Karting
The UK's best city karting tracks
Want to get your karting kicks without leaving the urban sprawl? Step right this way.
Literary giant Ernest Hemingway once said: "There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering, and all the rest are merely games."
Today, that statement may be slightly out-dated, but the point remains – people still love the thought of racing wheel-to-wheel, and karting is a great way to scratch that itch.
So, forget the football, ditch the pub and step away from the screens. Grab some mates and enjoy an urban karting adventure in the following cities:
- London
- Birmingham
- Manchester
- Glasgow
- Sheffield
- Bristol
- Brighton
- Cardiff
- Belfast
London – Revolution Karting
Find it: 422-44 Burdett Road, E3 4AA
OK, so London is massive and could constitute an article all of its own (this one, for example), but if you’re after low-slung karting thrills in between sightseeing, you should head to Revolution Karting.
Two stops from Liverpool Street tube station, it couldn’t be any more central, and with super quick electric karts to flick around the 650-metre outdoor track, it is the ideal way to blow off some steam inside the M25.
Birmingham – Grand Prix Karting
Find it: Adderley Road South, B8 1AD
Birthplace of 1992 Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell, Britain’s second city features the floodlit Grand Prix Karting facility, a whisker away from the M6 motorway.
Here you can take part in a dizzying range of individual or team events on two different track configurations that have been graced by the likes of Mansell himself, Jenson Button and, er, Dick and Dom.
Manchester – TeamSport Go Karting Manchester
Find it: Hunts Bank, M3 1AR
It’s the weekend and you are in Manchester. You would be simply red faced if you didn’t head along to TeamSport Go Karting Manchester, which is an oasis of karting thrills to banish any blue Monday.
Get down to the two-level, 500-metre TeamSport karting facility, located directly under the Manchester Arena. Sure, it is part of the national TeamSport chain, but for access and facilities, it is bang on.
Glasgow – The Experience
Find it: Montrose Avenue, G52 4JR
Ditch the emissions, embrace the spirit of Scotland’s rich racing heritage, and unleash your inner Jackie Stewart at The Experience.
Located just off the M8, you’ll experience very quick electric karts and cracking food, plus, you are only a few miles from the ace city of Glasgow.
Sheffield – Parkwood Karting
Find it: Parkwood Road, S3 8AH
Not far from the centre of Sheffield is the Parkwood Karting facility, a 470-metre, floodlit track where good old-fashioned 270cc petrol karts capable of up to 50mph can be raced in any weather.
Loads of race formats are on offer, catering for everything from office parties to wannabe Max Verstappens. They also have Laser Tag!
Bristol – West Country Karting
Find it: Trench Lane, BS36 1RY
Many visit Bristol for its impressive Clifton Suspension Bridge and the general splendour of the south west’s biggest city. But if a bit of outdoor karting takes your fancy, north of the city, just off the M4 and M5 motorways, lies West Country Karting.
With its 400-metre track available day and night in wet or dry conditions, this is your best bet for a quick karting fix in the West Country.
Brighton – Brighton Karting
Find it: London Road, Albourne BN6 9BQ
Sure, there’s the faded Victorian glamour of the seafront with all those trendy craft ale establishments, but if you fancy a bit of wheel-to-wheel karting action on the south coast, best get along to the Brighton Karting’s monster 800m outdoor layout.
Featuring 270cc petrol-powered machines and a fly-over a bit like Suzuka (if you squint), this is the place to prove to your workmates that you deserve to drink your office coffee from that James Hunt mug you got for Christmas.
Cardiff – TeamSport Go Karting Cardiff
Find it: 11 Dominion Road, Newport Way CF24 1RF
Every year, the Welsh capital hosts a huge indoor racing spectacular in the shape of the British Speedway Grand Prix at the Millennium Stadium.
But on the other side of this compact city you will find the excellent TeamSport karting facility with a deceptively long fly-over setup, while off-track there’s decent food and drink, plush facilities and a locker room where you can act like a post-race Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder. Hi Nicole!
Belfast – Need4Speed Karting
Find it: 11 Kilbride Road, Doagh BT39 0QA
Located a short drive north of Belfast's city centre in Doagh, Need4Speed Karting boasts a fleet of non-restricted 270cc Honda-powered Sodi RT8 karts for you to pound around the sinuous indoor track.
With a raft of different events on, this is the place to be for kart fans in the Northern Irish capital – and Need4Speed Karting even has a kart fitted with hand controls, meaning wheelchair users can enjoy the fun too.
