Best Series you probably haven’t heard of: DART Racing
Over the next little bit, we will be taking a look at some of the UK’s best championships that you probably haven’t heard of. First under the spotlight is the DART Racing series. We caught up with them at Kartmania to find out a little bit more.
Some of you may know this series by it’s old name, F4S. The championship provided a place to race for some truly crazy engines. Those being the Axiro rotary and the FQ250 4-stroke engine. In 2018, the championship changed into the DART Racing Series, catering exclusively for the FQ250s, which are built in house by DART.
This year, the championship ran over 6 races, focused mainly in the south of the UK. For those 6 rounds, drivers had a maximum of three sets of Maxxis HG1 tyres at their disposal, as well as up to one set of Mojo W2 wets per weekend should the need arise. The bonus of running 4-stroke engines is they use pump fuel, so no need for mixing fuel and oil every weekend. Entry fees were £70 per race, or £120 for the full weekend.
Getting back to the engines, they are true beats. They are loosely based on a Kawasaki motorbike engine, even using the same top end. The 250cc units feature a custom built bottom end, designed specifically for karting. The units are water-cooled, and sound completely alien to anything else at a kart track. If you want an idea of price, the engines are £3,594 from Dart. If that sounds like a lot to you, then don’t worry. You can hire a full engine setup for £195 per round. Unlike many engine hires, you also get: All the bits to bolt it on, mechanical support, fuel for the weekend, awning space, hospitality and any other little bits you may need. A pretty good deal. Talking to one of the competitors, they had a mechanical fault with their units and it was swapped for a new one for the next heat.
That’s not all, if you don’t fancy laying out for your own kart, then you can hire one from DART Motorsport. That costs £345 per round which gives you: The kart, engine, lap timer, transport, gearing, mechanic, fuel, hospitality, awning space and sundries. Its literally arrive and drive. It’s like Club100 on steroids! If you decide to race all 6 rounds, that’s £2,070, just pay your entry and your golden. And because the organiser is also the engine builder, parity between motors is guaranteed. The championship has been running under the IKR banner, but for 2020 it will become a full MSUK club. That means you will need a karting licence and pass the ARKS test in order to race. Again, the guys at DART Motorsport will be happy to get you through if you want.
Now, if you want to try this class before you get yourself out there or commit to buying your own kart, then DART Motorsport offer taster sessions for just £50 (We may have to get on this!). This allows you to get out there and experience these karts before you commit to buying or racing them. The taster sessions are only available at their local circuits, which I believe are Bayford Meadows and Lydd.
There 2020 calendar is due out in the next few weeks, so keep an eye on here where we will bring you the full calendar when it is released. In the mean time, if you would like to find out more about the series or even get a taster session pencilled in, then check out their website here.
Image: DART Racing
