, we are all thinking of you and I know as you read this, our clients will wish you the same.
I often think I don’t advertise the fact strongly enough, that like Paul, the team are all petrol heads, enjoying what we do so much it has become a way of life - a lifestyle, not just a means of making a living. We also enjoy regular team training sessions reflecting on each day’s training, with group and individual discussions and coaching to maintain and improve our content and delivery. Our driver development over the 4 disciplines: Road; Track; Race; and Motor industry, ensures the need for our continual personal development.
Our motor industry delivery currently represents 60% of our business over the year. The industry has changed significantly over the past 20 years with our course content developing and adapting in parallel.
In 2005 a large percentage of our industry training was in Ride and Handling, Limit Handling and evaluating and testing vehicles at and towards, their envelope of grip. It’s a very different place to be now. Computer modelling, simulation and complex kinematics rigs have seen the need for advanced over limit driving skills diminish. The emphasis is now on Tech, Autonomy, ADAS and Alternative power sources. As a consequence, the course content and delivery has changed too.
I could not have made that change without the support of the CAT instructors; we have all been on a steep but enjoyable learning curve, allowing us to stay current and relevant within the specialist driving fields that we inhabit.
All this specialist knowledge and understanding cascades down into every course we deliver. This is the reason our content is often reviewed by customers as unique. On that note we continue to maintain a 5-star TrustPilot rating, it’s a team effort, and confirms how hard we work to provide an exceptional service. It simply could not happen without such a dedicated and passionate team.
I am eternally grateful for the energy and professionalism they bring to work every day. Thank you Lynne, Steve, Paul, and Helen - Jo and I appreciate everything you do.
Road, Track, Race and Motor Industry courses all continue to be busy with 432 clients attending courses in 2024.
Porsche Club GB - Our Porsche driving and vehicle dynamics knowledge continues to be in demand. If I say so myself, the CAT Team have become proficient developing and advancing owners understanding of how to extract the most from their Porsche. Enjoying a full spectrum of vehicles across our courses over the last 20 years from 911SC to current GT3RS – all variants have touched the tarmac at UTAC Millbrook through the road, race and track Academy levels. The team has a unique and varied understanding of each iteration.
If you follow our social media post, it will be no surprise to you, that we have welcomed 138 Porsche club members for one-to-one coaching and group days this year. A friend commented “do you only work with Porsche owners?!” I can understand this thinking - through the spring and summer months, we have posted regular updates with many pictures of happy clients at days end standing with their cars.
When we launch the new calendar it’s always a frenetic few days in the office for Jo and Lynne. Places are limited so demand is high. If you are planning on joining us in 2025 for a sociable club day, be quick to respond to ensure your place and avoid disappointment - the dates will be released early in February 2025.
You have 3 choices in the club day format:
Unlike our 1 to 1 coaching and training that runs all year round, our club day offerings are delivered March to October only. Once the clocks fall back in the Autumn we are challenged by the early sunsets. Club days begin at 08:30 finishing around 17:00/ 17:30 in the afternoon, so we simply run out of daylight in the winter months.
For the first time, 2024 saw us sponsor the Porsche Club Speed Championship and we’ll be following suit in 2025. Great to see our logo on the official Porsche Team wear and on the competitors’ vehicles. Sprinting and Hill climbing is a rewarding and challenging way to enjoy your Porsche with classes catering for both standard and modified vehicles.
In response to our involvement, I launched a new course in February this year - Sprint School. A one-day course delivered on a 1 to 1 basis to prepare those new to Sprinting and Hill climbing for their first event. To participate if you feel a day’s preparation will help you, contact Lynne or Jo for more information.
Our clients do come to train in all marques and this year we have had the pleasure of working in a revolving door of different configurations and types. Here is flavour of the vehicles we have enjoyed this year with clients:
The Silverlake Citroen C1 Endurance Series continues to satisfy my continued thirst for racing. Along with my son Mark as my driving partner, our hard work has begun to bear fruit. In our last four races we have finished 2nd, 4th and 2nd. I’m trying to forget the last race of the season at Silverstone! An ABS pump failure on the way to the grid had us pushing 466 off of pole position and back to the garage to effect a repair. The racing Gods weren’t shining on us sadly and we retired 466 after the first lap - C1’s do not pull up in a straight line on race pads and a failed ABS system!!
My son has worked hard to craft an effective and quick racing technique. It’s hard to convey the pride and pleasure I have experienced sharing racing and all the emotions it generates with my son. We will continue our quest for the top step of the podium next year. Well done Mark and a big thank you to Jo my wife and business partner - without your highly effective race management strategies, we would not be experiencing the close racing we are, at the sharp end of the grid. A big shout out goes to Track Toys Racing for providing us every race with a quick, safe and reliable C1. Thank you Ross, Mike, Greg and of course Matt.
If you're interested in finding out more about Mark's journey to racing, you can read his guest blog here.
Do not ignore the mighty C1 if you feel it’s time to scratch the racing itch, it’s lots of fun and cost-effective racing. Please contact me if you would like to try racing a C1 for a day on track - we have race car rental contacts who will hire you a car and look after you for the day.
In September we had an enjoyable day at Donington with this year’s newly crowned BTCC Champion Jake Hill. We organised the day for Jake to drive our C1 and record his thoughts and experience link here. Great promotion for CAT and for Jakes every growing YouTube channel.
I first met Jake when he came for a training session with us at Millbrook, way back at the beginning of his career in 2013. Well done Jake - you deserve your success.
While we are discussing young talent, I recently enjoyed a phone conversation with client and friend Chris Lloyd. Chris’s love of rallying has been a catalyst for his daughter Ella to follow Dad into motorsport and over the last 15 years, I have had the pleasure of working with the whole Lloyd family. Ella is now a rising star, confirmed by her newly announced entry into the McLaren Driving Academy. Well done, Ella, I’ll be keeping an eye out for you in the motorsport press.
While I’m in family mode let’s talk about my grandson Jack - Mums and Dads, this could be of interest to you. Do you have a budding car enthusiast youngster in the family who is approaching their 14th birthday? If you do, I have a cost-effective way into motorsport for them - Production Car Trials.
In a nutshell you join a local car club, purchase a reasonably priced car and apply to Motorsport UK for an RS Clubman Licence. As long as they are accompanied by a full licence holder, they can now compete from the age of 14 years old.
What’s the competitive challenge? It entails driving on a variety of grass courses of differing gradients and complexity on farmers’ fields. The objective - to complete each course without stopping. Points are rewarded for each clear run and there can be up to 20 courses driven over the day. It’s low speed and very challenging, with the emphasis on driving skill and personal development.
To prepare, they can learn basic car control at many places around the UK from the age of 10. Motorsport Vision run courses at their racing circuit venues from the age of 11 link here. That sorts Birthday and Christmas presents for the next few years! You can share a car - so Mums and Dads can compete on the same day!
Our entry into the sport is going to be via a Suzuki Swift I purchased for £1,500. It needs work to make it event ready - Jack now knows how to change disc and pads, and compression test an engine, all at the age of 13. The work will continue over the Spring and we begin competing in the summer. I’ll let you know how we get on.
The heavy rain over this and earlier years has caused the entrance into our base to subside subtly, making it difficult to exit in low cars. UTAC Millbrook Grounds Team have now given our entrance a makeover. The entrance has been levelled and the side banking cut into, reducing a vehicles approach and departure angles. The bank on the left-hand side when leaving has been excavated and relieved to further reduce the departure angle. All in all, you can leave in the lowest of vehicles without a problem - thank you UTAC Grounds Team.
Several new buildings have been under construction this year at UTAC Millbrook as it continues to grow. Despite the heavy rain and inclement weather. the Grounds Team have also been refreshing white lines and keeping the circuits serviceable and clean. It’s comforting to know we have a reliable and predictable road surface for each and every course we deliver. Without doubt, it’s a benefit to be working within such a professional environment.
The GR86 joined the fleet Autumn 2023, after our delight at receiving the email from Toyota earlier in the Spring confirming our successful allocation. After a running in period, our new rear wheel drive team member has been working with clients and is a very capable car. Positive feedback from clients confirms they are enjoying the driving experience.
This new arrival prompted the sale of our Yaris GR which has been a very safe and capable training tool. Happily now residing with its new owner who came for training and made an offer that I could not refuse - all on the same day!
I had a similar experience with our Clio 200. Our client has been working through the Track Academy and now bitten by the bug, has purchased the Clio to enjoy his new hobby of Track days. It is always a pleasure to see how empowering our coaching and training can be - 1 to 2 days of quality training can ignite a driving passion that stays with us forever.
I replaced the Clio with a Fiesta ST Mountune. KW variant 3 dampers, uprated suspension bushes, baffled sump and upgraded brakes have been fitted. It is working hard for us already, being used for all course offerings and the occasional track day with me.
The Jaguar XE , Ford Kuga and Puma ST are all fully deployed and in good shape. As we replace them beginning next year, I will be purchasing Hybrid vehicles to ensure our vehicles are relevant to our automotive industry clients.
The Caterham continues to spend its life going sideways. Spending is necessarily heavily on this car to maintain its mechanical integrity - they are exceptional cars - durable and reliable, as long as, you look after them.
The Caterham is used for the majority of the over grip limit courses for two reasons:
CAT runs a fleet of cars to ensure we provide an optimised and inclusive service. Our automotive industry clients require this comprehensive service as a standard. Our Road, Track and Race client invariably use their own vehicles. If that is not a comfortable thought for you, or not practicable, then rest assured you can hire one of ours.
Last year we had the pleasure to work with PGA Golfer Mark James and his business partner Matt Carter. They came for several days coaching and training in preparation for launching their new company Supercar Golf Tours. They are lovely people, professional in all they do, and as importantly, great to be with. I bought into their ethos immediately; they came to raise their driving to a professional level before guiding others. If you enjoy your driving tours and have a desire to play golf at the best courses across the UK and Europe - visit supercargolftours.com for more information.
We also welcomed our friends from Centre Gravity back to UTAC Millbrook in August for more evaluation driver development for the team. Chris, Pete and Holly have all enjoyed days with us. This time it was the turn of new recruit Ben - Chris and Pete – it’s good to see you are handing your skills onto the next generation. Thank you for your continued support.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed for a second time by Sam Moore for his Car Chat podcast channel. link here. This conversation lasted 1hour 20 mins - a lot shorter than our first chat which peaked at just over 3 hours! It’s hard to stop once you get going. The purpose of the chat was to promote my latest book “How to Start Racing Guide” for the benefit of Mission Motorsport. Sam has a very laid back style, covertly guiding you through the whole process, asking the right questions at the right time, keeping the conversation flowing in the most relaxed way. They are good fun to take part in and I was also grateful for the promotion of the book.
Our charity smiles initiative has now raised over £10,000 since its inception in 2019. At the end of your training session we ask if we may take a picture of you with your car, for our social media end of month round up. As a thank you we put £5 into the sealed charity pot which is smashed just before Christmas to reveal the total raised. Clients are assigned a raffle type number with all going into a draw. Once the total is revealed at the conclusion of the pot count, one number is chosen out of the raffle ticket bowl. Whoever this is chooses which charity they would like the money to go to.
The big reveal for 2024 took place this morning, Friday 20th December, at 10:00 hours. It’s always live and the total revealed was £1260. Esme was picked from the participating client tickets - once we've been able to make contact we will reveal her choice for the benefitting charity.
It’s no secret that UTAC Millbrook is not only a fantastic environment to train and work in, but also home to some of the most amazing wildlife; from pheasants to fox cubs, we have been lucky to have many close encounters up at CAT HQ over the years, and 2024 did not disappoint.
It seems this year has been the year of the squirrel! We feed many of our bird species and took to dropping a few peanuts out the window in an attempt to lure the squirrels away as the squirrel proof feeders do not do their job!. But they got wise to us and started tapping on the side of the building until more food was dropped. If we chose to ignore, they would peer in, and tap on the window of the main door until we did.
It’s been quiet of late, as they are of course hibernating, but they’ve certainly kept Jo and I entertained and we look forward to seeing who will visit us in 2025!
Being a new instructor for CAT, I was a little apprehensive but I have been welcomed, fully supported and encouraged! I am privileged to be one of the team and feel proud to work with such knowledgeable people. It feels like a family – there’s a Mum, Dad and siblings, with me as the little sister!
From the UTAC Security team, receptionists, Track Control and my immediate colleagues, I have felt so completely welcomed. I am looking forward to pursuing my love for advanced driving and becoming a familiar face around the UTAC facility.
It will sound a bit corny but the truth is, after all these years, I still love developing client skills. I’m regularly found answering that for me this is not a job. My work is my passion and I take huge pride in what I do and being part of an equally passionate team. I don’t have a single highlight as every day gives me the satisfaction seeing clients (private or automotive), developing into an area of driving they didn’t think would be possible to achieve, in a short period of time.
2024 has seen me start to implement an improved work/life balance with time away from CAT. I've had a few creative phases since 2000 enjoying painting, stained & fuse glass making at times. In January an opportunity presented itself which I jumped into, especially as it gives me continued access to one of my favourite commodities - all that sparkles! You'll now find me on a Monday on a one to one basis soaking up as much knowledge as possible from Glenn - a goldsmith who was an apprentice at Cartier at the start of his career. My starter project was a replacement wedding ring for Colin - ahh! A brain break from CAT is good for my soul and see's me back in the office with Lynne for much laughter as we work from Tuesday each week.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best wishes
Colin
Call: 01234 757 633
Email: info@catdrivertraining.co.uk
Attend a course & feel your knowledge & technique has not developed, you've not been taught new skills, or not been treated with respect & professionalism, your money will be refunded. It’s as simple as that.
The CAT Team look forward to working with you.
Colin Hoad
CAT Driver Training is the fast way to develop & improve authentic dynamic driving skill, technique & knowledge from the Best. OEM recognised driver training for individuals & the motor industry. As the leading UK based independent advanced performance driving skills company, we exist to make your driving experience even better. Explore your cars potential, fulfill your own. Coaching advanced road & track skills, safety driver training courses for individual driving enthusiasts & advanced driving for all facets of the motor industry. The only training company resident within UTAC's Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, within easy reach of London, & all surrounding counties: Hertfordshire; Buckinghamshire; Oxfordshire; Nottinghamshire; Cambridgeshire; Norfolk; Suffolk; Essex; & Surrey. Clients travel from the World over & the UK to learn from the authentic evidence based dynamic driving & vehicle dynamic experts. | All Rights Reserved | Copyright 2005 – 2024
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