3 tracks in Dorset run arrive and drive events. Turn up, sign a form, drive.
Sydling St. Nicholas, Dorset
An outdoor circuit in the Dorset countryside near Sydling St. Nicholas, running Sodi GX390 hire karts that the operator quotes at up to 50mph. Free parking, grass picnic areas and viewing all the way round make it an easy place to bring people who aren't driving.
Price not published
Christchurch, Dorset
South Coast Karting runs the outdoor Chapel Gate Circuit at Parley, on the edge of Christchurch near Bournemouth Airport. The track is 580 metres long with 14 corners.
Bournemouth, Dorset
TeamSport Bournemouth is an indoor electric kart track on Wallisdown Road, on the Bournemouth side of the boundary with Poole. The 450-metre circuit has 10 corners and runs over more than one level.
Price not published
Bristol
An indoor circuit in east Bristol running Sodi GT5 karts, with a double-level layout for drivers tall enough to use it. Being under cover, it runs the same in February as in July: the obvious pick locally if you don't want a session called off for weather.
Price not published
Dunkeswell, Devon
750 metres of smooth tarmac at Dunkeswell Aerodrome in east Devon, averaging eight metres wide: broad enough that overtaking is a real option rather than a hopeful lunge.
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Grand Pier Go-Karts, branded Glo Karts, is a 300-metre indoor track with eight bends inside the main pavilion of the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare, lit with UV lighting.
Price not published
Gloucester
JDR Karting is an indoor karting and activity centre on the Madleaze Trading Estate off Bristol Road in Gloucester, a few minutes' walk from Gloucester Quays. The main circuit is a 300-metre tarmac track with three banked corners, where laps take around 25 seconds. Senior drivers use Sodi SR4 karts with Honda 200cc engines.
We calculate it the same way for every track: price divided by minutes on track. It is the only way to compare a 20-minute session against a 30-minute one.
At the same price per minute, a 750m circuit gives you nearly twice the driving of a 400m one. We show the distance you would cover.
Balaclavas, gloves and licence fees are often mandatory and rarely in the headline price. Every listing shows them.
Some tracks genuinely take walk-ins. Most reserve track time, and turning up without a booking means waiting or leaving.