How do I get my kid into karting?

Karting is a great sport for kids. Says who? Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button, to name a few junior karters. No wonder then that junior go karting is buzzing with would-be F1 champions and junior thrill seekers.

So how do you get motoring into the sport? Well, one of the reason’s that go kart racing is  booming is that there’s so few barriers to entry, according to Chris Pullman, senior operations consultant at the track in Kent where both former F1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button first got to grips with racing.

‘Racers as young as four are welcome,’ he says. ‘Obviously, we don’t stick them on the petrol karts but they can ride on our electric karts around our Kids Mini GP Circuit and they love it.

‘Then from six onwards, youngsters can get involved in the Bambino School. This prepares them for the faster karts by teaching them important skills such as pedal control, steering, control of the kart and safety awareness.

‘Traditionally, the earliest children could start racing was at eight. But, as they mature quicker these days, we feel there is a great opportunity for them to learn the basics of driving to prepare them for full racing at eight years of age.’ To race competitively in the UK, eight is the age to be but with the continued success of British drivers in the F1 championship, it’s understandable why kids from as young as four are keen to get behind the wheel.

If you want to spin around some karting circuits for your kids. Or even for yourself, click here.