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Do I need a driving license?
No! For all of our events no driving license is required. For racing in BUKC, a special competition licence can be obtained during any one of the pre-season test days.
Do I need any equipment?
No! The vast majority of venues will provide you with a racesuit, gloves and helmet, with balaclavas available to purchase. If there are any alterations to this, it'll be made clear in our informative emails prior to the event. However, we would recommend purchasing your own kit if you plan on racing with us frequently. For more information, visit our equipment information page.
What if I've never been karting before?
All of our social karting events are welcome to drivers of all levels of skill and experience! As we offer a relatively niche sport, we see dozens of new faces each year showing up to give-it-a-go for the first time, so you're not alone. We also have many experienced drivers, who are always helpful in guiding rookie drivers towards a better lap time. If you'd like to avoid being thrown in the deep end, so to speak, we offer a range of GIAG sessions across the year, aiming to offer a welcoming environment to newer drivers.
How do I get involved in competitive karting?
During the 2023–24 academic year, we are offering 2 ways of getting involved in competitive karting: the British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) and, returning for this year, the University of Bath Karting Championship (UOBKC).
BUKC is the greatest university sports league in the world, offering an incredible opportunity to get involved in competitive motorsports at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Taking place across 5 main rounds at 4 world-class venues throughout the academic year, BUKC pits over 130 teams from 115 universities against one another in 3 different classes: Premier, Clubman and Intermediate.
UOBKC is our semi-competitive internal karting championship, taking place over 5 rounds across the academic year, aiming to bring back the competitive edge our social karting events have lacked since the pandemic. Every driver who competes in a round will receive championship points, and will only be scored on their 4 best rounds so you don't have to worry about missing a round or having an off-day. The championship is split into 3 distinct classes, to keep the racing competitive for drivers of all skill levels.
For more information, visit our BUKC and UOBKC pages.
I'm not very experienced, can I still race in the BUKC?
Yes! BUKC welcomes drivers of all experience levels, ranging from national karting champions to complete novices. Each team is split into 3 classes after the championship qualifiers, allowing us to allocate our drivers into skill-based groups to run at their own pace. For both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we qualified 4 teams with 1 Premier, 1 Clubman and 2 Intermediate teams.
How expensive is it?
The cost of karting is the biggest challenge we face when putting on our events. As an SU sports club, we are in receipt of an annual budget, which we use to subsidise these events and make the sport as financially accessible as it can be. You will not find a cheaper place to kart than here! We always aim for under £1 per minute of karting where possible, but this can fluctuate venue-to-venue. Transport will always be provided for free by the club with each social karting ticket. For the 2023–24 academic year, purchasing our club membership will give you a £5 discount to all social karting events. We also host a range of free social events, such as our live Formula One screenings and raceday socials.
Will I fit in?
Our club is one of the most diverse at the university, with a wide range of drivers from all backgrounds, nationalities and religions. We actively try to make all of our members feel welcome to our community, and employ a zero-tolerance policy on abuse. For the 2023–24 academic year, we are now offering women's social karting events to help bridge the gap between men and women in motorsports at the university!
Still not sure?
Feel free to contact us via social media — links to which are available on our Linktree.