3 circuits in Kent, compared on the things that actually differ: what a session costs per minute, how long the track is, and how young drivers can be.
Sittingbourne, Kent
An 1,100-metre floodlit asphalt circuit on a twelve-acre site behind the Eurolink Industrial Estate at Sittingbourne. It was designed and built by Gerry Lilley on what had been wasteland, opened in 1997, and is now run by his daughter — a genuinely family-run circuit rather than a chain venue.
Price not published
Chatham, Kent
Buckmore Park at Chatham is one of the best known circuits in British karting, and the one where Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard all raced as juniors. It runs two outdoor layouts: an International circuit where an experienced driver laps in around 50 seconds, and a shorter National circuit nearer 35.
Price not published
Lydd, Kent
Lydd Kart Circuit sits on Dengemarsh Road out on Romney Marsh in Kent, and runs two separate circuits with an unusually wide age spread between them.
The youngest age accepted anywhere in Kent is 6 , at 2 of the 3 tracks. Height matters as much as age — most circuits also set a minimum of 130cm or 140cm, and a child who meets the age but not the height will be turned away at the gate. Each listing shows both.