2 tracks in Teesside run birthday parties events. The single thing that decides whether this works is age and height, and it catches people out constantly.
Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside
TeamSport Stockton is an indoor karting track on Portrack Lane in Stockton-on-Tees. The 500 m circuit is built over more than one level and has fourteen corners, many of them tight.
Price not published
Middlesbrough, Teesside
Teesside Motorsports at South Bank Road in Middlesbrough claims the world's longest kart circuit, and it has grown into a multipurpose venue rather than just a kart track. Mondays and Tuesdays are given over to car and bike testing and track days, with karting running Wednesday to Sunday.
Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
BattleKart Gateshead is an indoor electric karting venue on Delta Bank Road, across the road from the Metrocentre and about ten minutes' drive from Newcastle city centre.
Price not published
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Karting North East is an outdoor kart circuit at the Warden Law Motorsports Centre, off Hangman's Lane on the southern edge of Sunderland, a few minutes from the A19. The main track is 1,200 metres long and has been in use since the 1990s. There is also a smaller junior training circuit on site.
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
TeamSport Newcastle is an indoor electric karting venue at Armstrong Works on Scotswood Road, about two miles west of the city centre. It has two tracks: a 500-metre multi-level main circuit with 12 corners and a 200-metre starter track.
Price not published
Durham
TopGear Karting is a small indoor kart track on Renny's Lane Industrial Estate at Gilesgate Moor, on the eastern side of Durham. The circuit is about 200 metres long, with laps of around 20 seconds and up to eight karts on track at once.
Always check both. The gap between a 1.20m and a 1.40m minimum is the difference between an eight-year-old driving and watching.
Purpose-built junior karts fit smaller drivers properly. Some tracks also fit remote speed limiters so staff can build a nervous child up gradually.
Children mixed in with adults have a worse time. Ask whether junior sessions run separately.
Food, a private room, a podium and a trophy make it a party. Without them it is a driving session with cake in the car.