Go Karting or Go Home ……….

Woodthorpe Karting Club

Report and Images by David Gowshall

27^th November 2022

It’s nearly three years (where did that time go?) since I last drove south-east from my home in the Lincolnshire Wolds across the flat expanses in the east of the county to my nearest Kart Club to seek out some action.

The growth of hired indoor kart racing, typically in former multi-storey car parks or disused warehouses, means that most motorsport enthusiasts have tried go-karting either as part of a work-based team building exercise or a birthday treat.

The next step if you tried and enjoyed it, is to purchase a kart and join a club, such as Woodthorpe my local club, and give it a go.

The UK is widely considered not just to be the world leader in the sport but also its spiritual base. This small island is home to more than 150 kart circuits, from indoor leisure karting venues to purpose-built outdoor tracks that host the highest level of international kart racing. All of those circuits allow you to try karting for yourself and have fun on four wheels for a reasonable fee.

Like all the similar clubs in the UK, Woodthorpe is a thriving grass roots facility, established for over forty years with a family based friendly atmosphere. This was very much in evidence with all participants full of enthusiasm on my visit at the club’s tenth and last meeting of 2022.

Most of the former and current F1 stars started on their motor racing careers at clubs like Woodthorpe which runs as an independent club, allowing those involved to take part without the need for a racing licence.



Membership starts at £25 a year. Bring along your kart, helmet, race suit and transponder and you can race, just like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Ayrton Senna did as they set out on their dream to become Grand Prix stars.

Most of the ten participating racing classes are aimed at those under 17, with 5 and 6 year olds being the youngest in the Bambino class. These karts are limited to 35mph top speed, (similar in output to those experienced by those at indoor karting hire venues), but there are plenty of opportunities for those over 16 to compete in more powerful karts as well.



A typical 125cc kart has an engine horsepower of between 27 and 35bhp and is capable of a top speed between 70 and 80mph.

Woodthorpe’s 0.46 mile circuit has a lap record of 28.651 seconds, an average speed of almost 58mph, which is very impressive. Like so many UK motor sport venues, including Silverstone, and a particular favourite of mine, Darley Moor, it and they are built on former wartime airbases. 

Woodthorpe uses part of the perimeter track of the original RAF Strubby airfield which was the home of many Lancaster bomber squadrons throughout the Second World War. Closing in September 1972, it still retains its aviation heritage as the home to the Lincolnshire Gliding Club and helicopters servicing gas platforms in the North Sea. 

Whilst I was photographing the action on the track, microlites, hang gliders and remote-control model planes also took to the skies, although the low cloud and mist prevented me from taking any shots.



On the ground the action came thick and fast.  The damp conditions meant all karts were running with wet weather tyres.  Depending on which class was on track, some were rolling and some standing starts, but the scramble to the first right hand hairpin was the same regardless.

Last time I visited I didn’t have my Sigma 150-600 telephoto lens, but this time I did and was able to take a few shots of the diminutive racing machines as they made their way along the straight and around the “Bus Stop” chicane. This is on the far side of the circuit which is inaccessible to spectators.

The rest of the circuit provides plenty of opportunities to capture the action with unobstructed views and no safety fences to worry about. A waist high barbed wire fence or some temporary crowd barrier and tyres stacked on the outside of bends are the only thing separating you from the track.

The lack of suspension, and the fact the circuit surface in some spots was a little worse for wear, only added to the physical challenge experienced by the drivers who were quite young so the races are limited to nine minutes + 1 lap. 

The highly colourful machines are very photogenic, and I found myself snapping away at every opportunity.

As the light faded I was forced to head home reflecting on what had been a thoroughly enjoyable few hours. I will try to make sure it’s not another three years before I return.

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