Karting clubs and championships in the UK

On this page

1. 01From hire karts to racing
2. 02Hire-kart leagues and championships
3. 03Arrive-and-drive championships
4. 04Owner-driver clubs
5. 05Licences and the ARKS test
6. 06What it costs
7. 07Sources

From hire karts to racing

Most people start on a hire kart at a track and never need more. If you want to race, there are two routes. The first stays on hire karts: many venues run leagues and championships where the track supplies the kart. The second is owner-driver racing, where you buy or lease a kart and race in a Motorsport UK club. Motorsport UK's own beginner advice is to try hire karting first, then decide.

Hire-kart leagues and championships

Our venue data records leagues and championships at the tracks below. Series names and rules are the venue's own, so check the track page and the venue before you commit.

TeamSport BIKC. The British Indoor Karting Championship is run through TeamSport membership. Our data lists it at these TeamSport venues:

• London: Acton, Brent Cross, Docklands, Edmonton, Mitcham
• South East: Brighton, Crawley, Farnborough, Gosport, High Wycombe, Reading, Southampton
• East of England: Basildon, Dunstable, Harlow, Watford
• North West: Liverpool, Manchester Trafford Park, Manchester Victoria, Preston, Warrington

Motorsport UK describes BIKC as open to both children and adults.

Other venue leagues. Our track data names these:

Some of these are hire-kart leagues and some are owner-driver series run at the same site. The table does not separate them, so read the venue's own description.

Arrive-and-drive championships

Between hire leagues and owning a kart sit arrive-and-drive series, where the organiser supplies the kart. Motorsport UK lists Club100, DRS and the Global Karting League for outdoor tracks, and NatSKA (schools) and BUKC (universities) for students. Club100 describes itself as the highest level of arrive-and-drive championship kart racing in the UK. See owner-driver classes for its age bands.

Owner-driver clubs

Owner-driver racing is run by clubs that are registered with Motorsport UK. Motorsport UK's club finder lists them, and its advice is to visit a few local clubs at a race meeting to see how events run and talk to competitors and officials.

The primary pages we checked name these clubs:

• Hunts Kart Racing Club (HKRC). It races at Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, was founded in 1959 and is affiliated to Motorsport UK. Its site says meetings are on the second weekend of each month.
• Rye House Kart Club. It runs eight rounds a year at Rye House Kart Raceway and lists Bambino, Honda Cadet, Micro Max and Inter, Junior and Senior Rotax classes in 2026.
• Lydd International Kart Club (LIKC). It holds monthly meetings at Lydd.
• Dunkeswell Kart Club. It runs championships at Dunkeswell Raceway.
• Clubs listed by the Association of British Kart Clubs (ABKC). The ABKC is the Motorsport UK regional association for karting and has about 38 member clubs. Its club list includes the British Historic Kart Club, the British Superkart Club, Club 100 Kart Club, the Daniel Ricciardo Series, Driven Kart Club, F.A.T. Karting League, NATSKA (school karting), RAF Motor Sports (Kart Section) and the Ultimate Karting Championship.

Several of these are arrive-and-drive or travelling organisations rather than a single home-circuit club. The ABKC says most clubs run Interclub owner-driver races as part of a club championship, and that guests from other member clubs are welcome but do not score points.

Licences and the ARKS test

To race at a Motorsport UK club event you need a licence. Motorsport UK sets out the route as follows:

1. Buy the Go Karting Starter Pack (it holds the application form) and read the Motorsport UK rules.
2. Pass the ARKS test. ARKS is the Association of Racing Kart Schools, recognised by Motorsport UK. You can take it at an ARKS school, or with a volunteer ARKS club examiner at a participating club.
3. Apply for a Kart Inter Club licence. Drivers under 18 need a parent or guardian to hold an Entrant PG licence.
4. Race at Inter Club events. Upgrade signatures from those meetings can later qualify you for a Kart National licence.

The ARKS test has a written paper and an on-track assessment. The paper covers the Karting Yearbook and flags, and ARKS says flags must be known with 100 per cent accuracy. On track you show safe, controlled laps on the racing line among other karts. Passing may let you race your first event on the stamped application form, but the event steward has the final say.

Short circuit karting needs no medical or vision test, whatever your age, according to Motorsport UK. Smaller clubs running some lower-cost classes may only need a free RS Clubman licence, which at Rye House, for example, is tied to that circuit until six events are completed there (Rye House's rule).

Check minimum ages, current fees and the upgrade rules with Motorsport UK and ARKS before you apply. We have not quoted prices because the published figures differ between pages.

What it costs

Racing your own kart costs more than hire sessions. The main items are the kart and engine, protective kit (a Motorsport UK-approved helmet, a CIK homologated race suit, gloves and boots), licence and membership fees, entry fees, tyres, fuel and transport. Arrive-and-drive series set a season budget up front and supply the kart; Club100 says it covers transport, storage, preparation, damage and engine rebuild costs for its drivers. Ask any club for its current entry costs.

Sources

• Motorsport UK, Go karting, Karting, Get Started: Kart, ARKS
• ARKS, arks.co.uk
• Association of British Kart Clubs, abkc.org.uk and club list
• Hunts Kart Racing Club, hkrc.co.uk
• Rye House Kart Raceway, Rye House Kart Club
• Club100, About and Driver's Guide
• League and championship names: venue pages recorded in our track data (read 3 November 2026)