Discussion
Hey guys!
Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
doodles19 said:
Hey guys!
Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Buckmore is worth the money IMO! Teamsport do karting for £30 some week nights (2 x 15min practice sesh) but its indoor. I think at Buckmore you may be better off doing a team event and splitting the costs that way. Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
doodles19 said:
Hey guys!
Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Do you want to set up your own exclusive event, or arrive and drive?Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Arrive+Drive is usually cheaper.
It's not usually a race format - just a set amount of time on track for you and your mates with individual timed printouts at the end.
In other words - although it's not really racing, you still get to "race" whoever you happen to be near on the track, but position isn't recorded. You will still get a printout at the end, if you want to compete, you just race for the fastest lap.
Cheapness would surely mean it makes most sense to stay local and spend more on karting rather than on travel to a venue?
With those things in mind, I'd probably look at daytona sandown park.
The karts are prokarts (ie twin 160cc 4-strokes, so about 11bhp total from 2x 5.5).
The karts are slick-shod and run outdoors on a purpose built track in the middle of the racecourse. ( Google Map Clicky for a view of the track ).
Importantly, they run on tarmac (unlike a lot of indoor ex-warehouse karting places where it's shiny concrete) so they generate real grip in corners.
If you want to explore other options, www.karting.co.uk has a fairly sizeable list, including indoor places that most karting folk don't really consider worthwhile.
Craigy
ps. Buckmore's OK - but actually for hig-end rental karting I recon Daytona Milton Keynes is better - MK have 2-stroke rotax max karts for hire ( http://www.daytonamax.co.uk/) - which are birel chassis and therefore "pukka" race karts (albeit the engines are junior max spec, and the tyres are duro rubber). Also - believe it or not, the track and facilities are better at MK than Buckmore.
Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
CraigyMc said:
doodles19 said:
Hey guys!
Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Do you want to set up your own exclusive event, or arrive and drive?Can anyone recommend any karting tracks within about an hour and a half of each side of London?
Cheapness is the primary concern, being a poor student, with poor student friends, I mean buckmore park is a brilliant circuit with great karts but their prices are insanely high!
Do you think it would be worth ringing any tracks that I can single out and see if they can do a group discount? As I can possibly get 10-12 of my friends going.
Cheers!
Doodles.
Arrive+Drive is usually cheaper.
It's not usually a race format - just a set amount of time on track for you and your mates with individual timed printouts at the end.
In other words - although it's not really racing, you still get to "race" whoever you happen to be near on the track, but position isn't recorded. You will still get a printout at the end, if you want to compete, you just race for the fastest lap.
Cheapness would surely mean it makes most sense to stay local and spend more on karting rather than on travel to a venue?
With those things in mind, I'd probably look at daytona sandown park.
The karts are prokarts (ie twin 160cc 4-strokes, so about 11bhp total from 2x 5.5).
The karts are slick-shod and run outdoors on a purpose built track in the middle of the racecourse. ( Google Map Clicky for a view of the track ).
Importantly, they run on tarmac (unlike a lot of indoor ex-warehouse karting places where it's shiny concrete) so they generate real grip in corners.
If you want to explore other options, www.karting.co.uk has a fairly sizeable list, including indoor places that most karting folk don't really consider worthwhile.
Craigy
ps. Buckmore's OK - but actually for hig-end rental karting I recon Daytona Milton Keynes is better - MK have 2-stroke rotax max karts for hire ( http://www.daytonamax.co.uk/) - which are birel chassis and therefore "pukka" race karts (albeit the engines are junior max spec, and the tyres are duro rubber). Also - believe it or not, the track and facilities are better at MK than Buckmore.
Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
CraigyMc said:
ps. Buckmore's OK - but actually for hig-end rental karting I recon Daytona Milton Keynes is better - MK have 2-stroke rotax max karts for hire ( http://www.daytonamax.co.uk/) - which are birel chassis and therefore "pukka" race karts (albeit the engines are junior max spec, and the tyres are duro rubber). Also - believe it or not, the track and facilities are better at MK than Buckmore.
Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
Was up there last weekend.Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
Absolutely brilliant track and organisation!! Would highly recommend Daytona MK!!!
I aim to head back there in the near future for an even longer race next time (did the D90 last time).
Spiritual_Beggar said:
CraigyMc said:
ps. Buckmore's OK - but actually for hig-end rental karting I recon Daytona Milton Keynes is better - MK have 2-stroke rotax max karts for hire ( http://www.daytonamax.co.uk/) - which are birel chassis and therefore "pukka" race karts (albeit the engines are junior max spec, and the tyres are duro rubber). Also - believe it or not, the track and facilities are better at MK than Buckmore.
Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
Was up there last weekend.Compare: Buckmore Thunderkart is 390cc 4-stroke, 13bhp@~5500rpm, Rotax is 125cc 2-stroke, 22bhp@~12500rpm.
Buckmore chassis weigh something like 135Kg because they are built like tanks - the birel chassis Daytona use are under 100Kg.
It's a different kettle of fish. Daytona MK routinely offer 30 mins for £65 in the rotax karts, or 2x30mins (same driver, though) for £115. It's expensive, but the quality is very high - I actually recon it's good value for what you get (the next step up being: buy your own kart!)
Absolutely brilliant track and organisation!! Would highly recommend Daytona MK!!!
I aim to head back there in the near future for an even longer race next time (did the D90 last time).
Gives you an idea of the sort of thing that happens there - do a google search for "deeping 1090 round table kart 12h". Loads of F1 teams run in it - with occasional gp drivers. Never see that happening round at teamsport, haha!
Craigy
KaraK said:
I did a team enduro at Buckmore last month and was very impressed with the track and the karts (Sodi RX7 in their "Sport" spec) seemed fast enough for the track certainly. I think the arrive and drive ones are slower though.
They use both.You've not really been round Buckmore till you've been round it in a 2-stroke. Club100 sometimes do test days there in 115cc TKMs. You might want to try that - real eye opener.
C
CraigyMc said:
KaraK said:
I did a team enduro at Buckmore last month and was very impressed with the track and the karts (Sodi RX7 in their "Sport" spec) seemed fast enough for the track certainly. I think the arrive and drive ones are slower though.
They use both.You've not really been round Buckmore till you've been round it in a 2-stroke. Club100 sometimes do test days there in 115cc TKMs. You might want to try that - real eye opener.
C
KaraK said:
CraigyMc said:
KaraK said:
I did a team enduro at Buckmore last month and was very impressed with the track and the karts (Sodi RX7 in their "Sport" spec) seemed fast enough for the track certainly. I think the arrive and drive ones are slower though.
They use both.You've not really been round Buckmore till you've been round it in a 2-stroke. Club100 sometimes do test days there in 115cc TKMs. You might want to try that - real eye opener.
C
S3_Graham said:
CraigyMc said:
blab blah blah
Its interesting you say that, i went to daytona @ sandown and was not particularly impressed tbh!I go all over the country for my work and I'm also an avid karter, so I've tried an awful lot of A+D karting tracks.
C
Thanks for the replies fellas!
Yeah unfortunately, as much as we would like to go to buckmore park and the likes, they are well out of our price ranges
, we were looking for real bargain basement prices, mainly as none of us can find a summer job what with all this economy b
ks recently.
With regards to joining the BUCS stuff, don't you have to be from the same uni? And because I am back home for summer, the friends I would be going with aren't all at uni, some have jobs, some are at college etc etc, so I cant see that being an option, unless I am mistaken.
Last year we went to Stretham Raceway.
£20 for an hour was amazing value, however the karts weren't amazing at all and the track seemed too small to actually get some fun competitive racing going, so, if possible a trade off between cheapness and a decent track would really be what we are looking for.
Cheers again guys!
Yeah unfortunately, as much as we would like to go to buckmore park and the likes, they are well out of our price ranges
, we were looking for real bargain basement prices, mainly as none of us can find a summer job what with all this economy bks recently. With regards to joining the BUCS stuff, don't you have to be from the same uni? And because I am back home for summer, the friends I would be going with aren't all at uni, some have jobs, some are at college etc etc, so I cant see that being an option, unless I am mistaken.
Last year we went to Stretham Raceway.
£20 for an hour was amazing value, however the karts weren't amazing at all and the track seemed too small to actually get some fun competitive racing going, so, if possible a trade off between cheapness and a decent track would really be what we are looking for.
Cheers again guys!
Big E 118 said:
Seem to remember Surbiton Raceway (Tolworth) is pretty cheap, been a few years since I've been there though.
Camberley and Andover are indoor circuits IIRC. The best I've been to is Surbiton Raceway, as mentioned before, it's an outdoor circuit with loads of space and some decent corners.http://www.surbiton-raceway.co.uk/
Do it
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff