Children aged 8-16 are being encouraged to try their hand at motor racing through a new initiative funded by the MSA, British motorsport’s governing body.

Let’s Go Karting is a nationwide scheme that will enable youngsters to acquire a taste for the racetrack without having to invest in costly equipment. Sessions are available for nominal charge of just £5 per person at 16 different venues around the country.

Karting is motor racing’s traditional nursery and alumni include most Formula One racers of recent generations, not least Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen. Let’s Go Karting is not a conscious attempt to groom a future world champion - it seeks simply to broaden motor racing’s accessibility and appeal.

All equipment will be provided and sessions will be monitored by qualified instructors. Advanced tuition will be available for those who subsequently wish to return.

Budding racers need only select their nearest track from the list below, call to establish when the next £5 session is taking place and then turn up on the day.

Let’s Go Karting venues:

Buckmore Park, nr Maidstone, Kent (0845 603 7964)

Cambuslang, nr Glasgow (0141 641 0921)

Dunkeswell, Honiton, Devon (0844 544 9070)

East of Scotland Kart Club, nr St Andrews, Fife (07973 360398)

Ellough Park, nr Lowestoft, Suffolk (01502 717718)

Forest Edge, Barton Stacey, Hampshire (01258 451097)

Grampian Kart Club, nr Aberdeen (01358 724205)

Karting North-East, Sunderland (0191 521 4050)

Knockhill, nr Dunfermline, Fife (01383 723337)

Llandow, nr Cardiff (01446 795568)

PF International, nr Newark, Lincs (01623 662218)

North of Scotland Kart Club, nr Inverness (01463 870875)

Cumbria Kart Club, nr Workington (01900 606627)

Rye House, Hoddesdon, Herts (01992 460895)

Shenington Kart Club, Banbury, Oxon (01926 812177)

Ulster Kart Club, nr Belfast (02890 825301)

By Telegraph

A Bernie Ecclestone-backed karting series will support Formula One races in Europe beginning in 2010.

Britain-based Formula Kart Stars, formerly the Stars Of Tomorrow series, was launched recently with 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton in attendance.

Organisers said the series could spread to overseas grands prix in the future, and 23-year-old Hamilton is the official patron.

“He has always been supportive of the championship and has remained involved ever since he raced with us more than 10 years ago,” said series director Carolynn Hoy.

By F1STV

Organizers of the Rock Island Grand Prix, the world’s largest karting street race, have announced significant changes to the class lineup at this year’s event, Sept. 5-6, 2009. Presenting sponsors of the event are AT&T and Mazda. Other major sponsors include Kart Expo International and Jumer’s Casino & Hotel, Rock Island.

This year’s ninth running of the Superkarts! USA King of the Streets race will feature the Spec Honda power plant and follow SKUSA rules. Touch and Go (TAG) class offerings have also been expanded and there will be no junior class in 2009…

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Intrepid Force Rotax has come away from the winter shakedown event at the Karting Campillos circuit in Spain with some positive results and testing, as part of their preparation for the new year’s racing program. With plans to have one team driver in each class at the Winter Cup, this changed at the last moment when current European Rotax DD2 vice Champ Dominik Kraihamer became ill and was unable to compete…

More pics and infos after the break…

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Reilly and Strawberry begin new season where they left off.

Exactly four months after they wrapped up the British Super 1 Junior Max title together, Strawberry Racing and Joseph Reilly again returned to winning ways with an emphatic victory at last weekend’s (14 / 15  February) Rotax Winter Cup.

And what made Joseph’s victory all the more remarkable, was that this time it was in the Senior class.

Billed as the ‘ice-breaker’ for this year’s Euro Max Challenge, the event had attracted a strong field to the impressive Campillos track, near Malaga in Spain.

After setting the pace in testing prior to the event, Strawberry’s pairing of Reilly and James Greenway were confident that they would be able to maintain this early pace through timed qualifying and into the racing.

This certainly proved to be the case, with James fastest in the warm-up prior to the first heat and Joseph close, setting the 4th quickest time.

Joe opened his account with a win in his first heat, followed by a 2nd and another victory to put him top of the intermediate classification. James meanwhile took 3rd, 6th and 1st place finishes to rank 4th place overall.

From pole, Londoner Reilly was the class of the pre-final. After getting the hole-shot over his rivals on the run into the first corner and allowing the field to settle, Joe extended his advantage to over half a second and secured a comfortable win.

Skipton-based Greenway faced a tougher scrap - but sensibly opted to drive for a good top five finish and conserve his tyres for the main final.

Team Manager Warwick Ringham was pleased with his young drivers’ saying, “I was delighted. We’d come through the heats and pre-final intact and both the boys were in the top three rows and on the inside line for the first corner of the final.”

Again, Reilly aced the start and delivered a perfect lights-to-flag victory in the feature race. Greenway briefly ran in 3rd but found that his kart’s tyres were not offering the expected levels of grip and ran just a fraction off the front-runners’ pace as a result. Nevertheless, he was pleased with his eventual 6th place, believing it to be a strong platform from which to build a successful 2009 campaign.

James said, “I’m pleased and yet disappointed. I’ve been rapid throughout but when it mattered, my tyres just didn’t quite deliver. But I’ve got great expectations for the year after this performance.”

Warwick acknowledged, “Joseph’s effort and concentration throughout was fantastic. The kit’s quite good too! Both the lads are progressing amazingly well. They were up against a high standard and were amongst the fastest at the start of the week and maintained that pace and pressure until the end. It’s an encouraging start to the season for us all.”