Hire karting has a ceiling. You get quicker, you start reading the circuit properly, and then you notice you’re doing the same twenty-minute session against a kart that gets swapped out every hour. The next step is your own kart and a race licence. The process is more prescribed than most people expect, which is good news, because it means there’s a clear path.
Of the 137 circuits we list, 30 take owner-driven karts, with at least one in every region we cover. Six are owner-driver only, such as Shenington and Hunts Kart Racing Club. The other 24 run hire karting too, so you can keep hiring at the same circuit while you sort out a kart.
Here’s what’s actually involved.
The ARKS test comes first
To race in Motorsport UK events you need a competition licence, and to get one you need to pass an ARKS test, the Association of Racing Kart Schools assessment. It isn’t a formality, but it isn’t difficult either.
The test has three parts. A written paper on flags and regulations, a practical driving assessment, and a check that you understand the safety procedures. Circuits with ARKS examiners on site run these regularly.
Not every circuit does them. Eight of the 30 owner-driver circuits we list offer ARKS testing: Bayford Meadows, Dunkeswell Raceway, Hunts Kart Racing Club, North of Scotland Kart Club, Rissington Kart Club, Shenington, Three Sisters Race Circuit and Tockwith Outdoor Karting. Book well ahead. At Hunts, for example, the test runs on the second Saturday of the month only.
What it costs depends on how the circuit packages it. Shenington lists the Motorsport UK Karting Starter Pack at £78 and the ARKS test at £25 on top of a practice day there. Hunts charges £120 for the test including track time, with the starter pack bought separately. Either way you sit it in your own kart and kit, so the test comes after you’ve got both.
Some circuits won’t let you on track at all without it. KART Silverstone asks for a Motorsport UK licence, an ARKS pass and a Motorsport UK NCR class kart for its owner kart days.
Before the test, get hold of the Motorsport UK yearbook and read the karting section. Most of the written paper comes straight from it, and it’s free to download.
Can you race a kart without a licence?
Yes, in a few places. Wombwell Kart Circuit near Barnsley is an Independent Kart Racing (IKR) circuit, and needs no ARKS test or Motorsport UK licence. You do need its annual membership, £45, to race. Glan Y Gors Park in north Wales runs owner-driver test days with no licence needed, from beginner to advanced, at £65 per driver, though you must bring your own kart and equipment. Traq Motor Racing in Croydon does owner-driver practice, not racing, with no licence stated.
That’s a cheaper way to find out whether you like running your own kart. For Motorsport UK club racing you’ll still need the ARKS route.
You need a club, not just a licence
This catches people out. A Motorsport UK licence lets you race. A club membership lets you enter. Most circuits require membership of a recognised club before you can race there. At Dunkeswell it’s spelled out: membership of an ABkC-recognised club is needed to race.
Four circuits publish an annual membership fee, and they’re lower than many expect: £45 at Wombwell, £75 at Hunts, £75 for Warden Law Kart Club at Karting North East, and £80 at Shenington.
The economics usually favour joining the local one, because members pay less for everything. Practice days at Shenington are £60 for members against £75 for non-members, and race entry £80 against £95. At Karting North East the gap on a testing session is £50 against £75. Hunts and Wombwell knock £10 off testing for members. Do a handful of practice days and races at one circuit and the membership has paid for itself.
Many circuits run their own club. Bayford Meadows has BMKR, Dunkeswell has Dunkeswell Kart Club, PF International has Trent Valley Kart Club, Glan Y Gors has Dragon Kart Club and Whilton Mill has its own kart club. If you’re going to race mostly at one circuit, join theirs.
Which class you race in, and what age you can start
Classes are set by age and engine, and the ladder runs roughly like this. Bambino for the youngest drivers, usually practice only rather than racing. Cadet from around eight. Then Mini, Junior and Senior, plus 177 and Gearbox classes for more experienced drivers.
The exact ages vary by circuit. Whilton Mill publishes Bambino from 6 to 8, Cadet 8 to 12, Mini 11 to 14, Junior 13 to 16 and Senior from 15. Midland Karting runs Bambino from 4 to 7, Cadet 8 to 11, Junior 12 to 15 and Senior from 16. For hire karting ages rather than racing, see our karting by age pages.
Not every circuit runs every class. Of the 15 owner-driver circuits that publish their class list, nine include Bambino and eight run gearbox classes such as KZ2. Dunkeswell runs the full ladder from Bambino through Gearbox, and Shenington and Hunts both list more than 15 classes. At the other end, Rissington lists just Cadet and 250 Gearbox. Check before you buy a kart, because buying into a class your local circuit doesn’t run is an expensive mistake.
Kit: what the rules actually require
This is where the requirements are specific, and where people waste money guessing. Our guides to choosing a kart helmet and kart racewear go into more detail.
Helmet. For hire karting, circuits typically accept a helmet meeting BS6658:1985 with the BSI Kitemark. That’s the standard Karting at Haynes states for your own helmet, and it’s fairly representative. For owner-driver and competition use the bar is higher. KART Silverstone asks for Snell K2020 or FIA 8878 or above. Requirements change over time, so check the current yearbook rather than trusting a forum post. Motocross helmets are accepted at some circuits with goggles, but not everywhere: Lydd doesn’t permit them.
Race suit. Competition requires a CIK-FIA homologated suit. KART Silverstone specifies CIK-FIA N2013.1 or above. Level 2 is the common choice for club racing. Hire karting doesn’t require your own, since suits are provided.
Gloves and boots. Karting-specific, with the seams on gloves usually required to be external. Whilton Mill lists helmet, gloves and race overalls as the minimum for its owner practice.
Neck brace. KART Silverstone makes one compulsory for under-16s.
Rib protector. Not mandatory everywhere, but ask anyone who has raced a season without one. Kart chassis have no suspension and the loads go through your ribs.
Suppliers worth knowing: Demon Tweeks carry most of the major brands and stock the homologated suits, and their sizing guides are more reliable than most.
How much does it cost to race karts?
Be honest with yourself about this before committing. Broadly, in rough order:
- ARKS test and licence. At Shenington, £78 for the starter pack plus £25 for the test and the cost of a practice day. At Hunts, £120 for the test plus the starter pack. Allow a few hundred pounds all in, including the medical declaration
- Club membership. £45 to £80 a year at the four circuits that publish it
- A used kart. A competitive club-level chassis and engine, second-hand, runs into low four figures
- Kit. Helmet, suit, gloves, boots and rib protector: several hundred to over a thousand depending on choices
- Race entries. £65 at Wombwell and £80 for members at Hunts and Shenington, rising to £90 and £95 for non-members. Shenington’s SuperPrix is £170 for members
- Transponder. If you don’t own one, hire is £10 at Wombwell and Race Kart Centre and £15 at Hunts and Lydd
- Tyres. The recurring cost people underestimate most
- Pit bay. Shenington charges £35 a weekend or £150 a year, or £55 and £400 with electricity. Hunts members pay £150 to £320 for an annual bay
- Transport and storage. Dunkeswell, Lydd and Midland Karting offer kart storage on site, which saves towing every weekend
Buying used and buying local is the sensible route. A kart already racing at your circuit in your class comes with setup knowledge attached, which is worth more than the money you’d save buying blind from further afield. For what a hire session costs by comparison, see how much go karting costs.
Practising between race weekends
Track time is the limiting factor for most people. Eleven owner-driver circuits publish a practice fee, from £30 for a single session at Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland to £65 for a full day at Lydd or a test day at Glan Y Gors. The middle figure is £50.
When you can practise varies more than the price:
- Whilton Mill: most Wednesdays, all classes 10:00 to 16:00, with Bambino to Junior from 16:00 to 20:00. Book online in advance; there’s no pay on the day.
- Lydd: every Friday for Cadet, Junior and Senior, plus the Saturday before race Sunday (always the second Sunday of the month), which is also open to Bambinos.
- Karting North East: Wednesdays and Sundays, with no booking needed. You pay and sign on at reception.
- Race Kart Centre: the first weekend of every month, finishing with heats and a final on the Sunday.
- Hunts: the second Saturday of each month only, because of planning restrictions.
If you want the circuit to yourself, Stretton Circuit hires it exclusively to owner drivers at £300 an hour or £2,000 a day, with up to 12 on track, and Bayford Meadows offers exclusive hire too.
Coaching shortens the learning curve. Dunkeswell offers one-to-one tuition for £85, and Teesside Motorsports runs academy lessons from £75 to £175. For younger drivers, several circuits run a race school.
Simulators have become a genuinely useful supplement rather than a toy. They won’t teach you what a kart does under load, but they’re good for learning circuits, braking points and racecraft, and you can do it on a wet Tuesday in February. Several circuits have them on site. Dunkeswell runs Fanatec ClubSport rigs at £40 for 30 minutes, from age 14, and Buckmore Park has racing simulators too.
For home use, KartSim Pro UK is the serious option. It runs on the rFactor 2 platform, with UK circuits reproduced from LiDAR scans and kart physics built from real telemetry and dyno data. The kart list covers what UK clubs actually race: IAME Bambino and Waterswift Cadet, Rotax Micro, Mini, Junior and Senior MAX, IAME X30 Junior and Senior, Tillotson T4, plus a rental kart model for anyone still hiring.
At £499 plus a reasonable PC it’s a real commitment, and it won’t teach you what a kart does under load. What it will do is let you learn a circuit properly before you turn up to race on it, which is worth more than most people expect. Around twenty UK circuits are modelled, including Buckmore Park, PF International, Whilton Mill, Lydd, Shenington, Rye House and Teesside. We flag it on each track’s own page where the circuit is available.
A sensible order to do things in
- Do twenty or thirty hire sessions first. If you’re not consistently near the top of the timing sheet, more seat time is cheaper than a kart.
- Visit your nearest club on a race day and talk to people in the class you’re considering. Everyone is friendlier than you expect.
- Book the ARKS test and read the yearbook properly. Or, if you want to try owning a kart first, start at a no-licence circuit such as Wombwell.
- Join the club before you buy the kart, so you know what’s actually running.
- Buy used, in your class, from your circuit.
- Buy kit last, once you know what your class and circuit require.
Where to race
We list every circuit in the UK and Ireland that runs owner-driver racing, with the classes they run, practice fees where published and whether they offer ARKS testing. Find karting near you and start with your nearest. For a first season, twenty minutes down the road beats a better circuit two hours away.