Welcome

[wyatt]

---------------------------------------BRITISH HISTORIC KART CLUB
-------------------------------Preserving Fifty Four Years of Kart Heritage 1956-2010

------------------------------------------Patron: Barrie (Wizzo) Williams

------------Chairman Wyatt Stanley Tel: 07974994569 Email: [url]wyatt@britishhistorickartclub.com[/url]


-------------------Welcome to the website for one of the most exciting forms of karting.

Historic Karting has been an added dimension of karting and a major growth area of Motorsport over the past five years. It is expected to continue to increase in 2010.

Historic karting has grown because its boundaries expand outside kart events as we also attend motor car racing events, air shows and anything that will promote karting and that can be considered fun and enjoyable.

History
Karting started in America in 1956 where Art Ingels is credited with making the first kart. Karting made its way to the UK in 1958 brought over by American servicemen. Initially kart events were classed as unofficial races and demonstration events. In 1959 the RAC/MSA sanctioned karting and the first official race was held in November of that year at RAF Lakenheath. It was a two hour race won by the late Graham Hill in a Progress kart.

Historic karting evolved from enthusiasts who attended Shenington KRC’s fortieth anniversary race meeting in June 2000. Following that event, historic karting grew rapidly and The British Historic Kart Club was formed in 2005. The club now has over 250 members and is now affiliated to the MSA and has become a recognised branch of karting.

International Connections and Clubs
The BHKC has members all over the world and has strong ties with the Dutch, German, Italian and French Historic Kart clubs. We hold an international meeting here in the UK and there are a number in Europe which we attend.

2009 was the fiftieth anniversary of the first official race in the UK and we held a commemorative meeting at Whilton Mill Kart Circuit. We had around 200 karts from Europe and the UK. In 2010 we are to attend an event at Spa in Belgium hosted by the Dutch and another with the German historic kart club to celebrate fifty year of karting in Germany.


Events
We hold demonstration events, track days and a six-round short-circuit series for those who wish to race. The UK calendar is packed. The variety and number of events in the UK will keep any historic kart owner happy without having to go abroad if they do not wish to do.
We do various demonstration events kart clubs around the country, one of our favourites being the SuperKart GP at Cadwell Park.. These demo events are not limited to karting and we attend some very other prestigious events. We do live action at the Race Retro Show, attend the Autosport show, and hope to be at the Pageant of Power. In previous years we have been at a Jaguar Revival meeting at Goodwood , air shows and burnt the rubber down the strip at Santa Pod.
The historic kart race series is known as the Retro Racer Series. This is a non-MSA series but does follow MSA rules to ensure safety and continuity with drivers and officials who also participate in MSA events. Some rules are adapted or added to suit our (historic kart) requirements. As full set is available when you join the website. Our main Retro Racer event is the Historic Kart GP at Tesside Autodrome in May.



2009 An Anniversary Year
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Kart Racing in the UK in 2009 commemorative events were being organised with many racing drivers who have come through or been involved in karting. The year started with the Autosport show in January and continued with the Race Retro Show at Stoneleigh in March, the Teeside Historic GP (May), the Shenington Revival in June. The main commemorative event was the two day Golden Jubilee Festival at Whilton Mill in September. The event had plenty of nostalgia with the Dutch, Italians and German clubs attending. Several karting concerns including Karting Magazine and GPR Racing gave their support. In addition, the favourite meetings continued such as the clubs support for the Midland championships at Little Rissington and our two day Strubby meeting (Nr Skegness).

Who is Accepted
Anyone is welcome to join the British Historic Kart Club and many youngsters are becoming involved to ensure the future of historic karting. Currently only persons older than 16 years can race but anyone from the age of 9 can participate in the track days and demonstration events.

What is Accepted
Karts and air cooled engines manufactured before 1982 are accepted - both professional makes such as Trokart, Keele and Barlotti plus home built specials. We have established spares suppliers, engineering companies and technical services to keep owners’ karts running.

What is Not Accepted
Any karts and engines manufactured after 1982. Any watercooled engines apart from specific models manufactured before 1970.
The club is aware that there are karts later than 1982 that have historic interest and importance; however the logistics of handling the 1959-82 time period is as much as the committee and other helpers can manage. The club also feels that its effort must be focussed on preserving those karts and engines that are rapidly becoming more scarce with the passage of time.

Joining the Website
Joining the website is easy and free, just click the apply icon. Your application will be considered by the club. Due to spam problems, if we are unsure of your internet name we may send you an email asking about your karting interests before your application is approved (Don't forget to check your Spam filter).

Joining the British Historic kart Club
Having joined the Website you will be able to join the BHKC. Follow the link ‘About The Club’, then ‘How To Join’ then finally ‘Membership Forms’ where you will logically enough find the club membership forms.