Go-karting

Many British Formula 1 drivers began their careers in go-karting. Karts were invented in the USA in 1956 and attracted attention in the UK soon afterwards. Graham Hill was in at the start of the sport in this country, competing in the first race, held in November 1959 on an American airbase in Suffolk.

In those early days, impromptu race tracks were set up in car parks or on fields, with straw bales marking the route. The karts have no suspension or differential, are powered by a 2- or 4-stroke engine and have no body to protect the driver, making the experience similar to bouncing along on a tea-tray with wheels. This gives it great appeal for youngsters and there are plenty of indoor karting facilities geared up specifically for children.

There have been six British world champions: Terry Fullerton (1973), Mike Wilson (1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989), Oliver Oakes (2005), Tom Joyner (2013), Danny Keirle (2017) and Lando Norris (2014), whose interest was piqued at a go-karting birthday party at age seven. He signed for McLaren in 2017, so is on course to fulfill his ambition of being an F1 champion. The on-board camera on his kart in this video allows us to see the amount of sliding and skidding involved in a race:

(Top image: Richard Smith at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)