To Start Karting can look complicated from the outside, however with the information listed below, it makes the process far easier.
Check Our Online Calendar: Look at our online calendar and come see us on one of our monthly practice or race days. To understand what takes place over a race weekend, and watch the drivers, marshals and officials.
Engage with the Community: Talk to our officials, other competitors, and race teams. This will allow you to do direct research into what class would be best, based on your budget and experience, along with building your knowledge of karting and what is too be expected.
Choose the Right Class: Start looking into which class of kart suits you best in terms of age, popularity, and cost. This is one of the most important steps in your decision to start karting. Class sizes can vary depending on circuit and/or region of the United Kingdom, and the price can vary significantly between classes.
Teamsport: Offers a variety of indoor venues and the British Indoor Kart Championship. Visit Teamsport
Formula Fast: An indoor circuit in Milton Keynes offering karting, axe throwing, and escape rooms. Formula Fast
Mr Karting: An outdoor circuit near Warwick. Mr Karting
Daytona Karting: Offers various outdoor venues including Milton Keynes and Tamworth. Daytona Karting
Shenington Kart Racing Club sees regular appearance from Kart Teams, that enable drivers to hire karts for practicing and racing. This allows those that do not have the storage or transport facilities to still go racing.
Jade Karts: Specializes in BirelART and IAME. Jade Manufacturing Ltd
Jack Dex Racing: Based in the Midlands. Jack Dex Racing
Tim Wilson Racing: TWMotorsport
Klaassen Motorsport: Klaassen Motorsport
The first step in your racing career is purchasing the Start Karting pack from MotorsportUK. This costs £75 and includes the cost of your first licence which is the same price, it also includes the PG Entrant Licence if the driver is under 18, normally £30.
You are to purchase a suitable helmet, along with homologated race suit, boots and gloves. It is recommended to speak to Grand Prix Racewear for help with purchasing the correct equipment.
If you would like to take your ARKS Test at Shenington, you would need to speak book via our online system, which is the practice day fee plus £25. You are required to bring the completed form from the Start Karting Pack, two passport photos and one of the parent if under 18.
Upon passing, we would invite new drivers to join Shenington as a member, as you are required to join a ABKC Affiliated Club likes ours before you can go racing. You can race the following the next day but would need to enter prior.
You can use the following websites to find out more about Karting and Motorsport in General:
Association of British Kart Clubs: ABkC
Association of Racing Kart Schools: ARKS
Get Started with Motorsport UK: Motorsport UK
Start Karting: Motorsport UK
Have a read through the PDF document below, for more information on the subject of karting, from the Association of British Kart Clubs www.abkc.org.uk . Note this leaflet is slightly out of date, there is now an Intermediate class for 10 year olds.
The first step to getting your karting license is to purchase the Start Karting pack from Motorsport UK found HERE. This pack costs £75 and includes the cost of your first license, also £75, and if under the age of 18, it also includes the cost of the PG Entrant License (£30) for the parent or guardian.
You will also need to purchase a suitable helmet (under 15’s note the only helmet standard allowed is the Snell CMR2007 or CMR 2016 type) – do NOT buy a motorcycle helmet, then a homologated race suit, boots and gloves. Consider an introductory course by one of the professional kart schools, see www.arks.co.uk. Protrain operates at Shenington.
We would invite you to take your ARKS Novice Driver Test at Shenington with our ARKS Examiner Tom Whitehouse. When ARKS tests are available on our practice days you can book for £25 alongside the practice day fee, on our Alpha entry system, links on the website. As well as bringing the completed form from the Start Karting pack, bring two passport photos of the driver and one of the parent if under 18. We would also invite new drivers to join our club, all drivers entering a race need to be a member of an ABKC affiliated club like ours.
Once you passed your test you can race the next day (but enter beforehand please), then we will send your form away to get your licence. You will be a novice, with black number plates, for the next five races, and start at the back of the heats. Please now read our Drivers Briefing on the Upcoming page.
It may not be generally known that Shenington Kart Racing Club offers a low cost economy class for anyone over the age of 16. This is known as Formula Libre where there is a choice of IAME X30 or Rotax engines. A weekend’s practice and racing can easily cost less than £200, including the entry fee of £75 and a practice fee from £40. Only karts over 2 years old can be used, and the X30 engine can be used with the junior or senior restrictor depending on class and driver weight. For Rotax engines the pre EVO junior version is used. Fixed gearing is used, to lessen choices. It is probably the only class where heavier drivers can be truly competitive. Tyres, which are often the major weekend cost in other classes, are supplied pre-used by the Club for the Komet K2H junior category, at £30 a set, and must be used over two race meetings. Wet tyres are the Komet K1W. The funds raised go into a prize fund for the end of the year. Fully competitive outfits are often less than £2500. And of course in the X30 case, the outfit is fully compliant and can be used at other circuits in IAME X30 Senior. Why not have a look for yourself, search for the Shenington Superprix 2023 Libre class. Local teams like Jade Karts can offer karts for hire to try out.
To help you along the way consider purchasing a How-to book like Karting Explained, available on Amazon
Shenington Village, as a route to the circuit is Out of Bounds. We regret that any kart team reported using this route will be excluded from the meeting. Please help us preserve our good relationship with Shenington Village.
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