Come and have a go for a fiver! The Motor Sports Association - governing body of UK motor sport - is to launch a nationwide campaign to give thousands of young people a taste of the excitement of kart racing for just £5.
Supported by funding of £125,000 from the MSA, Let's Go Karting will provide karts, equipment and instructors at locations throughout the UK in order to enable young people to experience the thrills of karting without having to make the significant financial commitment of purchasing their own equipment.
Karting is the traditional entry level for competitive motor sport, as it allows children as young as eight years old to get behind the wheel and begin a lifetime of motor sport enjoyment. The emergence of Lewis Hamilton onto the world stage last year has led to a huge surge of interest in the sport and his exploits have attracted a new generation of youngsters to want to find out more about karting.
The MSA will capitalise on this renewed interest with the launch of the first ever nationwide programme designed to give young people their first experience of karting. The MSA funding will enable thousands of young people to try the sport for a nominal charge of just £5 per person, making it accessible to any person, from any background.
Let's Go Karting will build upon the excellent work already being undertaken by many clubs and venues, and some of the existing operations will be incorporated under the banner of the national scheme. The MSA intends to select a number of clubs and venues around the country to participate in the scheme and it is anticipated that promotional campaigns will reach local school children around each centre, taking the sport directly to an important new audience.
Clubs and venues are now invited to make submissions for inclusion on the MSA scheme. Successful applicants will receive funding to purchase the necessary equipment to run the scheme, including karts, helmets, race suits and gloves. They will also be required to train instructors and implement a promotional campaign.
The MSA has appointed Rod Taylor, a well-respected and experienced member of the kart community as Let's Go Karting co-ordinator. After more than 20 years in the sport, Rod is now chairman of the Kart Sporting Committee, represents karting on the Motor Sports Council and is an MSA Clerk of the Course for the British Championships.
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive:
"Let's Go Karting is a genuinely ground-breaking campaign for the Motor Sports Association, as it represents the first concerted effort at a national level to bring people into karting and therefore into motor sport.
"Karting is vitally important to the health and development of the entire sport, as it offers young people a chance to participate, not just watch, which is increasingly important in today's competitive leisure marketplace. We are much more likely to get people involved at a young age, than we are later on when their leisure pursuits have already been established.
"We know that we need to break down the barriers to entry across the entire sport and one of the key barriers is finance. Let's Go Karting will make it possible for anyone to try it, without first having to make an investment in their own equipment, and that opens up the sport to a whole audience that was previously excluded."
Rod Taylor, Let's Go Karting Co-ordinator:
"When we compiled the initial evaluation paper, it was clear that there were some excellent initiatives already in place and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their ideas to get us to this stage. There has been a collective will across the board and I have been struck by the genuine enthusiasm of people who really want to create something for the good of the sport.
"Let's Go Karting will take elements of the existing programmes and create a blueprint that can be rolled out to other clubs and venues, building up a centrally-co-ordinated, but locally-delivered, national scheme.
"It is absolutely the right time to launch this kind of programme and I am delighted to have been appointed by the MSA to bring it all together."
Let's Go Karting will be officially launched in April 2008 once participating clubs and venues have been confirmed. Clubs and venues requiring further information should email: rod@rtaylor0.orangehome.co.uk.
