Is there something missing from Kartmania?
Last weekend saw the British sport of karting descend onto the home of British Motorsport, Silverstone.
The Kartmania show started 12 years ago, with the aim of bringing new people into the sport of karting. All of the major championships are present, including retailers where you can get yourself kitted out ready for the new season. This year was the biggest show yet, with the introduction of the Sim championship which run over the weekend. However, it isn’t the only kart show around.
Held over the same weekend, the 2nd Karting Expo in Adria took place. The expo is more like a motor show for karting, with all the manufactures showing off their latest products and their new developments for the 2020 championship. But there is one thing that the expo has that Kartmania might be able to take from. That is using the circuit track.
At the karting expo, press and customers can have the chance to test drive karts on the famous Adria circuit. That is something that could be introduced at Kartmania. Silverstone has many different layouts, but the one to use would be Stowe circuit. It wouldn’t be the first time that Stowe circuit has been used for karting, as the ill-fated Formula Kart Stars raced there back in 2016. Having kart teams & engine suppliers offering the chance for drivers to test and get hands on with the machines they are selling would mean buyers can make a more informed choice. It would also give the chance for ‘alternative’ classes to get drivers excited about their classes and boost entries/sales.
The counter to this, is that it would drive the costs of hosting the show through the roof. Which is true, hiring a circuit is not a cheap thing to do (I’d be surprised if you had any change left from £20,000 for a weekend’s hire of Stowe circuit). But the promoters could hire the circuit, and charge exhibitors per kart/ per time slot that they wanted to run. So you could have test drives for junior and seniors for an hour, then give Club100 the circuit for them to run a 30 minute taster sessions with their fleet of karts. The teams/exhibitors then charge customers to test, maybe £50-£75. Then give them a small discount if they decide to take a kart home with them or register for the championship.
The other argument against this, is it may risk changing what Kartmania is all about. Traditionally it has been about bringing new people into the sport of karting. Speaking in an interview last year, promoter Martin Capenhurst said ‘We want new people in. Other people that have licences, they know about it, they know what they are doing… We are here to promote karting, to get new people into the sport and guide them the right way. So they don’t waste a lot of money by buying stuff they don’t need. They come in, we guide them to say: You need this, you need to go there and we will help you with this and encourage them into the sport of karting.“
At the end of the day, we went to Kartmania for the first time this year, and it is a fantastic show and does exactly what it sets out to do. But, having worked at circuits trying to do the same thing, the best way of getting people excited about the sport of karting is to get their backsides in a kart and out on track. Nobody can say no to the sport when they have tried it.
What do you think? Is there something missing from Kartmania, or do you think the formula for the show is amazing as it is?
