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A field of 25 Caterhams is expected on the Oulton Park grid next Saturday (7 Apr) for the opening rounds of the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge - a superb start to the season in which the legendary Seven will celebrate its 50th birthday.

The 14-round championship, Caterham's premier UK race series, boasts not only a quality entry for 2007 but also has an unpredictable look thanks to an influx of new drivers. In fact, only three drivers - Will Mitcham, Rachel Green and Peter Ratcliff - have race-winning experience at this level.

Bury St Edmunds-based Mitcham, the 2005 Caterham R400 Champion, starts as one of the favourites for top honours. The 31-year-old returns with his Taylor's Foundry Motor Sport-prepared Superlight hoping to make up for what was a disappointing '06 season. Will was a double race winner at Oulton two years ago, and hopes to be back on the podium again: "Last year was very difficult for me. We didn't get on top of the car until the very end of the year and then just as we got back to the front the gearbox failed, which pretty much epitomised the season.

"But we've already had some good tests, we're under the lap record at Oulton and, given reliability and some luck, I'm hopeful we can be back up there."

Green, the 2002 Caterham Graduates Champion, is another with Oulton victories under her belt: the Hertfordshire woman drove her Fauldsport-prepared car to two Eurocup race wins in Cheshire in 2005 to become the first, and so far only, female winner at this level.

Peter Ratcliff, meanwhile, was the winner of both of the Oulton Park Caterham 'all-comers' races last Easter and, with three 750 Motor Club Caterham Championships under his belt, the Surrey 50-year-old is sure to be a force.

There are plenty of rapid newcomers who will be gunning for glory also, not least Bournemouth's Gary Halcrow, last year's double Roadsport Champion, as part of the very strong Colards Motorsport line-up which also features his old sparring partners Chris Bialan (Broadstone) and Clive Coote (Barnet), and also Ipswich-based novice Glen Denny.

Others moving up a gear from Roadsports include Taylor's Foundry duo Sean Nash, from Birmingham, and Bucks Hill-based David Bend, and there are several contenders making the switch from R400 to Superlight, including last year's R400 class title victor Pat Gormley (Barnet), as well as Londoner Ron Johnson and Ireland's Patrick Maher.

With so many opting for the 2-litre Ford power of the Superlight class, the R400 section, for 1.8-litre K-Series cars, is reduced to three. Cumbria's Stuart Smith, Cheadle Hulme's Alastair Chalmers and Devonian Stuart Dixon can be relied upon to make a fight of it, however.

Hyperion Motorsport will have a new look to it this season, not least because the reigning champion team will be fielding Taunton-based novice Craig Welsher, who won his drive by beating off stiff opposition in the Silverstone Scholarship. The 23-year-old, who has no car track experience but who raced bikes for a season, is excited by his prize opportunity: "It's a fantastic chance - the opportunity to get the best motorsport grounding possible."

Alongside Welsher at Hyperion will be London's Nick Payne, Surrey driver Andrew Beaumont and former SEMSEC Champion Julian Sage, from Kent.

Others to watch out for include the championship's oldest competitor, 61-year-old Neil Hinson, from Berkshire; Cleveland's Bill Addison, a race winner at Roadsport level; reigning Scottish Sports and Saloon Car Champion Richard Reed, from Berwick; championship newcomers Stephen Ross (Sandown) and Chris Cappuccini (London) and rapid Suffolk racer Tony Poole.

Caterham's Director of Motorsport, Magnus Laird, says the grid is the healthiest ever seen in the Superlight Challenge: "It vindicates our decision to offer competitors the chance to upgrade to Ford engines from the old Rover 1.8s. We are all looking forward to a fantastically exciting season."

Backers for Caterham Motorsport's UK and European race series include Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Cheesman Products, Circuit Driver, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Mitchell Cotts, Motorsport News, Stack and Steel Fabrications.

Oulton Park timetable

Saturday 7 April
0830 Qualifying 20 mins
1235 Race 1 30 mins
1510 Race 2 30 min